Makwan Amirkhani

Makwan Amirkhani
Born	(1988-11-08) November 8, 1988 Kermanshah, Iran
Other names	Mr. Finland, Maku
Residence	Turku, Finland
Nationality	Finnish
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division	Featherweight
Reach	72.0 in (183 cm)
Style	Greco-Roman wrestling, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Team	SBG Ireland Turku Muay Thai
Years active	2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	15
Wins	13
By knockout	1
By submission	9
By decision	3
Losses	2
By submission	1
By decision	1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Makwan Amirkhani (born November 8, 1988) is a Kurdish-Finnish mixed martial artist and Greco-Roman wrestler, competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

A Kurd born in the Kurdish region of Iran, Amirkhani moved with his family to Finland as a small child in the aftermath of the Iran–Iraq War. He comes 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.

Kurdish heritage

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

Mixed martial arts career

Amirkhani began training in mixed martial arts at the aged 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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

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

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

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Andy Ogle
• Nordic MMA Awards - MMAviking.com
  • 2012 Showman of the Year
  • 2015 Knockout of the Year vs. Andy Ogle on January 24
  • 2015 Fighter of the Year

Amateur wrestling

• Finnish Wrestling Federation
  • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Freestyle Wrestling Champion
  • 2012 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion
  • 2013 Finnish Cup 74 kg (163 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion
  • 2013 Finnish Nationals 66 kg (145 lbs) Greco-Roman Wrestling Bronze medalist

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 (heel hook)	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

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

External links

• Makwan Amirkhani on UFC.com
• Professional MMA record for Makwan Amirkhani from Sherdog

• Kurdish MMA fighter 'Mr Finland' Crushes Opponent by Rudaw, June 20, 2015
• Makwan Amirkhani talks mom's new bed, celebrity status, moving, and fighting next March 6, 2015 - "I’m from Iran, but I'm Kurdish."
• UFC Berlin Weigh-in: Amirkhani with a Kurdistan Flag by Getty Images
• http://www.mmaviking.com/mmaviking-coms-yearly-nordic-awards/
• http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-ko-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
• http://www.mmaviking.com/2015-fighter-of-the-year-makwan-amirkhani/
• http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/361-avoimet-kv-paeaesiaeispainit
• http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/337-lounais-suomen-ja-haemeen-aluemestaruuskilpailut-kr
• http://painiliitto.net/component/content/article/14-tulosporssi/tulospoerssi/631-2013-08-18-07-56-42
• http://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/33134-makwan-amirkhani-tsingis-khan