PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Tatu Lehto (ranked 3611 p4p, 3914 weight class) and Vasily Khrapov Jr (ranked 446 p4p, 472 weight class). Tatu Lehto could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Vasily Khrapov Jr's chin.

Lehto
vs
Khrapov Jr

180 cm
24
180
7 - 6 - 0

178 cm
23
175
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

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 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tatu Lehto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Vasily Khrapov Jr!
The judges for this bout are Chris Edwards, Richard Clark and William Gold.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lehto looks to land a body kick but Khrapov Jr moved away.
Khrapov Jr waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Lehto.
Lehto looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Khrapov Jr throws a right hand that misses
and Lehto counters with a nice leg kick.
Khrapov Jr misses with a hook. Lehto ducked under it nicely.
Lehto throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Lehto looks to throw a body kick
and Khrapov Jr counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Khrapov Jr throws a big shot that misses.
Lehto throws a solid leg kick but Khrapov Jr takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Lehto.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Lehto.
Khrapov Jr throws a jab when Lehto was well out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lehto throws a leg kick
letting Khrapov Jr counter with a right hand.
Lehto takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Lehto drops his hands momentarily and Khrapov Jr takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Khrapov Jr throws a lazy right hand but Lehto sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Khrapov Jr has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lehto tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Khrapov Jr now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Lehto lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Lehto fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Khrapov Jr checks it well.
That kick from Lehto tenderised Khrapov Jr's leg. Khrapov Jr is trying to keep his angry face on.
Lehto keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Lehto misses with a low kick.
Lehto pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Khrapov Jr swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Khrapov Jr throws a good cross that connects.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khrapov Jr. Lehto does a little dance to reset his feet.
Khrapov Jr throws a nice looking combination but Lehto bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Khrapov Jr works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Khrapov Jr connects with a looping right hand.
A bone on bone clash there as Khrapov Jr blocks the leg kick.
Khrapov Jr might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Khrapov Jr thuds a left hand into Lehto's body.
A shot to the liver by Khrapov Jr. Beautiful body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Jab by Khrapov Jr.
Khrapov Jr scores with a nice right hand.
Khrapov Jr stuns Lehto with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
A shot to the liver by Khrapov Jr. Beautiful body shot.
Khrapov Jr jabs Lehto to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Khrapov Jr misses with a few strikes there.
Lehto seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Khrapov Jr swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Khrapov Jr just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov Jr lands with a good body shot.
Khrapov Jr misses with an uppercut.
Khrapov Jr scores with a jab to the body.
Lehto moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Khrapov Jr throws an overhand right that lands on Lehto's shoulder, as Lehto tries to avoid the shot.
Lehto uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Khrapov Jr.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lehto dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Khrapov Jr. That did some damage!
Khrapov Jr swings for the body but Lehto moves out of range.
Tatu Lehto is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lehto keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Khrapov Jr throws a body shot but no joy.
Lehto walks into a stiff left hand from Khrapov Jr.
Khrapov Jr misses with a hook. Lehto ducked under it nicely.
Lehto tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Lehto takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Khrapov Jr throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Khrapov Jr paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Lehto shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Khrapov Jr throws a predictable looking body shot
and Lehto counters with a solid body kick.
Khrapov Jr misses with a wild combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lazy left from Khrapov Jr finds it's target.
Khrapov Jr swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
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!
Lehto throws a leg kick
and Khrapov Jr counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Khrapov Jr misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lehto.
Khrapov Jr misses with a wild body shot.
Vasily Khrapov Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Khrapov Jr cracks Lehto with a right hand to the side of the head.
Khrapov Jr moves out of range of the body kick from Lehto.
Khrapov Jr dips to his left and cracks Lehto with an uppercut!
Lehto throws a solid leg kick but Khrapov Jr takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Lehto.
Khrapov Jr looks to score with a jab to the body but Lehto is just out of range.
Lehto tries to counter by clinching up but Khrapov Jr breaks away and moves out of range.
Khrapov Jr cracks Lehto with a right hand to the side of the head.
Khrapov Jr swings for the body but Lehto moves out of range.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Vasily Khrapov Jr dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Khrapov Jr throws out a loose jab but Lehto uses good head movement to avoid it.
Khrapov Jr fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Lehto manages to avoid it.
Khrapov Jr lands a nice looking body shot.
Khrapov Jr misses with a wild body shot.
Khrapov Jr misses with an uppercut

and Lehto holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Khrapov Jr lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Lehto backwards.
Lehto tries a knee to the head but Khrapov Jr blocks it.
Khrapov Jr lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Lehto throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Khrapov Jr blocks it with crossed arms.
Lehto connects with a knee to the head.

It looks like Vasily Khrapov Jr has been cut.
Khrapov Jr has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Lehto tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
A short uppercut from Khrapov Jr.
Lehto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Lehto tries a knee to the head but Khrapov Jr blocks it.
Lehto blocks a body shot from Khrapov Jr.
Lehto tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
A short left from Khrapov Jr.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khrapov Jr avoiding damage as Lehto throws knees to the body.
Khrapov Jr works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Lehto with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Lehto misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Khrapov Jr.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Khrapov Jr takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Khrapov Jr throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Lehto tries to land a knee to the head but Khrapov Jr blocks with his arms.
Khrapov Jr lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Lehto backwards.
Lehto throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Khrapov Jr blocks it with crossed arms.

Khrapov Jr wants the takedown. Lehto is fighting it off but Khrapov Jr persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Lehto's guard against the cage.
Lehto preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Khrapov Jr throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Khrapov Jr throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Lehto works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Khrapov Jr has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lehto keeping moving, preventing Khrapov Jr from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov Jr stands up over Lehto, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Khrapov Jr is looking to work some ground and pound but Lehto has wrist control.
Khrapov Jr trying to control but Lehto is working from the bottom.
Khrapov Jr with a nice head shot there.
Lehto knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Khrapov Jr on the ground.
Khrapov Jr working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Khrapov Jr throws a big elbow that misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Khrapov Jr throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Lehto is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov Jr throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Khrapov Jr works over Lehto with some ground and pound from guard.
Khrapov Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Lehto is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Khrapov Jr working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Khrapov Jr advances position into side control!
Khrapov Jr sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Lehto is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Lehto managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Khrapov Jr.
Khrapov Jr cracks Lehto with an elbow. That is naaassty.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov Jr in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
A lull in the action here.
Khrapov Jr is looking to take a break and control but Lehto is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Khrapov Jr 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.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Vasily Khrapov Jr showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Vasily Khrapov Jr's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, 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.

Lehto has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Khrapov Jr fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Lehto is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Khrapov Jr cracks Lehto with a good jab.
Khrapov Jr takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Lehto fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Khrapov Jr checks it well.
Lehto moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Khrapov Jr misses with a hook. Lehto ducked under it nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Khrapov Jr misses with a lunging right hand
and Lehto counters with a good low kick that Khrapov Jr was not able to check.
Lehto with a nice calf kick.
Khrapov Jr looks to land a left hand but Lehto moved out of range nicely.
Khrapov Jr wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lehto walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Khrapov Jr checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Lehto attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Lehto throws a head kick that half lands.
Khrapov Jr lands with a hook. Lehto tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Khrapov Jr throws a shot from downtown. Lehto moves away and avoids it.
Khrapov Jr scores with the left hand. Lehto knows he should have avoided that one.
Khrapov Jr connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Khrapov Jr throws a poor cross that misses
and Lehto counters with a good low kick that Khrapov Jr was not able to check.
Khrapov Jr lands a right hook to the body.
Khrapov Jr takes a swing at Lehto's ribcage but misses.
Lehto moves away from the strike by Khrapov Jr.
Khrapov Jr scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Lehto throws a leg kick but Khrapov Jr checks it.
Tatu Lehto has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Vasily Khrapov Jr seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lehto throws a leg kick but Khrapov Jr sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Lehto thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Khrapov Jr if he has to take too many more of those.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Khrapov Jr lunges at Lehto with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Lehto's hand.
Khrapov Jr throws a shot to the body.
Lehto throws a low kick but Khrapov Jr avoids it.
A chopping leg kick lands by Lehto.
Khrapov Jr bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Lehto doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Khrapov Jr jabs Lehto to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Khrapov Jr shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Lehto defends it nicely.
Khrapov Jr cracks Lehto with a good jab.
Vasily Khrapov Jr is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov Jr dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Lehto throws a body kick that misses.
Khrapov Jr scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lehto doesn't seem bothered though.
Lehto takes one to the side of the head.
Khrapov Jr lunges at Lehto with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Lehto's hand.
A low kick lands for Lehto.
Lehto dodges the punch combination from Khrapov Jr.
Khrapov Jr throws a hook but Lehto avoids it easily.
Good exchange - Khrapov Jr coming out on top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lehto moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Khrapov Jr scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Lehto uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Khrapov Jr.
Lehto misses with a low kick as Khrapov Jr jumps back.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Khrapov Jr connects with a good right hand that stumbles Lehto. Lehto circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Lehto misses with a body kick.
Lehto has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Khrapov Jr finds it's way round the side to connect with Lehto's head.
A slow jab from Khrapov Jr misses its intended target.
Lehto seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Khrapov Jr dives in for a single leg takedown but Lehto sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Khrapov Jr misses with a series of wild punches.
Lehto seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Khrapov Jr throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

And that's the end of the fight!
Vasily Khrapov Jr comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Khrapov Jr winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Chris Edwards scores the fight 27:30
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Gold scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vasily Khrapov Jr!
Tatu Lehto spoke after the fight, saying 'Vandamnit! '.