PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Benny Tronk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hempii Sapponen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Tronk might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to "Go Getta" - Young Jeezy. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Tronk
vs
Sapponen

188 cm
23
205 lbs
8 - 8 - 0

180 cm
24
213 lbs
11 - 9 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Very strong

Good takedowns
Decent boxing
Knockout power

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 8 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Benny Tronk!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Hempii Sapponen!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Hogan, John Mangel and Eliza Hachem.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tronk misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Tronk is looking to clinch.
Tronk tries a head kick but it misses.
Sapponen connects with a crisp jab.

It looks like Benny Tronk has been cut.
Tronk throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Sapponen.
Tronk scores with a spinning back kick!
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!
Sapponen stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Tronk.
Tronk throws a head kick that misses.
Sapponen looks to score with a jab to the body but Tronk is just out of range.
Tronk tries a head kick but it misses.
Sapponen takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Tronk scores with a kick to the body.
Tronk looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Tronk throws a head kick that half lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sapponen avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sapponen swats away the attempt to clinch by Tronk.
Sapponen blocks a head kick by Tronk.
Tronk throws a head kick that misses.
Tronk throws a quick inside leg kick.
Sapponen takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Tronk feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Sapponen's calf.
Tronk fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Sapponen has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Sapponen looks gassed!
A solid body kick from Tronk.
Tronk scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tronk lands a nice looking body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tronk looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Tronk moves in looking to clinch but Sapponen pushes him off.
Tronk explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Sapponen crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Tronk - the referee stops the clock and Sapponen gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Tronk. Sapponen manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Tronk fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Sapponen.
A solid leg kick lands there for Tronk.
Sapponen has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Tronk.
Tronk lands a front kick.
Both fighters circling a little - Tronk finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Sapponen takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Tronk throws a nice outside leg kick.
Tronk thumps Sapponen with a low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tronk scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Tronk scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Tronk is looking to clinch.
Tronk lands with a nice body kick.
Tronk tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Sapponen manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Tronk.
Tronk scores with a leg kick.
Tronk chopping away at his opponent's legs.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tronk plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Sapponen throws a hook but Tronk blocks it.
Sapponen's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Good leg kick by Tronk there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Tronk delivers a nice body kick.
Tronk tries to clinch but Sapponen moves out of range.
Tronk fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Sapponen.
Tronk wants to clinch.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Tronk.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Donk. Tronk catches Sapponen right on the button with a cross.
Tronk throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Tronk dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sapponen. That did some damage!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Tronk tries to clinch up.
Tronk tries to clinch there but Sapponen circles away.
Sapponen avoids the head kick by Tronk.
Tronk connects with a solid leg kick.
Tronk lands a high kick!
Tronk lands a nice looking kick to the body. Sapponen takes a step back to recover.
Tronk doesn't manage to clinch there - Sapponen circles away.
Tronk scores with a push kick.
A slapping body kick lands there for Tronk.
Sapponen is breathing heavily.

Tronk closes the distance and pushes Sapponen back into the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tronk looking to throw knees to the head but Sapponen is blocking nicely.
Tronk trying to land knees to the body.
Tronk unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sapponen lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Sapponen in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Tronk landing knees to the body.
Tronk tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Sapponen avoids it.
Tronk putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Sapponen in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Tronk lands a nice knee to the body.
Sapponen avoiding damage as Tronk throws knees to the body.
Tronk misses with a knee strike.
Sapponen wants to stall.
Sapponen blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sapponen takes a knee to the side of the body.
Tronk working Sapponen over with knees to the body.
Sapponen takes a knee to the side of the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sapponen wants to break the clinch but can't.
Knees to the body from Tronk.
Tronk landing knees to the head.
Tronk lands a nice knee to the body.
Tronk landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A knee to the head by Tronk.
A knee to the head by Tronk.
Sapponen has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Sapponen avoiding damage as Tronk throws knees to the body.
Sapponen wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Tronk throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sapponen blocks it with crossed arms.
Sapponen is trying to force a seperation but Tronk has the dominant position.
Sapponen tries to break free but Tronk pushes him back against the cage.
Tronk trying to land knees to the body.
Sapponen can't break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Sapponen pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Sapponen 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.
Tronk lands a head kick. Sapponen smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Hempii Sapponen is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sapponen misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Sapponen throws a series of punches but Tronk avoids them all with ease.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tronk looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Tronk throws a nice outside leg kick.
Tronk is looking to clinch.
Tronk throws a sloppy head kick and Sapponen moves out of range easily.

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.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Tronk. Sapponen shrugs it off though.
Tronk tries to close the distance and clinch up but Sapponen swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tronk thows a body kick. Sapponen tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Sapponen blocks a head kick by Tronk.
Sapponen takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Tronk lands with a nice body kick.
Tronk throws a front kick that sends Sapponen stumbling back into the cage.
Tronk throws a head kick that misses.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Tronk delivers a nice body kick.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Tronk.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

The fight stays on the outside here - Tronk looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A big right from Tronk misses.
Benny Tronk is winning the standup battle so far.
Tronk tries to clinch but Sapponen moves out of range.
Tronk scores with a jab to the head.
Tronk lands a leg kick that knocks Sapponen off balance momentarily.
Benny Tronk seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sapponen misses with a hook.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Sapponen crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Tronk - the referee stops the clock and Sapponen gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Tronk. Sapponen manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Tronk scores with a head kick.
Sapponen just misses with a punch to the body.
Sapponen circles away from the clinch attempt.
Sapponen takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sapponen tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Sapponen on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Tronk lands a nice looking body kick.
Tronk with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Tronk throws a head kick that half lands.
Tronk misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Tronk moves in looking to clinch but Sapponen pushes him off.
Tronk tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Tronk tries to close the distance and clinch but Sapponen swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Tronk, right into the meat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tronk tries to clinch but Sapponen is having none of it.
Tronk lands a nice leg kick that just misses Sapponen's sensitive parts.
Tronk scores with a push kick.
Tronk dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sapponen. That did some damage!

Tronk takes the fight into the clinch.
Tronk unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sapponen lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tronk using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Tronk tries a knee to the head but Sapponen blocks it.
Tronk landing knees to the head.
Tronk is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Sapponen can do to turn this around?
Knees in the clinch landing for Tronk.
Tronk landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Tronk putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Sapponen in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tronk scores with a knee to the head.
Tronk with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Tronk lands a knee to the head.
Tronk is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Tronk unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Tronk unloads a knee to the mid-section.

Sapponen has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Tronk uses from the top position.
Tronk slips nicely into half guard.
Tronk is pressing down on Sapponen's thigh, looking to free his foot. Sapponen is holding on for now.
The fighters are battling for position here. Sapponen manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Sapponen trying to strike off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tronk won't allow Sapponen to get back to his feet.

Sapponen working for submissions but it's allowed Tronk to get to half guard.
Tronk seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Sapponen does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Tronk is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Sapponen has managed to free his arm - good work.
Hempii Sapponen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The fighters are battling for position here. Sapponen manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Tronk has gone for a leg lock! Sapponen slips out almost immediately though and dives into Tronk's guard.
Sapponen throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

And that's the end of the fight!
Benny Tronk showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Tronk, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Bruno Hogan scores the fight 30:25
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 30:25
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 30:25

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Benny Tronk!