As has been proven time and time again: going forward the Nordic stars of tomorrow will often have some of their first bouts in Fight Club Rush.
After several thrilling contests between the nations another battle between Sweden and Finland is now set for FCR 17 in Uppsala on September ninth as Martin Corney (0-0) will make his pro debut against Waltteri "Da Vinci" Häkkinen (2-0)!
For several years Corney has been one of the top prospects to keep an eye on with impressive wins over the likes on Aria Afrasiabi, Dimitris Dimitriadis and Eladio Bravo.
In his promotional debut at FCR 12 Corney faced three-time Swedish boxing champion Anton Hellström, winning via first round submission. Since then he has followed up with a decision win over striker Jaffar Yousofi and a knockout win over Anton Ringvall, remaining perfect in FCR with 3-0 in the promotion.
Corney was supposed to make the move to pro at FCR 15 against Danish striker Sherwan Khalil, but an injury put a stop to the fight.
Finland's Häkkinen has competed successfully as an amateur with a plethora of finishes. "Da Vinci" made a successful move to pro in February of last year, tapping out Hama Dara in the first round.
Häkkinen would go on to face the much avoided Allstars prospect Djaba Murtazaliev at FCR 16. Dealing with early aggression from his opponent, Häkkinen remained calm as the tide began turning. By the third round Häkkinen was defending takedowns and landing shots almost at will, leading to an emphatic TKO win.
Corney is a proven commodity with a high ceiling who's pro debut has been awaited for a long time. Now he finally ditches the shin guards and larger MMA gloves as he leaves the amateur leagues behind him - but getting past Häkkinen will be no easy feat.