Playing second fiddle to its neighbors, Finland is normally on the losing end when it comes to inter-regional clashes. In the light heavyweight division, however, the tables have turned. Beginning our countdown on the 2012 World MMA Light Heavyweight Scouting Report, 28-year-old Finn Juha Saarinen (7-1) claims his spot, proving that Sweden and Norway aren’t the only countries with top notch talent.
Saarinen has only recently gotten back up on the horse after years of battling injuries. He finally returned from his most recent layoff on December 2, punching out Frenchman Frederic Lefevre (6-6) at Cage: Challenger II in Riihimaki, Finland. He had dispatched of Spain’s Enoc Solves Torres (10-4) at the third round leg of M-1 Selection 2010’s Western Europe series eighteen months prior, submitting him via kimura in only three minutes and nine seconds.
Despite having a history of run-ins with injury, Saarinen remains one of the best grappling talents in Scandinavia. His long 6’3″ frame is his most effective physical attribute, helping him wrap up the opposition and threaten with savvy submission skills.
On the feet, Saarinen can use his natural length to work a jab from range. Unfortunately, he isn’t diverse or proficient, relying more on feints and footwork to find a means to taking his opponents down than actually boxing up opponents. He seems to be solid in tripping up opponents and landing in top control, but don’t count on Saarinen to lay waste to the chins of his adversaries.
Saarinen has potential if he can round out his skill-set and stay injury-free. So far, he’s on track as he has a scheduled bout against M-1 veteran Mikhail Zayats (14-6) at Cage 18 on March 3. A win there will undoubtedly put him on the map with promotions like Bellator and the UFC.
Check out video footage of Juha Saarinen after the jump…
| Flyweight | Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
#1 – Rony Mariano #2 – Aljamain Sterling #3 – Chris Holdsworth #4 – Josh Hill #5 – Fabiano Fernandes #6 – Claudio Ledesma #7 – Sirwan Kakai #8 – Kyoji Horiguchi #9 – Leandro Hygo #10 – Pedro Munhoz |
#1 – Hacran Dias #2 – Joey Gambino #3 – Brandon Bender #4 – Lance Palmer #5 – Jim Alers #6 – Anthony Gutierrez #7 – Max Holloway #8 – John Teixeira #9 – Cody Bollinger #10 – Bubba Jenkins |
#1 – Fabricio Guerreiro #2 – Alessandro Ferreira #3 – Adriano Martins #4 – Justin Salas #5 – Neilson Gomes #6 – Eduard Folayang #7 – Zorobabel Moreira #8 – Anton Kuivanen #9 – Jordan Rinaldi #10 – J.P. Vainikainen |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – Andrey Koreshkov #2 – Dhiego Lima #3 – Brandon Thatch #4 – Nordine Taleb #5 – Hernani Perpetuo #6 – Brock Jardine #7 – Alan Jouban #8 – Mohsen Bahari #9 – Andre Santos #10 – Stephen Thompson |
#1 – Antonio Braga Neto #2 – Marcelo Guimaraes #3 – Claudio Silva #4 – Bojan Velickovic #5 – Ildemar Alcantara #6 – Michal Materla #7 – Elvis Mutapcic #8 – Tor Troeng #9 – Jack Hermansson #10 – Tim Ruberg |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – Juha Saarinen |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
Juha Saarinen vs Enoc Solves
Juha Saarinen vs. Anders Hansson
Joachim Christensen vs. Juha Saarinen
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