PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kari Karpaasi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and nikolai stesenko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Karpaasi's entrance music is Doom unit - killing time. A fine choice. Kari Karpaasi has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Karpaasi
vs
stesenko

186 cm
22
205 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

196 cm
21
205 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Pure Fight Science

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 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Kari Karpaasi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, nikolai stesenko!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Marco Blurström and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Karpaasi shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Karpaasi was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
A nice elbow there by Karpaasi.
stesenko wants to hold on but Karpaasi pushes him away.
Karpaasi throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for stesenko because Karpaasi loaded up on that one.

Karpaasi goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now stesenko is on top in guard.

Karpaasi is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
stesenko tries to stand but Karpaasi is controlling from the bottom.
stesenko in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karpaasi has his hands on stesenko's head, controlling the position.
stesenko scoring with some ground and pound.
Karpaasi working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from stesenko.
Karpaasi is controlling stesenko's posture.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
stesenko trying to control but Karpaasi is working from the bottom.
stesenko wants to stand but Karpaasi is controlling his posture from full guard.
Karpaasi is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
stesenko looking to sit in guard and control but Karpaasi gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
stesenko controls Karpaasi momentarily but Karpaasi frees himself.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Karpaasi closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming stesenko to the mat! stesenko manages to get full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

stesenko throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Karpaasi trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Karpaasi advances to half guard.
Karpaasi moves nicely into side control.
Karpaasi creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

Karpaasi tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Karpaasi is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
stesenko is trying to control Karpaasi's posture but Karpaasi avoids it.
Karpaasi wants to control but stesenko is keeping him busy.
stesenko is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
stesenko is trying to escape back to his feet but Karpaasi uses the scramble to pass into side control.
stesenko can't do much from the bottom here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kari Karpaasi dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Karpaasi misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Karpaasi circles away from the clinch attempt.
Karpaasi tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but stesenko swivels and escapes.
Karpaasi misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from stesenko.
Karpaasi shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has stesenko pinned against the cage. stesenko gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
stesenko shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Karpaasi counters with a takedown into side control.
stesenko is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
stesenko gets back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Karpaasi in particular looking to stall.
stesenko is looking to escape.
stesenko is looking to improve his position.
Karpaasi winds up and cracks stesenko with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
stesenko tries to get to full guard but Karpaasi has control of the leg.
stesenko is holding on to half guard well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

stesenko looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
stesenko trying to control but Karpaasi postures up.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

stesenko fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Karpaasi sprawls well initially but stesenko persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
stesenko missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
stesenko passes to full mount!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Karpaasi tries to get back to half guard but can't.
stesenko wants to control the pace but Karpaasi is squirming around nicely.
stesenko might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Karpaasi kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

stesenko looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
stesenko can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Karpaasi is looking to escape.

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.
stesenko postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Karpaasi looks a forlorn figure.

stesenko working for a submission but Karpaasi is keeping him at bay.
stesenko trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Karpaasi is just holding on here. stesenko manages to take his back.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but nikolai stesenko will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

stesenko tries to clinch

and Karpaasi counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for stesenko!
Karpaasi controlling from mount.
stesenko holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Karpaasi tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
stesenko is desperately trying to improve his position but Karpaasi has a good base and remains in mount.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karpaasi looking to control and managing it successfully.
Karpaasi trying to control but stesenko is having none of it.
stesenko wants to control but Karpaasi is having none of it.
stesenko is in all sorts of trouble here.
Karpaasi controlling the position easily from mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
stesenko is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
stesenko wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Karpaasi.
stesenko swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
Kari Karpaasi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Karpaasi has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of stesenko's face.
Karpaasi looking to control but stesenko is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
stesenko holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Karpaasi tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
stesenko is looking to improve his position but Karpaasi isn't that keen on the idea.
stesenko wants to control but Karpaasi is having none of it.
stesenko is trying desperately to improve position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Karpaasi trying to control but stesenko is having none of it.

Karpaasi working for a guillotine from mount but stesenko is in no mood to give up.
stesenko squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Karpaasi is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. stesenko can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kari Karpaasi showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Karpaasi 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:28
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 29:28
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kari Karpaasi!