Makwan Amirkhani

Makwan Amirkhani
Born (1988-11-08) November 8, 1988
Kermanshah, Iranian Kurdistan [1]
Other names Mr. Finland[2]
Residence Turku, Finland
Nationality Finnish
Ethnicity Kurdish
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) [3]
Weight 146 lb (66 kg; 10 st 6 lb)
Division Featherweight
Bantamweight
Reach 72 in (180 cm)
Team SBG Ireland
Turku Muay Thai
Years active 2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 17
Wins 14
By knockout 1
By submission 9
By decision 4
Losses 3
By submission 1
By decision 2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Makwan Amirkhani (born November 8, 1988) is a Finnish mixed martial artist [1][4] competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Amirkhani is perhaps best known for his first-round eight-second knockout of Andy Ogle, which is one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history.[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 an 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] Makwan has worked as a model and was the 1st runner-up in 2012 Mr. Finland pageant, which his nickname refers to. After finding success in MMA career, he has also been seen in several reality tv shows in his native Finland and has released an autobiography in 2017.

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] He also holds the Kurdish flag during weigh ins in the UFC. Makwan is proud of where he is from and large part of his fan base are Kurds.

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]

Amirkhani faced Arnold Allen on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.[18] He lost the fight by split decision.[19]

Amirkhani faced Jason Knight on 27 May 2018 at UFC Fight Night 130[20] Amirkhani won the back-and-forth fight via a controversial split decision, after being knocked down twice with uppercuts.[21]

Personal life

Amirkhani is one of seven children; his brother and father both died in car accidents after the family moved to Finland.[22]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur wrestling

  • Finnish Wrestling Federation
    • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Freestyle Wrestling Champion[27]
    • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion[28]
    • 2013 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion[29]
    • 2013 Finnish Nationals 66 kg (145 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Bronze medalist[30]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–3 Jason Knight Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till May 27, 2018 3 5:00 Liverpool, England
Loss 13–3 Arnold Allen Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson March 18, 2017 3 5:00 London, England
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 Catchweight (150 lbs) bout.
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 Return to Featherweight.
Win 8–1 Tom Duquesnoy Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) Cage 21: Turku 2 February 2, 2013 1 1:50 Turku, Finland Bantamweight debut.
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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 1 2 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. ↑ Staff (2016-12-21). "Arnold Allen and Makwan Amirkhani set to meet at UFC: London". thesprawlmma.com. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  19. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2017-03-18). "UFC Fight Night 107 results: Arnold Allen takes split from Makwan Amirkhani in thriller". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  20. ↑ Staff (2018-03-21). "Makwan Amirkhani booked for UFC Liverpool bout". mmaviking.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  21. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 130 results: Makwan Amirkhani battles Jason Knight in pocket, wrestles way to split-decision win". MMAjunkie. 2018-05-27. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  22. ↑ https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/33134-makwan-amirkhani-tsingis-khan
  23. ↑ "UFC on Fox 14 bonuses: 'Rumble', Mousasi, Amirkhani, Robertson earn $50K awards". sherdog.com. 2015-01-24.
  24. ↑ http://www.mmaviking.com/mmaviking-coms-yearly-nordic-awards/
  25. ↑ http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-ko-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
  26. ↑ http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-fighter-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
  27. ↑ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/361-avoimet-kv-paeaesiaeispainit
  28. ↑ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/337-lounais-suomen-ja-haemeen-aluemestaruuskilpailut-kr
  29. ↑ http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/631-2013-08-18-07-56-42
  30. ↑ http://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/33134-makwan-amirkhani-tsingis-khan
  • "Makwan Amirkhani". UFC.com.
  • Professional MMA record for Makwan Amirkhani from Sherdog Edit this at Wikidata
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