PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Winston Hughes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pera Pulkkinen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Pulkkinen is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: TURISAS - Stand Up And Fight. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Hughes
vs
Pulkkinen

194 cm
27
205 lbs
8 - 3 - 1

150 cm
28
206 lbs
16 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Arcticus University: London

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 8 - 3 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Winston Hughes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pera Pulkkinen!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, Richard Clark and James Atkins.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pulkkinen swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Hughes.
Donk. Hughes catches Pulkkinen right on the button with a cross.
Pulkkinen on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Hughes. Hughes obviously looking to wear him down.
Winston Hughes seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hughes checks the leg kick.
Hughes appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
An inside leg kick lands from Pulkkinen.
Pulkkinen throws a big shot that misses.
Pulkkinen throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Hughes sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Pulkkinen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Hughes.
A slow jab from Hughes misses its intended target.
Hughes swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Hughes cracks the inside of Pulkkinen's front leg.
Hughes looks to throw a body kick
and Pulkkinen counters with a nice low kick that buckles Hughes's knee momentarily.
Pulkkinen throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.

Pulkkinen fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Hughes sprawls well initially but Pulkkinen persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Pulkkinen seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hughes trying to control from the bottom.
Pulkkinen thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hughes's head.
Hughes is not content to let Pulkkinen control the position.
Pulkkinen throwing shots but Hughes is blocking nicely.
Pulkkinen missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Pulkkinen trying to advance position but Hughes counters by regaining guard.
Pulkkinen wants to control from the top but Hughes keeps moving.
Hughes will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Pulkkinen postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Pulkkinen looking to pass the guard.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Pulkkinen accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Hughes is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Pulkkinen is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Pulkkinen trying to control from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pulkkinen is looking to improve his position.
Hughes is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Pulkkinen is trying to control but Hughes manages to pass to mount!
Pulkkinen is trying desperately to improve position.

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.
Pulkkinen tries to hold on but Hughes postures up.
Hughes content just to control the position here.
Pulkkinen tries to lock up and control but Hughes gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hughes can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Pulkkinen is looking to escape.
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 Winston Hughes will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Hughes lands a high kick!

Pulkkinen gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Pulkkinen misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hughes tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A hook to the body from Hughes.
Hughes is looking to break free of the clinch but Pulkkinen has double underhooks.
Hughes lands a shoulder strike.
Hughes is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Pulkkinen can do to turn this around?
Pulkkinen fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Pulkkinen.
Pulkkinen misses with a shot to the kidneys.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pulkkinen tries to throw a body punch but Hughes avoids it by throwing Pulkkinen back against the cage.
Hughes lands with a short shot to the head.
A body shot lands from Hughes.
Hughes tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Hughes lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Hughes scores with a shoulder strike.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A short right from Hughes.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hughes breaks the clinch.
A slapping leg kick lands for Hughes.
Pulkkinen fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hughes is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Hughes throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Pulkkinen throws a jab but it's blocked by Hughes.
Hughes looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Pulkkinen misses with a looping left.
Hughes connects with a leg kick. Pulkkinen looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Winston Hughes is winning the standup battle so far.
Hughes misses the shot to the body.
Pulkkinen now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Hughes feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Pulkkinen's calf.
Pulkkinen moves away from the strike by Hughes.
Pulkkinen lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Pulkkinen goes for a double leg but Hughes avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Hughes continues to drive forward.
Hughes misses with a hook to the body
and Pulkkinen counters with a nice body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pulkkinen scores with a decent looking hook.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hughes looks to land a body kick but Pulkkinen moved away.
Pulkkinen throws a hook but Hughes avoids it easily.
Hughes catches Pulkkinen with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Pulkkinen with a lazy takedown attempt
and Hughes counters with a nice uppercut.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Hughes.
Hughes throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Pulkkinen on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Hughes throws a low kick but Pulkkinen avoids it.
Hughes goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Pulkkinen throws a leg kick that is checked
and Hughes counters with a nice leg kick.
Hughes chopping away at his opponent's legs.

Pulkkinen darts in and clinches Hughes up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hughes blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Pulkkinen lands a hook to the side of the head.
Hughes doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Hughes lands a body punch.

Hughes breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Hughes throws a leg kick which misses Pulkkinen's front leg but catches the back leg as Pulkkinen tries to avoid it.
Hughes avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Hughes looks to score with a jab to the body but Pulkkinen is just out of range.
Hughes lands a jab to the head.
Hughes connects with a body shot.
Hughes looks to land a left hand but Pulkkinen moved out of range nicely.
Pulkkinen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Hughes backing away here, and Pulkkinen unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Pulkkinen tries to clinch up but Hughes circles away and keeps his distance.
Pulkkinen tries to land a leg kick but Hughes saw it coming and moves away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Pulkkinen. Hughes does a little dance to reset his feet.
Pulkkinen looks to score with a jab to the body but Hughes is just out of range.
Hughes moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Pulkkinen moves out of range as Hughes throws a body kick.
Pulkkinen misses with a left hand
enabling Hughes to counter with a crisp jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hughes throws a leg kick which misses Pulkkinen's front leg but catches the back leg as Pulkkinen tries to avoid it.
Good shot there by Hughes.
Hughes lands a head shot.
Hughes misses with a body shot.
That kick from Pulkkinen tenderised Hughes's leg. Hughes is trying to keep his angry face on.
Pulkkinen tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hughes paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Pulkkinen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Pulkkinen looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Hughes is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Hughes throws a low kick but Pulkkinen moves out of range easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Winston Hughes dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Hughes throws a front kick aimed at Pulkkinen's knee but Pulkkinen avoids it well.
Hughes loads up on a big right hand but Pulkkinen slips the punch.
Hughes scores with a jab to the head.
The fighters circling - Hughes throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hughes ducks under a wild hook from Pulkkinen.
Hughes just misses with a punch to the body.
Hughes throws a body shot but no joy.
Nice straight punches there by Hughes. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Hughes.
Hughes tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pulkkinen looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Pulkkinen tries to score with a low kick but Hughes moves his leg out of the way.
Hughes was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Hughes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Pulkkinen was well out of range. Poor timing from Hughes.
A cross from Pulkkinen lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hughes jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Pulkkinen takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Winston Hughes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hughes misses with an uppercut. Pulkkinen saw that one coming.
Pulkkinen blocks the body kick.
Hughes misses with an uppercut
enabling Pulkkinen to counter with a crisp jab.
Hughes moves out of range of the body kick.
Pulkkinen avoids the body shot from Hughes.
Hughes is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Pulkkinen moves away from the strike by Hughes.
Pulkkinen takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Hughes.
Hughes throws a push kick but Pulkkinen slaps the foot to one side.
Hughes tries to land a leg kick but Pulkkinen saw it coming and moves away.
Hughes lands with a shot to the body.
Pera Pulkkinen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pulkkinen takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Pulkkinen stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hughes.
Hughes misses with a lunging right hand
and Pulkkinen makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Pulkkinen lands a jab to Hughes's midsection.
Hughes connects with a solid leg kick.
Pulkkinen swinging wildly here.
Pulkkinen takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Pulkkinen moves out of range of the leg kick from Hughes.
Pulkkinen replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Hughes blocks it well.
Pulkkinen connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Pulkkinen misses with a looping right.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good work by Hughes as he checks the leg kick.
Hughes throws a shot from downtown. Pulkkinen moves away and avoids it.
Hughes misses with a leg kick

and Pulkkinen counters with a single leg into guard. Hughes didn't expect that.
Hughes is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Pulkkinen pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hughes is keeping the position for now.
Hughes working a defensive guard here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pulkkinen sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Hughes's guard.
Pulkkinen throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Hughes tries to roll over but Pulkkinen keeps him under control.
Pulkkinen looks to land a strike but Hughes avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Hughes has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Pulkkinen has passed into side control.
The ground and pound from Pulkkinen seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.

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 Winston Hughes.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Hughes, 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 Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Atkins scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Winston Hughes!
Winston Hughes was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.