PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pernell Whitaker Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Skreba Reijonen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Skreba Reijonen is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Whitaker Jr
vs
Reijonen

177 cm
27
167 lbs
19 - 8 - 0

172 cm
25
161 lbs
10 - 7 - 2

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 8 - 0, fighting out of New York, Pernell Whitaker Jr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 7 - 2, fighting out of Helsinki, Skreba Reijonen!
The judges for this bout are Aafke Stam, Saam Ante and Paul Aken.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Whitaker Jr connects with a right hand. Reijonen shakes it off.
Reijonen looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Reijonen lands the left hand.

It looks like Pernell Whitaker Jr has been cut.
Reijonen tries to clinch up but Whitaker Jr circles away and keeps his distance.
Reijonen punishes Whitaker Jr's body with a nice straight punch.

Whitaker Jr tries to keep at a distance but Reijonen has taken the fight into the clinch.
Whitaker Jr slowing the pace effectively.
Whitaker Jr scores with a hook to the body.
Whitaker Jr digs a right hand into Reijonen's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Reijonen's gas tank.
Whitaker Jr lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Whitaker Jr lands a body punch.
Whitaker Jr tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Whitaker Jr tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Reijonen's elbow.
Reijonen scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Whitaker Jr's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Reijonen throws a head punch that misses.
Whitaker Jr lands a left hand.
Reijonen tries a body shot but Whitaker Jr blocks it.
Reijonen misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Whitaker Jr working aggressively here.
Reijonen doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A head punch on the inside from Whitaker Jr fails to land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A short right from Reijonen on the inside.
Reijonen lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Whitaker Jr pushes Reijonen back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Reijonen misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Whitaker Jr drops down looking for an ankle pick but Reijonen pulls his leg out and moves away.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Whitaker Jr.
A shot to the liver by Reijonen. Beautiful body shot.
Whitaker Jr misses with a low kick.
Reijonen misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Nice body punch from Reijonen.
Whitaker Jr swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Whitaker Jr throws a lazy right hand but Reijonen sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Whitaker Jr cracks Reijonen with a good jab.
Whitaker Jr tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
As Whitaker Jr backs off Reijonen throws a huge counter combo but Whitaker Jr manages to avoid it all.
Reijonen misses with an uppercut. Whitaker Jr saw that one coming.
Whitaker Jr feinted with a counter takedown.
Reijonen walks into a jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Reijonen 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.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker Jr checks a leg kick.
Whitaker Jr takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Skreba Reijonen is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Whitaker Jr takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
A chopping leg kick lands by Reijonen.
A leg kick checked by Reijonen.
Reijonen avoids the body shot from Whitaker Jr.

Whitaker Jr closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Reijonen is trying to work for a sweep but Whitaker Jr has mounted him!
Whitaker Jr landing strikes from the mount and Reijonen is in trouble!
Whitaker Jr throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Reijonen is bucking up trying to escape but Whitaker Jr cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Whitaker Jr with good strikes from the mount here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reijonen is working to get back to half guard.
Whitaker Jr putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Whitaker Jr punching from mount but Reijonen doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Reijonen bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Reijonen slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Reijonen trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Whitaker Jr manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reijonen lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Whitaker Jr bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Reijonen's guard.

Reijonen has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Whitaker Jr has passed into side control.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Whitaker Jr scoring with punches from side control.
Whitaker Jr gets to mount! Reijonen was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Reijonen keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pernell Whitaker Jr dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Pernell Whitaker Jr's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Whitaker Jr misses with a straight right.
Reijonen throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Whitaker Jr swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Whitaker Jr is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Reijonen can do to turn this around?
Whitaker Jr will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
No luck for Whitaker Jr with that takedown attempt.
Pernell Whitaker Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Reijonen with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Whitaker Jr to score with a decent uppercut.
Whitaker Jr connects with a nice looking jab.
Whitaker Jr shoots for a double leg takedown but Reijonen sprawls well. He's pushed Whitaker Jr's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Reijonen lands a glancing blow to the side of Whitaker Jr's head.
Whitaker Jr jabbing away but nothing is landing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitaker Jr throws a wild body kick that Reijonen sees coming a mile off.
Reijonen connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

Whitaker Jr throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Reijonen was covering up waiting for the punch and Whitaker Jr finishes the takedown easily into guard.
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!
Whitaker Jr throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reijonen working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Whitaker Jr.
Whitaker Jr working some strikes from top position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Reijonen working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Whitaker Jr.
Reijonen trying to control the position.
Whitaker Jr stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Reijonen swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Reijonen keeping moving, preventing Whitaker Jr from controlling successfully.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Whitaker Jr 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.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Reijonen looking to hit a scissor sweep but Whitaker Jr is one step ahead there.
Whitaker Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Reijonen is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Skreba Reijonen seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Whitaker Jr jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Whitaker Jr scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Whitaker Jr looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker Jr pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Reijonen walks into a jab.
Reijonen looks for the body kick but Whitaker Jr saw that one coming.
Reijonen on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Reijonen drops his hands momentarily and Whitaker Jr takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Whitaker Jr throws a head kick that misses.
Reijonen 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.
Reijonen moves out of range of the leg kick from Whitaker Jr.
Whitaker Jr scores with a body shot.
Whitaker Jr fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Reijonen on the side of the head.

Whitaker Jr throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Reijonen was covering up waiting for the punch and Whitaker Jr finishes the takedown easily into guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Whitaker Jr trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker Jr trying to control but Reijonen is working from the bottom.
Whitaker Jr throws an elbow that misses. Reijonen uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Whitaker Jr's guard. Nice move by Reijonen!

Whitaker Jr has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

Whitaker Jr throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pernell Whitaker Jr dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Pernell Whitaker Jr's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Whitaker Jr checks a low kick from Reijonen.
Reijonen scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Reijonen connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Whitaker Jr pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Whitaker Jr backing away here, and Reijonen unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Reijonen goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Whitaker Jr clobbers Reijonen with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Reijonen keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Whitaker Jr scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Reijonen throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Whitaker Jr.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Reijonen checks a leg kick.
Whitaker Jr looks for the body kick but Reijonen saw that one coming.
A slapping leg kick lands for Reijonen.
Reijonen connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Whitaker Jr throws a shot from downtown. Reijonen moves away and avoids it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Reijonen lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Whitaker Jr has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Whitaker Jr and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitaker Jr lands an overhand right.
It looks like Whitaker Jr has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Whitaker Jr fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Whitaker Jr chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Reijonen takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Whitaker Jr lands a head kick. Reijonen smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Whitaker Jr connects with a single shot there.
Whitaker Jr is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Reijonen.
Whitaker Jr swings widly with a right hand
letting Reijonen counter with a right hand.
Nice shot by Whitaker Jr.
Reijonen connects with a leg kick. Whitaker Jr looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Reijonen tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker Jr swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Reijonen throws a front kick aimed at Whitaker Jr's knee but Whitaker Jr avoids it well.
Reijonen buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Whitaker Jr throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Whitaker Jr throws a nice outside leg kick.
Skreba Reijonen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Whitaker Jr.
Reijonen walks into a straight right hand from Whitaker Jr.
A swing and a miss from Whitaker Jr.
Whitaker Jr shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Reijonen eats them both and turns towards Whitaker Jr to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
A swing and a miss from Whitaker Jr.
Reijonen slips under a jab.
Whitaker Jr connects with a jab.
Whitaker Jr on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Whitaker Jr darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Whitaker Jr goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Reijonen is looking to slow Whitaker Jr down with leg kicks.
Whitaker Jr throws a hook but Reijonen avoids it easily.
Whitaker Jr just misses with a punch to the body.
Whitaker Jr tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Whitaker Jr throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Whitaker Jr scores with a jab to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker Jr keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Whitaker Jr lands with a kick to the ribs.
Whitaker Jr connects with a body shot that sends Reijonen's belly button to the back.
Reijonen avoids the body shot from Whitaker Jr.
Reijonen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Reijonen listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Whitaker Jr tries to move into range but Reijonen moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Whitaker Jr tests Reijonen's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Reijonen misses with a hook to the body
letting Whitaker Jr counter with a right hand.
Reijonen misses with a wild body shot.
Reijonen defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Whitaker Jr.
Whitaker Jr throws the kick towards the body but Reijonen avoids it.
Whitaker Jr throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Whitaker Jr scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
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!
Whitaker Jr lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Reijonen at a distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reijonen takes a swing at Whitaker Jr's ribcage but misses.
Whitaker Jr thuds a left hand into Reijonen's body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Reijonen. Whitaker Jr does a little dance to reset his feet.
Reijonen fails to land with a series of punches.
A shot to the liver by Whitaker Jr. Beautiful body shot.
Whitaker Jr lands a glancing blow to the side of Reijonen's head.
Whitaker Jr throws a leg kick but Reijonen sees it coming and moves out of range.
Whitaker Jr lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Reijonen just misses with a punch to the body.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Reijonen lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Whitaker Jr has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Whitaker Jr and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Reijonen tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Reijonen scores with a nice right hand.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Whitaker Jr tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Whitaker Jr throws a nice outside leg kick.
Reijonen throws a body kick that misses.
Reijonen fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Whitaker Jr manages to avoid it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pernell Whitaker Jr showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Whitaker Jr, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Aafke Stam scores the fight 30:27
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pernell Whitaker Jr!
During a confident post fight interview, Pernell Whitaker Jr thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.