MMA Viking sat down once again with the Helsinki based UFC lightweight Anton “Wolverine” Kuivanen (16-5, 0-1 in the UFC) to talk about Kuivanen’s second UFC fight that will go down in July at the UFC 149 in Calgary, Canada. In his second fight Kuivanen matched up with Canada’s own Mitch Clarke (9-1, 0-1 in the UFC).
MMA Viking: You got your second match in the UFC just five months after your debut which is quite short time if you think about the size of lightweight roster of the UFC. What were your thoughts when you got the call for this second fights?
Anton: “I felt amazing. We had been talking about asking for the second fight for the last three weeks with my manager Olli. We didn’t know when the second fight would come but I was confident that it would take place eventually. When Olli called me that this fight was agreed, there was a huge smile on my face.
MMA Viking: What’s going on with your training now?
Anton: “My motivation is at a very high level so it has been a lot of fun to train now. I believe the training I have done since the debut fight has been better and harder than ever. More work, higher intensity. We’ve also focused on getting me more and new high level sparring partners. I’ve been to few wrestling practices at the Helsinki Painimiehet wrestling club. One of their top guys Petteri Martikainen, who is a very talented young wrestler, will wrestle with me regularly at GB Gym. We have done a lot of heavy grappling training for the past few weeks but now we’re going to get some new striking training going on too. We’re going to do stand-up sparring with Miikka Ohisalo, who is really good kickboxer, and with Tatu Nielsen who has a long history in boxing. For MMA sparring we got a good training group here at GB Gym with Musa Amagov (4-0), Kai Puolakka (7-3), Jussi Halonen (2-1, national team member in wrestling) and others. Of course like before there will be also some guys from the Helsinki area coming in to spar here.”
MMA Viking: Are you going to have a training camp at the States?
Anton: “I don’t know yet. There would be some positive sides on it but also some negative issues. My coach Sammy does a very detailed plan for my training camps and monitors my progression extremely closely. If I would go to for example American Top Team in Florida, it would be harder for us to plan my training in detail and to tweak it during the camp if my coach would stay in Finland. The ideal solution would that me and Sammy would go to the States to train for weeks before the fight but unfortunately it’s not possible at the moment. I think we’re going to set up a really good camp here in Finland and just work very hard.”
MMA Viking: Have you looked at your opponent Mitch Clarke yet?
Anton: “Yeah I just looked at his record like who he has fought and stuff like that but I haven’t watched his fights yet. I believe he is a pretty good grappler. Good wrestling background and a solid ground game but nothing extraordinary achievements on these areas. I will watch his fights later and try to learn more about him.”
MMA Viking: This match-up is between two lightweights who both lost their debut fight so it’s quite obvious that the loser will probably cut from the UFC. Do you feel any extra pressure because of this?
Anton: “Yes the name of the game for this fight is clear: eat or be eaten. There is some pressure because of it but I need to be able to use it as fuel. Fuel for the fire. I still feel confident in my game and in the work we do here. In June I’m going to Calgary to win with a finish, with a knock out. I will put a beating on Clarke and then enjoy my summer vacation.”
MMA Viking: Do you feel that it is easier to fight for the second time in the UFC?
Anton: “Yeah I believe that it’ll be easier. This time I know what to expect when we get to Calgary. All the medical check-ups, paperwork, photo shoots, PR work and so on. It’s easier to relax when you know what lies ahead. I also got more time to prepare and to have a longer camp. The starting point for this fight will also be totally different I think. Before getting signed with the UFC we focused a lot on adjusting the game plans so that we would maximize the chance to win. This meant that we changed my fighting style and it was evident also in my UFC debut. I got to open up my game more and put the pressure on my opponent. I will bring back the aggression to my game without getting reckless. There’s no room for stupid mistakes in the Octagon.”
MMA Viking: The fight will go down at the Scotiabank Saddledome arena in Calgary. What do you think about fighting in Canada?
Anton: “Definitely excited, the event takes place at the Calgary Flames’ home arena. It looked like a very nice arena with a capacity close to 20000 people. MMA is on fast rise in the Canada and the UFC events are always sold out there. Canadian fans are great too. My friends were at a UFC event in Toronto last year and they had very nice things to say about the crowd there.
MMA Viking: Anyone you would like to thank?
Anton: “You know I’m training fulltime now days and focusing completely on being a professional fighter so my team and the sponsors are crucial for me. First I want to thank my main coach Sammy Hämäläinen, boxing coach Antti Latva-Kyyny, manager Olli Hartikainen and all the rest who help me on regular basis. My girlfriend also deserves some praise. She has been supporting me a lot lately like preparing the food, washing my training gear and all kinds of stuff. Tiilikatto.fi is my main sponsor and they have supported me a lot. Best Body Nutrition is one of my new sponsors; they provide me with awesome supplements. Also we’re designing fan products together with the OSW clothing company. Demo restaurant, Laboratoriumm, Varastokuutio are among my other sponsors. Big thanks also to GB Gym and the people there. GB has always been my home gym and there are a lot of guys who help me get better.
