PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Michalski (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mauri Saarinen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Michalski
vs
Saarinen

195 cm
20
208 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

190 cm
22
219 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Alexander Michalski!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Mauri Saarinen!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Roosa Järviläinen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Michalski fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Michalski lands with a thumping leg kick.
Michalski swinging wilding here.
Michalski tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.

Saarinen shoots in and bounces Michalski off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Saarinen must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Michalski not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Michalski striking off his back but it's not causing Saarinen any problems.
Saarinen trying to control but Michalski is working from the bottom.

Saarinen avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Saarinen trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Saarinen throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Michalski wants to sweep here but Saarinen controlling him for the moment.
Saarinen slips nicely into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Michalski slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Michalski not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Michalski keeping moving, preventing Saarinen from controlling successfully.
Saarinen is on the wrong end of a couple of strikes there.
Michalski looking for a sweep. Not yet Michalski, not yet.
Michalski is trying to keep Saarinen in close.

Michalski had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Saarinen is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Michalski Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Saarinen's back instead.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Saarinen looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
Saarinen is defending well here and trying to improve his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Saarinen wants to control his opponent's hands but Michalski gets his hands free.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Saarinen is covering up but some of the strikes from Michalski are getting through and doing damage.
Michalski looking to soften up his opponent with punches.
Saarinen takes a big shot to the side of the head.
Michalski lands a punch that was close to the back of the head but the ref thinks it's OK.
Will Michalski go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?
Saarinen trying to control the hands but Michalski breaks the grip.
Saarinen rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Saarinen moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Michalski distracts Saarinen with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saarinen tries to strike from the bottom.
Michalski lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Michalski lands a couple of elbows.
Saarinen is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Saarinen looks gassed!
Michalski trying to control but Saarinen is working from the bottom.
Saarinen keeping full guard, as Michalski tries to pass.
Saarinen has momentary wrist control but Michalski slips an elbow through the middle.
Michalski pushing down on Saarinen's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Saarinen is looking to improve his position.
Michalski is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Michalski working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saarinen has hold of Michalski's hands but Michalski slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Saarinen wants to improve his position but Michalski is controlling well.
Michalski looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Saarinen is not content to let Michalski control the position.
Saarinen taking some punishment here, with Michalski in his half guard.
Michalski not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Michalski lands with a punch from half guard.
Michalski drops an elbow to the side of Saarinen's head.
Saarinen wants to improve his position but Michalski is controlling well.
Saarinen is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alexander Michalski dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Michalski misses with a double jab.
Saarinen takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Alexander Michalski seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Michalski swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Michalski misses with a few strikes there.
Saarinen has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Michalski will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Michalski misses with a two punch combination.
Michalski throws a series of punches but Saarinen avoids them all with ease.
Michalski will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

Saarinen scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Saarinen working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Michalski is trying to control Saarinen's posture but Saarinen avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saarinen wants to control but Michalski is keeping him busy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Saarinen is breathing heavily.
Michalski is trying to control Saarinen's posture but Saarinen avoids it.
Michalski is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Saarinen is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Saarinen working the ground and pound but Michalski is defending the strikes.
Saarinen landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Saarinen lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Michalski tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Saarinen wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Saarinen trying to control the position but Michalski is working away.
Michalski sneaks back into half guard.

That's two 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.
Michalski wants to control but Saarinen is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Saarinen lands with a punch from half guard.
Saarinen thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Michalski's head.
Michalski trying to control but Saarinen postures up.
Ground and pound from Saarinen.
Michalski is trying to maintain the position but Saarinen is very close to passing his half guard.
Michalski makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Michalski.
Saarinen lands a couple of digs.
Michalski doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Saarinen thows a big elbow that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Michalski looking to hit a scissor sweep but Saarinen is one step ahead there.
Saarinen postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Michalski striking off his back but it's not causing Saarinen any problems.
Michalski looking for a sweep. Not yet Michalski, not yet.
Michalski 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.
Saarinen throwing strikes but missing.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Saarinen shoots in for a double leg but Michalski sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Michalski throws a series of punches but Saarinen moves out of range.
Michalski looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Michalski misses with a straight left.
Saarinen slips a jab and a cross from Michalski.
Michalski misses with a two punch combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Michalski throws a right and a left that both miss.

Saarinen shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Saarinen showed some decent athleticism there.

Saarinen is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Michalski is trying to stand up here but Saarinen is controlling him well.
Saarinen trying to control the action but Michalski is working from the bottom.
Michalski wants to get back to full guard.
Saarinen works his foot free and advances to mount.
Saarinen trying to control but he's not successful this time.
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 Alexander Michalski will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Saarinen takes one to the chin there.

Saarinen scores a takedown into full mount!
Michalski gets back to half guard.
Michalski wants to control but Saarinen is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Saarinen thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Michalski's head.
Michalski wants to control but Saarinen is keeping busy.
Saarinen not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Michalski is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Saarinen's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Saarinen's back!
Saarinen takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Michalski lands a shot to the head.
Saarinen manages to reverse the position and now he's in Michalski's guard. Nice work there by Saarinen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saarinen trying to control the position from guard on top but Michalski is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Michalski looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Michalski not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Michalski bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Saarinen's guard.
Michalski looking to sit in guard and control but Saarinen gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Michalski lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Saarinen!
Saarinen flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Michalski unloading with bombs!
Michalski scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Michalski trying to control but Saarinen is having none of it.
Saarinen bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Saarinen scoring with punches to the head and body.
Michalski wants to sweep here but Saarinen controlling him for the moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Michalski looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Saarinen puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.
Michalski is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saarinen looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Saarinen lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Michalski gets back to full guard.
Michalski will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Michalski wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Michalski striking off his back.
Saarinen content to stall in guard here.
Saarinen thows a big elbow that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Michalski looking for a sweep. Not yet Michalski, not yet.
Michalski throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Saarinen stopping the sweep attempt from Michalski.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Some wild striking there from Michalski.
Michalski swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Michalski swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Michalski looks to land a combination but Saarinen avoids it well.

Saarinen scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Saarinen tries to pass the half guard into mount. Michalski knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Alexander Michalski.
Well Michalski has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight for Alexander Michalski!
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight for Alexander Michalski!
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight for Alexander Michalski!

Alexander Michalski wins by unanimous decision!