The 20 Absolute Best Swedish MMA Fights In 2023!

Swedish MMA is growing every year and 2023 is no exception!

During the past 12 months, we had a bunch of up-and-coming athletes fighting internationally in promotion’s like Cage Warriors, OKTAGON, PFL, KSW and UFC.

Josefine ”Thunder” Knutsson made her anticipated UFC debut in style, Sadibou Sy made it to the PFL finals and Zebeztian Kadestam knocked out the hyped Roberto Soldic in ONE Championships, just to name a few international successes.

On the local scene, we saw bloody and entertaining MMA action in promotion’s like WFP, FCR and Superior Challenge, where fighters such as Josefine Modig, Christopher Bajo and Andreas Gustafsson really showed why Swedish MMA is a force to be reckoned with.

With that said, Frontkick presents the 20 best Swedish MMA fights in 2023!

 

20. Mattias Henriksson vs Tobias Söderberg

This was a fun fight that admittedly didn’t ooze with striking technique but made up for it with a blood and guts battle from both Mattias Henriksson and Tobias Söderberg.

Heading into the fight Henriksson was set to defend his home turf in Umeå against Linköping’s Söderberg. Both fighters dished out shots on the feet and exchanged dominant positions and submission attempts on the ground.

Eventually in the second round Henriksson would find the rear naked choke, sealing victory in his hometown.

19. Eladio Bravo vs Federico Perri

Fans have been awaiting the pro debut of Eladio Bravo for some time now, as he has been one of the most exciting amateurs in the country. His first outing as a pro would not be an easy one, however, as SBG Ireland’s Federico Perri dropped the Swede with an early shot in the first round.

Bravo would regain his composure while securing top position but both fighters continued scrambling on the ground and exchanging shots on the feet.

In the second round Bravo found the rear naked choke, getting the tap and securing his first pro win.

18. Christopher Bajo vs. Toni Lampinen

After delivering a Fight of the year-candidate at Fight Club Rush 16, Toni Lampinen was red hot going into the cage at Fight Club Rush 17, against south Sweden’s finest striker Christopher Bajo.

Lampinen had a strong and loud Finnish following who cheered him on as he entered the cage, but the crowd was even louder when Bajo took to the scene.

The Nordic derby started with solid striking from both fighters. Lampinen threw solid body shots while the Swedish Muay Thai used his heavy kicks and knees.

After separating from the clinch, Bajo floored the tough Finnish fighter with a clean elbow, and we all thought the fight was going to be over. Lampinen had other plans as he took the fight to the ground and controlled the rest of the first round.

Bajo stepped on the gas in round two and hit his opponent with vicious elbows and knees until the referee stepped in to save Lampinen from taking further damage.

17. Herolind Xhafolli vs. Harda Karim

This was a top-tier match up between promising prospects from Sweden and Norway. Herolind Xhafolli of Redline Training Center in Malmö had the upper hand when it came to takedowns, securing several, while Norwegian Harda Karim found success in the fight, firing his straight right hand down the middle several times.

It was a grueling fight for both fighters, with Xhafolli getting bloodied up by his left eye. The momentum swayed back and forth byt Karim seemed to be the one doing the most damage, which two out of three judges eventually ruled, as Karim left with a split decision win.

16. Ali Yazbeck vs Kevin Osorio

Technical, tactical, intense and violent, these two bantamweight prospects gave the fans a little bit of everything.

Heading into FCR 17 Ali Yazbeck held a two fight winning streak whereas Kevin Osorio made his long-awaited return after a blowout of a victory in his pro debut four years prior.

The two evenly matched fighters fought a violent chess game, where the slightest misstep could result in defeat. Osorio was bloodied up early on but soldiered through with intensity, while the all round Yazbeck methodically changed things, excelling both on the feet and on the canvas.

After three solid rounds Yazbeck emerged victorious and he remains undefeated to this day, but both fighters delivered a truly great and entertaining fight.

15. Rohullah Yousofi vs. Jonny Touma

While it wasn’t the title fight that was first booked, both reigning FCR flyweight champ Jonny Touma and challenger Rohulla Yousofi were well-deserving of the FCR 19 main event. Touma dropped the title challenger early but the two-time Afghan boxing champ Yousofi got back into the fight, constantly threatening with his striking.

The battle was fought on a knife’s edge with both fighters having their moments, though the champ was a step ahead in most aspects.

While Yousfi found success in the final round, Touma showed his champion mettle, solidifying his top ranking in Northern Europe.

14. Nermin Hajdarpasic vs. Robin Fosum

Swedish heavyweight Nermin Hajdarpasic was a big underdog going into the fight against the hard-hitting Robin Fosum at OKTAGON 41 in April.

Fosum was fighting on his home turf and had the crowd backing him up as he started the fight with a takedown and a submission attempt.

Hajdarpasic was by no means giving up as showed proof of his developing ground game and eventually got to his feet. The former Swedish boxing champion then poured it on with his trademark heavy jab and solid combinations.

Throughout the fight, Nermin was clearly the one who did the most damage but after three tough rounds the fight ended as a draw.

13. Josefine Knutsson vs. Jacinta Austin

On her path to UFC, undefeated Swedish prospect Josefine Knutsson faced the toughest test of her career so far in Australian kickboxer Jacinta Austin. ”Juggernaut” was also undefeated at the time they clashed in a furious fight at UAE Warriors 36 in February.

Throughout the three-round fight, both strawweights kept a high pace both standing and on the ground. Knutsson tried to get a finish in the second round via a rear-naked-choke but Austin escaped and fired back.

After an even harder third round, Knutsson finally stood as the winner via split decision.

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They both need to win the third and they're going for it!#UAEWarriors36 pic.twitter.com/hpEOTR0wmJ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 25, 2023

12. Fernando Flores vs Alexander Lööf

Heading into the FCR 15 co-main event rising star Alexander Lööf was the understandable betting favourite, but grizzled veteran Fernando Flores can give anyone a run for their money!

Lööf started off strong, pushing the pace and winning the first round. In the second round, however, Flores began putting on the pressure, overwhelming Lööf and making it one round a piece heading into the third.

The third round was close but Flores seemed to have the edge – up until Lööf fired off a massive flying knee, turning the tide of battle.

This fight greatly encapsulated the nature of a classic MMA fight with the momentum shifting back and forth until the final buzzer. This was a classic of 2023.

11. Hamed Tawana vs. Fabian Ufs

Nothing is guaranteed in MMA and truly anything can happen.

Norwegian prospect Fabian Ufs had already silenced the hometown crowd at AFN by finishing Sheriff Rahimi in his previous outing and returned looking to play spoiler once again. Malmö’s own Hamed Tawana would not be put down so easily, though.

Ufs looked to end the fight early, landing a brutal knee to the face and following up with heavy ground and pound. A bloodied Tawana never gave up, continued pressing the action and dropped his foe in the second round. Tawana never relented, pouring on the damage until the referee was forced to intervene.

10. Zebaztian Kadestam vs Robert Soldic

When he left KSW Robert Soldic became the most sought after free agent in MMA and when he was signed to ONE Championship the prospect of a bout with Swede Zebaztian Kadestam began to be discussed.

The fight was eventually booked and it was an all out splendor of striking violence. Soldic pressed on early, landing heavy shots while Kadestam countered and figured out the rhythm. The two threw brutal shots at each other but did so in a technical way.

In the second round Kadestam had begun finding his timing and fired off a heavy elbow counter. Soldic was visibly hurt while the Swede chased him like a predator, eventually getting the knockout win.

9. Rohullah Yousofi vs. Zoran Milic

The flyweights seemingly always deliver and that was certainly the case when Rohulla Yousofi and Zoran Milic duked it out at FCR 16 to secure the next title shot. Yousofi unloaded a haymaker of an uppercut in the first round, catching Milic off guard. Milic fought back, though, working his way back into the fight and finishing the first round strongly.

In the second round Milic looked to be close to finishing the fight with a rear naked choke, but Yousofi persevered and landed a bevy of heavy strikes at the end of the second stanza.

The third round was slightly more tactical, with Yousofi landing a high kick whilst Milic ended the round on top. In the end Yousofi would win a decision and go on to challenge for the title, but both fighters deserve respect for the show they put on.

8. Ali Taleb vs. Khurshed Kakhorov

When Swedish bantamweight phenom Ali Taleb clashed with Khurshed “Killer” Kakhorov in the PFL Europe bantamweight semifinal in Paris, both fighters put on one hell of a show.

Taleb started strong and floored his opponent with a slick boxing combo that ended with a heavy uppercut that made the Swedish fans in Paris grasp for air.

However, Kakhorov survived and stepped on the gas pedal in the second round. He put on heavy pressure and landed nasty kicks and punches that almost finished the Swede. After controlling most of round three, Kakhorov stood as the winner with 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 on the scorecards.

“This guy is very strong,” Kakhorov said in the post-fight interview. “I was surprised, I thought ‘who the fuck is this guy?’”

7. Anton Turkalj vs. Vitor Petrino

The rough and tough light heavyweight scrap between Sweden’s Anton Turkalj and Brazil’s Vitor Petrino took home the “Fight of the Night” bonus at a UFC Fight Night on March 11.

Petrino showed proof of a well-rounded MMA game over three rounds while the durable Turkalj tried to put his submission game to use.

In the end Petrino secured a unanimous decision via 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 but both fighters received an additional $50,000 for the exciting fight.

6. Nikolija Milosevic vs Cecilie Bolander

After a very successful Multiple IMMAF world champion Nikolija Milosevic made her highly-anticipated pro debut against Norwegian phenom Cecilie Bolander.

The meeting between Sweden and Norway would produce one of the best Superior Challenge fights in recent years and the best female fight in Sweden. Equal parts technical, entertaining and exciting, the two Scandinavians battled back and forth from submission attempts to top position to striking echanges.

In the end the Norwegian Bolander would get the win via decision, but the fans were the real winners.

5. Guram Kutateladze vs. Elves Brener

The lightweight fight between Guram Kutateladze and Elves Brener turned into one of the most entertaining fights of the year.

Kutateladze appeared a step ahead in the beginning of the competitive bout as he landed heavy knees, elbows and punches that cut his opponent.

Bloody and bruised, but no by no means beaten, Brener remained confident during the fight. In the third round, he landed a heavy left hook to the side of the head of Kutateladze, who stumbled backwards and when the Brazilian connected with a few more punches before the referee intervened.

4. Felipe Lima vs. Jonas Mågård

When Felipe Lima defeated Jonas Mågård to become the new OKTAGON bantamweight champion he showed the world that he’s one of the absolute best 135’ers in Europe.

The two traded verbal jabs ahead of the fight, but when the door closed, it was all Lima’s show.

During five rounds of action, the Swedish-Brazilian proved to be a number too big for Mågård as he landed slick striking and threatened with numerous submission attempts.

In the fourth round he was deducted a point due to an illegal knee, but was still able to win the fight via a comfortable unanimous decision, with 48-45, 48-46 and 48-45 on the scorecards.

3. Danijel Grbic vs Enes Kollari

What. A. Fight.

In the main event at Wolf Fight Promotion 8 both Danijel Grbic and Enes Kollari were pursuing their first pro win and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Both fighters went from 0 to 100 right away in a multi-faceted fight that showcased pretty much every aspect of MMA. Kollari was deadly on the feet, but Grbic was the more well-rounded fighter, securing many strong ground positions though the two didn’t have any issues exchanging strikes on the feet either.

The two fighters ended up putting on an unforgettable display of top-tier MMA and while Kollari had many good moments, the totality of Grbic’s all-round performance got him a well-deserved unanimous decision win.

2. Alexander Lööf vs. Luke Riley

Arguably the best Cage Warriors fight of the year, Alexander Lööf’s epic CW debut against Luke Riley blew the roof of the BEC Arena in Manchester.

The fight was just as entertaining as it was violent.

Lööf floored his opponent with a heavy punch and was close to finishing the fight in the second round, However, Riley somehow survived, came back strong and landed an insane amount of punches in the last minute. In the third round, he put pressure on the Swede and was able to land a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the action

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan later claimed it was the best fight of the year.

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⭐️ One of the craziest fights in Cage Warriors history! ⭐️
Luke Riley dug deep and unleashed a combo in the final round of a back and forth fight, to pick up the TKO victory.

What a fight!

📺 Watch #CW160 live on @UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/YgU0H3RYxz

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) September 29, 2023

1. Andreas Gustafsson vs. Toni Lampinen

At Fight Club Rush 16 in May, Sweden’s Andreas ”Bane” Gustafsson and Finland’s Toni Lampinen showed the world that Nordic MMA is just as violent and entertaining as anywhere else on the planet.

The vicious fight between the two welterweights is most likely the bloodiest battle in Nordic MMA history.

The first fight started with a hook from ”Bane” that immediately cut his opponent over the eyebrow. However, the heavy punch didn’t stop Lampinen who came back strong with a brutal elbow that broke Gustafsson’s nose. And that was just the start.

The Swede looked like he had the finish in reach, but even though he was hitting his opponent with shots that could floor an elephant, he couldn’t stop Lampinen just yet.

The canvas was drenched in blood when the second round started but the two welterweight’s just kept on going. By the end of the second round, however, Lampinen just couldn’t take more punishment, and when Gustafsson landed a couple of heavy blows, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Read more: This is what we know about UFC in 2024: Fights, dates and venues!

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