PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Cranium Basher (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gianni Visnadi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Visnadi has chosen Blind by Korn as his entrance music. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Basher
vs
Visnadi

162 cm
29
155 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

184 cm
23
157 lbs
7 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid Muay Thai
Cardio machine

Powerful takedowns
Good kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Cranium Basher!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Gianni Visnadi!
The judges for this bout are Paulsen Ambrosius, Daniel Blasius and Radbod Blank.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Basher fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Visnadi sprawls well initially but Basher persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Visnadi trying to hold on to Basher's head to control him but Basher postures up.
Visnadi desperately trying to maintain half guard.
Visnadi wants to improve his position but Basher is controlling well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Visnadi wants to control but Basher is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Basher seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.

Visnadi looking for submissions off his back.
Visnadi is looking to improve his position.
Basher perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Basher lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Basher prevents Visnadi from improving his position.
Basher performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Visnadi has found himself in a tricky position here. He's been working his transitions in training so let's see if he can work his way out of it.
Basher wants to control but Visnadi is keeping him busy.
Basher wants to pass to mount but Visnadi is defending the position.
Visnadi is pressing down on Basher's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Basher missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Visnadi utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Visnadi is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Basher engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Visnadi is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Basher fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Visnadi looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Visnadi wants to clinch.

Visnadi dives in and scores a takedown into Basher's guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Basher bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Visnadi's guard.
Basher pushes down on Visnadi's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Basher stalling away here and it's allowed Visnadi to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.

Visnadi throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Basher scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Basher trying to control the position from guard on top but Visnadi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Visnadi is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Basher tries to free his leg and advance position but Visnadi is retaining full guard.
Basher with a nice head shot there.
Visnadi tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Basher passes Visnadi's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Basher sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Visnadi defending well though.
Visnadi wants to control but Basher is keeping busy and won't allow it.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Basher is trying to control. Visnadi wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Basher working over Visnadi with some ground and pound. Visnadi looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Basher thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Visnadi is looking to escape.
Basher looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Visnadi on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Ground and pound from Basher.

Basher is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Visnadi sees it coming and defends easily.

Visnadi is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Basher pulls his head out easily.
Basher trying to control the action but Visnadi is working from the bottom.
Visnadi moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Basher not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

Basher got a little sloppy there for a moment and Visnadi has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Basher has managed to get both his arms back between Visnadi's legs - danger averted.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Basher trying to control but Visnadi is working from the bottom.
Basher controls from within his opponent's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cranium Basher dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Basher is trying hard to land a takedown here. Visnadi sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Basher swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Basher swats away the attempt to clinch by Visnadi.
Basher throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Basher scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Visnadi throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Visnadi tries to clinch up

and Basher counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Visnadi throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Basher landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Cranium Basher overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Visnadi avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Basher.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Visnadi is trying to maintain the position but Basher is very close to passing his half guard.
Basher throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Basher is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Visnadi wants to improve his position but Basher is controlling well.
Basher is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Visnadi trying to control but Basher postures up.
Basher lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Basher moves into full mount! Visnadi won't be happy about that!
Basher landing shots from mount.
Basher has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Basher lands a big shot there that rocks Visnadi but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Basher lands a heavy elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
You get the feeling that Visnadi really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Basher putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!

Visnadi is rocked!
Visnadi gets back to half guard.
Visnadi is still in real trouble! Can Basher finish him?
Basher keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Visnadi seems to have recovered his senses.
Ground and pound from Basher.
Basher wants to lay and pray for a moment but Visnadi keeps working.
Visnadi keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Visnadi is trying to maintain the position but Basher is very close to passing his half guard.

Visnadi looking for submissions off his back.
Ground and pound from Basher.
Basher perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Basher trying to control the action but Visnadi is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Visnadi is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Basher pulls his head out easily.
Visnadi is not content to let Basher control the position.
Basher takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Visnadi is refusing to be controlled, as Basher sits in half guard.
Basher not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Visnadi is staying active underneath Basher, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Visnadi scores with a few weak punches.
Visnadi trying to control here.
Basher trying to control the action but Visnadi is working from the bottom.
Basher looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Basher seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Visnadi does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Still in half guard, Basher seems content to control.
Basher is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Visnadi trying to control but Basher postures up.
Visnadi blocking the ground and pound attempt from Basher.
Basher landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Basher scoring with strikes to the body and head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Basher stops Visnadi from getting back to his feet.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Basher is working for a kimura but Visnadi is defending it quite comfortably.
Visnadi is trying to get back to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cranium Basher dominated that second round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Basher misses with a body shot.
Visnadi showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Basher.
Visnadi throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Basher scores with a body shot.
Visnadi fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

Visnadi shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Visnadi was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Basher might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Basher sneaks back into half guard.
Basher works his way to full guard. Good work.
Basher manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Basher landing punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Basher with shots to the head and body - Visnadi looks very uncomfortable down there.
Basher working Visnadi over with strikes here.
Basher landing strikes, looking to finish!
Visnadi slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Basher wants to lay and pray for a moment but Visnadi keeps working.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Basher connects with a nice short shot to Visnadi's temple.
Basher looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Visnadi with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Basher lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Basher wants to pass to mount but Visnadi is defending the position.
Basher prevents Visnadi from improving his position.
Basher lands with a punch from half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Basher working the head and body with strikes.
Basher wants to take a breather but Visnadi is having none of it.
Visnadi tries to roll over but Basher keeps him under control.
The fighters are battling for position here. Visnadi manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Visnadi wants to stand but Basher is controlling the position.
Basher working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Basher working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Visnadi utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Basher accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Basher trying to control the position from guard on top but Visnadi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Visnadi utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Basher postures up in Visnadi's guard and throws a big left but Visnadi blocks it.
Visnadi working a defensive guard here.
Basher landing some decent shots from guard.
Visnadi looking to control.
Visnadi wants to sweep here but Basher controlling him for the moment.
Basher wants to control from the top but Visnadi keeps moving.
Basher loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Basher stopping the sweep attempt from Visnadi.
Basher working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Basher lands a couple of decent looking shots.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Basher accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Visnadi working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Basher.
Basher in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Basher trying to control but Visnadi is working from the bottom.
Visnadi looking to hit a scissor sweep but Basher is one step ahead there.
Basher working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Visnadi is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Basher is working Visnadi over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Basher trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Visnadi manages to escape and get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Visnadi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Basher.
Basher scores with a jab to the body.
Visnadi shoots for a double leg takedown but Basher sprawls well. He's pushed Visnadi's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Basher fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Visnadi looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Basher is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Visnadi can do to turn this around?
Visnadi avoids the body shot from Basher.

Basher fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Visnadi sprawls well initially but Basher persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Basher working the head and body with strikes.
Visnadi preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Basher looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Visnadi with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Visnadi tries to roll over but Basher keeps him under control.
Basher is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Visnadi is defending against the submission attempts here by Basher.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Visnadi tries to get to full guard but Basher has control of the leg.

Basher is trying to work for a kimura but Visnadi is defending well.
Visnadi tries to kick Basher off but Basher keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Visnadi is not content to let Basher control the position.
Visnadi is looking for a sweep. Basher is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Basher is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Basher trying to control from Visnadi's half guard. Visnadi has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Basher throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Visnadi trying to keep a closed guard but Basher is proving a slippery customer.
Basher distracts Visnadi with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Basher is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Basher trying to control but Visnadi is working from the bottom.
Visnadi looking to hit a scissor sweep but Basher is one step ahead there.
Basher scoring with some ground and pound.
Basher is looking to work some ground and pound but Visnadi has wrist control.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Basher's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Basher throws a big elbow that misses.
Basher throwing strikes but missing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Basher stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Visnadi swivels though and keeps the full guard.

Visnadi throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Basher trying to control the position from guard on top but Visnadi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Basher makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

Visnadi working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Basher doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Basher manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Visnadi being controlled here, momentarily.
Basher makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Visnadi keeping moving, preventing Basher from controlling successfully.
Basher cracks Visnadi with a solid left hand.
Basher landing with the ground and pound.
Basher makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Basher wants to control from the top but Visnadi keeps moving.
Basher with a nice head shot there.
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!
Visnadi keeping moving, preventing Basher from controlling successfully.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Visnadi is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Visnadi is looking to stand up but Basher isn't so interested in that idea.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cranium Basher had his way with Gianni Visnadi in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Basher misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Basher drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Basher scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Visnadi to see if he's OK.
Basher landing a few strikes.
Basher works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Visnadi tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Basher wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Basher scores with punches from side control.
Visnadi is working to avoid the ground and pound but Basher connects with a decent elbow.
Basher is working Visnadi over with some ground and pound from side control.
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!
Visnadi is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Basher scores with a big shot from side control... and another... and another! Oh Visnadi is done here - save him referee! More strikes land and eventually the ref does step in and Basher can finally stop beating on his defenseless opponent!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:59 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Cranium Basher!
Cranium Basher is the new featherweight champion!
Cranium Basher decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.