HELSINKI, Finland, March 17 - Mikko Rupponen demolished PRIDE veteran Hirotaka Yokoi in less than three minutes in the main event of Fight Festival 21. Right in the beginning, Yokoi tried to take Finland's MMA standout Mikko Rupponen down but found himself schooled in the clinch. Rupponen pressed Yokoi against the ropes and worked on a takedown. Yokoi is at his best in the clinch and managed to survive for a while, but it didn't take too long for the Finn to raise his Japanese foe in the air and slam him down. On the ground, Rupponen immediately took a dominant position and started to launch heavy leather with his left hand from behind Yokoi. The Japanese turned on his back and found himself in the half-guard eating Rupponen's right hand punches. Finally, Rupponen finished the job with some really nasty elbows that forced the referee Mika Sinkkonen to stop the fight at the mark of 2.51.
After such a dominating performace, one can only say that Mikko Rupponen has a big future in MMA. He dominated Yokoi throughout the fight and stopped him faster than Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in PRIDE 30. Mikko Rupponen would definitely be a good addition in the UFC light heavyweight roster.