Helsinki Fighting League: 35 PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Leon Weber (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Radeon Lafleur (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Weber comes to the ring accompanied by Hamburg Anthem. Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Weber
vs
Lafleur

169 cm
19
142 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

167 cm
26
145 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Determined

Urban Fighter

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Leon Weber!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Radeon Lafleur!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Ben Zyskovitsi and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lafleur shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Weber as he jumps to the side.
Lafleur tries to score a power double leg takedown but Weber sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Lafleur somewhat.
Lafleur has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Weber is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Lafleur shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Weber as he avoids it easily.
Leon Weber has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Radeon Lafleur.
A combination from Weber does no damage.

Lafleur gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Lafleur looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

Weber is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Weber drops back looking for a submission - "I'm sorry sir, but I'm gunna break your leg" says Weber as he cranks on the unfortunate limb! Lafleur screams and taps out before any major damage is done! Don't mess with Weber! Nice submission victory there!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:59 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kneebar). Leon Weber!
Leon Weber got down on his knees post fight and begged the management for a title shot. 'Please, I want that title shot so bad! Give it to me!'

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
76%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Sean Manuwa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jon Snow (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jon Snow will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Manuwa
vs
Snow

178 cm
25
145 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

156 cm
26
137 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Solid chin

Sydney Fight Gear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sean Manuwa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Jon Snow!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Marco Blurström and Ben Zyskovitsi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Manuwa scores with a punch to the head.
Manuwa misses with a left hand
enabling Snow to counter with a crisp jab.
Snow should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Manuwa shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Snow defends it nicely.
Snow looks like he wanted to counter with a high kick but didn't throw it.
Manuwa has a takedown stuffed.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manuwa avoids the head kick by Snow.
Snow throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Manuwa misses with a hook.
Snow shapes to counter with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manuwa avoids a punch combination nicely.
Manuwa throws a left and a right that both miss
and Snow counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Snow cracks Manuwa with a good jab.
Snow throws a head kick but Manuwa moves out of range.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Manuwa is defended easily by Snow.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sean Manuwa. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Snow lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Manuwa tests Snow's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Manuwa circles away from the clinch attempt.
Manuwa tries to counter with a takedown but Snow is quick to defend against it.
Snow throws a sloppy head kick and Manuwa moves out of range easily.
Snow fakes the leg kick and cracks Manuwa in the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Snow shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Manuwa avoids the head kick by Snow.
Sloppy strikes from Manuwa. Those never looked like landing.
Snow misses the shot to the body.
Manuwa defending well as Snow loads up on a big left hand.
Snow uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Manuwa.
Manuwa lands with a hook. Snow tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Manuwa darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Snow is looking to improve his position.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Manuwa takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.

Snow is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Manuwa pulls his head out easily.
Manuwa looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

Manuwa is trying for a kimura here. Snow looks like he's in a lot of pain... and he's tapping out! Manuwa wins by kimura!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Sean Manuwa!
Sean Manuwa managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Sydney Fight Gear, into his post fight interview.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
33%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rafael Amaral (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bolt Morris (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Morris's choice of entrance music: MMMBop. Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Amaral
vs
Morris

189 cm
36
194 lbs
30 - 14 - 0

185 cm
36
220 lbs
16 - 15 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 30 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rafael Amaral!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 15 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Bolt Morris!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Roosa Järviläinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Morris changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Morris misses with an attempted mid kick.
Amaral ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

Morris clinches up with Amaral and pushes him back against the ropes.
Amaral blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Morris stalling in the clinch but Amaral improves position.
Amaral tries to throw a body punch but Morris avoids it by throwing Amaral back against the ropes.
Amaral swings wildly with an uppercut but Morris uses good head movement to avoid it.
With the fighters clinched against the ropes, Amaral creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Amaral swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Amaral prevents a body shot from Morris.
Morris lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Amaral misses with a hook to the ribs.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morris misses with some punches.
Amaral scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Amaral is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Amaral misses with some punches.
Amaral lands a left hand that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Morris prevents a body shot from Amaral.
Morris lands a nice elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Amaral lands a nice uppercut.
Morris is working for a takedown up against the ropes. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Amaral tries to work over Morris's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Amaral misses with a hook to the ribs.

Morris breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Morris throws a sloppy head kick and Amaral moves out of range easily.

Morris closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Amaral misses with a body punch.
Morris misses with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Morris's elbow.
Morris lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Amaral backwards.
Amaral struggles to land a body shot inside as Morris controls his hands.
Amaral throws a head punch that misses.
Amaral blocks a body shot from Morris.
Morris misses with a punch to the body.
Amaral misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Amaral as Morris tries to tie him up.
Amaral lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Morris backwards.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Amaral lands a hook that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
Amaral lands a right hand that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nice body punch from Amaral.
Morris blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Amaral doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A short right from Morris.
Amaral softening up his opponent with strikes, against the ropes.
Amaral works on Morris's body with a couple of short punches.
Amaral is working Morris over against the ropes.
A right hand to the body from Amaral.
Amaral tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Amaral throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Morris looks winded!
Amaral lands a nice shot to the body.
A right hand to the body from Amaral.
Amaral trying to land knees to the body.
Amaral lands a shot to the body.
Amaral works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Amaral lands a hook to the side of the head.
Amaral digs a right hand underneath Morris's ribcage. Morris let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Amaral tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Amaral working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Amaral throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Amaral lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Morris or not.
Amaral lands a hook that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
A short left from Amaral.
Amaral scores with a shoulder strike.
Amaral lands a right hand that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
Amaral lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Morris working aggressively here.
Morris misses with a hook from the clinch.
Morris tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Amaral tries to throw a body punch but Morris avoids it by throwing Amaral back against the ropes.
Morris managing to block the knees to the body from Amaral.
Morris misses with a short punch on the inside.
Morris misses with a short punch on the inside.
Morris trying to land knees to the body.
Morris throws a knee to the head but misses.
Amaral misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Still in the clinch, Amaral scores with a nice short uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Morris blocks a body shot from Amaral.
Amaral lands with a right to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morris tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Morris.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Morris.
Morris blocks a body shot from Amaral.
Amaral lands a right hand that snaps the head of Morris backwards.
Morris tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Morris tries to work over Amaral's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Morris misses with some punches.
Amaral lands a left hand.
Morris swings away with an uppercut that misses.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Morris lands a body punch in the clinch.
Morris with a knee to the head.

It looks like Rafael Amaral has been cut.
Amaral misses with a short punch on the inside.
A short right from Amaral on the inside.
Morris tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Morris breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Morris scores with a crisp jab that stopped Amaral in his tracks.
Amaral slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
A jab lands there for Morris.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rafael Amaral dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rafael Amaral's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Amaral has managed to clinch.
Amaral tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Amaral working some nice short punches in the clinch.

Morris is rocked!
Morris throws an elbow but it misses.
Morris is still on wobbly legs! Can Amaral finish him?
Morris takes an elbow to the forehead.
Amaral blocks a body shot from Morris.
Nice body punch from Amaral.
Amaral lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Rafael Amaral has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Amaral unloads with a big right hand that wobbles Morris! He's leaning against the ropes trying to keep his feet but Amaral is unloading with more strikes now! Morris drops to his knees and the referee stops the fight for a TKO!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:25 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Rafael Amaral!
Rafael Amaral looked relieved post fight as he said the following; 'I'm not surprised mother fuckers!'.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
65%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Toni Valtonen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Grisha Kamenov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Valtonen comes to the ring accompanied by AC/DC - Thunderstruck . The crowd seem to be enjoying Kamenov's choice of entrance music: Linkin Park - Numb. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Valtonen
vs
Kamenov

188 cm
19
205 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

186 cm
22
203 lbs
7 - 3 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Self confident

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Solid chin

FinnFighter Nutrition (Five 160Q supps!)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Toni Valtonen !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 3 - 1, fighting out of New York, Grisha Kamenov!
The judges for this bout are Roosa Järviläinen, Anni Minnemäki and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Valtonen misses with a jab to the body
and Kamenov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
A punch combination from Valtonen misses.
Grisha Kamenov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kamenov uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Valtonen .

Kamenov moves into the clinch.
Kamenov tries a knee to the head but Valtonen blocks it.
Kamenov tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Kamenov lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Kamenov lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Kamenov just misses with a elbow thrown towards Valtonen 's brow.
Kamenov misses with an elbow strike.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Valtonen gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Valtonen lands a nice short elbow.
Valtonen thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Kamenov's head.
Kamenov is looking to improve his position.
Kamenov works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Valtonen stands up and waves to Kamenov to follow him.

Valtonen closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Kamenov has Valtonen pressed against the ropes, preventing Valtonen from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Valtonen avoids a wild elbow strike from Kamenov.
Kamenov looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Valtonen blocks an elbow strike.
Valtonen wants to break free but Kamenov has control.
Kamenov keeps control of Valtonen as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Valtonen works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.

Kamenov has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Valtonen can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

Kamenov looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Valtonen throwing strikes from guard but Kamenov blocks nicely.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Kamenov is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Valtonen defends well.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Kamenov looking for a guillotine here but Valtonen defends easily.

Kamenov had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Valtonen defends it easily.
Kamenov preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Kamenov keeping moving, preventing Valtonen from controlling successfully.
Valtonen lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Valtonen thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Valtonen looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

Kamenov looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Kamenov is looking for a triangle but Valtonen pushes his legs off easily.
Valtonen trying to control the position from guard on top but Kamenov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Kamenov is looking for a triangle but Valtonen pushes his legs off easily.
Kamenov is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Valtonen has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Valtonen distracts Kamenov with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Valtonen working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

Valtonen is sitting in close to Kamenov's body. Kamenov has gone for a guillotine from the bottom. Oh damn, that looks pretty tight! Valtonen is panicking - it looks like this one could be all over! Yes, Valtonen is tapping! That was a very nice submission by Kamenov.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Guillotine). Grisha Kamenov!
A very excited looking Grisha Kamenov made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
47%

Co-main event

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Leon Montega (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Anton Kovalev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Anton Kovalev has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Leon Montega's chin.

Montega
vs
Kovalev

186 cm
19
180 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

189 cm
21
182 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Cardio machine

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Leon Montega!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Anton Kovalev!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Anni Minnemäki and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kovalev throws a left and a right that both miss
and Montega counters with a good, hard body kick but Kovalev shrugs it off.
Kovalev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Montega lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Montega throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Kovalev moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Kovalev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Montega scores with a head kick. Kovalev tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.

It looks like Anton Kovalev has been cut.
Montega fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kovalev.
Kovalev falls off balance throwing a combination
and Montega counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Kovalev closes the distance and lands a one-two.
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!
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Montega.
Kovalev misses with a body punch
and Montega makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kovalev misses with a double jab
and Montega counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Montega misses with a leg kick.
Kovalev falls off balance throwing a combination
and Montega counters with a leg kick.
Kovalev fails to land with a series of punches.
Montega wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kovalev looks winded!
Montega scores with a kick to the body.
Kovalev walks forward, straight into a front kick from Montega.
Montega plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Montega throws a quick inside leg kick.
Montega thumps Kovalev with a low kick.
Montega moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Kovalev's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Kovalev misses with a lunging right hand
and Montega makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Kovalev really felt that one!
Montega connects with a leg kick. Kovalev looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Montega moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Montega fakes the leg kick and cracks Kovalev in the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Montega thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Kovalev if he has to take too many more of those.
Montega is looking to slow Kovalev down with leg kicks.
Montega lands a head kick!
Montega dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kovalev. That did some damage!
That kick from Montega tenderised Kovalev's leg. Kovalev is trying to keep his angry face on.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Kovalev fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kovalev misses with a combination
and Montega counters with a low kick, right behind Kovalev 's knee.
Anton Kovalev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kovalev takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Montega fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Kovalev swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Montega counters with a low kick, right behind Kovalev 's knee.
Montega pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Kovalev swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Montega counters with a nice leg kick.
Kovalev takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Kovalev on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Montega. Montega obviously looking to wear him down.
A thudding body kick lands there by Montega!
Montega fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kovalev.
Montega throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Montega is looking to clinch.
Kovalev swinging wildly here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev walks forward, straight into a front kick from Montega.
Nice body kick there by Montega.
Montega connects with a solid leg kick.
Montega buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Montega scores with a head kick. Kovalev tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Montega looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Montega wants to clinch up but Kovalev keeps it at a distance.
Montega connects with a leg kick. Kovalev looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Montega throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Kovalev swinging wildly here.
Montega connects with a high kick.
Nice body kick from Montega.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Montega scores with a head kick.
Montega buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Montega tries to clinch up but Kovalev circles away and keeps his distance.
Jab, jab by Kovalev - just one landing.
Montega fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Montega throws a quick inside leg kick.
Montega lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Kovalev throws a combination that misses
and Montega counters with a leg kick.
Montega moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Montega fails with an attempt to clinch.
Montega moves in looking to clinch but Kovalev pushes him off.
Montega slips a jab and a cross from Kovalev.
Montega dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kovalev. That did some damage!
A nice leg kick lands there from Montega.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kovalev throws a right and a left that Montega avoids nicely.
Kovalev has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Montega.
Kovalev throws a right and a left that Montega avoids nicely.
Kovalev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Montega can pounce on him.
Montega throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Kovalev.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Leon Montega dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Anton Kovalev's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Montega.
Montega with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Montega scores with a head kick.
Montega pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Montega avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kovalev throws out a loose jab but Montega uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kovalev fails to land with a series of punches.
Kovalev throws a lazy uppercut
and Montega makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Montega thows a body kick. Kovalev tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Kovalev avoids the head kick by Montega.
Kovalev takes a kick to the side of the head.
A jab from Kovalev misses.
Montega throws a head kick that misses.
Montega tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kovalev swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Montega chopping away at his opponent's legs.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kovalev misses with a straight left.
Montega seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Montega buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalev misses with a few strikes there.
Kovalev is breathing heavily.
Kovalev throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Montega sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Montega is looking to clinch but Kovalev is avoiding it.
Montega feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Kovalev's calf.
Kovalev connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Montega's hands.
Kovalev takes a swing at Montega's ribcage but misses.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Montega.
Montega throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Kovalev's head.
Montega is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Kovalev can do to turn this around?
Kovalev lands a nice hook to Montega's body. Montega takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
An inside leg kick lands from Montega.
Montega showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kovalev.
Nice body kick there by Montega.
The fight stays on the outside here - Montega looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev misses with the combination.
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!
Montega fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Kovalev has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Montega fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
A slapping leg kick lands for Montega.
Montega throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Leon Montega is winning the standup battle so far.
Montega throws a head kick that half lands.
Montega pushes Kovalev away with a front kick.
Kovalev throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Montega.
Montega pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Kovalev misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Montega.
Montega tries to counter by clinching up but Kovalev breaks away and moves out of range.
A slapping leg kick lands for Montega.
An inside leg kick lands from Montega.
Good leg kick by Montega there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Montega connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Montega buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Kovalev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Anton Kovalev is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Montega throws a head kick that misses.
Montega lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Kovalev throws a series of punches but Montega moves out of range.
Kovalev takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Montega throws a nice head kick!
Montega scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Montega looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
A solid leg kick lands there for Montega.
Kovalev takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Kovalev misses with a hook. Montega ducked under it nicely.
Kovalev connects with a nice looking jab.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A nice inside leg kick there by Montega. That's going to slow Kovalev down.
Kovalev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Montega can pounce on him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev misses the shot to the body.
Montega dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kovalev. That did some damage!
Kovalev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Montega can pounce on him.
Kovalev takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Montega is looking to clinch.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Kovalev crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Montega - the referee stops the clock and Kovalev gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Montega. Kovalev manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
An inside leg kick lands from Montega.
Kovalev on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Montega lands a head kick. Kovalev smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Kovalev tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Montega feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Kovalev's calf.
Kovalev misses with a double jab
and Montega counters with a nice low kick that buckles Kovalev's knee momentarily.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kovalev has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Montega.
Kovalev takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Montega uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kovalev.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Leon Montega dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Anton Kovalev's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Kovalev has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Montega.
Kovalev has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Montega.
Montega tries a head kick but it misses.
Kovalev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Montega can pounce on him.
Montega tries to clinch there but Kovalev circles away.
Kovalev now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Kovalev rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Montega moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kovalev cracks Montega with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Montega tries to close the distance and clinch but Kovalev swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Montega tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Kovalev misses with a few strikes there.
Montega seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Montega connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A jab from Kovalev misses.
Kovalev looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kovalev throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kovalev takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Kovalev avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Montega scores with a kick to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Montega lands with a nice body kick.
Montega explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Montega avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kovalev on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Kovalev avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Montega scores with a head kick. Kovalev tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Montega turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Montega throws a nice inside leg kick.
Montega misses with a head kick.
Kovalev tries to bum rush Montega with a series of wild strikes but Montega uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
And Montega counters with a quick kick to the body but Kovalev blocks it.
Montega lands with a kick to the temple. Kovalev shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Montega fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kovalev.
Montega thumps Kovalev with a low kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Montega scoring well with a low kick there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Kovalev avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
A solid leg kick lands there for Montega.
Montega thows a body kick. Kovalev tries to catch it but that hurt him.
A nice inside leg kick there by Montega. That's going to slow Kovalev down.
Montega lands a nice leg kick that just misses Kovalev's sensitive parts.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Montega - that will leave a mark!
Montega slips a jab and a cross from Kovalev.
Montega thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Kovalev if he has to take too many more of those.
Montega throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Montega tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in to close the distance. Kovalev manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kovalev rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Montega moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Montega.
Crunch! Montega slams his shin into Kovalev's torso.
Montega dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kovalev. That did some damage!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by Montega.
A solid leg kick lands there for Montega.
Kovalev throws a right and a left that Montega avoids nicely.
Montega lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Montega is looking to clinch but Kovalev is avoiding it.
Kovalev on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Montega. Montega obviously looking to wear him down.
Kovalev throws a body shot but no joy.
Kovalev steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Montega. That one must have hurt.
Kovalev takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Montega.
Montega scores with a head kick. Kovalev tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Crunch! Montega slams his shin into Kovalev's torso.
Montega scores with a leg kick.
Montega throws a nice head kick!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Montega is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev looks to land a left hand but Montega moved out of range nicely.
A combination from Kovalev does no damage.
Montega fakes the leg kick and cracks Kovalev in the body.
Kovalev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Montega can pounce on him.
Kovalev steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Montega. That one must have hurt.
Montega lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Montega lands with a kick to the ribs.
Montega lands with a kick to the temple. Kovalev shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
An inside leg kick lands from Montega.
Kovalev throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Kovalev sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kovalev on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Montega throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Anton Kovalev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Montega throws a nice head kick!

And that's the end of the fight!
Leon Montega showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Montega has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 30:27
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 30:27
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Leon Montega!
An out of breath Leon Montega thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
89%

Main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Iikka Runnisto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Luis Kasongo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Runnisto comes to the ring accompanied by Alta Pois - Sie sua näkköös!. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Runnisto
vs
Kasongo

182 cm
21
192 lbs
9 - 3 - 0

188 cm
27
179 lbs
9 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Iikka Runnisto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Luis Kasongo!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Anni Minnemäki and Ben Zyskovitsi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kasongo tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Runnisto swivels and escapes.
Runnisto fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Kasongo displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Runnisto throws out the jab.
A nice side step and Kasongo releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Kasongo misses with a jab to the body
and Runnisto counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Iikka Runnisto seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Runnisto, as that shot connected.
Kasongo takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Runnisto takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Runnisto throws a combination that misses

and Kasongo counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Runnisto!

Runnisto throws his opponent off and manages to get back to his feet! Nicely done!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Runnisto cracks Kasongo with a brutal left hook that knocks him out cold! This one is over in a flash! Game over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:43 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Iikka Runnisto!
A relieved looking Iikka Runnisto thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.