The Finnish MMA stars are out to shine Saturday night in Helsinki at Cage 29. Lots of interesting stories to follow in this one. The headlining bout is with Anton Kuivanen (20-8), who finally got an opponent in Sergej Grecicho (20-5-1) –promotion has said that “92 opponents refused the fight”. The former UFC fighter has been battling injuries for the last couple years, and will be interesting to see what a healthy fighter looks like. The GB Gym will have a big size advantage against the Lithuanian in this lightweight bout.
Marcus Vänttinen (24-5) is ready to step back into the cage, but it won’t be to defend his Cage Light Heavyweight strap but at heavyweight. After being out of action for over a year with injuries “Caveman” will face a massive and athletic Jarjis Danho (4-0) with the nickname “Man Mountain”. The Finn tipped the scales at 104.8 kilos / 229 lbs. This will be a war, and wouldn’t be surprised to see the winner in the Octagon after this bout.
Mikael Nyyssönen (7-0) will battle another undefeated fighter in Frenchman Thibault Gouti (9-0). The Tampere fighter out of MMA Team 300 has finished all three opponents in 2014.
Aleksi Nurminen won the IMMAF world championship gold medal last year and now the 22 year old looks to improve his pro MMA resume in Helsinki at CAGE 29 on February 28th. “I know nothing about my opponent and I don’t care to know either.” says the confident and outspoken Finn who will be facing Jonathan Ramon from France. Nurminen has high goals, so look for the Finn to show he can beat a veteran with a 6 win and 7 loss record.
Suvi Salmimies (2-0-1) was slated to fight Izabela Badurek at CAGE 29, but the Polish fighter was called up to the UFC before the bout at the Culture House of Helsinki. CAGE has found a replacement for the Finn, who will lock horns with seasoned veteran Karla Benitez (10-7-1). Benitez, originally form Venezuela, now residing in Spain, is far more experienced as a fighter than Salmimies. Her three last losses have come in the hands of top notch UFC-fighters.
Jussi Halonen (4-3) and Mikko Ahmala (4-2) have joined the Vänttinen brothers to try and develop at the newly established pro team of Hardknocks Helsinki. It will be most interesting to see how the young Ahmala will have progressed. At just 22 years old, the strong and athletic grappler has submitted his last two opponents early, and with another win would keep his momentum moving forward. The talented wrestler Jussi Halonen has yet to breakthrough and show his true potential. He hadn’t had a real win since 2012, where he submitted Matias Rentals at Cage 20. Good time for a win as he faces Laurent Beranger.
Fight Card
Pro MMA: -93 kg
Saku Heikkola (3-5-0, 1 No Contest) Valkeakosken Heracles vs. Matej Surin (4-1-1) Slovakia
Pro MMA: -70,3 kg
Niko Myllynen (3-2-0) RNC Sport Club vs Kevin Ruart (2-1-0) Switzerland
Pro MMA: -56,7 kg
Suvi Salmimies (2-0-1) Team East Front vs. Karla Benitez (10-7-0, 1 No Contest) Spain
Pro MMA: -77,1 kg
Jussi Halonen (4-3-0) Hardknocks Helsinki vs. Laurent Beranger (4-2-0) France
Pro MMA: -70,3 kg
Aleksi Nurminen (3-1-0) RNC Sport Club vs. Jonathan Ramon (6-7-0) France
Pro MMA: -77,1 kg
Mikko Ahmala (4-2-0) HardKnocks Helsinki vs. Julien Piednoir (4-1-0) France
Pro MMA: -70,3 kg
Mikael Nyyssönen (7-0-0) MMA Team 300 vs. Thibault Gouti (9-0-0) France
Pro MMA: -120,2 kg
Marcus Vänttinen (24-5-0) HardKnocks Helsinki vs. Jarjis Danho (4-0-0, 1 No Contest) Syyria
Pro MMA: -70,3 kg
Anton Kuivanen (20-8-0) Primus Fight Team vs. Sergej Grecicho (20-5-1) Lithuania
MMAViking.com will be reporting live from the event, so stay tuned for live play-by-play, pictures, and video interviews.
