PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Vladimir Emelienko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pikku Pioneeri (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Pioneeri has chosen Lenin-setä asuu Venäjällä as his entrance music. Pikku Pioneeri told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Emelienko
vs
Pioneeri

176 cm
29
168 lbs
11 - 2 - 0

172 cm
27
158 lbs
6 - 6 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Anarchy Clothing
Bullet Proof System

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Vladimir Emelienko!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 6 - 1, fighting out of New York, Pikku Pioneeri!
The judges for this bout are Franklyn Lucas, Alyssa Summers and Bruno Lombardi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Emelienko.
Pioneeri with a nice cross.
Emelienko showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Pioneeri.
A jab from Pioneeri misses.
Emelienko ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Pioneeri moves away.
Pioneeri raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Pioneeri lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Emelienko has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Emelienko there as he acknowledges the shot.
Pioneeri lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Emelienko lands with a nice body punch.
Emelienko throws a low kick but Pioneeri avoids it.
Pioneeri lands with an uppercut that bounces Emelienko off the cage and back into range.
Emelienko throws a jab but it's blocked by Pioneeri.
Emelienko bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Emelienko tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Pioneeri throws out a counter right but Emelienko avoids it with no problem.
Emelienko stuffs the takedown.
Pioneeri on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
The fighters circle momentarily. Pioneeri darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Nice defenses there by Emelienko.
Pikku Pioneeri seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A jab from Emelienko misses.
It seemed like Pioneeri was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Pioneeri lands a really nice looking cross but Emelienko seems unphased.
Pioneeri lands a glancing blow to the side of Emelienko's head.
Emelienko bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Vladimir Emelienko is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Pioneeri has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Pioneeri there as he acknowledges the shot.
Pioneeri closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Pioneeri uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Pioneeri lands a nice shot that snaps Emelienko's head back.
Emelienko looks to land a right hand but Pioneeri moved out of range.
Emelienko lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Pioneeri with a nice cross.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Emelienko tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Pioneeri is able to avoid easily.
Pioneeri moves out of range as Emelienko strikes.
Emelienko looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Emelienko's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Pioneeri connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Emelienko scrambles back to his feet.
Pioneeri digs a good hook to Emelienko's body.
Emelienko slips under a jab.
Emelienko has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Pioneeri finds it's way round the side to connect with Emelienko's head.
Pioneeri might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.

Pioneeri closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
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.
Emelienko is not in a great position here, taking some shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Pioneeri wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
You can see the frustration on Emelienko's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Pioneeri tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Pioneeri has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Emelienko sneaks back into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pioneeri is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Emelienko keeping hold of Pioneeri's head, controlling as best he can.
Emelienko tries to get to full guard but Pioneeri has control of the leg.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pioneeri working the head and body with strikes.
Emelienko is looking to improve his position.
Emelienko keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Pioneeri scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Pioneeri landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Pioneeri looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Emelienko is trying to stand.
Ground and pound from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri trying to advance position but Emelienko counters by regaining guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Emelienko is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Pioneeri trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Pioneeri distracts Emelienko with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Emelienko has control of Pioneeri's left arm, preventing Pioneeri from doing any damage.
Emelienko continues to stall.
Pioneeri lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Emelienko has his hands on Pioneeri's head, controlling the position.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Pioneeri accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Pioneeri chips away with some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pikku Pioneeri dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Pioneeri lunges at Emelienko with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Emelienko's hand.
Pioneeri uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Emelienko has time to react.
Emelienko throws a jab but it's blocked by Pioneeri.
Pioneeri digs a good body shot into Emelienko's ribs.
Pioneeri has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Pioneeri 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.
Pioneeri misses with a series of wild punches.
Pioneeri throws a right and a left that both miss.
Emelienko dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Pioneeri. That did some damage!
Pikku Pioneeri seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Emelienko with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Emelienko slips a straight right by Pioneeri.
Pioneeri throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Emelienko.
Pioneeri loads up on a big right hand but Emelienko slips the punch.
Pioneeri lands with a kick to the temple. Emelienko shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
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!
A swing and a miss from Emelienko.
Pioneeri misses with a straight left.
Emelienko misses with an uppercut. Pioneeri saw that one coming.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pioneeri misses with a straight right.
Emelienko looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Pioneeri lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Pioneeri.

It looks like Vladimir Emelienko has been cut.
A telegraphed right hand from Pioneeri misses the target.
Emelienko is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Emelienko dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Pioneeri swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Pioneeri throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Emelienko fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Pioneeri is out of range.
A slow jab from Pioneeri misses its intended target.
Emelienko tried to counter with a leg kick but Pioneeri avoided it.
Emelienko connects with a right hand. Pioneeri shakes it off.
Pioneeri lands a two punch combo.
Pioneeri works the jab nicely.
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!
Good exchange - Emelienko coming out on top.
Pioneeri takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Pioneeri throws a hook but Emelienko blocks it.
Pioneeri lands a nice hook to Emelienko's body. Emelienko takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
The crowd cheers as Emelienko lands an impressive looking overhand right. Pioneeri doesn't seem phased though.
Emelienko throws a low kick but Pioneeri avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A left and a right from Pioneeri both land. Nice combination.
Pioneeri misses with a right hand
and Emelienko counters with an inside leg kick.
Pioneeri misses with a straight left.
Pioneeri shoots in for a takedown but Emelienko shows good takedown defense.
Pioneeri slips under a jab.
Pioneeri connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Emelienko momentarily.
Pioneeri goes for a double leg but Emelienko avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Emelienko continues to drive forward.
Pioneeri tries a head kick but it misses.
Emelienko lands with a hook. Pioneeri tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Emelienko tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Pioneeri's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Emelienko connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Pioneeri scrambles back to his feet.
Emelienko scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Emelienko thows a leg kick but Pioneeri checks it
and Pioneeri counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Emelienko with a jab.
Emelienko displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Pioneeri throws out the jab.
Emelienko lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Pioneeri defending well as Emelienko loads up on a big left hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pioneeri throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Emelienko swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Pioneeri throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Pioneeri avoids the head kick by Emelienko.
Pioneeri misses with a body shot.
Pioneeri misses with the combination.
Pioneeri will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Emelienko scores with a body shot.
Pioneeri loads up on a big right hand but Emelienko slips the punch.
Pioneeri ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Pioneeri with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Emelienko staying out of range there.
The fighters circling - Pioneeri throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Emelienko lands with a nice body punch.
Pioneeri misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Vladimir Emelienko has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pikku Pioneeri.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pioneeri misses with a body shot.
Emelienko is looking to slow Pioneeri down with leg kicks.
Emelienko throws a leg kick but Pioneeri checks it.
Pioneeri moves into range and connects with a jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pioneeri shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Emelienko sprawls well. Emelienko wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Pioneeri gets slowly back to his feet.
A nice inside leg kick there by Emelienko. That's going to slow Pioneeri down.
Pioneeri fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Pioneeri works the jab nicely.
Emelienko scores with a punch to the head.
Emelienko lands a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Pikku Pioneeri will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Vladimir Emelienko'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.

Emelienko defending well as Pioneeri loads up on a big left hand.
That kick from Emelienko tenderised Pioneeri's leg. Pioneeri is trying to keep his angry face on.
Pioneeri keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Emelienko.
Emelienko scores with a sloppy right hand. Pioneeri should have avoided that one.
Pioneeri throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Emelienko staying out of range there.
Emelienko keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Pioneeri throws a head kick that misses
and Emelienko counters with a good low kick that Pioneeri was not able to check.
A head kick misses from Pioneeri.
Emelienko lands a front kick.
Pioneeri throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Emelienko.
Pioneeri just misses with a punch to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pioneeri misses with an uppercut
and Emelienko cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Emelienko throws a low kick but Pioneeri avoids it.
Pioneeri uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Emelienko scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
A big right from Pioneeri misses.
Emelienko lands an overhand right.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice straight punches there by Emelienko. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Emelienko.
Pioneeri checks the leg kick nicely there.
Emelienko looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Emelienko's corner calls for a 1-2. Emelienko obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Pioneeri gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Pioneeri fails to land the takedown.
Pioneeri fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Emelienko manages to avoid it.
No joy there for Pioneeri, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Emelienko looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Emelienko slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Emelienko displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Pioneeri throws out the jab.
Pioneeri throws a poor cross that misses
and Emelienko cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Emelienko connects with the punch.
Emelienko lands with an uppercut that bounces Pioneeri off the cage and back into range.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The fighters circling - Pioneeri throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A little feinted left hand from Emelienko on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Pioneeri 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.
Pioneeri shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Emelienko but Emelienko pushes him off and we're back to square one.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Pioneeri.
Pioneeri rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Emelienko moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Pioneeri throws a series of punches but Emelienko avoids them all with ease.
Pioneeri takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Pioneeri loads up on a big right hand but Emelienko slips the punch.
Emelienko throws a predictable looking body shot
letting Pioneeri counter with a right hand.
Pioneeri throws an overhand right that lands on Emelienko's shoulder, as Emelienko tries to avoid the shot.
Pioneeri throws a jab but it's blocked by Emelienko.
Pioneeri misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Emelienko.
Emelienko misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Pioneeri.
Emelienko lands with a right hand.
Pioneeri ducks right into an uppercut from Emelienko.
A jab from Pioneeri misses.
Emelienko appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Emelienko jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Emelienko avoids the body shot from Pioneeri.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko avoids a punch combination nicely.
Emelienko feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Emelienko swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Pioneeri slips a jab from Emelienko.
Pioneeri connects with a right hand. Emelienko shakes it off.
Emelienko throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A big right from Emelienko misses.
Pioneeri lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Pioneeri lands a jab to the head.
Pioneeri misses with a hook. Emelienko ducked under it nicely.
Pioneeri throws a head kick that misses.
It looked like Emelienko wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Emelienko paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Nice takedown defense from Emelienko. No joy for Pioneeri on that attempt.
Vladimir Emelienko has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pikku Pioneeri.
Emelienko throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Emelienko dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
No joy there for Pioneeri, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A counter left hand to the body from Emelienko misses its target.
Pioneeri takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Pioneeri 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.
A looping hook to the body misses from Emelienko. Pioneeri does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Emelienko throws a low kick but Pioneeri avoids it.
Pioneeri will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Emelienko feinted there with a counter leg kick.
A head kick from Emelienko lands but Pioneeri takes it in his stride.
Emelienko connects with a right hand. Pioneeri shakes it off.
A big right from Pioneeri misses.
Emelienko ducks under a wild hook from Pioneeri.
Emelienko just misses with a punch to the body.
Pioneeri throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Emelienko tried to counter with a leg kick but Pioneeri avoided it.
An inside leg kick lands from Emelienko.
Emelienko buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
No joy there for Pioneeri, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Emelienko scores with a nice strike.
Pioneeri tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Emelienko was well out of range. Poor timing from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vladimir Emelienko clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Vladimir Emelienko's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Pioneeri has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Pioneeri there as he acknowledges the shot.
Pioneeri fails with the takedown.
Emelienko lands a glancing blow to the side of Pioneeri's head.
Pioneeri avoids the body shot from Emelienko.
Emelienko is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Pioneeri.
Emelienko cracks Pioneeri with a right hand to the side of the head.
Pioneeri scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Pioneeri throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Pioneeri fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Emelienko manages to avoid it.
Pioneeri on the wrong end of a nice jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pioneeri moves out of range as Emelienko strikes.
Emelienko ducks under a wild hook from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Pioneeri takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Pioneeri fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Emelienko manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emelienko takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Good standup being displayed there by Emelienko as he connects with a hook.
Emelienko fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Pioneeri tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Pioneeri throws a poor cross that misses
and Emelienko counters with a thumping low kick.
Emelienko gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Pioneeri misses with a takedown attempt
and Emelienko counters with a nice low kick that buckles Pioneeri's knee momentarily.
Pioneeri misses with a hook
and Pioneeri takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Emelienko punishes Pioneeri's body with a nice straight punch.
Pioneeri is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Emelienko cracks Pioneeri with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Emelienko tests Pioneeri's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Emelienko avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Pioneeri changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Emelienko tries to avoid it but Pioneeri manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Emelienko to the ground. Emelienko escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Emelienko feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Vladimir Emelienko has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pikku Pioneeri.
The crowd cheers as Emelienko lands an impressive looking overhand right. Pioneeri doesn't seem phased though.
Emelienko takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Pioneeri looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Pioneeri throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
An inside leg kick lands from Emelienko.
Pioneeri misses with a looping right.
Pioneeri misses with a hook to the body
and Emelienko counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Emelienko tests Pioneeri's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Emelienko is looking to slow Pioneeri down with leg kicks.
Pioneeri walks into a left hand.
Emelienko connects with a right hand. Pioneeri shakes it off.
Emelienko jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Emelienko scores with a sloppy right hand. Pioneeri should have avoided that one.
Emelienko misses with a wild body shot.
Pioneeri looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Emelienko is fending him off so far but Pioneeri persists. Nope, Emelienko circles away and we're back to standing.
Pioneeri misses with a left hand
and Emelienko counters with a straight right hand.
A jab lands there for Emelienko.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko misses with a looping left.
Emelienko fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Pioneeri is out of range.
Pioneeri looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Pioneeri misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Pioneeri defending well as Emelienko loads up on a big left hand.
Pioneeri looks to land a left hand but Emelienko moved out of range nicely.
Pioneeri looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Emelienko plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Emelienko feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Pioneeri's calf.
A shot to the liver by Emelienko. Beautiful body shot.
Pioneeri throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nice shot by Pioneeri.
Pioneeri's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
A right-left combo lands from Emelienko.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Pioneeri ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Emelienko lands a body shot.
Emelienko ducks under a wild hook from Pioneeri.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A clash of legs there as Pioneeri blocks the low kick.
A slow jab from Emelienko misses its intended target.
Emelienko keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A jab from Emelienko does it's job there.
Pioneeri avoids the body shot from Emelienko.
Pioneeri displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Emelienko throws out the jab.
Pioneeri shoots in but Emelienko avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Emelienko showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Pioneeri.
Emelienko tries a head kick but it misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Emelienko. Pioneeri does a little dance to reset his feet.
Pioneeri throws out a counter right but Emelienko avoids it with no problem.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Emelienko moves forwards but Pioneeri connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Pioneeri scores with a crisp jab that stopped Emelienko in his tracks.
Emelienko throws a lazy right hand but Pioneeri sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vladimir Emelienko had his way with Pikku Pioneeri in that round.
The cut man is working on Vladimir Emelienko's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Emelienko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Pioneeri counters with a left to the body.
Emelienko throws a big shot that misses.
A slow jab from Pioneeri misses its intended target.
Pioneeri takes a swing at Emelienko's ribcage but misses.
Pioneeri throws a hook to the side of Emelienko's head but Emelienko sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Emelienko slips a jab and a cross from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Emelienko makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Pioneeri wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Emelienko finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Emelienko lands the left hand.
Pioneeri displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Emelienko avoids the body shot from Pioneeri.
Emelienko throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Pioneeri darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nice defenses there by Emelienko.
Pioneeri throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emelienko swings for the body but Pioneeri moves out of range.
A nice side step and Pioneeri releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Pioneeri scores with the left hand. Emelienko knows he should have avoided that one.
Emelienko looks to score with a jab to the body but Pioneeri is just out of range.
Pioneeri fails to land with a series of punches.
Emelienko looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Pioneeri looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
An attempted straight right counter from Emelienko misses the target.
Emelienko avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Emelienko swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Emelienko scores with a nice head shot.
Emelienko throws a shot from downtown. Pioneeri moves away and avoids it.
A nice inside leg kick there by Emelienko. That's going to slow Pioneeri down.
Pioneeri will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Emelienko feinted there with a counter leg kick.
A bone on bone clash there as Pioneeri blocks the leg kick.
Emelienko misses with a looping right.
Pioneeri throws a right hand that misses
and Emelienko counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Pioneeri throws a lazy head kick
and Emelienko counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Pioneeri swings widly with a right hand
and Emelienko counters with a nice uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pioneeri swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Emelienko is looking to slow Pioneeri down with leg kicks.
Pioneeri ducks under a wild hook from Emelienko.
Pioneeri keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Emelienko.
Pioneeri with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Emelienko misses with a straight right.
Pioneeri 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.
Emelienko feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Pioneeris jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Pioneeri fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Pioneeri jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Emelienko throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Pioneeri connects with a body shot that sends Emelienko's belly button to the back.
Pioneeri takes one to the side of the head.
Emelienko is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Pioneeri.
Emelienko throws a low kick, looking for Pioneeri's leg but Pioneeri calmly moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko tries to bum rush Pioneeri with a series of wild strikes but Pioneeri uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Emelienko throws a nice outside leg kick.
Emelienko misses the jab.
Emelienko displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri misses with an uppercut. Emelienko saw that one coming.
Emelienko swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
A big left from Pioneeri misses.
Emelienko is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
A good leg kick by Emelienko.
Pioneeri throws a right hand that Emelienko ducks under and follows up with a left that Emelienko also avoids with ease.
Emelienko connects with a body shot.
A punch lands to the side of Pioneeri 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Emelienko ducks under a wild hook from Pioneeri.
Nice defenses there by Pioneeri.
A big left from Pioneeri misses.
Sloppy strikes from Pioneeri. Those never looked like landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Emelienko motions for Pioneeri to come forward. Emelienko throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Pioneeri throws a big shot that misses.
Emelienko misses with a hook.
Emelienko tests Pioneeri's chin there with a solid looking shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pioneeri walks into a stiff left hand from Emelienko.
Emelienko fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Emelienko. Pioneeri does a little dance to reset his feet.
Emelienko lands with a cross.
Emelienko finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Pioneeri moves out of range of the body kick.
Pioneeri lands a jab to the head.
Pioneeri throws a body punch but Emelienko moves out of range.
Pioneeri throws an off balance right hand
and Emelienko counters with a solid body kick.
Emelienko uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Pioneeri.
Pioneeri tests Emelienko's chin there with a solid looking shot.

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 Vladimir Emelienko.
I think Emelienko 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 48:47
Judge Alyssa Summers scores the fight 49:47
Judge Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 48:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vladimir Emelienko!
Vladimir Emelienko retains his lightweight title!
Vladimir Emelienko decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.