.
.

Top Finnish Competitor Santeri Lilius On His Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle & Success Of BJJ In Finland

Santeri with his girlfriend Emilia

Santeri with his girlfriend

2014 European brown belt silver medalist, Santeri Lilius from Finland is a rising star in the continental scene. This highly talented and hard working BJJ player, in this interview with BJJ Eastern Europe talks about his life training and competing between Finland and Spain, as well as what makes Finland arguably one of the top BJJ nations in Europe.

Hi Santeri, can you please introduce yourself to the BJJ Community of Eastern Europe? 

Hey Bjjee. My name is Santeri Lilius, and I`m 22 year old Finnish gringo. I`m currently a brown belt and my team is Roger Gracie Academy, but in Finland I train with the guys from Barreto Team in my hometown Lahti. I also train in Spain with my coach Pablo Cabo.

My main titles are : IBJJF European Champion 2012 ( Purple Nogi Medium Heavy ), IBJJF London open silver ( Purple Belt ) and silver from IBJJF Europeans 2014 ( Brown Belt Middleweight)

Please tell us about your Jiu-Jitsu story, your academy and master

I started JJ at the age of 16 here in my hometown of Lahti. I had trained MMA before and I thought I would try JJ just for fun.

I started to train at a gym called Kamppailulajikeskus with Prof. Marko Kallioinen and Prof. Raimo Posti ( Both black belts now ). We had around 10 students total but we practiced hard and we improved a lot in short periods of time.

In 2009 I moved to Spain where I trained with Surunion Team. There I also met my future coach Pablo Cabo (who was training at London that time).

As I mentioned above I train currently at two different academies. In Lahti I train with the monsters from Barreto Team. I train daily with black and brown belts so it`s very good, and when I’m in Spain I train at Roger Gracie Malaga with my coach Pablo. Training there is awesome!

You had a great 2014 Europeans with a silver medal at brown belt adult. What triggered your success? Tell us about your training for the comp. How would you describe your BJJ style?

Thanks. The tournament went well. I had 4 matches, and I submitted all my opponents until the final which I lost by points to the monster Yago De Souza from Cicero Costa.
I did my training partly here in Finland and one month before competition I went to Spain to make the final preparation. Training there was really good and I owe big thanks to everybody from RGA Malaga and also Dynamic Team Marbella ( Carlos, Babak, Leo etc.. )
The tournament went very nicely. My girlfriend Emilia Tuukkanen won her category (purple belt light-feather) on Friday so naturally I had to get a medal atleast (laughs). I had 4 fights and the quarter-finals I met the guy from BJJ Kumite, Darragh O`Conaill. I was very excited and nervous to fight him but luckily I managed to get him in my De La Riva ankle lock quite fast.

Santeri got silver at brown belt adult at the 2014 Europeans

Santeri got silver at brown belt adult at the 2014 Europeans

How would you describe your BJJ style?

My BJJ style is modern and aggressive, I love Berimbolo, Spider guard etc. I also like to go for leg attacks as you might have seen. I study techniques all the time and BJJ is basically all I do.

Please tell us about the BJJ scene in Finland. We hear that it ranks as among the best in Europe. What explains the fact that Finns are so good at BJJ?

The level of Finnish BJJ is very high. We have a lot of academies here and all the biggest teams are presented ( Alliance, Gracie Barra, Checkmat etc. )
The Finnish way of training is very strict. We are never late, we never quit and we never train “lazy”. Those are normal qualities of Finnish people in other areas of life too. We have always been hard-working, and I think that is the biggest thing that makes a difference between other countries and Finland. People here are tough, man.
Also the Finnish BJJ Federation is awesome. They have this system that if you win Finnish Nationals you receive tickets to Europeans, and if you win Finnish Opens and you get tickets to Worlds. So guys, come to Finnish Open !
Please tell us about your time spent training in Spain

Training there is nice. I train mostly in RGA Malaga but I also try to visit other academies as much as I can. Spain has nice level in BJJ also and it is only getting stronger.

The good thing for me in Spain is that I can only focus on JJ. I don’t have to worry about anything like work or school. I live there with my mate Aron and with him I train everywhere and all the time. I like to train with different kind of people, and I believe that is the thing that keeps me sharp.

Santeri with Pablo Cabo (black belt) in Spain

Santeri with Pablo Cabo (black belt) in Spain

What is next for you and your team in 2014?

All the biggest competitions. This is my moment to go after my dreams and I will surely use it well.The team is only getting stronger and we will keep training hard for the highest place in the podium.

If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free

I want to thank my Family, Friends and Training partners. I couldn`t do this without you guys. Special thanks to my girlfriend Emilia. You are awesome.

Thanks to K-Supermarket Orimattila, Eimi Oy, PT Prostore, Roninwear and Teho Sport.

I just signed a contract with Grab&Pull so big thanks to them. We will make huge impact together.

Remember to follow me at Instagram @vouxande

Thanks Santeri and all the best!

Thank you and osss !

Learn how to do the De La Riva ankle lock with top Finnish brown belt Santeri Lilius: