QFC Tournament 297 Round 3 PBP Commentary

Co-main event

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Cesys Kazlauskas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jake Bermudez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Kazlauskas
vs
Bermudez

170 cm
23
163 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

168 cm
23
155 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Good chin

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Cesys Kazlauskas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jake Bermudez!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Marco Blurström and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bermudez drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

Bermudez goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Kazlauskas has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Bermudez but great work by Kazlauskas.

Kazlauskas wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Bermudez, who protects the arm well.
Kazlauskas postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

Kazlauskas thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Bermudez holds on tight, trying to prevent any damage.
You can see the frustration on Bermudez's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Kazlauskas goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Bermudez has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Kazlauskas but great work by Bermudez.
Bermudez trying to control the action but Kazlauskas is working from the bottom.
Kazlauskas is trying to control Bermudez's posture but Bermudez avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kazlauskas tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Bermudez wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bermudez sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Kazlauskas is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Kazlauskas dodges the ground and pound from Bermudez.
Bermudez scores with punches from side control.
Kazlauskas is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Bermudez's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Bermudez thows a huge punch but Kazlauskas dodges it nicely.
Kazlauskas is looking for a sweep. Bermudez is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Bermudez tries to pass the half guard into mount. Kazlauskas knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Kazlauskas slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez stopping the sweep attempt from Kazlauskas.
Kazlauskas controls Bermudez momentarily but Bermudez frees himself.
Bermudez working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Kazlauskas's head.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Bermudez postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bermudez wants to control from the top but Kazlauskas keeps moving.
Bermudez passes Kazlauskas's left leg - he's now in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Bermudez is trying to control the action in half guard but Kazlauskas is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Kazlauskas taking some punishment here, with Bermudez in his half guard.
Bermudez prevents Kazlauskas from improving his position.

Bermudez is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Kazlauskas sees it coming and defends easily.
Bermudez wants to control but Kazlauskas is keeping him busy.
Bermudez scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Kazlauskas is looking to get back to full guard here but Bermudez has managed to pass to side control instead.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kazlauskas is trying to improve his position.
Bermudez trying to control the action but Kazlauskas is working from the bottom.
Kazlauskas is looking to reverse the position.
Kazlauskas takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Bermudez scoring with punches from side control.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Bermudez looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Bermudez lands a decent elbow from side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jake Bermudez dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Bermudez fails in his attempt to clinch.

Bermudez shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Bermudez looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Bermudez wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kazlauskas keeps working.
Kazlauskas trying to hold on to Bermudez's head to control him but Bermudez postures up.
Kazlauskas is trying to stand.
Kazlauskas is looking to control Bermudez's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Kazlauskas avoid being mounted?

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Kazlauskas keeps control of the position for the meantime.

We're going to have a standup here because Cesys Kazlauskas wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Bermudez closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Bermudez lands in his opponent's guard.
Bermudez postures up and lands a big shot to Kazlauskas's brow.
Jake Bermudez has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kazlauskas not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kazlauskas has momentary wrist control but Bermudez slips an elbow through the middle.
Bermudez must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Bermudez trying to control but Kazlauskas is working from the bottom.
Kazlauskas trying to control the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kazlauskas is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Kazlauskas wants to stand and escape but Bermudez is having none of it.
Kazlauskas keeping moving, preventing Bermudez from controlling successfully.
Bermudez stands up over Kazlauskas, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Bermudez prevents Kazlauskas from getting back to his feet.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bermudez slips nicely into half guard.
Bermudez is stalling here. Kazlauskas is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Bermudez seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Kazlauskas has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Kazlauskas off and has taken his back!
Bermudez connects with a big shot to the side of Kazlauskas's head.
Bermudez is trying to stick to Kazlauskas's back but Kazlauskas is turning into Bermudez. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Bermudez's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Kazlauskas.

Bermudez is looking for a triangle but Kazlauskas pushes his legs off easily.
Bermudez looking for a sweep. Not yet Bermudez, not yet.
Kazlauskas wants to control from the top but Bermudez keeps moving.
Kazlauskas passes Bermudez's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Kazlauskas is thwarting Bermudez's attempts to control the position.
Bermudez is looking to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez controlling the position well.
Kazlauskas missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

Bermudez looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Kazlauskas seems to be working for a kimura but Bermudez defends the submission attempt.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bermudez is in trouble now - Kazlauskas has advanced to mount!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kazlauskas tries to control but Bermudez wriggling away.
Bermudez tries to hold on but Kazlauskas pushes him away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jake Bermudez showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Kazlauskas closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Bermudez sneaks back into half guard.

Kazlauskas is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Kazlauskas is stalling here. Bermudez is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Kazlauskas seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Bermudez has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Bermudez misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Bermudez works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Bermudez scoring with punches from side control.
Kazlauskas manages to work his way to half guard, despite Bermudez's best efforts.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bermudez perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Bermudez not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kazlauskas is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Kazlauskas is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bermudez passes to side control.
Bermudez landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Bermudez in side control, just content to control the action for now.
Bermudez works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez is putting a hurting on Kazlauskas here, landing some big shots from side control.
Bermudez scoring with punches and elbows.
Bermudez is looking to take a break and control but Kazlauskas is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bermudez has control of an arm but Kazlauskas manages to advance to Bermudez's back!
Kazlauskas gets his hands free as Bermudez looks to control.
Bermudez has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.

Bermudez fending off the submission attempt from Kazlauskas.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Bermudez is refusing to be controlled, as Kazlauskas sits in half guard.

Bermudez is defending against the submission attempts here by Kazlauskas.
Bermudez works his way to full guard. Good work.

Kazlauskas has gone for a leg lock! Bermudez slips out almost immediately though and dives into Kazlauskas's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bermudez working some strikes from top position.
Bermudez working some strikes from top position.
Kazlauskas avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Bermudez working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Kazlauskas's head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bermudez throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Kazlauskas works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Bermudez stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Kazlauskas swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Jake Bermudez is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bermudez is stalling in the full guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jake Bermudez comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Bermudez has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.

Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight for Jake Bermudez!
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight for Jake Bermudez!
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight for Jake Bermudez!

Jake Bermudez wins by unanimous decision!
Jake Bermudez thanked the fans post fight for their support.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
65%

Main event

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Alek Khabilov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ryan Chandler (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Khabilov
vs
Chandler

177 cm
23
165 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

175 cm
23
162 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
KO power

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Alek Khabilov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Ryan Chandler!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Roosa Järviläinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
We've got one fighter who appears to only be looking to counter and the other not looking particularly aggressive either, so we could be in for a dull fight.
Chandler avoids the head kick by Khabilov.
Khabilov fails to land the takedown.
Khabilov misses with an uppercut.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Khabilov throws a sloppy head kick and Chandler moves out of range easily.
A chopping leg kick lands by Khabilov.
Khabilov misses with a head kick.
Khabilov throws the left hand but Chandler avoids the punch easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khabilov tries a head kick but it misses.
Sloppy strikes from Khabilov. Those never looked like landing.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Khabilov.
Khabilov connects with a leg kick. Chandler looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Chandler keeps the fight on the outside.
Khabilov wants to clinch up but Chandler keeps it at a distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A leg kick checked by Chandler.

Chandler feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Chandler's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Chandler working some strikes from top position.
Chandler is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Chandler scoring with punches to the head and body.
Khabilov keeping moving, preventing Chandler from controlling successfully.
Chandler in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chandler chips away with some ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Chandler accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Chandler throwing strikes from guard but Khabilov blocks nicely.
Chandler content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Chandler not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

Chandler postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Khabilov is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Chandler, into his guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khabilov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Chandler is trying to control the position but Khabilov postures up.
Chandler keeping moving, preventing Khabilov from controlling successfully.
Chandler lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Khabilov!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Chandler has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Khabilov's face.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Khabilov swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ryan Chandler dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Chandler darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Chandler is trying to control the action in half guard but Khabilov is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Khabilov on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Chandler is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Chandler connects with a nice short shot to Khabilov's temple.
Khabilov is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Chandler scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Chandler lands with a punch from half guard.

Khabilov looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

Khabilov looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Chandler lands with a punch from half guard.

Chandler seems to be working for a kimura but Khabilov defends the submission attempt.
Chandler is looking to advance position but Khabilov won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Chandler is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Chandler works his way into side control.
Check out the look on Chandler's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Chandler trying to control the position but Khabilov is working away.
Chandler landing a few strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chandler cracks Khabilov with a big right hand but Khabilov just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Khabilov gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
Chandler unloading with bombs!
Khabilov taking shots to the head.
Chandler connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Chandler postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Khabilov looks a forlorn figure.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Oooooh, big shot lands for Chandler! Khabilov is hurt baaadly! Chandler is firing away with more strikes - Khabilov is covering up... the ref is warning him to do something. He's just covering up though still and the ref has to step in to end the fight! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Ryan Chandler!