PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Elias Eberhard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pertti Rauta (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rauta has chosen Frederik - Harva Meistä On Rautaa as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Eberhard
vs
Rauta

184 cm
30
225 lbs
16 - 4 - 0

192 cm
41
264 lbs
40 - 26 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Perkele!
Milwaukee's Best 160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Elias Eberhard!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 40 - 26 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pertti Rauta!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Arvi Lind and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rauta looks to clinch

and Eberhard counters with a nice double leg into guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Eberhard wants to control from the top but Rauta keeps moving.
Eberhard stays in close to Rauta's body and controls the position.
Rauta looking to control.
Eberhard throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Rauta works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Eberhard is looking to work some ground and pound but Rauta has wrist control.
Eberhard distracts Rauta with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Eberhard throwing strikes from guard but Rauta blocks nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Eberhard stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Rauta swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Rauta looking to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rauta working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Eberhard.
Eberhard wants to control from the top but Rauta keeps moving.
Eberhard is pushing down on Rauta's leg trying to pass to half guard. Rauta is fighting to maintain full guard but Eberhard has managed to sneak the leg through.
Rauta blocking the ground and pound attempt from Eberhard.
Eberhard not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Eberhard not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rauta keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Rauta trying to control here.
Eberhard missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Rauta has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Eberhard is working away from the top position though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Eberhard tries to pass the half guard into mount. Rauta knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Eberhard thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Eberhard lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Eberhard missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Eberhard not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Eberhard is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
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!
Eberhard thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Eberhard thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Rauta's head.
Eberhard missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Eberhard is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Rauta trying to control but Eberhard postures up.
Eberhard wants to pass the guard but Rauta is defending well.
Eberhard throwing shots but Rauta is blocking nicely.
Rauta is refusing to be controlled, as Eberhard sits in half guard.
Eberhard throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rauta is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Eberhard scores with a couple of nice shots.
Eberhard looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Eberhard tries to pass the half guard into mount. Rauta knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Rauta is concentrating on defense, preventing Eberhard from advancing position.
Eberhard missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Rauta is looking for a sweep. Eberhard is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Nice strikes from Eberhard there.
Rauta blocking the ground and pound attempt from Eberhard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Eberhard is looking to advance position but Rauta won't allow it.
Rauta blocking the ground and pound attempt from Eberhard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elias Eberhard 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.

Rauta tries to clinch but Eberhard is having none of it.
Rauta moves in looking to clinch but Eberhard pushes him off.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Rauta.
Rauta throws an overhand right that lands on Eberhard's shoulder, as Eberhard tries to avoid the shot.
Rauta takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Eberhard shoots for a double leg takedown but Rauta sprawls well. He's pushed Eberhard's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Eberhard tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rauta was well out of range. Poor timing from Eberhard.
Eberhard fails with the takedown.
Eberhard avoids the body shot from Rauta.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Eberhard misses with a hook.
Rauta throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Eberhard sees it coming and avoids it easily.
A punch combination from Rauta misses.
Rauta throws a hook but Eberhard avoids it easily.
Rauta jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Eberhard ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Rauta throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Pertti Rauta is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rauta lands a front kick.
Rauta has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Eberhard goes for a double leg but Rauta avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Rauta continues to drive forward.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Elias Eberhard. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Eberhard misses with a punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Eberhard prevents a body shot from Rauta.
Rauta misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Eberhard lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Eberhard tries to work over Rauta's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A short left from Rauta.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Rauta.
Rauta tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Rauta with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Rauta blocking some punches.
Rauta blocks an uppercut.
Rauta pushes off an throws an elbow but Eberhard leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
With the fighters up against the cage, Rauta throws an elbow but misses.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Rauta creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Eberhard tries to score a body lock takedown but Rauta shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Eberhard misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rauta throws a head punch that misses.
Rauta goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Rauta struggles to land a body shot inside as Eberhard controls his hands.
Rauta throws a punch but it's blocked by Eberhard.
Eberhard misses with a body punch.
Rauta lands an elbow inside that Eberhard shrugs off.
Eberhard avoids a wild elbow strike from Rauta.
Eberhard goes for a takedown attempt but Rauta pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
We've been told by Eberhard's head coaches at The Stray Dogs that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.

Rauta rushes Eberhard and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Eberhard prevents a body shot from Rauta.
Eberhard prevents a body shot from Rauta.
Rauta misses with a body punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rauta misses with a punch to the body.
Rauta can't find room to land a body shot as Eberhard controls the action.
Rauta blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Eberhard prevents a body shot from Rauta.

Eberhard breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Rauta throws a wild body kick that Eberhard sees coming a mile off.
Eberhard connects with a crisp jab.
Rauta uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Eberhard.
Rauta tries to clinch but Eberhard is having none of it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Eberhard fails with a takedown attempt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rauta misses with a wild combination.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pertti Rauta showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Rauta cracks Eberhard with a good jab.
Pertti Rauta seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Rauta pivots, looking for a leg kick but Eberhard is out of range and Rauta settles back down.
Rauta looks to clinch

and Eberhard decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Rauta's guard.
Eberhard 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.
Rauta working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Eberhard.
Eberhard missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Eberhard trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Eberhard trying to control but Rauta is working from the bottom.
Rauta trying to control the position.
Eberhard stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Rauta swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Eberhard accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Rauta utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Eberhard postures up in Rauta's guard and throws a big left but Rauta blocks it.
Eberhard postures up in Rauta's guard and throws a big left but Rauta blocks it.
Eberhard throwing strikes but missing.
Eberhard wants to control from the top but Rauta keeps moving.
Eberhard throwing strikes but missing.
Eberhard trying to control the position from guard on top but Rauta is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rauta pulls Eberhard in to control the position.
Eberhard won't allow Rauta to sweep him here.
Rauta trying to keep a closed guard but Eberhard is proving a slippery customer.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Rauta swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Rauta throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Rauta wants to clinch

and Eberhard counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Rauta!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The strikes coming from Eberhard are missing the target in this wave of attacks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Eberhard just content to control the position.
Eberhard trying to control the action but Rauta is working from the bottom.
Eberhard lands an elbow.
Eberhard working the head with strikes.
Rauta tries to buck Eberhard off but Eberhard is having none of it.
Eberhard lands an elbow.
Rauta is looking to regain half guard here but Eberhard keeps moving and retains side control.
Eberhard landing a few strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Eberhard has knee on belly and moves into mount.
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!
Rauta tries to hold on but Eberhard postures up.
Eberhard has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Rauta's face.
Rauta is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Eberhard postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Rauta looks a forlorn figure.

Rauta is rocked!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Eberhard lands a big elbow - Rauta is in trouble! More strikes from the mount and Rauta is forced to tap out!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:55 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Strikes). Elias Eberhard!