Fighting out of Turku, Finalnd, Makwan “Mr.Finland” Amirkhani, 30, was one of the winners at “UFC Fight Night 153.” It was the Kurdish-Finnish mixed martial artist’s sixth victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Featuring 12 MMA matches, “UFC Fight Night 153” took place at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden on June 1, 2019. In the 10th bout of the evening, Amirkhani fought Chris Fishgold, 26, of Liverpool, England in the featherweight division with Marc Goddard as the referee.
In the first round, Fishgold delivered several kicks while Amirkhani scored a takedown. Goddard put a stop to the featherweight contest after 4 minutes and 25 seconds in the second round when the Kurdish-Finnish contender submitted his English opponent via anaconda choke.
“That was my plan,” Amirkhani said in his post-fight interview. “(I planned to) get comfortable in the octagon and whenever I see an opportunity, take it, get the paycheck and go home.”
Winning at “UFC Fight Night 153” improved the professional MMA record of Amirkhani to 15 wins and 3 losses. On the other hand, Fishgold now has 18 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw.
Born in Kermanshah, Iran on November 8, 1988, Amirkhani is of Kurdish descent. He was a young boy when he and his family moved to Finland because of the Iran-Iraq War.
In 2012, Amirkhani joined Mr. Finland and finished as first runner-up. As an MMA fighter, he has been competing professionally since 2010.
In 2015, Amirkhani joined the UFC. The first four opponents he defeated in the promotion were Andy “The Little Axe” Ogle, 30, of Sunderland, England, Masio “El Lobo” Fullen, 31, of Gudalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Mike “The Warrior” Wilkinson, 31, of Leigh, Lancashire, England and Jason “The Kid” Knight, 26, of Florida, United States.
Amirkhani solely represented Finland at “UFC Fight Night 153.” Fishgold was one of the two fighters who represented England.
Including Finland, England and Sweden, 15 countries were represented at “UFC Fight Night 153.” The other countries were Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Northern Mariana Islands, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and the U.S.
Here is a clip from Amirkhani’s “UFC Fight Night 153” post-fight interview:
CONAN Daily 