“Even when it’s tough, I never give up — I always believe and have no doubt that I will win!” These are the words Mindaugas Bartkus uses to describe himself as a fighter. Lithuanian Open MMA champion, Baltic Open MMA champion, Baltic Open Grappling champion, Finnish and Danish Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, AJP Latvia Open and Lithuanian Open champion — this is just a small part of Mindaugas’ impressive collection of trophies. In professional MMA fights, Mindaugas remains undefeated so far. He is confident that after this fight, his professional record will stand at 3-0. This time, a serious challenge awaits him — a strong striker from Finland, Jussi Pirttikangas.
Mindaugas Bartkus is not only an MMA fighter but also a colorful personality — his unique hobby is drawing anime sketches. On top of that, his wife is a talented tattoo artist, so creativity is always flowing in their home. However, when it’s time to fight, he paints a very different picture — one where the goal is to dominate, force the opponent to play by his rules, and never give up.
Talking about the upcoming fight, Mindaugas expresses respect for his opponent but also strong confidence in his own abilities. “This guy is a high-level striker with what they call ‘dad strength’ — it looks like he just touches his opponents, but they drop like leaves. Even though my opponent is no pushover, we’ve studied his mistakes and know exactly where we’ll have the upper hand in this fight. Professor Iran has prepared a solid game plan — now it’s up to me to make sure I execute it.”
According to Mindaugas, the fight plan isn’t set in stone — it’s alive and constantly adapting to the situation in the cage. “I think the people who say the plan changes after the first punch never had a real plan to begin with — or they just have a low fight IQ,” the fighter smirks. His biggest weapon in this fight will be his grappling — that’s where he plans to “drown” the Finn and leave him no room to breathe.
Interestingly, if Mindaugas had a chance to chat with his opponent before the fight, he says he wouldn’t waste time on threats or mind games — they’d probably just sing a rock or metal song together. “As far as I know, Finns love heavy music, and so do I!” the fighter laughs. But on fight day, there will be no friendships or verbal battles — only actions will speak.
On March 22, at Vilnius’ TwinsBet arena, Mindaugas Bartkus will step into the cage with one clear goal — to claim another victory and extend his undefeated streak.
Tickets for the event are available at bilietai.lt.
