The M-1 Challenge is an initiative of Vadim Finkelchtein and Fedor Emilianenko.

The idea behind it is that aspiring young MMA fighters get the chance to present themselves on an international level. For this first M-1 Challenge the participating teams are in:

Poule A: The Netherlands, Spain, Japan and the World Team (previously known as team Germany)

Poule B: Red Devil Russia, Russia Legion, Korea and France.

Prior to the third installment of M-1 Challenge the Netherlands defeated The World Team with 5 – 0 in Poule A and France won by 3 – 2 from Red Devil Russia in Poule B in the first round that took place in Almere in Holland March 2008. One month later the second round was scheduled in former Russian President Putin’s hometown St. Petersburg.

It's good to know that Putin and his longtime friend from Italy Silvio Berlusconi were invited by M-1’s initiator Vadim to attend a M-1 MMA show last year April, which they accepted.

In poule A Russian Legion faced The Japanese team which ended in a 3 -2 victory for the fighters from the land of the Rising sun. And in poule B Finland demolished Korea with 4-1.

So at the start of the third editon Holland and Finland were leading in their respective poules.

The event took place in the open air and started with a demonstration of Lucha Canaries, the local fighting system which can be best compared with a mixture of sambo, sumo, and judo. The fighters wear shorts with rolled up seams that were strong enough to grab, pull, lift, and throw. All of the demonstrators were type of a giant above 100 kg. So one can imagine that the ring was crowded when six of them entered.
After the demo the team meeting started. The referees were Daisuke Noguchi from Japan an Marco Broersen from Holland. The head of the jury was Ino Alberga, the IMA president

Finland vs USA

Niko Puhakka (Fin) 69.9 kg vs David Martinez 69.9 kg
Referee: Daisuke Noguchi
The fight took place mainly on the ground and Puhakka controlled it all the time.
After 3.47 in the first round he made a Hammerlock which made Martinez tapout..

Janne Tulirinta (Fin) 75.9 kg vs Roy McDonald 75.9 kg
Referee: Daisuke Noguchi
At the weigh-in the previous day McDonald tipped the scale at 77 kg, which made him 1 kg overweight, so he had to get rid of that. The Spanish sun however made it quite easy to sweat it out.
After a very attractive fight that lasted 4.36 minutes Janne Tulirenta won with a triangle lock.

Lucio Linhares (Fin) 83.8 kg vs Moises Gabin 83.9 kg
Referee: Marco Broersen
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Linhares who entered his fight in Russia a few weeks before with an injury that prefented him from showing his skills ruled the fight this time. He controlled it straight from the beginning, most of the time in backmount with feet hooked in, where he tried to punch the American out, he did not succed in doing so, but after 4.39 minutes in the first round he decided to finish it with an armbar.

Toni Valtonen 92.8 kg vs Rodney Wallace (US) 92.6 kg
Referee: Marco Broersen
Wallace who had a boxing background and some highschool wrestling was fighting his second MMA bout, but was in charge in the first as well as in the second round and won by unanimous decision.

Jarno Nurminen (Fin) 109.2 kg vs Mike Ottman 104.5 kg
Referee: Marco Broersen
Jarno Nurminen winner after 1 minute 15 seconds by rear naked choke. After the fight Ottman had to visit the doctor because he had some problems with his throat due to the choke. Fortunately it was nothing serious.

Finland wins the meeting with 4 – 1

Superfight:

Daniel Estevez 86.4 kg vs Rayco Kakin (SP) 86.4 kg
Referee : Daisuke Noguchi
Both are spanish, but Kakin is a native from Tenerife, a neighbouring island of Gran Canaria and Estevez is from Barcelona on the Spanish mainland, so it was not surprising that the home crowd was heavily in the favor of Kakin.
He was clearly the more confident fighter and proved it by finishing the fight after 1 minute 10 seconds in the first round with what looked like an agressive ankle lock from our side of the ring.

Spain vs Holland

This was the first time ever that there were official MMA fights in Spain and that put a tremendous pressure to win on the Spanish team.

Carlos Valeri 69.8 kg vs Bogdan Christea (NL) 69.9 kg
Referee. Daisuke Noguchi
Valeri started the offence and was not only a strong grappler, but he proved to be a skilful boxer too because after 1.22 minute the docter had to check if Bogdan could continue because he had a nasty cut above his left eye. The fight could continue and Cristea who was hurt and damaged showed his class by choking Valeri out with a devastating guillotine choke after 1.59 in the first round.

Juan Manuel Suarez (SP) 75.9 kg vs Romano de Los Reyes 74.7 kg
Referee: Daisuke Noguchi
After 4.17 in the first round Romano had to tap out at a straight armbar.

Jonathan Leon (SP) 81.2 kg vs Jason Jones 83 kg
Referee: Daisuke Noguchi
The fight was very very close, but after 3 minutes and 20 second both fighters fell out the ring. Leon tried to hold on Jones and that prevented Jason from hurting himself badly. When the fight started again both were very agressive but it was Jones who was in the defense of an almost succesful armlock when the bell sounded at the end of the 1th round.
The second round was quite even with Jones a bit more on the upperhand and showing better endurance, but in the end the judges were unanimous in their decision that the near submission at the end of round one was the decesive factor to appoint Leon as the winner.

Daniel Tabera (SP) 92.7 kg vs Kamil Uygun 86.9 kg
Referee: Marco Broersen
Tabera controlled the entire first round but could not finish it before the time was up.
After 1.58 in the second round Tabera started to G&P and referee Marco Broersen jumped between them and stopped the fight.
Winner by TKO punches after 1.58 in the second round Daniel Taberas.

Carmelo Molina 109.3 kg vs Jesse Gibbs (NL) 120 kg
Referee: Marco Broersen
A very relaxed looking Gibbs started with a strong sidekick that almost lifted Molina per aspera ad astra and made him stagger backward. Molina wanted to bring the fight to the ground, but that was a serious mistake because that’s where Gibbs feels himself like fish in the water. After 3.30 in the first round Gibbs applied a reverse kimura (figure 4 armlock) which made Molina tap out.
Unfortunaly for the Dutch, his victory was not enough to win the team meeting. Spain won with 3 -2.