PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Riku Reipas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Winjkin William (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Riku Reipas had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Reipas
vs
William

175 cm
25
148 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

150 cm
22
130 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Basic striking
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
Counter striker
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Riku Reipas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Winjkin William!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Roosa Järviläinen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Reipas fails with the takedown

and William counters by moving into the clinch.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
Reipas tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Riku Reipas. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Reipas jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as William walks away with a smile on his face. Reipas gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Reipas pushes William up against the cage in a clinch.
William holding his opponent close, against the cage.
William cracks Reipas with a nice body shot.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but William turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Reipas jumps guard but William turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Reipas tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Nice body punch from William - that landed with a thud.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Reipas takes a knee to the side of the body.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
Reipas tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A short body shot lands from William as the two fighters clinch.
Reipas is breathing heavily.
William digs a right hand underneath Reipas's ribcage. Reipas let out a lung full of air as it connected.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reipas letting William take a breather here.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
William lands a body punch in the clinch.
William's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
William throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Reipass head.
Reipas jumps guard but William stands there with Reipas around his waist. Reipas gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
William lands on the inside with an uppercut.
William throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William holds him up against the cage and eventually Reipas drops back down to his feet.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Reipas blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Reipas's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Stalling in the clinch from William.
William lands with a short punch from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
William's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nice body punch from William.

Reipas pulls guard effortlessly.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Reipas has momentary wrist control but William slips an elbow through the middle.

Reipas looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

William stands up from Reipas's guard - William perhaps looking for a knockout.

William takes the fight into the clinch.
Reipas blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
William is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
William throws an elbow that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
William misses with an elbow over the top.
William missing with knees to the body.
Reipas tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
William throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Reipas tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. William just stands there and leans against the cage.
William stalling.
Reipas jumps guard but William turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Reipas takes a knee to the side of the body.
A short right from William on the inside.
Reipas jumps guard but William turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
William pushes off an throws an elbow but Reipas leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
William is pushing Reipas up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
William misses with a hook to the ribs.
William digs a right hand into Reipas's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Reipas's gas tank.
Reipas jumps guard but William turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
William controlling the action here for a moment.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, William creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
William scores with a shot to the side of Reipas's head.
William misses with a knee strike.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
A right hook to the body lands for William.
William is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Reipas is defending well for now.
A short right from William on the inside.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
William lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Reipas backwards.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Reipas avoids the elbow strike from William, against the cage.
Reipas jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as William walks away with a smile on his face. Reipas gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Reipas with a poor takedown
and William counters with a leg kick.
William does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Winjkin William dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

William throws a body punch but Reipas moves out of range.

Reipas closes the distance and clinches.
Reipas tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. William smiles and moves away.
William throws a head kick that misses.

William gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from William.

Reipas has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics William uses from the top position.

Reipas has his foot on William's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. William works his way back into a safe position though.
Reipas has a closed guard, preventing William from standing up.
William preventing the sweep.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
William trying to control the position from guard on top but Reipas is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Reipas will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Reipas looking to hit a scissor sweep but William is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reipas trying to keep a closed guard but William is proving a slippery customer.
William passes Reipas's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Reipas is pressing down on William's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.

Reipas is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. William is aware though and is defending well.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
William is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Reipas can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as William controls the pace.
William is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
William is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

William got a little sloppy there for a moment and Reipas has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, William has managed to get both his arms back between Reipas's legs - danger averted.
Reipas can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as William controls the pace.
William wants to control from the top but Reipas keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Reipas is working an open guard so William takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

William closes the distance and clinches.
Winjkin William seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from William.
William scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
William stalling in the clinch.
William tries to land knees in the clinch but Reipas avoids the damage to the body.
William tries to land knees in the clinch but Reipas avoids the damage to the body.
Reipas fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Riku Reipas. That's going to take a lot out of him.
William working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
William lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
William looks to throw an elbow but misses.
William throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
William throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Reipass head.
William scores with a hook to the body.
Reipas tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. William just stands there and leans against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
William tries to throw a body punch but Reipas avoids it by throwing William back against the cage.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Reipas jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as William walks away with a smile on his face. Reipas gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

William has taken the fight to the clinch.
William with an attempt at a knee that misses.
William throws a knee to the head but misses.

Reipas successfully pulls guard.
William controls from within his opponent's guard.
Reipas keeping full guard, as William tries to pass.
William passes Reipas's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
William moves into full mount! Reipas won't be happy about that!
William putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
William working Reipas over with strikes here.
Winjkin William has got the better of the ground game so far.
William lands a heavy elbow.
William looking to control and managing it successfully.
William tries to control but Reipas wriggling away.
William working Reipas over with strikes here.
Reipas keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
William controlling his opponent.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
William has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Reipas's face.
Reipas gets back to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Winjkin William showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Reipas misses with a takedown attempt

and William counters by clinching up.
William using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Reipas has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
William leaning against his opponent.
Reipas jumps guard but William stands there with Reipas around his waist. Reipas gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
William throws an elbow but it misses.
A nice right hand lands inside from William.
William lands a body punch in the clinch.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William won't allow it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Riku Reipas. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A nice right hand lands inside from William.
Reipas tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. William smiles and moves away.
William misses the shot to the body.
William looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reipas tries to land a body kick
and William counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
William is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Reipas is defending well for now.
Reipas tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. William just stands there and leans against the cage.
Good body shot from William.
Reipas tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. William just stands there and leans against the cage.
William is stalling here.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William holds him up against the cage and eventually Reipas drops back down to his feet.
William lands with a short punch from the clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
William scores with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables William to keep the fight standing.
William throws an elbow that misses.
The referee calls for William to work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
William works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Reipas fails to pull the fight into his guard.
William tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
William stalls.
Reipas jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as William walks away with a smile on his face. Reipas gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Riku Reipas seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
William thows a left - swing and a miss!
William throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
William throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Reipas sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
William throws a head kick but Reipas moves out of range.

Reipas tries to keep at a distance but William has taken the fight into the clinch.
Reipas's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A short right hand to the side of the head by William.
Reipas tries to pull guard but William holds him up against the cage and eventually Reipas drops back down to his feet.
William dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
William looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Reipas is trying to pull guard but William has him pressed against the cage.
Nice elbow from William.
A short body shot lands from William as the two fighters clinch.
William lands a body punch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from William.
William throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
A right handed body shot lands from William.
A body shot lands from William.
Riku Reipas has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stalling in the clinch from William.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
William scores with a hook to the body.
William throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Reipass head.
William misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Reipas.
Reipas managing to block the knees to the body from William.
William tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Reipas avoids it.
William trying to land knees to the body.
Reipas tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. William smiles and moves away.
Reipas tries for a takedown but William circles away easily
and William counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Reipas doesn't succeed with the takedown
and William finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A telegraphed right hand from William misses the target.
A punch lands to the side of Reipas 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Winjkin William is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

William gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Winjkin William comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well William has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Winjkin William!
During a confident post fight interview, Winjkin William thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.