M-1 Challenge 82 Set for Aug. 5 in Finland

M-1 Global, Russia’s largest MMA promotion, announced Thursday afternoon that it will be returning to Finland for the first time in nearly a decade. M-1 Challenge 82 is set for Aug. 5 at Hartwell Arena in Helsinki, with local fighter Marcus Vanttinen taking on Russia’s Mikhail Ragozin in the main event.

A veteran of M-1, Cage and Bellator, Vanttinen is looking to bounce back from a loss to Jarjis Danho at Cage 29 more than two years ago. “The Caveman” should have has hands full with Ragozin, a promising light heavyweight who has scored stoppages in seven of his eight wins and is currently on a two-fight knockout streak.

Mikael Silander will stand opposite former M-1 Challenge title challenger Viali Branchuk in the bantamweight co-feature. In another 135-pound showdown, Janne Elonen-Kulmala will take on Heliton dos Santos. Also, Toni Valtonen will oppose Boris Polezhay in a heavyweight battle, while Son Le Binh will fight against an opponent yet to be determined.

Additional bouts will be announced soon for the vent, which will be streamed live on M1Global.tv.