Anton Kuivanen (born May 1, 1984) is an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

- Finnish

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and coach. Kuivanen trains and teaches at the GB Gym, which is located in

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki () is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipality, with million in the capital region and ...

and he has also had training camps in

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no fo ...

located in

Coconut Creek, Florida Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had an estimated population of 57,348 in 2022. It is part of South Florida's Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area. The city seceded from Pompano Beach ...

Background

Anton Kuivanen was born in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

, Estonia. He has two brothers and their mother Valentina is Russian and their father Vladimir is Finnish and Estonian. Kuivanen's first touch with martial arts was

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

at the age of four in his native Estonia. Anton and his brothers were athletic and active since childhood, playing football and ice hockey. Towards his teenage years, he complemented his combat training with

Capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

before becoming interested in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kuivanen started training mixed martial arts in 2004, winning all of his amateur bouts and eventually winning Finnish mixed martial arts championship in 2006. Kuivanen made his professional mixed martial arts debut in January 2006 in his native

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Over the next 6 years, he amassed a record of 16 wins and 4 losses. In April 2011, he won the Cage Lightweight Championship and successfully defended it in October 2011.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On January 16, 2012 it was announced that Kuivanen has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. He made his promotional debut on February 15, 2012 against fellow newcomer Justin Salas at

UFC on Fuel TV 1 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142, UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155, UFC 155: dos Santos ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kuivanen fought Mitch Clarke on July 21, 2012 at UFC 149. He won the bout via split decision. Kuivanen faced

Michael Chiesa Michael Keith Chiesa (; born December 7, 1987) is an American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and sports analyst who currently competes in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

on February 23, 2013 at

UFC 157 ''UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 23, 2013, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background The headline bout between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche w ...

. Kuivanen lost to Chiesa via rear-naked choke in the second round after doing well for the first round and defending Chiesa's attacks. He made a mistake against the cage and Chiesa - who is known for his submissions and back control - got him down and after small grappling exchange he got the choke locked and gave Anton chance to tap or go out. Despite having one bout left in his contract, he was subsequently released from the promotion with a record of 1–2.

Post-UFC career

Anton Kuivanen defended his CAGE lightweight title against Jason Pierce on May 11, 2013, winning by clear decision. His goal of getting back in the UFC took a huge step backwards when he was knocked out by Eric Reynolds in 30 seconds. The underdog landed a punch behind his ear when Kuivanen was moving in. Kuivanen lost his balance, dropped to ground and Reynolds knocked him out cold with finishing punches. Kuivanen was very sad and stated, that he had put effort to being more relaxed before and during the fight than before but it backfired and Kuivanen was too relaxed which lead into his first clean knockout loss and for his first loss in Finland since 2006. Reynolds had said after the fight that he is willing to face him in a rematch. Kuivanen got back in the cage on November 23, 2013 when he faced Diego Gonzalez in Sweden. Kuivanen needed only 52 seconds to knock Gonzalez out. Likewise, this was his first clean knockout win. He dropped Gonzalez and he looked at the referee. When the referee let the fight go on, Kuivanen put Diego out with few more punches to get the win. He will fight some weeks after this fight in a catchweight bout. He will face Oriol Gaset in Salo, Finland. If he wins his fight against Gaset he will possibly face Reynolds in a rematch for the title and/or face former UFC fighter Reza Madadi, who called Kuivanen out after Kuivanen's fight. On July 1, 2018, Kuivanen faced the then-reigning lightweight King of Pancrase

Takasuke Kume is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. Mixed martial arts career Shooto Kume started his professional career in 2007. He fought mainly for Shooto, but also fought for Pancrase and ''Heat'' early in his care ...

in a non-title bout at Pancrase: 297. Kuivanen won the fight via technical knockout. Next Kuivanen faced Valeriu Mircea at Cage 44 on September 8, 2018. Kuivanen lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Kuivanen was then expected to face Takasuke Kume in a rematch, which would have been for the Pancrase Lightweight Championship, at Pancrase 304 on April 14, 2019. However, Kuivanen withdrew from the bout due to a knee injury which needed surgery and was replaced by Tom Santos. After a year of rehabilitating the knee, Kuivanen faced Dan Moret at UAE Warriors 9 on November 29, 2019. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Almost two years removed from his previous bout, Kuivanen is now expected to face Artur Sowiński for the vacant EFM Lightweight Championship at EFM 2 on September 11, 2021.

Coaching career

Having graduated as a certified sports coach from

Pajulahti Sports Institute Pajulahti Sports Institute () is a sports and leisure centre, situated in Nastola, Lahti, Finland. It is about an hour's drive away from Helsinki area, and fifteen minutes drive from Lahti city centre. The school offers secondary education, upper ...

, Kuivanen has been coaching at Crest Professional Fighting Center since 2006. On July 1, 2020, Kuivanen was appointed as the head coach of Primus Fight Team, the team he has trained in since the beginning of his mixed martial arts career.

Personal life

Kuivanen and his wife have a daughter, Vilma (born 2018) and a son (born 2022).

Championships and accomplishments

*Cage MMA **Cage Lightweight Championship (Two time; Current) *Nordic MMA Awards - MMAviking.com **2013 Knockout of the Year vs. Diego Gonzalez

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 26–13 , Artur Sowiński , Decision (majority) , EFM Show 2: Polska vs. Bułgaria , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, Bulgaria , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–12 , Dan Moret , KO (punches) , UAE Warriors 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–11 , Valeriu Mircea , TKO (punches) , Cage 44 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

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, TKO (punches) , Pancrase 297 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:56 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 25–10 , Junior Maranhão , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 24–10 , Tetsuya Yamada , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–10 , Felipe Silva , TKO (punches) , Cage 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–9 ,

Thibault Gouti Thibault Gouti (born February 27, 1987) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2011, he has also competed in the UFC and for Bellator MMA Mixed martial arts career Early career Gouti has a ...

, KO (punch) , Cage 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:08 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 , Eric Reynolds , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 , Sean Carter , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 30 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 21–8 ,

Sergej Grecicho Sergej Grecicho, or in Lithuanian Sergejus Grečicho, is a Lithuanian Combat Sambo practitioner, and mixed martial artist who has won six medals, three of them gold, in Combat Sambo divisions at the Sambo World Championships. He als ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Cage 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–8 , Dakota Cochrane , KO (flying knee) , Fight Night Finland: Cochrane vs Kuivanen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7 , Oriol Gaset , TKO (knee to the body) , Grand Combat Entertainment: Seven Virtues of Bushido , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Salo, Finland Salo () is a town in Finland, located in the southwestern interior of the country. The population of Salo is approximately , while the Salo sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Fin ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 , Diego Gonzalez , KO (punches) , Superior Challenge 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Eric Reynolds , KO (punches) , Cage 23 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Vantaa Vantaa (; , ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the north of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population of Vantaa is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in Finland. Vantaa is part of the Helsinki Metropoli ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Jason Pierce , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 22 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Submission (rear naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Mitch Clarke , Decision (split) , UFC 149 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 , Justin Salas , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Thiago Meller , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 16 - 1st Defense , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Ivan Buchinger , Decision (unanimous) , Cage 15 - Powered by Reezig , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Ryan Bixler , Submission (rear naked choke) , FF 29 - Fight Festival 29 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:51 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Tim Radcliffe , TKO (injury) , Cage 14 - All Stars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Raymond Jarman , TKO (knee to the body) , Cage 13 - Spring Break , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Erikas Petraitis , Decision (unanimous) , FF 26 - Fight Festival 26 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Yunus Evloev , Submission (armbar) , Lappeenranta Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Alexandre Abin , TKO (punches) , FF 25 - Fight Festival 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Owen Hartwig , Submission (armbar) , AF 2 - Arctic Fights 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4 ,

Bendy Casimir Bendy Casimir (born June 10, 1980) is a French professional Lightweight mixed martial artist. He has competed for the WEC and M-1 Global. WEC career He made his WEC debut against Ricardo Lamas on March 6, 2010, at WEC 47, losing via first-roun ...

, Submission (kneebar) , HC 2 - Hell Cage 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 ,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Juris Karpenko , Submission (armbar) , FF 24 - Fight Festival 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Vaclav Stastny , Submission (armbar) , CF 4 - Carelia Fight 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Imatra Imatra is a city in Finland, located in the southeastern interior of the country. Imatra is located in the region of South Karelia, on Saima, Lake Saimaa and the River Vuoksi. The population of Imatra is approximately , while the Imatra sub-regi ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Sergei Kudrjashov , Submission (arm triangle choke) , The Cage Vol. 9 - Capital Concussion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Sergej Juskevic , TKO (punches) , K-1 HERO's - HERO's Lithuania 2007 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Lithuania , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Takayuki Okochi , TKO (punches) , Shooto Estonia - Bushido , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

, Estonia , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Marius Liaukevicius , TKO (punches) , K-1 - Hero's Lithuania , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

, Lithuania , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Hiroki Kotani , Submission (heel hook) , Zst - Prestige , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cole Lauritsen , Decision (unanimous) , CF 2 - Carelia Fight 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Martin Ahlberg , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Cage Vol. 6 - Balls to the Wall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 ,

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sergey Denisov , Submission (rear naked choke) , EKH - MMA Action , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 ,

, Finland ,

References

External links

Twitter

Anton Kuivasen haastattelu 21.8.2012
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Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuivanen, Anton 1984 births Living people Finnish male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing capoeira Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Finnish male Muay Thai practitioners Finnish capoeira practitioners Finnish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Helsinki Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century Finnish sportsmen Finnish people of Russian descent Finnish people of Estonian descent Estonian emigrants to Finland