PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Cees Overeem (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Baller (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Overeem's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Drowning Pool - Bodies (Let The Bodies Hit The Floor) . Baller has chosen Helicopter, made of meat! as his entrance music. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Overeem
vs
Baller

195 cm
27
265 lbs
18 - 18 - 0

225 cm
31
275 lbs
18 - 15 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Dangerous knees
KO power

BJJ Brown Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 18 - 18 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Cees Overeem!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 15 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Paul Baller!
The judges for this bout are Roosa Järviläinen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Baller.
Baller works the jab nicely.
A right-left combo lands from Overeem.

It looks like Paul Baller has been cut.
Overeem blocks a jab.
Overeem buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Baller lands a jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Baller throws a jab but it's blocked by Overeem.
A big right from Baller misses.
Overeem misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Overeem misses with a series of wild punches.
Baller throws a nice looking combination but Overeem bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Overeem slips a jab from Baller.
Overeem misses the shot to the body.
Baller is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Overeem wants to clinch.
Baller misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Overeem.
Overeem pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Baller just misses with a punch to the body.
Baller circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Overeem will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Baller throws a shot from downtown. Overeem moves away and avoids it.
Baller misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Overeem avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Overeem tries to clinch up but Baller circles away and keeps his distance.
Baller throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Baller misses with a body kick.
Overeem avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Overeem throws a big shot that misses.
Baller dodges the punch combination from Overeem.
Baller circles away from the clinch attempt.
Baller uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Overeem.
Baller takes one on the button.
Baller takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Overeem tries to clinch there but Baller circles away.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Overeem keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Baller.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Baller rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Overeem moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Overeem looks to land a left hand but Baller moved out of range nicely.
Baller avoids a punch combination nicely.
Baller has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Overeem finds it's way round the side to connect with Baller's head.
Overeem wants to clinch.
Baller thows a body kick. Overeem tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Baller throws a right hand that misses

and Overeem counters by clinching up.
Overeem gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Overeem looking to throw knees to the head but Baller is blocking nicely.
Baller fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Baller has a couple of punches blocked by Overeem.
Baller tries to throw a body punch but Overeem avoids it by throwing Baller back against the cage.
Baller misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Baller misses with a hook from the clinch.
Overeem scores with a knee to the head.
Overeem lands a damaging elbow.

That has opened up Paul Baller's cut even more.
Baller blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Baller misses with some punches.
Overeem is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Baller is defending well for now.
Overeem blocks a body shot from Baller.
Overeem lands a nice knee to the body.
Overeem with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Overeem blocking some punches.
Overeem landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Baller looks gassed!
Overeem scores a nice knee to the body.
Overeem with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Overeem breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Overeem fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Baller, pushing him back against the cage.
Overeem connects with a nasty looking knee right to Baller's face.
Overeem using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.

Overeem breaks the clinch.
Baller misses with a straight left.
Overeem tries to clinch there but Baller circles away.
Overeem misses with a few strikes there.
Baller throws a right hand that misses
and Overeem counters with a stiff right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Overeem has managed to clinch.
Overeem with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Overeem using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Baller has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

Overeem pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Overeem tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Overeem tries to close the distance and clinch but Baller swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Overeem clinches.
Knees in the clinch landing for Overeem.
Overeem landing some nice looking knees to the body.

Overeem manages to break the clinch.

Overeem drops Baller with a beautiful combination! Baller stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Overeem is looking for the KO!

Baller is rocked!

The cut above Paul Baller's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Overeem lands with a jab that stuns his opponent. Baller is looking to close the distance but Overeem sees it coming and throws a beautiful knee! Baller crumbles to the mat and that's all she wrote! Let's hope Baller is OK because that was naaaaaasty!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:45 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Knee). Cees Overeem!
A relieved looking Cees Overeem thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.