PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Seppo Taalasmaa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dmitry Nagiev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nagiev has chosen Dmitry Nagiev - All I Promised as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Taalasmaa
vs
Nagiev

170 cm
24
167 lbs
17 - 6 - 0

177 cm
23
165 lbs
11 - 1 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Seppo Taalasmaa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Dmitry Nagiev!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Anni Minnemäki and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nagiev lands a leg kick that knocks Taalasmaa off balance momentarily.
Taalasmaa smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Nagiev pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Nagiev ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nagiev pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Taalasmaa throws out a loose jab but Nagiev uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nagiev takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
A big left from Taalasmaa misses.
Nagiev throws a leg kick but Taalasmaa moved away.
Taalasmaa throws a body kick the misses
and Nagiev counters with a solid body kick.
Taalasmaa chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Nagiev can pounce on him.
Taalasmaa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Taalasmaa scores with a shot to the body.
Nagiev bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Taalasmaa takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Taalasmaa is looking to land body kicks.
Taalasmaa wants to land a leg kick but Nagiev is out of range.
A head kick from Nagiev lands but Taalasmaa takes it in his stride.
Taalasmaa moves in looking to clinch but Nagiev pushes him off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nagiev fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Taalasmaa misses the target.
Nagiev keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Nagiev chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Taalasmaa with a hook.
Nagiev misses with a leg kick

and Taalasmaa counters by moving into the clinch.
Taalasmaa misses with a punch to the body.

Nagiev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Nagiev throws a low kick, looking for Taalasmaa's leg but Taalasmaa calmly moves out of range.
Nagiev misses with a body kick.
Dmitry Nagiev is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Nagiev takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Nagiev tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Taalasmaa is able to avoid easily.
Nagiev chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Nagiev throws a sloppy head kick and Taalasmaa moves out of range easily.
Nagiev throws a half hearted mid kick.
Nagiev misses with an uppercut. Taalasmaa saw that one coming.
Nagiev defending well as Taalasmaa loads up on a big left hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa throws a leg kick but Nagiev moved away.
Nagiev staying out of range there.
Nagiev connects with an inside leg kick.
Taalasmaa has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Nagiev.

Taalasmaa drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Taalasmaa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nagiev wants to sweep but no luck.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nagiev looking to control.
Taalasmaa pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Nagiev is keeping the position for now.
Taalasmaa with a flurry of punches that miss.
Taalasmaa works over Nagiev with some ground and pound from guard.
Nagiev has Taalasmaa pulled in close to control his posture.
Nagiev is trying to control the position but Taalasmaa postures up.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Taalasmaa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nagiev is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Dmitry Nagiev was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Nagiev misses with a body kick.
Nagiev tries a low kick but Taalasmaa avoids it.
Taalasmaa tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nagiev swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Taalasmaa throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Nagiev counters with a low kick, right behind Taalasmaa 's knee.
Taalasmaa throws an overhand right that lands on Nagiev's shoulder, as Nagiev tries to avoid the shot.
Taalasmaa throws a shot from downtown. Nagiev moves away and avoids it.
Nagiev scores with a body shot.
Nagiev lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
A solid leg kick lands there for Nagiev.
Taalasmaa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Nagiev manages to avoid it.
Taalasmaa displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nagiev throws out the jab.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Nagiev - that will leave a mark!
Taalasmaa shoots in for a double leg but Nagiev sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Nagiev feints and then cracks Taalasmaa's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Taalasmaa down.
A solid leg kick lands there for Nagiev.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nagiev throws a leg kick but Taalasmaa moved away.
Taalasmaa shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Seppo Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Taalasmaa steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Nagiev. That one must have hurt.
Taalasmaa thows a body kick. Nagiev tries to catch it but that hurt him.

Taalasmaa is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Nagiev's half guard.
Nagiev is refusing to be controlled, as Taalasmaa sits in half guard.
Nagiev wants to get back to his feet.
Taalasmaa thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Nagiev's head.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Taalasmaa throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Taalasmaa 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.
Nagiev is trying to stand back up but Taalasmaa is controlling him
Nagiev moves into full guard.
Taalasmaa tries to free his leg and advance position but Nagiev is retaining full guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Taalasmaa content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Taalasmaa in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Taalasmaa is looking to work some ground and pound but Nagiev has wrist control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Dmitry Nagiev will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Nagiev scoring well with a low kick there.
Taalasmaa is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Taalasmaa fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Nagiev misses with a low kick.
Taalasmaa shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Nagiev pinned against the cage. Nagiev gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nagiev keeping hold of Taalasmaa's head, controlling as best he can.
Nagiev is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Nagiev is holding on to half guard well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nagiev is trying to stand.

Nagiev makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Nagiev chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Taalasmaa looks to score with a jab to the body but Nagiev is just out of range.
Taalasmaa misses with a body shot.
No joy there for Taalasmaa, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Nagiev throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
No luck for Taalasmaa with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Seppo Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nagiev misses with a shot to the body

and Taalasmaa counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Nagiev wants to get back to full guard.
Nagiev keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Taalasmaa is trying to control the action in half guard but Nagiev is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Taalasmaa working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa slips a nice elbow through Nagiev's hands, connecting with Nagiev's forehead.
Taalasmaa wants to control but Nagiev is keeping him busy.
Taalasmaa not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Nagiev is looking to control Taalasmaa's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Nagiev avoid being mounted?
Taalasmaa wants to pass the guard but Nagiev is defending well.
Taalasmaa slips a nice elbow through Nagiev's hands, connecting with Nagiev's forehead.
Taalasmaa is looking to stall here but Nagiev recovers full guard.
Taalasmaa missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Nagiev wants to get back to his feet but Taalasmaa is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Taalasmaa trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Taalasmaa postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Taalasmaa working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Taalasmaa drops back looking for a leg! Nagiev is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Nagiev manages to kick Taalasmaa off! Taalasmaa jumps back into Nagiev's guard.
Taalasmaa trying to control but Nagiev is working from the bottom.
Taalasmaa throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Taalasmaa stopping the sweep attempt from Nagiev.
Nagiev is pulling down on Taalasmaa's head. It's preventing any offense from Taalasmaa, at least for the moment.
Taalasmaa thows a big elbow that misses.
Nagiev seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

Dmitry Nagiev has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Nagiev lands with a nice body kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Taalasmaa throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nagiev sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Taalasmaa tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Nagiev was well out of range. Poor timing from Taalasmaa.
Nagiev throws a leg kick but Taalasmaa moved away.
Nagiev blocks the body kick.
Taalasmaa shoots in but no luck this time.
Taalasmaa throws a big shot that misses.
A low kick from Taalasmaa is predictable there
and Nagiev counters with a good low kick that Taalasmaa was not able to check.
Nagiev on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Taalasmaa jabs Nagiev right on the nose. Nagiev blinks but takes it well.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Nagiev turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Nagiev checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Nagiev wants to slow Taalasmaa down by chopping away at his legs.
Taalasmaa jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Taalasmaa takes a swing at Nagiev's ribcage but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Seppo Taalasmaa dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Taalasmaa looks to score with a jab to the body but Nagiev is just out of range.
Taalasmaa takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Nagiev throws a leg kick that is checked
letting Taalasmaa counter with a right hand.
Nagiev lands a leg kick that knocks Taalasmaa off balance momentarily.
Taalasmaa tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Nagiev misses with a leg kick.
Nagiev walks into a left hand.
Nagiev uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Taalasmaa.
Nagiev wants to slow Taalasmaa down by chopping away at his legs.
Taalasmaa dives in and grabs Nagiev's left leg, looking for a takedown. Nagiev pushes down on Taalasmaa's head and hops out.
Nagiev takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Taalasmaa fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Dmitry Nagiev seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nagiev throws a leg kick
and Taalasmaa counters with a stiff right hand.
Nagiev connects with a solid leg kick.
Nice sprawl there from Nagiev as Taalasmaa shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Seppo Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A nice leg kick lands there from Nagiev.
Taalasmaa is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Nagiev.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nagiev throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Taalasmaa connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Nice sprawl there from Nagiev as Taalasmaa shoots in.
A head kick misses from Nagiev.
Nagiev connects with an inside leg kick.
Taalasmaa shoots in but no luck this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Taalasmaa checks the leg kick.
Nagiev with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Nagiev misses with a low kick.
Nagiev defending well as Taalasmaa loads up on a big left hand.
Nagiev tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Taalasmaa is able to avoid easily.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Nagiev, right into the meat.
Taalasmaa shoots in but Nagiev avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Taalasmaa on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Nagiev. Nagiev obviously looking to wear him down.
A low kick from Nagiev is predictable there

and Taalasmaa counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Seppo Taalasmaa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nagiev is trying to stand back up but Taalasmaa is controlling him
Nagiev slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Taalasmaa prevents Nagiev from getting back to his feet.
Nagiev preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Taalasmaa's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Taalasmaa throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Nagiev wants to stand but Taalasmaa is controlling the position.
Taalasmaa working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Nagiev looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Taalasmaa content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

Taalasmaa thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Taalasmaa slips nicely into half guard.
Nagiev wants to improve his position but Taalasmaa is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Taalasmaa misses with a head shot. Nagiev uses the momentum to regain guard.
Taalasmaa with a flurry of punches that miss.
Taalasmaa throwing strikes but missing.
Taalasmaa stands up over Nagiev, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Nagiev has his hands on Taalasmaa's head, controlling the position.
Taalasmaa is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Nagiev is trying to keep Taalasmaa in close.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Taalasmaa scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa trying to control the position from guard on top but Nagiev is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Taalasmaa is really struggling to control Nagiev but he's trying to hold on to the position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Taalasmaa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Nagiev manages to avoid it.
Taalasmaa shoots for a takedown but Nagiev saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Taalasmaa lands with a cross.
Horrible takedown by Taalasmaa or perhaps it was just good defense by Nagiev which made him look bad.
That kick from Nagiev tenderised Taalasmaa's leg. Taalasmaa is trying to keep his angry face on.
Taalasmaa checks a leg kick.
Nagiev cracks the inside of Taalasmaa's front leg.
Nagiev misses with a body kick.
Nagiev moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.

Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Nagiev napping and manages to drive through into side control!

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Seppo Taalasmaa.
I think Taalasmaa has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 29:28
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Seppo Taalasmaa!