PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Isaias Bouman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jonathan Lilja (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Bouman
vs
Lilja

170 cm
22
195 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

186 cm
22
195 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Isaias Bouman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Jonathan Lilja!
The judges for this bout are Aleksandr Martynov, Illya Tyunina and Fedor Mirinova.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lilja throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Bouman throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Lilja's waist but Lilja gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Bouman off to one side.
Bouman misses with a body kick.
Bouman shoots in but no luck this time.
Bouman misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Isaias Bouman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Lilja dodges the punch combination from Bouman.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bouman is looking to score with low kicks.
Lilja scores with a shot to the body.
Bouman really is a fat lump.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Horrible takedown by Bouman or perhaps it was just good defense by Lilja which made him look bad.
Bouman throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
A solid leg kick lands there for Bouman.
Lilja scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Bouman doesn't seem bothered though.
Lilja misses with a two punch combination.
Lilja throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Lilja avoids a kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Some bone on bone action there as Lilja checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Jonathan Lilja is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bouman closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lilja circles away.
Lilja throws a right hand that Bouman ducks under and follows up with a left that Bouman also avoids with ease.
Bouman misses with a low kick.
Bouman shoots in but Lilja avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Bouman has a takedown stuffed.
Lilja throws a wild body kick that Bouman sees coming a mile off.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bouman just misses with a punch to the body.
Lilja misses with a two punch combination.
No joy there for Lilja, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Lilja misses with a series of wild punches.
Bouman fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Lilja manages to avoid it.
Lilja lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Bouman at a distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Bouman thows a leg kick but Lilja checks it
and Lilja counters with a two punch combo.
Lilja changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Bouman slips a jab and a cross from Lilja.
Lilja fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Lilja fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Bouman is out of range.
Bouman swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Horrible takedown by Bouman or perhaps it was just good defense by Lilja which made him look bad.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Bouman fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jonathan Lilja dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Bouman fails with the takedown.
No luck for Bouman with that takedown attempt.
Lilja throws a leg kick that is checked
and Bouman counters with a left to the body.
Bouman fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Isaias Bouman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lilja looks to land a combination but Bouman avoids it well.
Bouman with a lazy takedown attempt
and Lilja counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bouman will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
A low kick from Bouman is predictable there
and Lilja counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Bouman throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Lilja's waist but Lilja gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Bouman off to one side.
Lilja lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Lilja is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Bouman rather than just go for the knockout.
Lilja throws a series of punches but Bouman moves out of range.
Lilja throws a right hand that Bouman ducks under and follows up with a left that Bouman also avoids with ease.
No luck for Bouman with that takedown attempt.
Lilja throws a series of punches but Bouman avoids them all with ease.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Bouman doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Lilja looks to land a combination but Bouman avoids it well.
Lilja attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Bouman attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Bouman fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Lilja goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lilja digs a good body shot into Bouman's ribs.
Lilja lands with a cross.
Lilja throws a body kick the misses
and Bouman counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
A low kick from Bouman misses
and Lilja counters with a left and a right that stings Bouman.
Some wild striking there from Lilja.
Bouman misses with a low kick.
Lilja lands a two punch combo.

That's four 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.
Lilja throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bouman takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Bouman fails with the takedown.
Bouman throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bouman dodges the punch combination from Lilja.
Lilja throws a nice looking combination but Bouman bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Lilja tries to work over Bouman's front leg with a kick but Bouman checks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jonathan Lilja showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Bouman closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lilja circles away.
Bouman tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Lilja misses with a series of wild punches.
Bouman misses with a kick to the body
and Lilja counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

Bouman shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Bouman showed some decent athleticism there.
Bouman throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

Bouman is working for a kimura but Lilja is defending it quite comfortably.
Bouman wants to pass the guard but Lilja is defending well.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Bouman looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Lilja is defending against the submission attempts here by Bouman.

Bouman seems to be looking for submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

Bouman is looking for a kimura here.

Bouman is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Lilja is trying to stand.
Bouman works his way into full mount!
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Poor strikes thrown by Bouman there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lilja is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Lilja prevents Bouman from taking his back.

Bouman has hold of Lilja's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Lilja manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Bouman working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.

Bouman looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
Isaias Bouman has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Bouman jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Lilja is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Lilja and Bouman has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
Lilja is pushing Bouman's head away, looking to escape. Bouman manages to hold on to the position though.
Bouman 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.

Bouman is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Lilja is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
You can see the frustration on Lilja's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bouman 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.

Bouman tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Bouman has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

And that's the end of the fight!
Isaias Bouman showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Lilja has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight 28:29
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jonathan Lilja!