PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Urho Itaniemi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marko Torturo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Itaniemi comes to the cage accompanied by Volbeat - Still Counting. Torturo is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Mogwai - Katrien. 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.

Itaniemi
vs
Torturo

190 cm
26
214 lbs
25 - 7 - 1

189 cm
24
217 lbs
14 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Perkele!
Bushido Clothing

Perkele!
Perkele!

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 25 - 7 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Urho Itaniemi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Marko Torturo!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Arvi Lind and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Itaniemi tries to close the distance and clinch but Torturo swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Torturo takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Torturo throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Torturo throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Itaniemi.
Torturo throws a low kick, looking for Itaniemi's leg but Itaniemi calmly moves out of range.
Torturo tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Itaniemi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Torturo lands a front kick.
Torturo tries to land a body kick
and Itaniemi counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
A head kick from Itaniemi lands but Torturo takes it in his stride.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Torturo cracks Itaniemi with an open hand slap.
A swing and a miss from Torturo.
Nice shot by Torturo.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Itaniemi. Torturo shrugs it off though.
Torturo blocks the body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Itaniemi throws a nice inside leg kick.
Itaniemi throws a head kick but Torturo moves out of range.
Torturo avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Itaniemi stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Torturo.
Torturo swats away the attempt to clinch by Itaniemi.
Torturo tried to score with a low kick but Itaniemi checks it.
Marko Torturo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Itaniemi misses with the combination.
Torturo misses with an uppercut. Itaniemi saw that one coming.
Torturo looks to throw the jab but Itaniemi is out of range.
Torturo throws a wild body kick that Itaniemi sees coming a mile off.
A low kick from Torturo misses
and Itaniemi counters with an inside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Torturo misses the target.

Itaniemi moves into range and clinches up with Torturo.
Itaniemi wants to stall.
Itaniemi avoiding damage as Torturo throws knees to the body.
Itaniemi holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Itaniemi is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A left hand lands to the body for Torturo.
Torturo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Itaniemi avoids it.
Torturo throws a punch but it's blocked by Itaniemi.
Itaniemi doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Torturo scores with a shoulder strike.
Torturo doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Torturo creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Itaniemi.
Torturo lands with a right to the head.
Torturo pushes off an throws an elbow but Itaniemi leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Itaniemi stalling in the clinch but Torturo improves position.
Itaniemi throws a punch but it's blocked by Torturo.
Torturo lands a hook to the side of the head.
Torturo misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Itaniemi slows down the pace here.
Itaniemi doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A short left from Torturo.
Itaniemi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A bit of stalling here from Torturo.
Itaniemi blocks an uppercut.
Torturo tries to stall but Itaniemi uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Torturo works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A nice left hand lands by Torturo.
Torturo letting Itaniemi take a breather here.
Torturo tries to land knees in the clinch but Itaniemi avoids the damage to the body.
Itaniemi blocking some punches.
Torturo throws an elbow but it's blocked.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Itaniemi.
Torturo tries to land a knee to the head but Itaniemi blocks with his arms.
Torturo lands a shoulder strike.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Itaniemi creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Torturo misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A short right from Torturo on the inside.
Torturo pushes Itaniemi back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Torturo misses with a punch on the inside.
Itaniemi struggles to land a body shot inside as Torturo controls his hands.
Torturo throws an elbow that misses.
Torturo looking to slow down the pace here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Torturo dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Torturo throws a leg kick

and Itaniemi counters by clinching up.
Torturo lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Torturo.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Itaniemi.
Torturo letting Itaniemi take a breather here.
Torturo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Itaniemi gets through Torturo's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Torturo looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Torturo is looking to control Itaniemi's arms but Itaniemi gets an underhook and turns him. Now Torturo has his back to the cage.
Torturo lands an elbow that stopped Itaniemi in his tracks for a moment.

It looks like Urho Itaniemi has been cut.
Itaniemi avoids a wild elbow strike from Torturo.
Itaniemi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Itaniemi misses with the head strike.
Torturo lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Torturo swings wildly with an uppercut but Itaniemi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Torturo throws an elbow but it misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Itaniemi blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Itaniemi dodges an elbow strike from Torturo.
Marko Torturo seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Itaniemi is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Torturo is keeping busy.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Itaniemi.
Torturo lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Itaniemi.
Torturo stalling the fight.
Torturo lands a damaging elbow.
Itaniemi blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Itaniemi.
Torturo with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Itaniemi is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Knees to the body from Torturo.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Torturo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Itaniemi avoids it.
Itaniemi tries to throw a body punch but Torturo avoids it by throwing Itaniemi back against the cage.
Torturo blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Itaniemi blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Itaniemi wants to stall.
Torturo makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Torturo has a couple of punches blocked by Itaniemi.
Torturo misses with some punches.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Nice body punch from Itaniemi.
Torturo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Torturo trying to land knees to the body.
Itaniemi lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Torturo creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Itaniemi's defenses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Itaniemi is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Itaniemi stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
A short right from Torturo.
Torturo landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Itaniemi is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Torturo is keeping busy.
Torturo tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Itaniemi's elbow.
Torturo tries a body shot but Itaniemi blocks it.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Torturo tries to work over Itaniemi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Torturo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Itaniemi.
A head punch on the inside from Torturo fails to land.
Torturo lands an elbow just above Itaniemi 's eye.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Torturo unloads a knee to the mid-section. Itaniemi lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
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!
Itaniemi is working Torturo over against the cage.
Torturo throws a knee to the head but misses.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Torturo.
Torturo lands an uppercut.
Itaniemi wants to stall.
Itaniemi blocks an elbow strike from Torturo.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Torturo.
Itaniemi dodges an elbow strike from Torturo.
Torturo throws a head punch that misses.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Torturo just misses with a elbow thrown towards Itaniemi's brow.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Torturo creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
A short right from Itaniemi.
Nice elbow from Torturo.
Itaniemi wants to stall.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Torturo showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Urho Itaniemi's cut.
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. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Itaniemi looks to land a body kick but Torturo moved away.
Torturo tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Itaniemi paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Urho Itaniemi is winning the standup battle so far.
Torturo swinging wildly here.
Itaniemi throws the left hand but Torturo avoids the punch easily.
Itaniemi throws a series of punches but Torturo moves out of range.
Nice defenses there by Torturo.
A leg kick checked by Itaniemi.
Torturo throws a leg kick but Itaniemi checks it.
Itaniemi checks the leg kick.
Torturo misses with a jab, cross combination.
Torturo misses with a looping right.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Torturo fails to land with a series of punches.
Itaniemi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Itaniemi slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Itaniemi has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Torturo scores with a nice body kick.
Torturo blocks a leg kick.
Torturo loads up on a big right hand but Itaniemi slips the punch.
Itaniemi throws a leg kick but Torturo moved away.
Torturo misses with a straight right.
Itaniemi misses with a combination
and Torturo counters with a series of strikes. Itaniemi will be more careful next time no doubt.
A punch combination from Torturo misses.
Torturo takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Torturo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Torturo circles away from the clinch attempt.
Itaniemi scores with a leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Itaniemi paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Itaniemi ducks under a wild hook from Torturo.
Torturo throws a low kick but Itaniemi avoids it.
Itaniemi throws a good cross that connects.
Itaniemi cracks Torturo with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Itaniemi takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Itaniemi keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
A chopping leg kick lands by Itaniemi.
Torturo looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Torturo looks to throw the jab but Itaniemi is out of range.
Urho Itaniemi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Itaniemi thows a body kick. Torturo tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Itaniemi connects with a crisp jab.
Itaniemi avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Torturo moves out of range of the body kick.
Itaniemi slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

Itaniemi has closed the distance and engaged Torturo in a clinch.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Torturo.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Torturo manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Torturo looking to slow down the pace here.
Itaniemi stalling in the clinch.
Torturo misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Itaniemi lands a nice uppercut.
Itaniemi lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Torturo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Marko Torturo is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Torturo looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Torturo lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Torturo trying to land knees to the body.
Itaniemi lands a shoulder strike.
Itaniemi blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Itaniemi works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Torturo swings wildly with an uppercut but Itaniemi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Torturo being controlled against the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A head punch blocked on the inside by Torturo.

And that's the end of the fight!
Urho Itaniemi showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Torturo 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 28:29
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marko Torturo!