PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Matt Freeman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Leach (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Leach is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Wiki - Wikispeaks. Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Matt Leach enters the cage!

Freeman
vs
Leach

178 cm
36
195 lbs
20 - 13 - 0

200 cm
34
195 lbs
17 - 10 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Spartan Nutrition
Urban Fighter

GREEN!160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Matt Freeman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Matt Leach!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Arvi Lind and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Freeman clinches up with Leach and pushes him back against the cage.
Freeman tries to circle away but Leach has him pinned against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Leach fails to land.

Freeman breaks from the clinch.
Leach takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Matt Freeman seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Freeman tries to clinch but Leach is having none of it.
Leach unleashes a big counter combination but Freeman bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Freeman tries to close the distance and clinch up but Leach swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Leach wants to counter with a clinch but Freeman pushes him away.

Freeman closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Leach to the mat! Leach manages to get full guard.
Leach keeping moving, preventing Freeman from controlling successfully.
Freeman pushing down on Leach's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Leach does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Freeman missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Freeman throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Leach wants to improve his position but Freeman is controlling well.
Freeman wants to advance to full mount but Leach doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
Freeman working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Freeman sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Leach's guard.
Leach is trying to stand up here but Freeman is controlling him well.
Leach wants to get back to full guard.
Leach is looking to control Freeman's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Leach avoid being mounted?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Freeman is looking to stall here but Leach recovers full guard.
Freeman is looking to advance position but Leach has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!

Leach looking to control but Freeman is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Freeman tries to hold on but Leach postures up.
Freeman is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Freeman is in all sorts of trouble here.
Freeman tries to lock up and control but Leach gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Leach can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Freeman is looking to escape.
We've been hearing good reports from Freeman's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
Freeman tries to hold on but Leach postures up.
Leach sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

That's four 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.
Freeman tries to reverse the position but Leach maintains control.
Leach is trying to control here but Freeman has managed to regain half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Leach wants to control but Freeman is keeping him busy.
Freeman is trying to stand up here but Leach is controlling him well.
Leach trying to mount his opponent but Freeman defends it.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman tries to roll over but Leach keeps him under control.
Freeman wants to control the action here but instead Leach manages to pass to full mount!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Matt Freeman will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Freeman scores with a takedown into Leach's guard.
Leach has his hands on Freeman's head, controlling the position.
Freeman seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Freeman trying to control but Leach is working from the bottom.
Matt Freeman overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Freeman accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Freeman accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Freeman's corner is telling him to maintain position.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Freeman fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Freeman is trying hard to land a takedown here. Leach sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Leach looks to land a combination but Freeman avoids it well.
Freeman tries for a takedown but Leach circles away easily
and Leach counters with a one-two to the body.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Matt Freeman. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Freeman cracks the inside of Leach's front leg.
Leach defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Freeman.
Freeman pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Leach unleashes a big counter combination but Freeman bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Leach stuffs the takedown attempt from Freeman. Freeman gets slowly back to his feet.
Leach tries to counter by closing the distance.
Leach fails to land with a series of punches.
Freeman doesn't manage to clinch there - Leach circles away.
Leach lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
The fight stays on the outside here - Freeman looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Freeman looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Freeman shoots in looking for a takedown. Leach tries to sprawl out of it but Freeman keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Leach manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Leach misses with a few strikes there.
No joy there for Leach, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Freeman is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Freeman tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Freeman throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Freeman will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Freeman fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Leach avoids it really well and circles away.
Freeman showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Leach.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman shoots for a double leg takedown but Leach sprawls well. He's pushed Freeman's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Leach showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. This is the final round!

Freeman shoots in but no luck this time.
Despite the aggression on Leach's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Freeman throws a sloppy head kick and Leach moves out of range easily.
Matt Leach seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Freeman closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Freeman lands in his opponent's guard.
Freeman might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Freeman trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Leach manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!

Leach tries to free his leg and advance position but Freeman is retaining full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman wants to sweep here but Leach controlling him for the moment.
Freeman controlling Leach's posture.
Leach content to stall in guard here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leach postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Leach tries to free his leg and advance position but Freeman is retaining full guard.
Leach controls from within his opponent's guard.
Leach trying to control the position from guard on top but Freeman is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Freeman trying to keep a closed guard but Leach is proving a slippery customer.
Leach seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Leach trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Leach throws a series of punches but Freeman moves out of range.
Freeman lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Leach backs up against the cage.

It looks like Matt Leach has been cut.
Leach 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.
Some wild striking there from Leach.
Freeman throws a series of punches but Leach avoids them all with ease.
Leach is looking for the big counter here.

Freeman shoots in and bounces Leach off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Leach is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Freeman looking to sit in guard and control but Leach gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Freeman looking for a sweep. Not yet Freeman, not yet.
Leach trying to control the position from guard on top but Freeman is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Freeman looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Freeman is trying to keep Leach in close.
Leach is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Leach pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Freeman is keeping the position for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Leach trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.

Freeman working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Leach doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Leach manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Leach trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman wants to get back to his feet but Leach is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Leach trying to control the position from guard on top but Freeman is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Freeman showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Freeman 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 29:28
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Freeman!
Matt Freeman really struggled to get his t-shirt on before his hand was raised. Making sure that Bad Man Clothing (Nothing Over $40) logo gets some air time is pretty tricky when you're all sweaty.