Ilya Kotau Record: 0-0-0

Personal background

Ilya Kotau is an American welterweight mixed martial artist out of Danbury, Connecticut. He trained at Teixeira MMA & Fitness, the Danbury gym founded by former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira, a respected home for New England fighters. Standing 6'2" with a 69" reach, Kotau was a tall, long welterweight who competed primarily on Bellator's regional-tier cards in the Northeast. Detailed biographical information about his background and route into the sport is scarce, so this profile keeps to his verifiable competition history.

Professional career

Kotau spent his career under the Bellator banner, fighting on cards in Connecticut and the surrounding region. He picked up a win by rear-naked choke over Nicholas Sergiacomi in the first round at Bellator 140 in July 2015, showing a finisher's instinct on the mat. That October he met Kemran Lachinov at Bellator 144 and was caught in a second-round kneebar, a reminder of the leg-lock dangers that come with grappling exchanges. His next outing, against Carlos Correia at Bellator 163 in November 2016, went the full three rounds before Correia took a split decision – a close, competitive loss that showed Kotau could hang for a full fight against live opposition. A scheduled bout with Pat McCrohan at Bellator 215 in February 2019 was cancelled, and that closed out his listed activity.