Geir Kåre “GK” Nyland · Haugesund, Norway
Norway’s Toughest.Paralyzed at 30.Still in the fight.
I’m GK, an MMA fighter from Norway and winner of the TV competition Norway’s Toughest. In 2021 I dove into shallow water and was paralyzed from the chest down. Six days later, from intensive care, I decided to film all of it, uncensored. The result is FIGHTER: a series and a feature film that all of Norway watched, and that went on to some of the world’s biggest documentary festivals.
What comes next
This is round two
Every day I train as if the call could come tomorrow. Strength, endurance, mind: everything I can still build, I build. Nobody can give me a date. But science is moving, and when the door opens, I’ll be ready to walk through it. The next chapter of FIGHTER follows that fight, with the people, the setbacks and an ending nobody has written yet. The cameras are already rolling, and I control the rights and the access. What I am looking for is the right partner to build it with.
Co-produce or acquire the next chapter. It is in development, and the rights are available. Watch FIGHTER first.
Watch FIGHTER Talk about the next chapterRehab, neurotech, research and human performance. Bring your expertise or equipment to the work, on camera or off.
Start a conversationBack the mission (training, equipment and research) or the next chapter of FIGHTER (development and production). Audiences finish this story: 98% of TV 2 viewers who started FIGHTER watched all three episodes.
Start a conversationI also speak in English, and host screenings of FIGHTER followed by a conversation. Speaking · Host a screening
Who is GK
The sixty-second version
My whole life was built around my body. Ten years of training, a European medal, a pro career that had finally started. Then, in one second, I could no longer move most of it. What do you do when the thing you are is taken from you? You keep fighting, in a different arena.
Born in Haugesund
A town on Norway’s west coast, said to be the resting place of the Viking king Harald Fairhair. I’m half Cypriot. I became a dad in 2009 and raised my son as a single father. In 2013 I won “Norway’s Toughest” on national TV and went all in on MMA.
European silver
Five fights in four days at the IMMAF Europeans in Birmingham. I lost the final on points to a future UFC fighter. The same year I opened my own gym, Herjer MMA. I turned pro in 2019. The goal was the UFC.
The dive
May 30, a harbor wall in Oslo. Shallow water. Paralyzed from the chest down. Six days later, from intensive care, I wrote: “I want to document this journey. My journey.”
FIGHTER
Three episodes on TV 2 and a feature film. World premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, then Series Mania in France, Nordic/Docs and the Zurich Film Festival. At Gullruten, Norway’s TV awards, nominated for best documentary series and winner of best editing.
The premise, 2 min, English subtitles. From FIGHTER, TV 2 Norway and A5 Film.
The documentary
Fighter
A week after the accident, from my hospital bed, I asked for a film crew. Years of filming became a three-part series on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster, and a feature film. Directed by Sunniva Sundby and Mari Bakke Riise, produced by A5 Film, international sales by TrustNordisk.
FIGHTER, the feature film, in a private screening room. For producers, platforms, partners and press. Tell me who you are, and I will send you a personal link.
In my own words
On stage at CPH:DOX
The world premiere of FIGHTER in Copenhagen, March 2025. Someone in the audience asks about being vulnerable. I answer with the story of my dad and me. 71 seconds, with subtitles.
CPH:DOX, Copenhagen · March 2025
The story
My life, year by year
From a Chechen best friend and a fight club planned in a Norwegian schoolyard, to the cage, the dive, the Supreme Court and the big screen. 30 moments with photos, clips from FIGHTER, press and podcasts.
2013 · NRK, Norway’s public broadcaster
Norway’s Toughest
In autumn 2013, aged 21, I took part in the first season of “Norges tøffeste” (Norway’s Toughest) on NRK3, a brutal physical competition. I won. Then I made my decision: not college, but MMA. All in.
NRK’s own clip from the final, 2:37, in Norwegian. Watch on nrk.no ↗
The fight after the fight
Against the City of Oslo
In 2022 I sued the city over the harbor where I dove: no fence, one small sign. I won in the district court. I won again on appeal. In 2025 five judges in Norway’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously for the city. I call it a failure of the system. Every major outlet in Norway covered the case, and it is now taught in Norwegian law schools.
See the case, step by step
Same man
From the cage to the stage
Birmingham, November 2019: my pro debut, over in 56 seconds. Oslo, 2026: on stage, telling the story myself. The will did not change. The arena did.
DRAG THE LINE ←→
The wolf and the Viking
Herjer
In 2003 a boy named Abo arrived in my village as a refugee from Chechnya. We became best friends, brothers. Already in primary school we planned the martial arts gym we would open together: Abo would coach wrestling, I would take everything on the feet. We even talked about what the logo should look like.
Read the whole story
Abo wanted a wolf. “We are wolves,” he said. The wolf is Chechnya’s national symbol, an animal that never gives up and attacks even when it knows it may die. I wanted a Viking. Vikings who fell in battle became einherjar and went to Valhalla, where they trained and fought all day and woke up alive again the next morning. Again and again.
In December 2014 Abo was killed in Syria. On 10 October 2015 I opened Herjer MMA in Haugesund. The name comes from the einherjar, and from my mother, who used to shout “Geir Kåre! Stop rampaging!” (“Slutta å herja!”).
KRIGERNE
Read the logo: Abo and me in one mark
Read the logo
- The valknut. Three interlocked triangles found on Viking-age rune stones. It means “warrior fallen in battle”, and the knot stands for eternity in Valhalla.
- Turned, with horns. I turned the whole symbol upside down and put horns on the sides. Now it reads as Norse: einherjar.
- The ears. The horns are also the ears of a wolf.
- The face. The knot forms a face.
- The snout. At the very bottom is the snout. It is a wolf too. Abo and me in one mark.
“What we wanted to create as kids has been created.”GK on Instagram, March 2023
Instagram · @gkherjer
Most watched
More than 7.5 million views on my Instagram reels. These reached the most people: my own videos and collaborations with TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster.
“Fighter”: the moment that changed his life
TV 2 · 24.03.2025Life before and after the accident
Bahar Eviken · 22.04.2026
“Please help me share this video”, in English, on waiting for science
GK · 21.10.2022First look at the docuseries
TV 2 · 27.11.2024
Ice bath, head first: “The ice was thicker than expected”
GK · 25.01.2021
“I lost in the Supreme Court, but the fight is not over”
GK · 03.07.2025Media
Podcasts, TV and press since 2013
The biggest Norwegian outlets first: VG, NRK and TV 2. Mostly Norwegian; the 2022 Eyvind Stueland podcast is in English. Tap “More” for the context, or open the original.
Geir Kåre Nyland vil klage inn høyesterettsdom til EMD ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Geir Kåre Nyland tapte i Høyesterett mot Oslo kommune ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Geir Kåre Nyland tok et tøft oppgjør med egen oppvekst ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Watching his own documentary for the first time ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Fighting to walk again ↗
2021 · “Everything goes in”. From intensive care: “I want to document this journey.”
Six days after the dive he writes from intensive care that he wants to document the journey. The uncensored truth. Ten days later he stands upright in a standing frame at Sunnaas rehabilitation hospital. A camera crew is there. It becomes “Fighter”.
MMA-utøveren ble lam: – Skal kjempe sitt livs største match ↗
30.05.21 · The dive. He dives from the pier at Sørenga in Oslo. The water is shallow. Paralyzed from the chest down.
On a warm Sunday at the Sørenga harbor bath in Oslo he dives from the edge of the pier. The water is shallow. He is paralyzed from the chest down. The next day Emil Meek starts a fundraiser. In two days it raises more than one million kroner.
Could become part of the Norwegian Sports Federation ↗
2015 · Herjer MMA. Opens his own gym on 10 October 2015. More than 150 people show up.
On 10 October 2015 Herjer MMA opens in Haugesund. More than 150 people come. A year later about 120 train there. The name comes from his mother, who used to shout “stop rampaging!” (“slutta å herja!”) when he was little. They planned the logo back in primary school. Abo wanted a wolf: “We are wolves.” GK wanted a Viking. He took the valknut from the rune stones, three triangles meaning “warrior fallen in battle”, turned it upside down and added horns: einherjar. But the horns are also wolf ears, the knot is a face, and at the bottom is the snout. The logo is both of them.
NRK blunder: named the wrong winner of “Norway’s Toughest” ↗
2013 · Norway’s Toughest. Wins a national TV competition and bets everything on MMA.
In the autumn of 2013 he competes in the first season of “Norges tøffeste” (Norway’s Toughest) on the national broadcaster NRK. The final airs on 12 November and he wins. NRK first named the wrong winner and corrected it the next day. Afterwards he makes his choice: not college, but MMA. All in.
The craft award 2026 ↗
2026 · Gullruten. FIGHTER wins Norway’s TV award for best editing.
FIGHTER wins the Gullruten craft award for best editing in a documentary, Norway’s equivalent of an Emmy. That year he also speaks all over Norway, and to Norwegians in Switzerland.
Nettavisen streams Battle Arena 58 ↗
2019 · I’M BACK!. First fight in three years. That autumn: pro debut, won in 56 seconds.
On 27 July 2019 he is back in the cage on two days’ notice. He wins. On 23 November he makes his professional debut in Birmingham. The fight is over in 56 seconds.
VG journalist debuts as an author ↗
2016 · The book. A VG journalist’s book about Norwegian foreign fighters. The last chapter is called “Herjer”.
In the autumn of 2016, Erlend Ofte Arntsen of VG, Norway’s largest newspaper, publishes “Fremmedkrigerne” (The Foreign Fighters). GK shares his conversations with Abo because he wants the whole story told. The last chapter is called “Herjer”.
From MMA fighter to wheelchair ↗
2026 · Gullruten. FIGHTER wins Norway’s TV award for best editing.
FIGHTER wins the Gullruten craft award for best editing in a documentary, Norway’s equivalent of an Emmy. That year he also speaks all over Norway, and to Norwegians in Switzerland.
#163: From fighter in the cage to FIGHTER in a wheelchair ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
From Fighter in the Ring to Fighter in a Wheelchair ↗
2022 · The pressure chamber. 4 July 2022: his own hyperbaric chamber is lifted in by crane. The start of Element Lab.
On 4 July 2022 his own hyperbaric oxygen chamber is lifted in by crane. It is the start of Element Lab, his clinic in Oslo.
“I will get back on my feet” ↗
2022 · Herjer rises. The gym reopens in Haugesund.
After the accident the gym was going under. Family and friends rebuild it. On 9 April 2022 Herjer MMA reopens, bigger than before.
Episode 8 ↗
2018 · “Now it’s the time, mom”. The knee is healed. He moves to Oslo to go all in.
After two years with the knee he is back. On 1 December 2018 he packs his van and moves to Oslo to train at Frontline with Emil Meek, one of Norway’s best-known fighters.
“I know I can become one of the best” ↗
2018 · “Now it’s the time, mom”. The knee is healed. He moves to Oslo to go all in.
After two years with the knee he is back. On 1 December 2018 he packs his van and moves to Oslo to train at Frontline with Emil Meek, one of Norway’s best-known fighters.
Jake Shields visits Nyland ↗
2015 · Herjer MMA. Opens his own gym on 10 October 2015. More than 150 people show up.
On 10 October 2015 Herjer MMA opens in Haugesund. More than 150 people come. A year later about 120 train there. The name comes from his mother, who used to shout “stop rampaging!” (“slutta å herja!”) when he was little. They planned the logo back in primary school. Abo wanted a wolf: “We are wolves.” GK wanted a Viking. He took the valknut from the rune stones, three triangles meaning “warrior fallen in battle”, turned it upside down and added horns: einherjar. But the horns are also wolf ears, the knot is a face, and at the bottom is the snout. The logo is both of them.
Not happy with European silver ↗
2015 · European silver. Five fights in four days in Birmingham. Loses the final to a future UFC fighter.
In November 2015 he represents Norway at the IMMAF European Championships in Birmingham, UK. He wins four fights in four days and reaches the final. He loses the final on points to Jack Shore, who later fights in the UFC. Back home, family and friends raise 50,000 kroner so he can keep going.
Interview after the semi-final win ↗
2015 · European silver. Five fights in four days in Birmingham. Loses the final to a future UFC fighter.
In November 2015 he represents Norway at the IMMAF European Championships in Birmingham, UK. He wins four fights in four days and reaches the final. He loses the final on points to Jack Shore, who later fights in the UFC. Back home, family and friends raise 50,000 kroner so he can keep going.
Sport for life ↗
2014 · First talk. “Sport for life”, in the main hall back home in Tysvær.
In October 2014 he steps onto a stage for the first time and talks about what sport has meant to him. Eleven years later, speaking is his job.
Nyland, a real fighter ↗
2014 · First fight. Cagefight Live 7 in Denmark. Wins by TKO.
On 15 February 2014 he has his first MMA fight, at Cagefight Live 7 in Denmark. He wins by TKO.
My best friend became an IS fighter: “I miss him” ↗
2003 · “We are wolves”. Abo arrives as a refugee from Chechnya. They become best friends and plan a fight club while still in school.
In 2003 Abo Edelbijev arrives at a refugee reception center in Tysvær. He and Geir Kåre become best friends. “We were like brothers,” GK has said. In the schoolyard they plan to start a martial arts club together. Abo says Chechens are wolves: an animal that never gives up, even against a bigger opponent. That promise became Herjer MMA, and the wolf became part of the logo.
“The best fight I’ve ever had” ↗
2016 · Las Vegas. World Championships. Wins his first fight. In the second, his knee gives out.
At the IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas he wins his first fight by arm triangle in the third round. In his second fight the knee gives out, and he finishes the fight on one leg. Two surgeries and two years without fighting follow.
Going all in for the Worlds ↗
2016 · California. Trains with Team Alpha Male. Urijah Faber poses in a Herjer shirt.
In the summer of 2016 he trains with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento to sharpen his wrestling before the World Championships. UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber poses in a Herjer shirt.
“This is huge for me” ↗
2022 · Herjer rises. The gym reopens in Haugesund.
After the accident the gym was going under. Family and friends rebuild it. On 9 April 2022 Herjer MMA reopens, bigger than before.
Now he shares videos from his hospital bed ↗
2021 · “Everything goes in”. From intensive care: “I want to document this journey.”
Six days after the dive he writes from intensive care that he wants to document the journey. The uncensored truth. Ten days later he stands upright in a standing frame at Sunnaas rehabilitation hospital. A camera crew is there. It becomes “Fighter”.
“Herjer-Geir” loses by knockout ↗
2021 · Last fight. 6 March 2021, in Sweden.
On 6 March 2021 he has his last fight, in Sweden. He loses by knockout and decides to move to Stockholm and keep going.
Vil ta stupesaken til den europeiske menneskerettsdomstolen ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Tar saken videre til EMD ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Geir Kåre Nyland tapte saken i Høyesterett: – Jeg kjenner på uretten ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Lost to the City of Oslo in the Supreme Court ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Tapte mot Oslo kommune i Høyesterett: – Skuffet ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Ukjente tar advokat-regningen til Geir Kåre Nyland: – Det er fantastisk ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
«Fighter»: Lam etter stupeulykke: – Jeg har fått mye hat ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Bryter sammen når han møter kompisene ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
«Fighter» – en dokuserie om det katastrofale stupet på Sørenga ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
The Sørenga diving accident ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Stupeulykken i Bjørvika: Geir Kåre Nyland vant i lagmannsretten ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Stupeulykken i Bjørvika: Geir Kåre Nyland vant igjen ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Nå starter ankesaken etter stupeulykken i Bjørvika ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Stupeulykken i Bjørvika: Har laget dokumentar ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Får erstatning etter stupeulykke: – Har vunnet mot Goliat ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Oslo kommune dømt etter stupeulykke: – Skuffet ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Stevner kommunen etter stupeulykke i Oslo ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Lillebroren ble lam etter stupeulykke på Sørenga ↗
30.05.21 · The dive. He dives from the pier at Sørenga in Oslo. The water is shallow. Paralyzed from the chest down.
On a warm Sunday at the Sørenga harbor bath in Oslo he dives from the edge of the pier. The water is shallow. He is paralyzed from the chest down. The next day Emil Meek starts a fundraiser. In two days it raises more than one million kroner.
The judgment HR-2025-1055-A ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Fighter ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
FIGHTER – international sales ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Vant i retten: – Mot alle odds ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Case taken to the European Court of Human Rights ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Ep. 233: Geir Kåre Nyland ↗
2025 · Fighter. Premieres on TV 2 and at CPH:DOX.
March 2025: world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, a screening at Series Mania in Lille and premiere on TV 2, Norway’s largest commercial broadcaster. Later that year: opening film at Nordic/Docs and in competition at the Zurich Film Festival.
Supreme Court takes the case ↗
2022–26 · The court case. He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
He sued the City of Oslo. Four years. Three courts. Two wins, one loss.
Gympodden ↗
2022 · The pressure chamber. 4 July 2022: his own hyperbaric chamber is lifted in by crane. The start of Element Lab.
On 4 July 2022 his own hyperbaric oxygen chamber is lifted in by crane. It is the start of Element Lab, his clinic in Oslo.
More than 1 million kroner raised ↗
30.05.21 · The dive. He dives from the pier at Sørenga in Oslo. The water is shallow. Paralyzed from the chest down.
On a warm Sunday at the Sørenga harbor bath in Oslo he dives from the edge of the pier. The water is shallow. He is paralyzed from the chest down. The next day Emil Meek starts a fundraiser. In two days it raises more than one million kroner.
Norway’s toughest? ↗
2013 · Norway’s Toughest. Wins a national TV competition and bets everything on MMA.
In the autumn of 2013 he competes in the first season of “Norges tøffeste” (Norway’s Toughest) on the national broadcaster NRK. The final airs on 12 November and he wins. NRK first named the wrong winner and corrected it the next day. Afterwards he makes his choice: not college, but MMA. All in.
“I’m far too impulsive” ↗
2018 · “Now it’s the time, mom”. The knee is healed. He moves to Oslo to go all in.
After two years with the knee he is back. On 1 December 2018 he packs his van and moves to Oslo to train at Frontline with Emil Meek, one of Norway’s best-known fighters.
My best friend became an IS fighter ↗
2016 · The book. A VG journalist’s book about Norwegian foreign fighters. The last chapter is called “Herjer”.
In the autumn of 2016, Erlend Ofte Arntsen of VG, Norway’s largest newspaper, publishes “Fremmedkrigerne” (The Foreign Fighters). GK shares his conversations with Abo because he wants the whole story told. The last chapter is called “Herjer”.
Victory in Las Vegas ↗
2016 · Las Vegas. World Championships. Wins his first fight. In the second, his knee gives out.
At the IMMAF World Championships in Las Vegas he wins his first fight by arm triangle in the third round. In his second fight the knee gives out, and he finishes the fight on one leg. Two surgeries and two years without fighting follow.
“I have no words” ↗
2015 · European silver. Five fights in four days in Birmingham. Loses the final to a future UFC fighter.
In November 2015 he represents Norway at the IMMAF European Championships in Birmingham, UK. He wins four fights in four days and reaches the final. He loses the final on points to Jack Shore, who later fights in the UFC. Back home, family and friends raise 50,000 kroner so he can keep going.
Fought his way to silver at the Europeans ↗
2015 · European silver. Five fights in four days in Birmingham. Loses the final to a future UFC fighter.
In November 2015 he represents Norway at the IMMAF European Championships in Birmingham, UK. He wins four fights in four days and reaches the final. He loses the final on points to Jack Shore, who later fights in the UFC. Back home, family and friends raise 50,000 kroner so he can keep going.
Meek starts a fundraiser ↗
30.05.21 · The dive. He dives from the pier at Sørenga in Oslo. The water is shallow. Paralyzed from the chest down.
On a warm Sunday at the Sørenga harbor bath in Oslo he dives from the edge of the pier. The water is shallow. He is paralyzed from the chest down. The next day Emil Meek starts a fundraiser. In two days it raises more than one million kroner.
Nyland is the toughest ↗
2013 · Norway’s Toughest. Wins a national TV competition and bets everything on MMA.
In the autumn of 2013 he competes in the first season of “Norges tøffeste” (Norway’s Toughest) on the national broadcaster NRK. The final airs on 12 November and he wins. NRK first named the wrong winner and corrected it the next day. Afterwards he makes his choice: not college, but MMA. All in.
In my own words
“Silver didn’t taste that good. But it makes me want to fight harder.”
“I want to document this journey. My journey.”
“All this just to get my life back.”
“I will get back on my feet.”
“When I fight, I feel invincible.”
Contact
Talk to GK
Film, funding, technology, brands, press or speaking. Tell me who you are and what you have in mind. My US manager Yibo replies within a few days.