PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Aleksi Vihtala (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Davor Langerholc (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Langerholc has chosen Hypocrisy - Reincarnation as his entrance music. Aleksi Vihtala has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Vihtala
vs
Langerholc

188 cm
22
218 lbs
14 - 0 - 0

180 cm
22
208 lbs
7 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
World class MT
Cardio machine

ADCC Champion
Good low kicks
Good gas tank

Perkele!
Hell's Kitchen Lab Corp (159.49 $75)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Aleksi Vihtala!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Davor Langerholc!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Tarja Halkonen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Langerholc slips a jab from Vihtala.
Vihtala connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Langerholc momentarily.
Vihtala throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Horrible takedown by Langerholc or perhaps it was just good defense by Vihtala which made him look bad.
Vihtala misses with a wild body shot.
A head kick misses from Vihtala.
Langerholc shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Vihtala as he avoids it easily.
Langerholc is trying hard to land a takedown here. Vihtala sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Aleksi Vihtala has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Davor Langerholc.
Langerholc shoots and misses
and Vihtala counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Langerholc ducks under a wild hook from Vihtala.
Vihtala throws a quick inside leg kick.
Langerholc has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Vihtala.
Vihtala misses with a two punch combination.
Langerholc has his takedown stuffed
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Langerholc fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Vihtala avoids it really well and circles away.
Langerholc shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Vihtala defends it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Langerholc. That did some damage!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vihtala smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Langerholc fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Langerholc has his takedown stuffed
and Vihtala counters with a stiff right hand.
Aleksi Vihtala is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Langerholc checks the leg kick nicely there.
Vihtala throws a push kick but Langerholc slaps the foot to one side.
Vihtala scores with a nice right hand.
Langerholc is trying desperately to land a takedown but Vihtala is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for Langerholc.
A low kick from Vihtala misses

and Langerholc counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Vihtala's guard now.
Langerholc stopping the sweep attempt from Vihtala.
Vihtala not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Vihtala is on top in guard.
Vihtala trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Langerholc manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Langerholc pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Vihtala is keeping the position for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Vihtala has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Langerholc can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Langerholc postures up in Vihtala's guard and throws a big left but Vihtala blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aleksi Vihtala dominated that round.
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.

Vihtala tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Langerholc steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Vihtala.
Vihtala looks to score with a jab to the body but Langerholc is just out of range.
Langerholc keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Vihtala.
Vihtala scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Vihtala throws a lazy head kick

and Langerholc counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Vihtala wants to control but Langerholc is keeping busy.

Vihtala pushes Langerholc off and gets back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Langerholc moves out of range as Vihtala throws a body kick.
Vihtala stuffs the takedown.
Vihtala thows a left - swing and a miss!
Vihtala throws a low kick but Langerholc avoids it.
Vihtala misses with a leg kick.
A head kick misses from Vihtala.
Vihtala scores with a jab. Langerholc acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Langerholc looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Vihtala is trying to control but can't.
Vihtala wants to improve his position but Langerholc is controlling well.

Vihtala looking for submissions off his back.
Vihtala is looking to control Langerholc's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Vihtala avoid being mounted?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala is looking for a sweep. Langerholc is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Vihtala trying to hold on to Langerholc's head to control him but Langerholc postures up.
Langerholc prevents Vihtala from improving his position.
Vihtala is trying is best to control the position here.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Vihtala wants to get back to full guard.

We're going to have a standup here because Aleksi Vihtala wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Vihtala bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Langerholc's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Aleksi Vihtala is winning the standup battle so far.

Langerholc fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Vihtala sprawls well initially but Langerholc persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Vihtala trying to control but Langerholc postures up.
Vihtala works his way to full guard. Good work.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Langerholc won't allow Vihtala to get back to his feet.
Vihtala is trying to control the position but Langerholc postures up.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Vihtala looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Vihtala wants to hit a switch here but Langerholc passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Vihtala there!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Vihtala looks to throw the jab but Langerholc is out of range.
Langerholc dodges the punch combination from Vihtala.
Vihtala tried to score with a low kick but Langerholc checks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vihtala looks to land a right hand but Langerholc moved out of range.
Vihtala throws a wild body kick that Langerholc sees coming a mile off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vihtala throws a low kick but it's checked well by Langerholc.
Vihtala throws the left hand but Langerholc avoids the punch easily.
Langerholc uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Vihtala.
Vihtala throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

Langerholc feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Vihtala manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Vihtala looking to control but Langerholc is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Langerholc has given up his back.
Will Vihtala go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?

Langerholc preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Vihtala.

Vihtala working for a choke but Langerholc is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Vihtala working for the choke.
Vihtala struggling to keep hold of the position.

Langerholc defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.

Vihtala is staying calm and holding on to the back position, whilst working on a rear naked choke. Langerholc is defending well though. Vihtala let's go of the attempt for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vihtala patiently working for the choke. Which fighter will keep their nerve here?
Vihtala gets his hands free as Langerholc looks to control.

Langerholc is in a bad position with Vihtala working for a choke. Langerholc manages to spin nicely into guard and the danger is over for the moment.
Langerholc won't allow Vihtala to sweep him here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aleksi Vihtala clearly takes that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Langerholc checks a leg kick.
Langerholc shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Vihtala as he avoids it easily.
Langerholc shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Vihtala pinned against the cage. Vihtala gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Vihtala misses with a telegraphed body shot

and Langerholc counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Vihtala working a defensive guard here.
Vihtala is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Langerholc is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Langerholc is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vihtala looking to hit a scissor sweep but Langerholc is one step ahead there.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Aleksi Vihtala.
Langerholc tries for a takedown but Vihtala circles away easily
and Vihtala counters with an inside leg kick.
Aleksi Vihtala has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Davor Langerholc.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Vihtala just misses with a punch to the body.
Vihtala fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Langerholc manages to avoid it.
Horrible takedown by Langerholc or perhaps it was just good defense by Vihtala which made him look bad.
Vihtala misses the shot to the body.
Vihtala fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Langerholc manages to avoid it.
Langerholc shoots and misses
letting Vihtala counter with a right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Vihtala throws a body kick, spinning off balance

and Langerholc counters with a nice double leg into side control. Vihtala won't be happy with that.
Vihtala is looking for a sweep.
Langerholc is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Vihtala is not content to let Langerholc control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala tries to control but Langerholc manages to take his back.
Langerholc slows the pace down here. Having a little breather whilst he's in a dominant position, looking to rest and regain some energy, ready to go for the finish.
Vihtala just trying to survive but Langerholc is wriggling into a better position, looking to finish.
Langerholc trying to control momentarily.
Vihtala is trying to get back to his feet but Langerholc has full control of the position and if anything, Vihtala has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Vihtala grimaces as he takes a shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Davor Langerholc dominated that fourth round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Vihtala misses with a body shot

and Langerholc counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Langerholc.
Langerholc looking to sit in guard and control but Vihtala gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Vihtala trying to control but Langerholc is working from the bottom.
Vihtala slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Vihtala trying to control the position from guard on top but Langerholc is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Vihtala drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Langerholc dives on top into guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vihtala wants to control the position but Langerholc says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Vihtala makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Vihtala.

Vihtala working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Langerholc has passed into half guard!
Vihtala is trying to maintain the position but Langerholc is very close to passing his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Langerholc wants to pass the guard but Vihtala is defending well.
Vihtala tries to kick Langerholc off but Langerholc keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Langerholc prevents Vihtala from improving his position.
Vihtala wants to stand back up but Langerholc manages to pass into side control.
Davor Langerholc has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala tries to bench press Langerholc off him but Langerholc keeps the position.
Vihtala is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Langerholc is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Vihtala tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Vihtala is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Vihtala tries to reverse the position but Langerholc maintains control.
Langerholc postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Vihtala looks a forlorn figure.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vihtala tries to hold on but Langerholc pushes him away.
Langerholc landing strikes from the mount and Vihtala is in trouble!
Langerholc avoids the attempt from Vihtala to control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vihtala bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Vihtala trying to control but Langerholc is working from the bottom.
Vihtala advances to half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Aleksi Vihtala.
I think Vihtala 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 49:46
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 48:47
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 49:46

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Aleksi Vihtala!
Aleksi Vihtala retains his light heavyweight title!
Aleksi Vihtala gave a mention to Perkele! in his post fight interview. That will please them (and hopefully generate some sales).