Tom Niinimäki
Tom Niinimäki (born July 25, 1982) is a Finnish professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
| Tom Niinimäki | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 25, 1982 Turku, Finland |
| Other names | Stoneface |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Featherweight |
| Reach | 69.0 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Style | Submission wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Boca Raton, Florida, United States |
| Team | Finnfighters Gym Blackzilians |
| Trainer | Wrestling: Ari Heikiö Boxing: Sampo Pänttäjä Strength training: Vesa Vuori |
| Rank | Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2002–2017 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 31 |
| Wins | 22 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Niinimäki began training in kickboxing at the age of 15, and mixed martial arts at 19.[3][4] He made his professional MMA debut in October 2002 in his native Finland. He assembled an impressive record of 9-2 in the first two years of competition, with all but one of his wins coming by way of submission or TKO.
Beginning in 2005, Niinimäki hit a rough patch where he lost three fights in a row. After one more win in 2007, he retired from competition,[4] saying that he had "lost his fire" to compete.
After a two and a half year hiatus, Niinimäki returned to the sport in February 2010. Since his return he has been unbeaten and maintained an 11-fight winning streak[5] before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Niinimäki made his promotional debut against Rani Yahya on November 30, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.[6] He won the fight via split decision.
Niinimäki was expected to face Thiago Tavares on May 31, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 41.[7] However, on May 14, Tavares pulled out of the fight due to thigh injury and was replaced by Niklas Bäckström.[8] Niinimäki lost the back-and-forth fight in the first round by submission.
Niinimäki next faced Chas Skelly on August 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 49.[9] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.
On November 7, 2014 Niinimäki announced that he had signed a new four-fight contract with UFC.[10]
Niinimäki was expected to face Rony Jason on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58.[11] However, Jason pulled out of the bout on December 10 and was replaced by promotional newcomer Renato Moicano.[12] Niinimäki lost the bout via submission in the second round.
On January 27, 2015, MMAFighting.com reported that Niinimäki had been released from his UFC contract along with four other fighters.[13]
Personal life
Before moving to Boca Raton, Florida, Niinimäki lived his entire life in Turku, Finland and worked as a bouncer in several nightclubs.[15]
Management and sponsors
In the early 2012, Niinimäki signed a two-year management contract with Authentic Sports Management. After closing the deal, the management rapidly sent Niinimäki to train at Imperial Athletics gym with a mixed martial arts group later known as Blackzilians.[16] In January 2014, Niinimäki moved to Florida to be able to continue training with Blackzilians at Jaco Hybrid Training Center.[15]
In May 2014, online gambling company Unibet announced a sponsor deal with Niinimäki.[17]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts record
| 31 matches | 22 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 1 |
| By submission | 8 | 5 |
| By decision | 7 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 22–8–1 | Jonathan Brookins | Decision (unanimous) | Euro FC 1 | October 1, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Espoo, Finland | |
| Loss | 21–8–1 | Renato Moicano | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway | December 20, 2014 | 2 | 3:30 | Barueri, Brazil | |
| Loss | 21–7–1 | Chas Skelly | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos | August 23, 2014 | 1 | 2:35 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Loss | 21–6–1 | Niklas Bäckström | Submission (bulldog choke) | UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi | May 31, 2014 | 1 | 4:15 | Berlin, Germany | |
| Win | 21–5–1 | Rani Yahya | Decision (split) | The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale | November 30, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 20–5–1 | Walel Watson | Submission (kimura) | Cage 23 | September 21, 2013 | 2 | 2:52 | Vantaa, Finland | Defended Cage Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 19–5–1 | Chase Beebe | Decision (unanimous) | Cage 22 | May 11, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Vantaa, Finland | Defended Cage Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 18–5–1 | Vladimir Karasiov | Submission (guillotine choke) | Cage 20: Northern Storm 2 | November 17, 2012 | 1 | 1:31 | Oulu, Finland | Defended Cage Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 17–5–1 | Brian Pearman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | TFC 23: Fight for the Troops | June 15, 2012 | 2 | 3:48 | Fort Riley, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 16–5–1 | Johnny Frachey | KO (punch) | Cage 16: 1st Defense | October 8, 2011 | 1 | 1:09 | Espoo, Finland | Defended Cage Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 15–5–1 | Sergej Grecicho | Decision (unanimous) | Cage 14: All Stars | November 20, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Espoo, Finland | Won Cage Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Dave Hill | Decision (unanimous) | TF 2: Champions are Here | October 23, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Turku, Finland | Won TurkuFight Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 13–5–1 | Ben Boekee | Submission (kimura) | Cage 13: Spring Break | May 8, 2010 | 1 | 3:47 | Vantaa, Finland | |
| Win | 12–5–1 | Yunus Evloev | Submission (kimura) | TF: Resurrection | April 3, 2010 | 1 | Turku, Finland | ||
| Win | 11–5–1 | Lautaro Arborelo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage 12: Champions are Born | February 28, 2010 | 2 | 1:26 | Vantaa, Finland | |
| Win | 10–5–1 | Bogdan Cristea | Decision (unanimous) | CW 7: Scotland The Brave | August 4, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Loss | 9–5–1 | Tristan Yunker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | IHC 11: Apocalypse | November 18, 2006 | 1 | 1:34 | Vantaa, Finland | |
| Loss | 9–4–1 | Hatsu Hioki | Technical Submission (armbar) | Shooto 2005: 11/6 in Korakuen Hall | November 6, 2005 | 1 | 3:03 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 9–3–1 | Danny Batten | Decision (majority) | CWFC: Strike Force 2 | July 16, 2005 | 5 | 5:00 | Coventry, England | |
| Draw | 9–2–1 | Bendy Casimir | Draw | Shooto Sweden: Second Impact | March 14, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 9–2 | Andre Soares | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 9: Xtreme Xmas | December 18, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Sheffield, England | |
| Win | 8–2 | Patrick Rahael | TKO | FF 8: FinnFight 8 | November 26, 2004 | Turku, Finland | |||
| Win | 7–2 | Vincent Latoel | TKO | Shooto Finland: Ragnarok | October 24, 2004 | 2 | 2:25 | Tampere, Finland | |
| Win | 6–2 | Carlos Carrasco | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shooto: Switzerland 2 | September 4, 2004 | 1 | Zurich, Switzerland | ||
| Win | 5–2 | Vincent Latoel | Submission (triangle Choke) | Shooto Finland: Capital Punishment 2 | April 5, 2004 | 2 | 2:03 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| Win | 4–2 | Ville Honkala | TKO | FF 7: FinnFight 7 | November 1, 2003 | 1 | 8:39 | Turku, Finland | |
| Win | 3–2 | Teemu Nurkkala | TKO (injury) | FF 7: FinnFight 7 | November 1, 2003 | 1 | 0:15 | Turku, Finland | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Mikael Lahdesmaki | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto Finland: Capital Punishment | September 15, 2003 | 2 | 5:00 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Per Eklund | TKO (punches) | FF 6: FinnFight 6 | November 30, 2002 | 1 | 3:53 | Turku, Finland | |
| Win | 2–0 | Janne Salminen | KO (knees) | FF 6: FinnFight 6 | November 30, 2002 | 1 | 0:32 | Turku, Finland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Mikael Lahdesmaki | TKO (corner stoppage) | Shooto Finland: The First Time | October 19, 2002 | 1 | 5:00 | Turku, Finland |
References
- "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Henderson vs. Dos Anjos". UFC.com. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
- Ariel Shnerer (May 29, 2014). "UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi Preview & Predictions". Fight Network.
- "MMA Fighter Tom "Stoneface" Niinimäki | Tom Niinimäki". www.tomniinimaki.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02.
- Staff (November 30, 2013). "Tom Niinimaki - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- Guilherme Cruz (October 8, 2013). "Tom Niinimaki signs with the UFC, fights Rani Yahya at TUF 18 Finale". mmafighting.com. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- MMAjunkie.com Staff (October 8, 2013). "Tom Niinimaki vs. Rani Yahya featherweight fight headed to TUF 18 Finale". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- Guilherme Cruz (2014-04-01). "Tom Niinimaki vs. Thiago Tavares added to UFC Fight Night card in Berlin". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- Ryan O'Leary (15 May 2014). "Bäckström Versus Niinimäki Booked for UFC Berlin". mmaviking.com. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- Staff (2014-06-12). "Tom Niinimaki vs. Chas Skelly added to UFC Fight Night 49 in Tulsa". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- Teemu Tammilehto (2014-11-07). "Niinimäki sai uuden UFC-sopimuksen – "Ei tarkoita mitään"" (in Finnish). yle.fi.
- Guilherme Cruz (2014-11-04). "UFC Fight Night 58 card complete with addition of Rony Jason vs. Tom Niinimaki". mmafighting.com.
- Staff (2014-12-10). "Rony Jason out, Tom Niinimaki meets Renato Carneiro at UFC Fight Night 58". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- Guilherme Cruz (2015-01-27). "Igor Pokrajac among five fighters released from the UFC".
- Mark Bergmann (April 29, 2016). "New promotion EuroFC features UFC vets Niinimaki, Badurek, launches in October". bloodyelbow.com.
- Joona Pylkäs (2014-01-23). "UFC Featherweight Tom Niinimäki Headed for The Sunshine State". mmaviking.com.
- "Tom Niinimäki maistelee amerikanmeininkiä" (in Finnish). 2014-05-08.
- "Unibet tukemaan Tom "Stoneface" Niinimäkeä" (in Finnish). unibet.com. 2014-05-07.
- "MMAViking.com's Yearly Nordic Awards". mmaviking.com.