PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rolf Thorkildsen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Torsti Turjake (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Thorkildsen might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to AC/DC - Hell's Bells. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Thorkildsen
vs
Turjake

176 cm
26
165 lbs
13 - 7 - 0

170 cm
25
161 lbs
15 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

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 13 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rolf Thorkildsen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Torsti Turjake!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Matti Vanhoillinen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Turjake throws the left hand but Thorkildsen avoids the punch easily.
Turjake defending well as Thorkildsen loads up on a big left hand.
Thorkildsen keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Turjake.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Thorkildsen.
Turjake misses with a lunging right hand
letting Thorkildsen counter with a right hand.
Thorkildsen throws a low kick but Turjake avoids it.
Thorkildsen cracks Turjake with a right hand to the side of the head.
Thorkildsen throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Turjake misses with a lunging right hand
and Thorkildsen counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Turjake throws a low kick but it's checked well by Thorkildsen.
Danga de danga de dang - Turjake scores with a four punch combination!
Thorkildsen feints a jab promting Turjake to slip. Thorkildsen then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Turjake slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Thorkildsen waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Turjake.
Turjake jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Turjake throws a big shot that misses.
Thorkildsen misses with a lunging right hand
and Thorkildsen takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Thorkildsen looks to land a left hand but Turjake moved out of range nicely.
Turjake lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
A shot to the body from Turjake misses
and Thorkildsen counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Turjake uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Thorkildsen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A jab from Turjake misses.
Turjake throws a jab when Thorkildsen was well out of range.
Thorkildsen cracks Turjake with an open hand slap.
The fighters circling - Turjake throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A big right from Thorkildsen misses.
Thorkildsen checks the leg kick nicely there.
Thorkildsen throws a hook but Turjake avoids it easily.
Thorkildsen connects with a right hand. Turjake shakes it off.
A slow jab from Turjake misses its intended target.
Thorkildsen thows a left - swing and a miss!
Turjake throws a nice outside leg kick.
Thorkildsen lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Turjake at a distance.
Turjake defending well as Thorkildsen loads up on a big left hand.
Turjake misses with a looping left.
Turjake keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Thorkildsen connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Turjake momentarily.
Thorkildsen throws a big shot that misses.
Turjake fails with the takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Turjake scores with a jab to the body.
Thorkildsen thows a left - swing and a miss!
Turjake keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Thorkildsen takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
A big right from Turjake misses.
Turjake keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Thorkildsen lands the left hand.
Thorkildsen throws a big shot that misses.
Thorkildsen throws out a loose jab but Turjake uses good head movement to avoid it.
Jab by Turjake.
A telegraphed right hand from Thorkildsen misses the target.
Nice defenses there by Thorkildsen.
Thorkildsen throws a front kick aimed at Turjake's knee but Turjake avoids it well.
Thorkildsen jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Turjake misses with a left hand
and Thorkildsen counters with a low kick, right behind Turjake 's knee.
Thorkildsen throws a right hand that misses
and Turjake counters with a right hand to the body.
Thorkildsen takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Turjake closes the distance and clinches up with Thorkildsen, looking for a takedown. Turjake pushes Thorkildsen against the cage but Thorkildsen circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Turjake misses.
Thorkildsen misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Turjake.
Turjake lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
A big right from Turjake misses.
Thorkildsen swings away with a body shot that misses

and Turjake counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Turjake thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Thorkildsen's head.
Thorkildsen gets back to full guard.
Thorkildsen wants to sweep here but Turjake controlling him for the moment.
Turjake must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Turjake working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Thorkildsen trying to control the position.
Turjake not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

Thorkildsen is looking for a triangle but Turjake pushes his legs off easily.

Turjake got a little sloppy there for a moment and Thorkildsen has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Turjake has managed to get both his arms back between Thorkildsen's legs - danger averted.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Turjake advances position into side control!
Turjake trying to control the position but Thorkildsen is working away.
Thorkildsen sneaks back into half guard.

Thorkildsen looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Thorkildsen is refusing to be controlled, as Turjake sits in half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Thorkildsen regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Turjake.
Turjake throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Torsti Turjake dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Turjake throws a poor cross that misses
letting Thorkildsen counter with a right hand.
Turjake throws a poor cross that misses
and Thorkildsen counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
A decent looking cross lands there for Thorkildsen.
Turjake slips a jab from Thorkildsen.
Thorkildsen on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Thorkildsen throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Turjake stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Turjake dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Thorkildsen scores with a hook.
Thorkildsen throws a looping overhand right but Turjake ducks down to avoid it.
Rolf Thorkildsen seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nice defenses there by Turjake.
Turjake misses the jab.
Nice defenses there by Thorkildsen.
Turjake swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Thorkildsen looks to land a left hand but Turjake moved out of range nicely.
Turjake misses with a hook
and Thorkildsen counters with a three punch combo that has Turjake backing up. Turjake nods at Thorkildsen to acknowledge the strikes.
Turjake throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Thorkildsen sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Turjake ducks under a wild hook from Thorkildsen.
Turjake cracks Thorkildsen with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Turjake keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Turjake throws a jab but it's blocked by Thorkildsen.
Turjake misses with a right hand
and Thorkildsen counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Thorkildsen ducks under a wild hook from Turjake.
The fighters circling - Turjake throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Thorkildsen connects with a crisp jab.
Turjake misses the jab.
Thorkildsen looks to land a left hand but Turjake moved out of range nicely.
Thorkildsen rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Turjake counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Thorkildsen moves out of range as Turjake strikes.
Thorkildsen blocks a jab.
Turjake fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Thorkildsen misses with a body shot

and Turjake counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Turjake.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thorkildsen preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Turjake stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Thorkildsen swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Turjake postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Turjake chips away with some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Turjake pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Thorkildsen is keeping the position for now.
Turjake is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Thorkildsen bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Turjake's guard.
Thorkildsen postures up and lands a big shot to Turjake's brow.
Turjake avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Thorkildsen prevents Turjake from getting back to his feet.
Turjake looking for a sweep. Not yet Turjake, not yet.
Thorkildsen with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Turjake bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Thorkildsen's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Turjake pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Thorkildsen is keeping the position for now.
Turjake connects with a couple of short punches.
Thorkildsen is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Thorkildsen is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Turjake is trying to control but can't.
Turjake blocking the ground and pound attempt from Thorkildsen.
Thorkildsen lands strikes from half guard.
Thorkildsen looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Turjake preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Thorkildsen throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Thorkildsen sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Turjake defending well though.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Turjake has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Thorkildsen is working away from the top position though.
Thorkildsen stops Turjake from getting back to his feet.
Thorkildsen throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Turjake wants to improve his position but Thorkildsen is controlling well.
Turjake gets full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thorkildsen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Turjake swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Thorkildsen is working hard here to advance position.
Turjake is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Thorkildsen is controlling him.
Thorkildsen trying to control the position from guard on top but Turjake is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Turjake trying to control the position.
Torsti Turjake has got the better of the ground game so far.
Turjake utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Turjake looking to control but Thorkildsen passes into half guard.
Thorkildsen 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.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Turjake is not content to let Thorkildsen control the position.
Turjake blocking the ground and pound attempt from Thorkildsen.
Thorkildsen not landing any meaningful shots this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Torsti Turjake will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Turjake throws a jab but it's blocked by Thorkildsen.
Turjake misses with an uppercut. Thorkildsen saw that one coming.
Thorkildsen cracks Turjake with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Turjake throws an off balance right hand

and Thorkildsen counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Turjake!
Turjake is looking to get to half guard.
Turjake looks out of his depth in this position - he's holding on tight.
Thorkildsen scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Turjake?
Turjake really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Turjake wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
Thorkildsen lands a nice shot to the head.
Thorkildsen dominating with strikes here.
Thorkildsen dominating with strikes here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A nice elbow there by Thorkildsen.
Thorkildsen throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Turjake because Thorkildsen loaded up on that one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Turjake is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Turjake is looking to get to half guard.
BOOM! Thorkildsen connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Thorkildsen raining down hammerfists from mount.
Thorkildsen thowing shots but they're missing.
Thorkildsen unloading with bombs!
Turjake is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Thorkildsen throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Thorkildsen landing strikes, looking to finish!
Thorkildsen putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!

Turjake is rocked!
Thorkildsen landing punches.
Turjake is still in real trouble! Can Thorkildsen finish him?

Thorkildsen working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Turjake tries to hold on but Thorkildsen pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thorkildsen prevents Turjake from getting the reversal.
Turjake seems to have recovered his senses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Turjake takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
BOOM! Thorkildsen connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Turjake wants to get back to his feet.
Turjake tries to lock up and control but Thorkildsen gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Thorkildsen pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Turjake is in all sorts of trouble here.
Thorkildsen is in the full mount, landing strikes.

Thorkildsen jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Turjake manages to avoid the submission attempt.
Turjake on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Turjake wants to control but Thorkildsen postures up.
Turjake tries to bench press Thorkildsen off him but Thorkildsen keeps the position.
Thorkildsen looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Turjake is avoiding damage well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Turjake wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Thorkildsen trying to control the action but Turjake is working from the bottom.
Rolf Thorkildsen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Turjake tries to bench press Thorkildsen off him but Thorkildsen keeps the position.
Thorkildsen throws an elbow but Turjake slips to the side and avoids it well.
An elbow from Thorkildsen crashes against the mat.
Torsti Turjake is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Turjake is looking for a sweep.

Thorkildsen is trying to get an arm triangle but Turjake is defending well.
Thorkildsen wants to lay and pray for a moment but Turjake keeps working.
You can see the frustration on Turjake's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Turjake is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Thorkildsen asserts his dominance and retains side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Thorkildsen working the ground and pound but Turjake is defending the strikes.

Turjake explodes and escapes back to his feet! Nice escape there!
Thorkildsen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Turjake.
A punch combination from Thorkildsen misses.
A combination from Thorkildsen does no damage.
Thorkildsen ducks under a wild hook from Turjake.
Thorkildsen throws a big shot that misses.
Thorkildsen throws an off balance right hand
and Turjake counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Turjake misses the jab.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
The fighters circle momentarily. Turjake darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Turjake throws a series of strikes that have Thorkildsen backpedaling.
The fighters circle momentarily. Thorkildsen darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Thorkildsen loads up on a big right hand but Turjake slips the punch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rolf Thorkildsen showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Turjake 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 28:29
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Torsti Turjake!