PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dru Rivers (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pertti Silsa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Rivers
vs
Silsa

188 cm
32
195 lbs
19 - 8 - 0

186 cm
22
203 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
KO power

ADCC Champion
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Dru Rivers!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Pertti Silsa!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Anni Minnemäki and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Silsa is looking to clinch but Rivers is avoiding it.
Silsa tries to close the distance and clinch but Rivers swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Silsa misses with a takedown attempt - Rivers sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
The fight stays on the outside here - Silsa looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Silsa tries to clinch
and Rivers cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Silsa shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Rivers pinned against the cage. Rivers gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Silsa wants to clinch but Rivers slips to the side
and Rivers counters with a low kick, right behind Silsa 's knee.
Silsa looks to clinch
and Rivers counters with a nice kick to the body.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Rivers.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Silsa moves to clinch but Rivers breaks away
and Rivers counters with a good low kick that Silsa was not able to check.
Silsa looks gassed!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Rivers.
Rivers throws a big shot that misses.
Silsa closes the distance but Rivers moves to the side
and Rivers counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Rivers swings for the body but Silsa moves out of range.
Silsa tries to clinch there but Rivers circles away.
Silsa moves forwards but Rivers connects with a nice, crisp jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silsa walks forward, straight into a front kick from Rivers.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rivers throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Silsa moves out of range of the leg kick from Rivers.
Rivers tries to work over Silsa's front leg with a kick but Silsa checks it.
Rivers connects with a nice looking jab.
Rivers throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Silsa wants to clinch up but Rivers keeps it at a distance.
Rivers connects with a crisp jab.
Rivers throws a head kick that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivers keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Dru Rivers has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pertti Silsa.
Silsa fails in his attempt to clinch.
Silsa sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
A shot to the liver by Rivers. Beautiful body shot.
Rivers throws a looping overhand right but Silsa ducks down to avoid it.
Dru Rivers is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rivers looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Silsa moves to clinch but Rivers breaks away
enabling Rivers to counter with a crisp jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silsa tries to clinch up
and Rivers makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rivers throws a right and a left that both miss.
Rivers cracks the inside of Silsa's front leg.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Rivers thumps Silsa with a low kick.
Silsa is trying desperately to land a takedown but Rivers is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for Silsa.
A nice leg kick lands there from Rivers.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dru Rivers dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Silsa tries to close the distance and clinch but Rivers swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Silsa closes the distance looking to clinch
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Rivers lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Rivers throws a leg kick but Silsa sees it coming and moves out of range.
A slapping leg kick lands for Rivers.
Silsa has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Rivers.
Silsa is breathing heavily.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Rivers, right into the meat.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with eachother but Silsa might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Rivers has got the better of the exchanges.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by Rivers.
Silsa needs to keep his hands up - Rivers had a free shot at his head there.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
A jab lands there for Rivers.
A nice inside leg kick there by Rivers. That's going to slow Silsa down.
A good leg kick by Rivers.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rivers is looking to land body kicks.
Dru Rivers is winning the standup battle so far.
Rivers attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Good leg kick by Rivers there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivers finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Rivers throws a body kick that misses.
Rivers connects with a solid leg kick.
Silsa blocks a leg kick.
Rivers attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.

Silsa takes the fight into the clinch.
Silsa has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Silsa tries to pull guard but Rivers forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Rivers lands a shot to the body.
Rivers misses with a shot to the kidneys.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivers lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rivers misses with some punches.
Rivers working aggressively here.
Rivers stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Rivers lands with a right to the head.
Silsa's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Silsa prevents a body shot from Rivers.
Rivers digs a right hand into Silsa's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Silsa's gas tank.
Rivers lands an uppercut.
Rivers scores with a shoulder strike.
Rivers lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rivers can't find room to land a body shot as Silsa controls the action.
Silsa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Rivers tries to throw a body punch but Silsa avoids it by throwing Rivers back against the cage.
Rivers doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Silsa prevents a body shot from Rivers.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Silsa is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Rivers struggles to land a body shot inside as Silsa controls his hands.
Silsa blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Rivers throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Rivers lands a right hand.
Rivers lands a right hand that snaps the head of Silsa backwards.
Rivers pushes Silsa back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Rivers tries to throw a body punch but Silsa avoids it by throwing Rivers back against the cage.
Silsa trying to stall but Rivers improves his position.
Rivers goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short right from Rivers on the inside.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Silsa is trying to maintain a safe position but Rivers gets an underhook and turns Silsa into the cage.
Rivers lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Rivers pushes Silsa back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A shot in the inside from Rivers.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dru Rivers dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Rivers lands a slapping body shot.
Rivers throws a leg kick but Silsa moved away.
Rivers throws a nice outside leg kick.
Silsa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Silsa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nice body kick there by Rivers.
Silsa has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Rivers.
Silsa takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Rivers lands with a right hand.
Pertti Silsa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Rivers cracks Silsa with a big right hand that sends him to the floor! Silsa looks wobbly but he's sprung back up to his feet straight away… can Rivers finish him?

Silsa is rocked!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivers lands with a thumping leg kick.
Silsa is still on wobbly legs! Can Rivers finish him?
Crack! Rivers connects with the perfect overhand right and Silsa falls face first to the canvas. Timbeeeeeeeer! Beautiful knockout for Rivers!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:23 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Dru Rivers!