PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Efriam Haldi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Richmond Finch (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Haldi
vs
Finch

167 cm
28
144 lbs
14 - 10 - 0

176 cm
26
156 lbs
11 - 7 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Dangerous knees
Granite chin

Olympic wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 10 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Efriam Haldi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Richmond Finch!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Konstantin Menshow and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A good leg kick by Haldi.
Finch misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Haldi.
Finch throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Finch missing with a left hand there. Haldi was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Finch takes a swing at Haldi's ribcage but misses.
Finch takes a swing at Haldi's ribcage but misses.
Haldi scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Haldi shoots in but Finch avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Finch scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Haldi takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Haldi misses with a low kick as Finch jumps back.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Finch, as that shot connected.
Finch throws a body punch but Haldi moves out of range.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Haldi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Finch manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Finch tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Haldi was well out of range. Poor timing from Finch.
Haldi feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Finch's calf.
Haldi throws a sloppy head kick and Finch moves out of range easily.
Haldi avoids the body shot from Finch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Finch throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Haldi stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Finch smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Richmond Finch seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Finch loads up on a big right hand but Haldi slips the punch.
Finch checks a leg kick.
Finch is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Haldi rather than just go for the knockout.
Finch throws a right and a left that both miss.
Finch connects with a single shot there.
Haldi tries to clinch up but Finch circles away and keeps his distance.
Haldi wants to clinch up but Finch keeps it at a distance.
Finch throws an overhand right that lands on Haldi's shoulder, as Haldi tries to avoid the shot.
Haldi shoots in but Finch avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Finch, as that shot connected.
Richmond Finch is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Finch throws out a leg kick but Haldi moves out of range and Finch only half commits.
Finch throws a right hand that Haldi ducks under and follows up with a left that Haldi also avoids with ease.
Finch with a body punch. A glancing blow.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Haldi misses with a series of wild punches.
Haldi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Finch swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haldi fails in his attempt to clinch.
No luck for Haldi with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Efriam Haldi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Finch throws a head kick but Haldi moves out of range.
Finch throws a left and a right that both miss
and Haldi counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Finch blocks a head kick by Haldi.
Haldi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Finch is looking to land body kicks.
Finch connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Haldi walks into a straight right hand from Finch.

It looks like Efriam Haldi has been cut.
Finch has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Finch scores with a decent looking hook.
Haldi fails with an attempt to clinch.
Finch misses with a wild body shot.
Haldi shoots in looking for a takedown but Finch manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Haldi's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Finch uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Haldi has time to react.
Finch misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Haldi.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Finch misses with a combination

and Haldi counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Haldi.
Finch avoiding damage as Haldi throws knees to the body.
Haldi using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.

Finch pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Haldi throws a head kick but Finch moves out of range.
Finch goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Haldi doesn't manage to clinch there - Finch circles away.

Haldi closes the distance and clinches.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Haldi. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Haldi.
Haldi being controlled against the cage.
Haldi throws a head punch that misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Haldi creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Finch's defenses.
Haldi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Finch is trying to maintain a safe position but Haldi gets an underhook and turns Finch into the cage.
Finch misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Haldi has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Finch is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Finch tries to throw a body punch but Haldi avoids it by throwing Finch back against the cage.
Haldi lands a right hand that snaps the head of Finch backwards.
Haldi throws a punch but it's blocked by Finch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Haldi.
Haldi tries a knee to the head but Finch blocks it.
Finch blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Finch has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Haldi seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Finch can turn it around.
Haldi tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Finch blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Finch dodges an elbow strike from Haldi.
Finch managing to block the knees to the body from Haldi.
Nice elbow from Haldi.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

A solid body kick from Finch.
Finch ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Finch misses with a body shot.
Finch misses with a wild body shot.
An inside leg kick from Haldi misses.
Finch throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Haldi throws the left hand but Finch avoids the punch easily.
Finch throws a lazy right hand but Haldi sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haldi avoids the head kick by Finch.
Finch fails to land with a series of punches.
Finch throws a half hearted mid kick.
Finch misses with a wild body shot.
Haldi slips under a jab from Finch.
A head kick by Haldi misses
and Finch counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Haldi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Haldi closes the distance and lands a one-two.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Haldi throws a sloppy head kick and Finch moves out of range easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Finch throws an off balance right hand

and Haldi moves into the clinch.
Haldi tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Finch avoids it.
Haldi misses with a body punch.
Finch scores with a hook to the body.
Haldi tries to land knees in the clinch but Finch avoids the damage to the body.

Haldi has clasped his hands together around Finch's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Finch wants to get back to his feet but Haldi drags him back down.
Haldi tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Finch sneaks back into half guard.
Haldi is trying to control the action in half guard but Finch is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haldi wants to pass to mount but Finch is defending the position.

Haldi is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Finch doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Haldi.

Haldi seems to be working for a kimura but Finch defends the submission attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Finch is trying to stand.
Haldi wants to pass the guard but Finch is defending well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Haldi is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Finch sees it coming and defends easily.
Haldi trying to pass the guard but Finch defending well.

Haldi seems to be working for a kimura but Finch defends the submission attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Finch is trying to stand back up but Haldi is controlling him
Haldi tries to pass to full mount but Finch defends it.
Haldi is keen to just control but Finch is a slippery customer.
Finch is trying to stand.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Haldi looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Haldi looking for a submission but Finch manages to get full guard, putting an end to that submission attempt.
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 Efriam Haldi will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Efriam Haldi's cut.
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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Finch circles away from the clinch attempt.
Haldi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Finch steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Haldi.
Haldi tries to close the distance and clinch but Finch swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Finch keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Haldi shoots for a double leg takedown but Finch sprawls well. He's pushed Haldi's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Finch takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Haldi shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Finch but Finch pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Efriam Haldi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Finch connects with a looping right hand.
A looping hook to the body misses from Finch. Haldi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Haldi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Finch on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Haldi. Haldi obviously looking to wear him down.
Finch ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Haldi!
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Finch avoids the head kick by Haldi.
A jab from Finch finds it's way through Haldi's defenses.
Haldi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Finch throws a nice inside leg kick.
Finch throws a head kick that misses.
Richmond Finch seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Finch avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Finch looks to throw the jab but Haldi is out of range.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Finch.
Haldi tries a head kick but it misses.
Finch throws a combination that misses

and Haldi counters with a takedown into side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Haldi is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Finch knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Haldi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Finch keeps working.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Haldi is trying to get an arm triangle but Finch is defending well.
Haldi wants to control for a moment but Finch uses the opportunity to move back to half guard.

Haldi looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Haldi wants to work for an arm triangle but Finch is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Finch is looking to improve his position.
Efriam Haldi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Finch won't allow Haldi to pass to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Haldi is keen to just control but Finch is a slippery customer.
Haldi is stalling here. Finch is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Haldi seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Finch has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Haldi is looking for a sweep.
Haldi is trying to control Finch's posture but Finch avoids it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Finch wants to lay and pray for a moment but Haldi keeps working.

And that's the end of the fight!
Efriam Haldi showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Haldi 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 29:28
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Efriam Haldi!
Efriam Haldi decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.
Richmond Finch was interviewed post fight and said 'I guess I'll be drowning my sorrows instead of celebrating at tonight's after party. '.