PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Cody Travers (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Teppo Tappaja (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The key to victory for Cody Travers has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Travers
vs
Tappaja

185 cm
20
176 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

175 cm
20
168 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

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 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Cody Travers!
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, Teppo Tappaja!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Aleksandr Martynov and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Travers doesn't manage to clinch there - Tappaja circles away.
Tappaja shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Travers sprawls well. Travers wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Tappaja gets slowly back to his feet.
Travers keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Travers tries to clinch but Tappaja is having none of it.
Travers avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Tappaja tries to clinch up.

Tappaja closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Tappaja scores with a hook to the body.
Tappaja lands a nice knee to the body.
Tappaja lands an elbow just above Travers 's eye.
Tappaja pushes Travers back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Tappaja landing some nice looking knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tappaja misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Travers.
Tappaja works on Travers's body with a couple of short punches.
Tappaja with an attempt at a knee that misses.
A right handed body shot lands from Tappaja.
Tappaja lands a nice elbow.
A hook to the body from Travers.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Tappaja creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Nice elbow from Tappaja.
Tappaja working Travers over with knees to the body.

Tappaja breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Tappaja is looking to clinch.
Tappaja wants to clinch up but Travers keeps it at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tappaja fails with the takedown.
A shot to the liver by Travers. Beautiful body shot.
Travers lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Travers.
Travers is breathing heavily.
Travers shoots in looking for a takedown but Tappaja manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Travers's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Travers throws a jab but it's blocked by Tappaja.
Tappaja changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Travers tries to avoid it but Tappaja manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Travers to the ground. Travers escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Cody Travers has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Teppo Tappaja.
Tappaja wants to clinch.
Tappaja tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Travers manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Travers misses with a straight right.

Tappaja has Travers up against the cage in a clinch.

Travers manages to break the clinch.
Travers moves to clinch but Tappaja breaks away

and Tappaja decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Travers's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tappaja is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Tappaja trying to control but Travers is working from the bottom.
Tappaja throws a big right hand that misses.
Travers has control of Tappaja's left arm, preventing Tappaja from doing any damage.
Tappaja won't allow Travers to sweep him here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Travers misses with a looping right.

Tappaja moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tappaja with a knee to the head.

Travers manages to break the clinch.

Travers gets the takedown into side control.
Travers is looking to take a break and control but Tappaja is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Tappaja wants to control but Travers postures up.
Tappaja defending against the ground and pound.
Travers scoring with punches from side control.
Travers misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Tappaja avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Travers.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Tappaja sneaks back into half guard.
Tappaja blocking the ground and pound attempt from Travers.
Travers trying to control from half guard but Tappaja is working away.
Tappaja is trying to stand up here but Travers is controlling him well.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Travers is looking to advance position but Tappaja won't allow it.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Teppo Tappaja will probably get the nod.
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.

Tappaja gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Travers misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Tappaja.
Horrible takedown by Tappaja or perhaps it was just good defense by Travers which made him look bad.
Tappaja avoids the body shot from Travers.
Travers throws out a loose jab but Tappaja uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tappaja wants to clinch up but Travers keeps it at a distance.
Tappaja takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Tappaja dives in and grabs Travers's left leg, looking for a takedown. Travers pushes down on Tappaja's head and hops out.
Travers falls off balance throwing a combination

and Tappaja counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Tappaja has Travers pressed against the cage, preventing Travers from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Tappaja breaks the clinch.
Tappaja closes the distance and clinches up with Travers, looking for a takedown. Tappaja pushes Travers against the cage but Travers circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Cody Travers has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Teppo Tappaja.
Tappaja is breathing heavily.

Travers pushes Tappaja up against the cage in a clinch.
Travers tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Tappaja smiles and moves away.

Travers shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Tappaja manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Travers stops Tappaja from standing up.
Tappaja has a closed guard, preventing Travers from standing up.

Travers has gone for a leg lock! Tappaja slips out almost immediately though and dives into Travers's guard.
Travers wants to get back to his feet but Tappaja is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Tappaja controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Travers wants to sweep here but Tappaja controlling him for the moment.
Tappaja trying to control but Travers is working from the bottom.
Travers is pulling down on Tappaja's head to control his posture.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Tappaja is stalling in the full guard.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Cody Travers just wasn't active enough.
Travers leaves Tappaja with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Travers gets off balance looking for a body kick

and Tappaja moves into the clinch.
Tappaja tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Travers's elbow.
Tappaja tries to throw a body punch but Travers avoids it by throwing Tappaja back against the cage.
Travers digs a right hand into Tappaja's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Tappaja's gas tank.

Travers breaks the clinch.
Travers throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.

Travers clinches with his opponent.
Travers pushes Tappaja back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Travers goes for a takedown in the clinch but Tappaja prevents it.
Travers on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Tappaja trying to land knees to the body.

Travers has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Tappaja uses from the top position.
Travers looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Tappaja is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Tappaja is fighting to break Travers's control of his arms but Travers is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tappaja wants to control from the top but Travers keeps moving.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Tappaja tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Travers counters with a stiff right hand.
Tappaja shoots in for a takedown but Travers shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
The fight stays on the outside here - Travers looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Travers works the jab nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Travers fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cody Travers dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Travers tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Tappaja shoots in and bounces Travers off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Travers is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Travers keeping moving, preventing Tappaja from controlling successfully.
Travers is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Travers shoots in for a takedown but Tappaja shows good takedown defense.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tappaja has Travers up against the cage in a clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for Tappaja.
Tappaja lands an elbow inside that Travers shrugs off.

Travers escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Travers shoots in for a takedown but Tappaja shows good takedown defense.
Tappaja darts in trying to clinch
and Travers counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Travers is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.

Tappaja moves into the clinch.
Travers fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Cody Travers. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tappaja controlling the action here for a moment.
Tappaja misses with a knee strike.
A right hook to the body lands for Tappaja.

Tappaja breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Travers tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Travers throws a hook but Tappaja blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice shot lands for Travers.
Travers just misses with a punch to the body.
Travers tries to clinch but Tappaja moves away

and Tappaja counters by moving into the clinch.
Travers tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Travers jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Tappaja walks away with a smile on his face. Travers gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Tappaja throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Travers stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Travers wants it to stay on the feet.
Travers throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Tappaja stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.

Travers moves into the clinch successfully.
Travers blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Tappaja blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tappaja misses with a punch on the inside.
Tappaja takes a knee to the side of the body.

Travers breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Tappaja displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Travers.

Travers gets tackled into the cage by Tappaja. Tappaja maintains the clinch.
Travers is looking to break free of the clinch but Tappaja has double underhooks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tappaja comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Travers wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Travers wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Nice body punch from Tappaja.
Travers fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Tappaja is trying to stall.

Tappaja gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Travers is staying active underneath Tappaja, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Tappaja is just content to waste time from the top position. Travers takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Tappaja pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Travers is keeping the position for now.
Travers looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Tappaja sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tappaja wants to control from the top but Travers keeps moving.
Tappaja throws a big right hand that misses.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Teppo Tappaja wasn't active enough on the ground.
Travers tries to clinch but Tappaja moves out of range.
Tappaja stuffs the takedown attempt from Travers. Travers gets slowly back to his feet.
Tappaja tries to clinch but Travers moves away

and Travers moves into the clinch.
Tappaja presses Travers against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Travers tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Tappaja's elbow.
Travers blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Tappaja cracks Travers with a nice body shot.
Travers lands an elbow that stopped Tappaja in his tracks for a moment.
Tappaja prevents Travers from breaking the clinch.
Travers lands a right hand that snaps the head of Tappaja backwards.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tappaja.
Tappaja comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Travers tries to score a body lock takedown but Tappaja shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Teppo Tappaja comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tappaja 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 Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 29:29
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Teppo Tappaja!