Asgard want to introduce 2 Finnish fighters to the mainstream. They are leading the Finnish MMA very talented loaded with sharp strikes, performing the exciting fights in Finland. Anton Kuivanen and Janne Tulirinta.

Anton Kuivanen

Anton is not yet known but if you see his fight, you can’t forget his name. Since the amature fight Anton has been winning straight in 7 fights. A sweet young boy in soft attitude transforms to a cold fighting machine in the ring shooting the quick accurate strikes to the opponent in the devastated pressure. It is not many who drives mma in that speed in Scandinavia. Asgaad wants to put the high rate to this upcoming fighter in Finland.

Anton Kuivanen
GB Gym Helsinki Finland
175cm 77kg
DOB: 1984-05-01 pärnu
Finland MMA Amature Champion 2006
Fight Record (3-1-0)

Before MMA I trainined Icehockey for 13yrs (junior major league). I started boxing in Tapanilan boxing club 1 year ago. After that I first trained MMA in Espoo for maybe 4 months, then i went to the army for 6months, there I trained some boxing and MMA, and after that to enter GB Gym Helsinki inDecember 2004. Training at first 4 to 5 days in a week with Olli Hartikainen, Jasse Junkkari, Michael Grönfors, Petteri Blomvall, Janne Laitonen and Instructor Tuomas Murdock. Today Tuomas Murdoch is my coach and training partner, and I’m training 10-12 times a week.

Q: Can you tell me your amature record 4-0-0 how it went? And you made KOs in the early rounds. Sounds like your training went very fine besides you learn quick and you have faced the first fight in 3 months training at GB.

Anton: Yes, sure. I won the first fight 2005-02 in KO of 8sec. I don’t remember the opponent’s name, but I have heard he’d quit fighting after that fight. Then my second one 2005-05 went KO again in 1″41. The opponent was Ville Rasanenn (Imatra). Right hook then 1-2 combo finished the game in KO. The third one was Tuomas Matilainen Finland Muaythai champ. I did TDs in every round,but the standup game went rather even he was not easy. I won in the judge though. The 4th was Juha Vehniäinen. He has experienced a couple of pro fights. He shot hopelessly so many TDs, but I defended all of them. I dominated the stand-up fight. Went to 3RD Juha lost the stamina, I got some good punches in,and I won in TKO.

Q: So you have started the mma fights in KOs. Then the pro fights comes.

Anton: My first pro.fight was in Espoo January 2006. I’ve been injured maybe for 4months. I’ve accepeted the card in 1week notice. The opponent was Latvian National Team kickboxer Sergey Denisov. I took the side, back and finished him in R-N Choke 1RD 1″49. It was my first subm.victory(smile). Then I went to Brazil for training 8 weeks in Sao Paolo,at Demian Maia`s academy. I already knew basic ground techniques with demians and his students help i learned lots of new techniques and especially got better in submission defence. My chokes, armbars and 3ngles became much better(smile) in Brazil.

I also won in 2006 May finnish amateur MMA championship. The 1st opponent was Alpo Kautonen. Hitting long combo with hands KOed him in 45sec. Final opponent was Ville Rasanenn.Yes, I have met him in amateur(smile). I tried Kimura and 3angle but missed all then won in judge.

Cage6 Helsinki came 2 weeks later. And I met Martin Alhberg Pancrase Gym. In my shots Martin took down but I caught his neck in guillotine and Martin passed out in 1RD 35sec.

Q: Yes, I saw the video. Martin has lifted you up in the guillotine but in the landing you shifted to a very solid front neck lock to finish. Your arms were locked tight in figure4 Martin had no chance passed out in your arms. Matti Makele said he was there in the ring side saw the fearfull finsh. Let’s go on.

Anton: 2006 Sep.Karelia Fight 2 in Imatra has come. Cole Lauritsen a Danish kickboxing champ. To the kickboxer I’ve shot many TDs to work on the ground. But soon I would understand my standing was better than his. He was 7kg bigger and strong on the ground. And the game went rather even and I won unanimous decission.

Q: Then ZST Turku came. And the opponent was Hiroki Kotani(3-10-4). He is based in Judo wants to fight on the ground. After the gong you shot the rocket start to finish Kotani from the beginning attacking the tremendous sharp 1-2 combo. Kotani eating your effective shots had to go down to your leg for the take. Can you explain the fight? It was too fast to catch.

A: Yes. The fight starts, a few jabs, low kick, inside with hooks, kotani drops on his butt, I let him get back up, some more punches,flying knee followed with maybe 3hooks and Kotani drops again on his butt. back up,my left hook misses and Kotani shoots for the front leg,i`m not careful with the defense and he gets take down, he tries for leg lock, I get up, should just escape and continue standup fighting, but instead i see an opportunity for heelhook and go for it, Kotani gets it tighter and I was forced to tap. I´m very disappointed of making such a stupid mistake, knowing he has good leglocks and still going in the legwar.

Q: Yes, we saw you have made Kotani down for 2 times in the fight. The hits were so accurate. And believed the game was yours Kotani had no chance. Such an upset came. So you have experienced your first loss in 1″17 heelhook. What did you learn from this first loss?

A: I learned that I need more experience not to make such a stupid mistakes. I got even hungrier to learn more and get better fighter.

Q: What did you think about Kotani and Okude Japanese fighters?

A: Kotani was very humble and friendly person.also experienced and smart fighter. Okude was different, very unique style, I liked him. It`s always fun to see something different because it would be boring if everybody would have an orthodox style to fight.

Q: Which fighter was most impressive in ZST Turku?

A: I didn`t see all the fights,but most impressive that i saw was probably tulirinta or valavicius.

Q: Where and how did you learn your boxing?

A: First in tapanilan erEthe coach was russian ex-almost olympic boxer. He also used to be finnish national teams boxing coach. Then I’ve been training at GB with different boxers, kick- and thaiboxers. At the moment I’m learning more standup from antti latva-kyyny,who is one of top national boxers in finland,also tuomas murdoch who is my mma coach,and i`m doing sparring with many tough fighters.

Q: Who is your ideal fighter you’re aiming?

A: Fedor and Gomi, they have it all you need in MMA. I don`t want to be known
only as a stand up fighter, I want to use all the aspects of the game.
So this far my pro rec. is 3-1 and amat. rec.6-0.i`m training a lot to get better. Besides mma im reading, working, snowboarding in the winter and spending some time with my friends. My next fight is planned to be in Lithuenias K-1 heros. But the promoter hasn’t yet come up with an opponent. And after that I will probably participate in MMA amateur finnish open.

Q: Thank you, Anton. You are young and talented. I look forward to your future.

Janne “Shot Gun” Tulirinta

Janne Tullirinta has made the good titles in SW and BJJ in Finland besides the BJJ purple belt from Linhares. But he fights different in the ring to dominate the mma fights in the assenbled strikes. His fights are intensive shooting sharp punches upgraded in the high accuracy. And based on the good foot works he hits all those combos from various positions. Due to the wrestling base his standing base is strong and stable so it is hard to take him down too. So he usually finishes the games in standing fights. His integration could be highly rated in Finland.

Name: Janne Tulirinta
DOB: 14.04.1979
Association: Heracles Riihimäki
Hight: 176cm
Weight: 77 kg
Right-Handed
Amateur 3-1-0
Professional 5-1-0

Titles: Brasilian Jiu-jitsu purplebelt under Lucio Linhares/Alliance jiu-jitsu
SW Finnish Open 2nd 2004
SW Finnish Open 3rd 2005
BJJ Finnish Championships 2nd 2005
BJJ Finnish Open 3rd
2003 Shootfighting Finnish Champion

MMA record
Win Ake Bergvall KO 1RD 1″35 ZST-Prestige 2006 09-23
Win Eduardas Norkeliunas TKO 1RD 1″10 The Cage-Volume6 2006 05-20
Win Kristian Helde TKO 1RD 0″45 The Cage-Volume4 2005 03-12
Loss Lukasz Janas Choke 3RD 4″48 The Cage-Volume2 2005 03 12
Win Arttu Nyman U-Decision 2RD5min. Shooto Finland Capital Punishment2 2004 05-04
Win Vile Honkala U-Decision 2Rd 5min. Shooto Finland Capital Punishment 2003 09-15

Q: May I ask about your sports career?

Janne: I started wrestling at age of five. I trained and compete that about six years. Same time with wrestling I played football about five years. After wrestling and football I played icehockey over ten years. I started submission wrestling in year 2000 and after that our team started to train shootfighting also. Now I have been competed in BJJ, SW, MMA and in my hobby I do olympic weightlifting.

Q: You have been a good ground fighter. What is the reason you shifted to fight on your feet more?

Janne: When I was ten years old training boxing a bit, the coach told me to fight. I was young and scared of his word to fight boxing. So I have quit it. In 2002 I have started boxing again with Seppo Finnila.

Q: And you found the boxing talent soon. I think your foot works are great especially how to shoot from the many different positions. The fights with Honkala and Nyman were impressive you have dominated the whole games in the tremendous strikings. I still remember the fights. What about ZST in Turku?

Janne: I fought against Ã…ke Bergvall from Sweden. I saw Ã…kes fight in EVT and I saw that he likes to take opponent down on the ground and start working there. My goal was to keep the fight up and try to give a couple of good hits. I was successful in my plan and I won.

Q: Ake is an upcoming talented fighter from Sweden. You hit a good one when he comes in. Once he goes down but recovers. In the second chance you hit the heavy hook and the combo to finish the game. The skills were a bit lopsided I thought. Who was the most impressive fighter in ZST?

Janne: I liked really much this Russian guy Sergey Golyaev. He fought against a really good professional fighter Thomas Hytten and he won. Golyaev showed his ability in ground and standup fights. Only thing I didn’t like was his little unsportmanship at the end of the fight. My team mates Ville Manninen and Pekka Rantala fought also really good.

Q: Yes, getting the pressure Golyaev has escaped more than 3 times to the rope, going under the rope to avoid Hytten’s attacks it looked like so. That was really bad. People didn’t like at all. But the other hand I didn’t know he has changed much in these days loaded the good shots to suffer Hytten. The triangle was close too. What is your training?

Janne: I train now a lot of boxing and I´m going to take some amateur boxing fights in this year and hopely in next year also. But I haven’t forgot mma training, because I know that these are two different things.

Q: Who was your toughest opponent?

Janne: I have lost only once in pro MMA fights, and so I have to say that Lucaz Janas is the toughest. He is the guy I lost in Cage. I have also met a really good fighters in SW tournaments.

Q: You have gassed out in that fight I hear. But I have seen your mma fights in Finland you have dominated the games in the devastated strikes shooting the pin-point hits and destroyed their faces. Who are the 3 integrated Finnish fighters?

In my opinion Tom Niinimäki is the most integrated in Finland. I like his fightstyle and he has prove his skills many time against good fighters. Mikko Rupponen is the best fighter in Finland no doubt. Early in his carrier he wasn’t so integrated but he has worked much of his boxing skills. My team mate Ville Manninen is definetly one of the best fighters. I think that he has skills to win against anyone in Europe in his category. He is known as wrestling and grappling skills but like in ZST fight he proved his talent also in standup fighting.

Q: I hear you work in a public services. So you train in your free time. How important is MMA in your life?

Janne: (smile) MMA is my hobby. I enjoy this sport and the competitions but I don’t train to be a pro by now.

Q: Can you give me your boxing instruction? What is the point to be a good striker?

Janne: (smile) Fist is not only the one to hit. This is mma. You can use your side fist and even the fore arms too like a lariat. Do much shadow boxing. This is important. Then chose your partner who moves faster than you do.

Q: Who is your Ideal fighter?

Janne: Of course it’s easy to say Fedor because he is just so good. But I like also Lidell, Couture and Igor Vovchancyn.

Q: UFC or Pride?

Janne: No comment.

Q: Matt Serra or Mark Laimon?

Janne: No time to watch TV so much because of training

Q: Thank you for your time, Janne. See you soon in Finland.