The free fighter known by the nickname “Ei leiki” returned to the cage victoriously in the wrestling event organized at Kupittaa in Turku.
Theo Kolehmainen (left) faced Makwan Amirkhan in the Ice Cage main event in September 2025. Stock photo. Sami Nurmi
Theo Kolehmainen offered the Turku audience what it had come to Kupitta to get from the ball sports hall.
In the wildest thriller of the Hamara MMA night held on Saturday, the young freestyler scored a pretty knockout victory. The first round was almost over, but the match didn’t make it to five minutes, when Kolehmainen pinned his Italian opponent Simone Mannon for dreams.
It was almost as if Kolehmainen himself would have been in the dream, and that Manno would have celebrated the victory.
– It started the way I assumed, I was growing low kicks and in the press. But yes, the jumping knee that came from there… I didn’t even really realize where it hit. I noticed that it flashed a bit, and that it’s okay, I’m semi-excited, Kolehmainen recounted the moment that thrilled the entire audience.
Manno got Kolehmainen to the floor, but this token quickly.
– I guess it hit my mouth directly, I didn’t really realize it myself. A little flash and I was sharp after that.
Kolehmainen, 25, got to his feet and was able to collect himself by wrestling. After that, blows were exchanged standing up again.
At this point, the Espoo Kehähaiden man noticed that the blows started to sink through the Italian defense better and better.
– I thought that a couple more of those things, and it will hit. And it hit the mark. He was still quite confused while shaking hands.
Sadness
The victory was a great kind of victory, but according to Kolehmainen, there were also disappointments. Why the hell?
– The fact that I let such a jumping knee hit me. It didn’t hurt. But every time there are hits, you think it’s a joke, you should avoid them.
The Manno match had already been arranged before Kolehmainen’s previous match. “Ei leiki” faced Makwan Amirkhani in the Ice Cage main event in September. That bout ended in a quick loss as Amirkhani celebrated the victory with an anaconda choke in less than a minute.
At that time, Kolehmainen was so down that he didn’t want to comment on his match to Iltalehti the next day.
Kolehmainen says he still went back to the training room right away. Between September and November there was also a two-week training camp in Spain. It was sad, but then we had to turn our eyes to the future.
– Yes, it was kind of mental at the beginning… maybe it was just the desire to get back to the fight, and this came at a good point. I got the next one pretty quickly and I was able to cancel its loss.
Big year
Kolehmainen now has three professional matches under his belt. He won Hama Daran on debut before the Amirkhani loss.
According to his own words, he did not take pressure from the result of the Manno match.
– Some say that it is a forced win. I don’t care if I lose ten times in a row. I believe in myself all the time. Then maybe ten years will pass, and I believe that I will go to the UFC and I will be the best Finn there ever, Kolehmainen downloads.
Next up is the Ice Cage, which will take place at Kolehmainen’s home corner in Espoo, Metro-arena, on December 26.
It is through Ice Cage that Kolehmainen has popped into people’s consciousness. The year has included many twists and turns.
– If you think about the entire time of Ice Cage, it (life) has changed so that you don’t have to work day jobs, Kolehmainen thinks.
For Kolehmainen and her children Leon’s my mother got a divorce in the spring. The ex-spouse is expecting another child, so Leon will have a sibling.
– Of course, a child has been born, and another will be born in January. Then I support two children, so match fees are needed for that.