A crowd of 3,300 MMA fans gathered at Tondiraba Ice Hall to watch Estonian fighters rule the cage at Evecon RAJU 20. In the main event, Kristjan Tõniste became the first Estonian to beat a former UFC fighter on home soil. Pärnu’s Madis “The Viking” Mäeste ended his professional career with a first-round submission win.
Main event: Tõniste beats former UFC fighter by unanimous decision
In the main event, Kristjan Tõniste faced Mexico’s Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas, who has previously competed in the UFC, the world’s largest MMA organisation. It was the first time an Estonian mixed martial artist faced a former UFC fighter in Estonia. Tõniste controlled all three rounds and won by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
“I thought I would find an opening and finish him, but he was a very tough opponent. He has a huge amount of experience and I could feel it,” Tõniste said after the fight.
Co-main event: Astur finishes the fight in the second round
In the co-main event, Maikel “The Sniper” Astur met French knockout specialist Lévy “The Missile” Carriel. Astur won by technical knockout: the referee stopped the fight after punches to the head in the second round.
“It’s great to be back and I have never felt better. I worked hard and I was fully there mentally, ready to go to war. I went out there only to win. So I’m just over the moon,” said Maikel Astur.
Madis Mäeste leaves as a winner
The most emotional moment of the night was Madis Mäeste’s last professional fight. Mäeste was originally due to face Sweden’s Niclas Pedersen, but Pedersen was injured in training and France’s Yanis Simonite stepped in. Mäeste finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke at the end of the first round. After the win, the crowd thanked him with a long ovation.
“These emotions are hard to put into words. The last couple of weeks were very, very hard. But I knew I didn’t want to end my career with just an Instagram post. I wanted to give everything one last time,” said Mäeste.
The anniversary night also saw the first professional kickboxing bout in RAJU history. It was won by Italy’s Sami Feddad, who beat Ukraine’s Oleh Mirošnitšenko by unanimous decision.
For the first time since 2013, the card also featured a women’s bout: Estonia’s Aisel Agajeva beat Latvia’s Samanta Dorči by unanimous decision in an amateur fight.
Evecon awarded a €2,000 bonus to the best performers of the night: Tõniste, Astur and Poland’s Oskar Herczyk, who stopped Latvia’s Arturs Leisans with leg kicks in the second round.
Evecon RAJU and main sponsor FenixBet extended their partnership by two years. The next RAJU takes place on 10 April 2027, again at Tondiraba Ice Hall.
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Evecon RAJU 20 official results
Professionals
- Main event, 77.1 kgKristjan Tõniste (EST) def. Rodrigo Vargas (MEX) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).Referee Mikko Aaltonen.
- Co-main event, 77.1 kgMaikel Astur (EST) def. Lévy Carriel (FRA) by TKO (punches), round 2, 2:06.Referee Mikko Aaltonen.
- 77.1 kgRobert-Alexandru Constantin (ROU) def. Cristiano Cruz (BRA) by decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28).
- 65.8 kgMadis Mäeste (EST) def. Yanis Simonite (FRA) by submission (arm-triangle choke), round 1, 3:56.Referee Mikko Aaltonen.
- 79.0 kg (catchweight)Oskar Herczyk (POL) def. Arturs Leisans (LVA) by TKO (leg kicks), round 2, 0:52.Referee Ergo Reinvald.
- 77.1 kgAllan Volosatõh (EST) def. Mattia Palushi (ITA) by retirement, round 1, 0:44.Referee Mikko Aaltonen.
- 82.0 kg (catchweight)German Mili (GER) def. Ayoub Ghraidia (TUN) by submission (rear-naked choke), round 1, 2:24.Referee Mikko Aaltonen.
- Kickboxing, 60.0 kgSami Feddad (ITA) def. Oleh Mirošnitšenko (UKR) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-27).Referee Denis Lahtikov.
Amateurs
- 56.7 kgAisel Agajeva (EST) def. Samanta Dorči (LVA) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).Referee Ergo Reinvald.
- 97+ kgKennet Künnarpuu (EST) def. Per Kjetil Tonnessen (NOR) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).Referee Ergo Reinvald.
MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, is a competitive form of unarmed combat that combines the most spectacular elements of several combat sports. The aim of a mixed martial artist is either to knock the opponent out or to force a submission with a submission hold. MMA bouts are held in a special cage enclosed by mesh fencing. The eight-sided octagon arena keeps the fighters safe and gives the sporting duel a gladiatorial appeal.
Evecon Raju continues its mission of bringing international-level competition to the Estonian MMA scene and of supporting the development of athletes both in Estonia and beyond. The league’s main sponsor is the sports betting portal FenixBet.
Evecon (opens in a new tab) is the leading privately held energy company in the Baltics, developing an energy portfolio of more than 2.7 GW centred on battery, solar and wind park development. Evecon’s many projects include the largest solar park in the Baltics and the largest battery park complex in continental Europe.
