PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Franco Baptista (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yere Wirtanen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Wirtanen has chosen Disturbed - Criminal as his entrance music. There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.

Baptista
vs
Wirtanen

186 cm
18
170 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
18
180 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Franco Baptista!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Yere Wirtanen!
The judges for this bout are Roosa Järviläinen, Tarja Halkonen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Wirtanen scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Baptista flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Baptista gets back to full guard.
Wirtanen wanted to stand there but Baptista had control of the position.

Baptista working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Wirtanen doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Wirtanen manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Baptista wants to sweep here but Wirtanen controlling him for the moment.
Baptista bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Wirtanen's guard.
Baptista slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Wirtanen really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Baptista. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Baptista throws an elbow but Wirtanen slips to the side and avoids it well.
Wirtanen is looking for a sweep.
Baptista misses with the ground and pound.
Wirtanen is trying to control Baptista's posture but Baptista avoids it.
Baptista working the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Wirtanen is trying to escape the position but Baptista is controlling the position.
Wirtanen takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Wirtanen can't do much from the bottom here.
Wirtanen tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Wirtanen is not content to let Baptista control the position.
Baptista postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Wirtanen is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Wirtanen defending against the ground and pound.
Baptista fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Wirtanen is working to avoid the ground and pound but Baptista connects with a decent elbow.
Wirtanen tries to bench press Baptista off him but Baptista keeps the position.
Baptista trying to control the position but Wirtanen is working away.
Wirtanen is trying to control Baptista's posture but Baptista avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baptista wants to lay and pray for a moment but Wirtanen keeps working.
Wirtanen is pushing Baptista's head away, looking to escape. Baptista manages to hold on to the position though.
Wirtanen looks gassed!
An elbow from Baptista crashes against the mat.
Baptista is working Wirtanen over with some ground and pound from side control.
Baptista looks up at the clock and then as Wirtanen takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Baptista smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Baptista in side control lands a decent elbow.
Baptista wants to lay and pray for a moment but Wirtanen keeps working.
Baptista sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Wirtanen is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Baptista controls the position from side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baptista lands a few punches from side control.
Baptista in side control lands a decent elbow.
Baptista postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Wirtanen stops Baptista from passing to mount.
Wirtanen tries to buck Baptista off but Baptista is having none of it.
Baptista has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Baptista just content to control the position.
Baptista cracks Wirtanen with a big right hand but Wirtanen just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Wirtanen takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.

Baptista tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wirtanen tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The strikes coming from Baptista are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Baptista scores with a couple of short elbows.
Wirtanen managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Baptista.
Baptista lands a nice forearm strike.
Baptista sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Wirtanen is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Wirtanen is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Baptista has just dragged him back down to the mat.

Baptista is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Wirtanen knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Baptista is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Wirtanen has escaped the position, nice work there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Franco Baptista dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Wirtanen doesn't manage to clinch there - Baptista circles away.

Baptista looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Baptista uses his free foot to push down on Wirtanen's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Wirtanen.
Baptista trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Baptista looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Baptista sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

Baptista goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now Wirtanen is on top in guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baptista wants to sweep here but Wirtanen controlling him for the moment.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Baptista is on top in guard.
Franco Baptista overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Wirtanen preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Baptista trying to control the position from guard on top but Wirtanen is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Wirtanen will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Wirtanen is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Baptista postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Baptista stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Wirtanen swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Baptista trying to control the position from guard on top but Wirtanen is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Wirtanen is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Baptista tries a head kick but it misses.
Wirtanen plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Wirtanen doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Baptista counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Baptista missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

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

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:05 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Franco Baptista!
Franco Baptista is the new welterweight champion!