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Makwan Amirkhani

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Makwan Amirkhani
Born (1988-11-08) November 8, 1988 (age 36)
Kermanshah, Iran [1]
Other namesMr. Finland,[2] Maku
ResidenceTurku, Finland
NationalityFinnish
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm) [3]
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)
StyleGreco-Roman wrestling, Freestyle wrestling, Muay Thai, Submission wrestling
TeamSBG Ireland
Turku Muay Thai
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total15
Wins13
By knockout1
By submission9
By decision3
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Makwan Amirkhani (born November 8, 1988) is a Finnish mixed martial artist and a wrestler of Kurdish ethnicity,[1][4] competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[5]

Background

A Kurd born in the Kurdish region of Iran,[1][4] Amirkhani moved with his family to Finland as a small child in the aftermath of the Iran–Iraq War. Like many other young kids in Finland, he hails from a proud amateur wrestling background, having trained since the age of four, and won numerous titles in both the styles of Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling.[6]

Kurdish heritage

Despite growing up in Finland, Amirkhani remains proud of his Kurdish heritage.[1] At a June 2015 weigh-in to his fight, he held a Kurdistan flag aloft as he stood on the scales.[1][7] He also frequently posts in support for the Peshmerga on his social media accounts.[1]

Mixed martial arts career

Amirkhani began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 16 and had his first professional fight in 2010. Competing on the regional circuit solely in Finland, he compiled a record of 10–2, with eight finishes, all by submission and all in the first round, before signing with the UFC in December 2014.[8]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Amirkhani made his promotional debut against Andy Ogle on January 24, 2015 at UFC on Fox 14.[9] He won the fight via TKO only 8 seconds into the first round.[10] He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.[11]

Amirkhani was briefly linked to a bout with Diego Rivas on June 20, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 69.[12] However, shortly after the bout was announced, Rivas was pulled from the fight due to undisclosed reasons and replaced by Masio Fullen.[13] Amirkhani won the fight by submission due to a rear naked choke in the first round.[14][15]

Amirkhani faced Mike Wilkinson on February 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84.[16] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur wrestling

  • Finnish Wrestling Federation
    • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Freestyle Wrestling Champion[22]
    • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion[23]
    • 2013 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion[24]
    • 2013 Finnish Nationals 66 kg (145 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Bronze medalist[25]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
15 matches 13 wins 2 losses
By knockout 1 0
By submission 9 1
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–2 Mike Wilkinson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping February 27, 2016 3 5:00 London, England
Win 12–2 Masio Fullen Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne June 20, 2015 1 1:41 Berlin, Germany
Win 11–2 Andy Ogle TKO (flying knee and punches) UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson January 24, 2015 1 0:08 Stockholm, Sweden Performance of the Night.
Win 10–2 Yohan Guerin Decision (unanimous) Cage 26 April 5, 2014 3 5:00 Turku, Finland
Loss 9–2 Adam Ward Decision (unanimous) Cage 24 - Turku 3 November 9, 2013 3 5:00 Turku, Finland
Win 9–1 Nayeb Hezam Submission (D'Arce choke) Fight for Glory - First Round April 6, 2013 1 3:58 Turku, Finland
Win 8–1 Tom Duquesnoy Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) Cage 21 - Turku 2 February 2, 2013 1 1:50 Turku, Finland
Win 7–1 Semen Tyrlya Submission (modified rear-naked choke) StandUpWar 3 - Rising Stars October 27, 2012 1 3:03 Tampere, Finland
Win 6–1 Johannes Isaksson Submission (leg lock) Botnia Punishment 12 September 14, 2012 1 1:50 Seinäjoki, Finland
Win 5–1 Kari Päivinen Submission (guillotine choke) Lappeenranta Fight Night 7 April 14, 2012 1 2:23 Lappeenranta, Finland
Win 4–1 Aleksejs Povulans Decision (unanimous) Cage 18 - Turku March 3, 2012 2 5:00 Turku, Finland
Win 3–1 Lauri Väätäinen Submission (heel hook) Cage 16 - 1st Defense October 8, 2011 1 0:50 Espoo, Finland
Loss 2–1 Viktor Tomasevic Submission (triangle choke) Karkkila Fight Night 1 June 18, 2011 1 2:45 Karkkila, Finland
Win 2–0 Markus Rytöhonka Submission (triangle choke) TF - Turkuu Sport & Extreme Expo April 9, 2011 1 N/A Turku, Finland
Win 1–0 Tadas Aleksonis Submission (rear-naked choke) TF 2 - Champions Are Here October 23, 2010 1 1:21 Turku, Finland

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kurdish MMA fighter 'Mr Finland' Crushes Opponent by Rudaw, June 20, 2015
  2. ^ Carroll, Peter. "Ten Minutes with "Mr. Finland" Makwan Amirkhani | FIGHTLAND". Fightland.vice.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  3. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne". UFC.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Makwan Amirkhani talks mom's new bed, celebrity status, moving, and fighting next March 6, 2015 - "I’m from Iran, but I'm Kurdish."
  5. ^ "Makwan "Mr. Finland" Amirkhani MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  6. ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (2015-01-28). "Makwan Amirkhani: 'I'm like Aladdin, a diamond who hasn't been found yet'". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  7. ^ UFC Berlin Weigh-in: Amirkhani with a Kurdistan Flag by Getty Images
  8. ^ Zane Simon (2014-12-05). "Welcome to the UFC Makwan Amirkhani". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  9. ^ Staff (2014-12-05). "Andy Ogle vs. Makwan Amirkhani joins UFC on FOX 14 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  10. ^ Steven Marrocco (2015-01-24). "UFC on FOX 14 results: Makwan Amirkhani throttles Andy Ogle in eight seconds". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  11. ^ "UFC on FOX 14 bonuses: Anthony Johnson, Gegard Mousasi, Makwan Amirkhani and Kenny Robertson bank an extra $50,000 for knockouts". mmamania.com. 2015-01-24.
  12. ^ Sean Bio (2015-04-02). "Makwan Amirkhani vs. Diego Rivas added to UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  13. ^ Ryan O'Leary (2015-04-16). "Makwan Amirkhani joins UFC in Berlin Card". mmaviking.com. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  14. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2015-06-20). "UFC Fight Night 69 results: Makwan Amirkhani swiftly submits Masio Fullen". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  15. ^ Mike Bohn (2015-06-20). "Emotional Makwan Amirkhani plans more gifts for mom, says his work in life is done". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  16. ^ Staff (1 December 2015). "Michael Bisping vs. Gegard Mousasi set for UFC Fight Night 84 in London". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  17. ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-02-27). "UFC Fight Night 84 results: Makwan Amirkhani bests rival Mike Wilkinson". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  18. ^ "UFC on Fox 14 bonuses: 'Rumble', Mousasi, Amirkhani, Robertson earn $50K awards". sherdog.com. 2015-01-24.
  19. ^ http://www.mmaviking.com/mmaviking-coms-yearly-nordic-awards/
  20. ^ http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-ko-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
  21. ^ http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-fighter-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
  22. ^ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/361-avoimet-kv-paeaesiaeispainit
  23. ^ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/337-lounais-suomen-ja-haemeen-aluemestaruuskilpailut-kr
  24. ^ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/631-2013-08-18-07-56-42
  25. ^ http://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/33134-makwan-amirkhani-tsingis-khan
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