By Murdo Todd
Former IMMAF World and European Champion Sani Brännfors (Finland) made a statement in her professional debut, securing a second-round knockout victory at Cage MMA 66 in Helsinki this past weekend.
Competing on the main card, the Finnish phenom showcased the elite skills that saw her dominate the amateur scene for years. Her debut marks the beginning of what many predict will be a stellar professional career.
Brännfors enters the pro ranks with a sensational amateur résumé, holding the unique distinction of being the first female athlete in IMMAF history to win World Championships at the Youth, Junior, and Senior levels.
Across her amateur career, Brännfors amassed an outstanding 16–1 record, boasting a 62.5% finishing rate with wins evenly split between submissions and knockouts. Her final IMMAF appearance saw her submit Spain’s Mercedes Custodio via first-round rear-naked choke to claim gold at the 2024 IMMAF World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
With three IMMAF World titles, as well as two European Championships, to her name, Brännfors retires from the amateur ranks as one of the most decorated and dominant athletes in European MMA history, as well as being Finland’s most successful amateur fighter of all time.
“Finnish athletes have an inherent drive. Finnish fighters are tenacious and possess an indomitable will to win,” Brännfors told IMMAF in a 2024 interview. “I strive to be one of the best fighters and a role model for everyone.”
Now competing professionally in the talent-stacked women’s flyweight division, she remains under the guidance of longtime coach Matias Pahkala of Oulun Kamppailuklubi, the same coach who helped steer her amateur success. As her professional journey begins, the MMA world will be watching closely to see just how high this history-making fighter can climb.
