PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight kickboxing rules bout between Marko Hanttonen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Herbst (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Herbst has chosen How can I become a Bawlaa as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Hanttonen
vs
Herbst

171 cm
23
204 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

185 cm
28
220 lbs
8 - 5 - 0

World class boxer
Granite chin

World class MT
Good gas tank

Milwaukee's Best 160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Marko Hanttonen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, James Herbst!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Sosuke Kotani and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hanttonen scores with a jab to the head.
Herbst thows a body shot but no joy.
Herbst scores with a crisp jab that stopped Hanttonen in his tracks.

It looks like Marko Hanttonen has been cut.
Herbst takes a swing at Hanttonen's ribcage but misses.
Herbst avoids the body shot from Hanttonen.
Herbst lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hanttonen circles away quickly and effectively.
Hanttonen moves out of range of the body kick.
Herbst jabs Hanttonen right on the nose. Hanttonen blinks but takes it well.
Hanttonen misses with an attempted mid kick.

Herbst gets a clinch.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Hanttonen looking to throw knees to the head but Herbst is blocking nicely.
Herbst managing to block the knees to the body from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen swings wildly with an uppercut but Herbst uses good head movement to avoid it.
Herbst blocks an elbow strike from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Hanttonen wants to stall.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A short right from Hanttonen on the inside.
Hanttonen pushes Herbst back against the ropes and unloads with a body punch.
Hanttonen swings wildly with an uppercut but Herbst uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hanttonen throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Herbst blocks it with crossed arms.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Hanttonen.
Herbst blocks an uppercut.
I was talking to Hanttonen's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hanttonen can't find room to land a body shot as Herbst controls the action.
Hanttonen swings wildly with an uppercut but Herbst uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hanttonen blocks an elbow strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Herbst blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Herbst prevents a body shot from Hanttonen.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Herbst.
Herbst avoids the elbow strike from Hanttonen, against the ropes.
Hanttonen misses with a knee to the head.
Hanttonen missing with knees to the body.
Hanttonen misses with a hook to the ribs.
Hanttonen misses with a punch on the inside.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Herbst looking to slow down the pace here.
Hanttonen misses with a hook from the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Hanttonen dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Marko Hanttonen's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Herbst throws a body punch but Hanttonen moves out of range.
Herbst scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Hanttonen tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Herbst paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Herbst fails with an attempt to clinch.
Herbst scores with a jab to the head.
Herbst is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Hanttonen throws a solid leg kick but Herbst takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Hanttonen.
A low kick from Herbst is predictable there
and Herbst takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hanttonen fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Herbst looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Herbst takes one on the button.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

Hanttonen pushes Herbst up against the ropes in a clinch.
Herbst avoiding damage as Hanttonen throws knees to the body.
Hanttonen blocks an elbow strike from Herbst.
Hanttonen tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Herbst misses with a punch on the inside.

Herbst breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Herbst lands with a nice body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hanttonen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Sloppy strikes from Herbst. Those never looked like landing.
Hanttonen misses the jab.
Hanttonen pushes Herbst away with a front kick.
Herbst takes a shot right to the bread basket.
James Herbst seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Herbst misses with a hook to the body
and Hanttonen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Hanttonen scores with a body shot.
Herbst takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Herbst throws a body punch but Hanttonen moves out of range.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Herbst fails with an attempt to clinch.
Herbst scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Herbst stuns Hanttonen with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Herbst misses with a jab to the body
and Hanttonen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hanttonen jabs at Herbst's body.
Herbst lands the left hand.

Marko Hanttonen's cut is getting worse.
Herbst misses the shot to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hanttonen moves in looking to clinch but Herbst pushes him off.
A big right from Hanttonen misses.
Hanttonen thows a body shot but no joy.
A big right from Herbst misses.

Hanttonen moves into range and clinches up with Herbst.
Hanttonen tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A short right from Hanttonen on the inside.
Herbst blocks an uppercut.
Herbst avoiding damage as Hanttonen throws knees to the body.
Hanttonen lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hanttonen is looking to control Herbst's arms but Herbst gets an underhook and turns him. Now Hanttonen has his back to the ropes.
Hanttonen tries to work over Herbst's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Hanttonen tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Marko Hanttonen will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Marko Hanttonen's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hanttonen connects with a leg kick. Herbst looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Herbst takes one to the side of the head.
Hanttonen throws a right hand that Herbst ducks under and follows up with a left that Herbst also avoids with ease.
The fighters circling - Hanttonen throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hanttonen ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Sloppy strikes from Hanttonen. Those never looked like landing.
Hanttonen is looking to slow Herbst down with leg kicks.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Hanttonen misses with a wild body shot.
Hanttonen moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Herbst scores with a nice right hand.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Herbst takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
A nice leg kick lands there from Hanttonen.
Herbst wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Herbst lands an overhand right.
Hanttonen tries to clinch up but Herbst circles away and keeps his distance.
Marko Hanttonen is winning the standup battle so far.
Herbst swings away with a body shot that misses
and Hanttonen counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Herbst swats away the attempt to clinch by Hanttonen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Herbst circles away from the clinch attempt
and Herbst counters with a head kick.
Hanttonen looks for the body kick but Herbst saw that one coming.
Herbst is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Hanttonen rather than just go for the knockout.
Hanttonen connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Herbst momentarily.
Herbst has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Hanttonen throws a nice inside leg kick.
The fighters circling - Herbst throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Herbst throws out a leg kick but Hanttonen moves out of range and Herbst only half commits.
Hanttonen changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Herbst misses the body punch
and Hanttonen counters with a nice low kick that buckles Herbst's knee momentarily.
Herbst takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Hanttonen fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Herbst has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hanttonen has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Herbst.
Hanttonen scores with a jab.
Herbst digs a good body shot into Hanttonen's ribs.

Hanttonen drives through and clinches with Herbst against the ropes.
Hanttonen tries to work over Herbst's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hanttonen struggles to land a body shot inside as Herbst controls his hands.
Hanttonen scores with a shoulder strike.
Herbst creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
A right hand to the body from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen tries to land knees in the clinch but Herbst avoids the damage to the body.
Hanttonen lands a hook to the side of the head.
Herbst on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hanttonen tries to throw a body punch but Herbst avoids it by throwing Hanttonen back against the ropes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hanttonen tries to throw a body punch but Herbst avoids it by throwing Hanttonen back against the ropes.
Hanttonen takes an elbow to the temple.
Herbst lands an elbow that stopped Hanttonen in his tracks for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Hanttonen clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Marko Hanttonen's cut.
That's time! Hanttonen's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Hanttonen closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Hanttonen just misses with a punch to the body.
Hanttonen throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Herbst misses with a leg kick

and Hanttonen counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Hanttonen with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Herbst avoiding damage as Hanttonen throws knees to the body.
Hanttonen scores with a shoulder strike.

Herbst escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Hanttonen clips Herbst with a right and a left that makes him do the chicken dance for a couple of seconds. He touched his left hand down on the canvas so the referee steps between the fighters to give Herbst a standing 8 count before we can continue the bout.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Herbst scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Herbst misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen throws a low kick but it's checked well by Herbst.
Herbst looks to score with a jab to the body but Hanttonen is just out of range.
Hanttonen wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Herbst throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Hanttonen.
Hanttonen lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Herbst is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Hanttonen looks to land a combination. Herbst sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Hanttonen misses with a body kick.
Herbst drops his hands momentarily and Hanttonen takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

Herbst is rocked!
A good leg kick by Herbst.
Herbst goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

Marko Hanttonen's cut is bleeding quite badly. He's got to try and protect it.
Hanttonen lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hanttonen throws a body punch but Herbst moves out of range.
Herbst lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Hanttonen checks a leg kick.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen scores with a jab to the head.
Hanttonen throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Herbst tries to clinch there but Hanttonen circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hanttonen blocks the body kick.
Herbst connects with an inside leg kick.
Herbst swinging wildly here.
Herbst doesn't manage to clinch there - Hanttonen circles away.
Hanttonen on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Herbst throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Hanttonen avoids the head kick by Herbst.
Herbst defending well as Hanttonen loads up on a big left hand.
Herbst looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hanttonen moves in looking to clinch but Herbst pushes him off.
Herbst misses with a kick to the body
and Hanttonen counters with a thumping low kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hanttonen lands a jab to Herbst's midsection.
Hanttonen scores with a leg kick.
Hanttonen goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Hanttonen tries to close the distance and clinch but Herbst swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Hanttonen takes the final round due to the solitary knockdown.
The cut man is working on Marko Hanttonen's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Hanttonen lands with an uppercut that bounces Herbst off the ropes and back into range.
Hanttonen lets loose with a powerful body kick. Herbst will feel that in the morning.
Hanttonen slips a straight right by Herbst.
Hanttonen is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Hanttonen scores with a jab.
Hanttonen closes the distance but Herbst moves to the side
and Herbst counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Hanttonen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Herbst.
Hanttonen stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Hanttonen throws a looping overhand right but Herbst ducks down to avoid it.
Hanttonen swats away the attempt to clinch by Herbst.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Herbst walks into a left hand.
Herbst throws a jab when Hanttonen was well out of range.
Hanttonen connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Herbst is still on wobbly legs! Can Hanttonen finish him?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hanttonen scoring well with a low kick there.
Herbst takes a swing at Hanttonen's ribcage but misses.
Hanttonen throws a wild body kick that Herbst sees coming a mile off.
Herbst seems to have recovered his senses.
Herbst misses with a combination
and Hanttonen counters with a straight right hand.
Herbst is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
A looping hook to the body misses from Herbst. Hanttonen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Hanttonen throws a sloppy head kick and Herbst moves out of range easily.
Herbst swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Herbst tries to bum rush Hanttonen with a series of wild strikes but Hanttonen uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Hanttonen with a nice cross.
Herbst misses with a body shot.
Hanttonen throws a leg kick
and Herbst counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Hanttonen throws a sloppy head kick and Herbst moves out of range easily.
Herbst's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Herbst throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Hanttonen scores with a push kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Herbst on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A decent looking cross lands there for Herbst.
Hanttonen scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Herbst takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Hanttonen swings for the body but Herbst moves out of range.

Hanttonen moves into range and clinches up with Herbst.
Hanttonen doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A short uppercut from Hanttonen.
Hanttonen tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Hanttonen stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hanttonen misses with a knee strike.
Hanttonen lands with a light punch inside.
James Herbst has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Marko Hanttonen is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Herbst throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marko Hanttonen showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Hanttonen has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 50:44
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 50:44
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marko Hanttonen!
A victorious Marko Hanttonen thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.
James Herbst spoke after the fight, saying 'That fucker cheated - he poked me in the eye!!'.