MMA Guide: Here are Finland’s finest MMA fighters right now!

Finland has loads of skilled MMA fighters that are known reac havoc on the regional Nordic scene and the major European stages.

This article is not intended to rank the athletes, but rather to give credit to some of the fantastic pro and amateur fighters from Finland.

With that said, here are some of the most interesting Finnish MMA fighters at the moment!

Waltteri Hakkinen

• Record: 4-1

Waltteri Hakkinen is a bright shining featherweight prospect on the Nordic MMA scene. He spent the majority of his young career fighting in Swedish promotion FCR, where he faced stiff competition.

Three of Hakkinen’s four wins has come via stoppage.

Mika Kallio

• Record: 2-1

The tough Mika Kallio might had his two-fight winning streak broken at FCR 19, but he’s still a promising prospect.

Sani Brannfors

• Amateur record: 12-1

Sani Brännfors is a two-time IMMAF World gold medalist and one of Finland’s absolute hottest amateur prospects.

Eemil Kurhela

• Record: 7-2

After six fights in CAGE, Eemil ”Sergeant” Kurhela stepped over to leading European MMA promotion OKTAGON MMA in May 2024.

Make sure to keep an eye on this European prospect!

Toni Lampinen

• Record: 8-7

A shout out to the tough and durable Toni Lampinen who was a part of the bloodiest and most violent fights in Nordic MMA history at FCR 16 in 2023.

The 34-year-old welterweight has spent most of his pro career in Fight Club Rush and CAGE.

Edward Walls

• Record: 13-10

With fights in Cage Warriors and Finnish MMA promotion CAGE, Edward Walls is just as experienced as he’s tough.

As a Battle of Botnia featherweight champion, Walls will take on the tough Levan Kirtadze next.

Brayan Aspegren

• Record: 4-0

With three of his four wins coming via stoppage, Brayan Aspegren is a violent prospect on the regional Nordic scene.

Fighting mostly in Sweden, he faced tough competition like Enes Kollari and Robin Enontekiö.

Mark Vologdin

• Record: 10-3-1

AFN bantamweight champion Mark Vologdin is one of the most promising prospects in the Nordic region at the moment. The young fighter represents Allstars Training Center in Stockholm and might very well be the next Nordic fighter to sign with the UFC.

Vologdin is currently riding a five-fight winning streak.

Hama Dara

• Record: 6-8-1

Hama Dara is a seasoned pro fighter who’s been competing all over the Nordic countries, in promotions such as CAGE, AFN and MMA Galla.

Iiris Nihti

• Amateur record: 6-6

Iiris Nihti became the IMMAF 2022 lightweight world champion as she defeated the skilled Izzy McGaughey via split decision in 2022. Since then she has fought in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Karvann Ahmadi

• Record: 4-2

Karvann ”The Kurdish Prince” Ahmadi has two straight wins in 2024. In his last fight he defeated Anton Larsson at Battle of Botnia 11.

Janne Elonen-Kulmala

• Record: 18-12-1

Janne Elonen-Kulmala is one of the most seasoned pros from Finland. During his long career he fought in promotions all over Europe, including OKTAGON MMA and Cage Warriors. In 2023, he faced current CW bantamweight champion Liam Gittins.

The 35-year-old veteran is still going strong and currently has two straight wins on the regional scene. In November he will be back in OKTAGON to face Roman Paulus.

Ville Mankinen

• Record: 6-4-1

Cage Warriors veteran Ville Mankinen has been a real stoppage machine since his pro debut in 2017. Five of his six wins have come via stoppage, four in the first round.

Suvi Salmimies

• Record: 13-5-1

Suvi Salmimies is a true veteran on the Nordic MMA scene. The 39-year-old has been around for the last decade, fighting most of her bouts in CAGE.

In her last fight, a few weeks back, she stopped Eliliane Silva in the first round.

Niko Aikonen

• Record: 4-1-1

Former Finnish MMA champion and National Team fighter Niko ”Hunter” Aikonen started his pro career in 2023. Six fights later, the dangerous welterweight has four victories coming via stoppage in the first round.

Aikonen rides a three-fight winning streak in CAGE.

Riku Urholin

• Record: 4-2

Riku Urholin is a dangerous finisher with three straight first-round stoppage wins. In his last fight he submitted Konrad Kossakowski with a rear-naked-choke.

He fought his whole career in CAGE.

Omar Tugarev

• Record: 4-0

Undefeated middleweight Omar Tugarev is a rising star in the Nordic MMA scene. The 22-year-old has racked up four straight first-round stoppage wins. Two of his wins have come in international promotion UAE Warriors.

The future is certainly looking very bright for Tugarev. Make sure to keep an eye on this prospect!

Markus Rytohonka

• Record: 8-7-1

CAGE MMA veteran Markus Rytohonka is a seasoned fighter on the Finnish scene. Even though the veteran suffered a few losses lately, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

Makwan Amirkhani

• Record: 17-11

UFC veteran and OKTAGON MMA fighter Makwan Amirkhani is perhaps the best MMA fighter to ever come out of Finland. During the years, ”Mr. Finland” faced the likes of Arnold Allen, Shane Burgos, Lerone Murphy and Edson Barboza.

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• Amateur MMA Guide: The most interesting Swedish up-and-comers right now!
• MMA Guide: Norwegian MMA prospects you must keep an eye on!

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