PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Ravistra Bullkheli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Finn Balor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Balor's choice of entrance music: Monster. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Bullkheli
vs
Balor

155 cm
39
147 lbs
24 - 10 - 0

172 cm
40
152 lbs
31 - 16 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Sully's Bar & Grill
Urban Fighter

Zenith Nutrition (160q/225$)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 24 - 10 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ravistra Bullkheli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 16 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Finn Balor!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bullkheli throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.

Balor manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Bullkheli on his heels. He'll look to pass Bullkheli's guard now, I'm sure.
Balor is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Bullkheli trying to keep a closed guard but Balor is proving a slippery customer.
Bullkheli is looking to stand up but Balor isn't so interested in that idea.
Balor chips away with some ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Balor throwing strikes from guard but Bullkheli blocks nicely.
Balor trying to control but Bullkheli is working from the bottom.
Bullkheli is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bullkheli is adopting a defensive guard.
Balor throws a big elbow that misses.
Balor 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.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Balor shoots in for a takedown but Bullkheli shows good takedown defense.
Balor lands with a hook. Bullkheli tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
A swing and a miss from Balor.
Bullkheli is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Ravistra Bullkheli is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Balor throws a shot from downtown. Bullkheli moves away and avoids it.
A big left from Bullkheli misses.
We've been told by Bullkheli's head coaches at Team Koev Training that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Bullkheli looks to land a left hand but Balor moved out of range nicely.
Balor lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Balor takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Balor gets a double leg takedown into Bullkheli's guard.
Bullkheli keeping moving, preventing Balor from controlling successfully.
Bullkheli seems keen to control Balor's posture.
Balor throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Bullkheli works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

Bullkheli throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Balor escapes and throws Bullkheli's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Bullkheli is looking for a sweep.
Bullkheli might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bullkheli seems a little lost for a moment, as Balor dominates the positioning.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bullkheli wants to control but Balor postures up.
Balor is looking to take a break and control but Bullkheli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Balor might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Bullkheli haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Bullkheli is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Bullkheli trying to remain calm as Balor controls from the top position.
Balor working away.
Balor trying to control the action but Bullkheli is working from the bottom.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bullkheli jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Balor throws a leg kick but Bullkheli sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Bullkheli throws a nice inside leg kick.
A clash of legs there as Balor blocks the low kick.
Good work by Bullkheli as he checks the leg kick.
Bullkheli throws a sloppy body shot
enabling Balor to counter with a crisp jab.
Bullkheli swings for the body but Balor moves out of range.
Bullkheli lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Balor at a distance.
Balor throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bullkheli throws a leg kick
and Bullkheli takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Balor lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Balor swings for the body but Bullkheli moves out of range.
Balor throws a hook to the side of Bullkheli's head but Bullkheli sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bullkheli digs a good hook to Balor's body.
Balor lands a leg kick that knocks Bullkheli off balance momentarily.
Balor has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Bullkheli misses with a low kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Bullkheli. Balor does a little dance to reset his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Finn Balor dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Balor fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A slow jab from Balor misses its intended target.
Bullkheli connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Bullkheli explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Balor lands a nice looking body shot.
Finn Balor seems to be getting the better of the standup.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Bullkheli.
Bullkheli misses with a looping left.
Bullkheli fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Balor takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Balor walks into a left hand.
Balor on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bullkheli swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Balor rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Balor takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
A shot to the body from Balor misses
and Bullkheli makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Balor throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bullkheli sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Bullkheli throws a body kick that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bullkheli finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A big left from Balor misses.
Bullkheli slips under a jab.
Balor is trying hard to land a takedown here. Bullkheli sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
An inside leg kick from Balor misses.
A head kick misses from Balor.
Bullkheli misses with a low kick as Balor jumps back.
Balor is looking to clinch but Bullkheli is avoiding it.
Bullkheli misses with an uppercut. Balor saw that one coming.
Balor swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Bullkheli blocks a low kick nicely.
Bullkheli is looking to counter punch.
Bullkheli lands a leg kick that knocks Balor off balance momentarily.
A bone on bone clash there as Balor blocks the leg kick.
Balor takes a swing at Bullkheli's ribcage but misses.
Balor throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Balor checks a leg kick nicely.
Bullkheli throws a hook to the side of Balor's head but Balor sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bullkheli lands a front kick.
Balor dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Bullkheli. That did some damage!

Balor moves into range and clinches up with Bullkheli.
Bullkheli is trying to break the clinch but Balor has him pressed against the cage.
A nice left hand lands by Balor.
Bullkheli makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bullkheli blocks a body shot from Balor.
Balor lands with a short punch from the clinch.

Bullkheli breaks from the clinch.
Balor moves out of range as Bullkheli strikes.
Balor throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Balor.
Balor goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balor tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Bullkheli connects with a solid leg kick.
Balor throws a low kick but it's checked well by Bullkheli.
Bullkheli slips a straight right by Balor.
Balor tries to clinch up but Bullkheli circles away and keeps his distance.
Bullkheli takes one to the chin there.
Balor pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Bullkheli scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Bullkheli.
A nice inside leg kick there by Balor. That's going to slow Bullkheli down.
Balor uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Bullkheli misses with a body kick.
Bullkheli wants to slow Balor down by chopping away at his legs.
Bullkheli looks to land a body kick but Balor moved away.
Balor looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Bullkheli swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Balor throws a nice outside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balor misses with an uppercut.
Balor avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Balor looking to score a takedown here. Bullkheli is defending well but Balor drives through and ends up in Bullkheli's guard.
Bullkheli keeping moving, preventing Balor from controlling successfully.
Bullkheli seems keen to control Balor's posture.
Bullkheli working a defensive guard here.
Balor looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Bullkheli is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
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 Ravistra Bullkheli will probably get the nod.
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. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

An inside leg kick lands from Bullkheli.

Balor scores with a takedown into Bullkheli's guard.
Balor trying to control the position from guard on top but Bullkheli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bullkheli avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Balor postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bullkheli looking for a sweep. Not yet Bullkheli, not yet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bullkheli keeping moving, preventing Balor from controlling successfully.
Finn Balor has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bullkheli is trying to control the position but Balor postures up.
Bullkheli being controlled here, momentarily.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bullkheli looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Bullkheli tries to land a leg kick but Balor saw it coming and moves away.
Balor looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Balor checks a leg kick.
It seemed like Balor was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Balor moves out of range as Bullkheli strikes.
Bullkheli throws a push kick but Balor slaps the foot to one side.
Balor wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Balor just misses with a punch to the body.
Bullkheli feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Balor does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Bullkheli tries to land a front kick but Balor steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Bullkheli finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Bullkheli throws out a loose jab but Balor uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bullkheli blocks a head kick by Balor.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balor lands a glancing blow to the side of Bullkheli's head.
Bullkheli lands with a shot to the body.

Balor shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Bullkheli is trying to defend but Balor finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Bullkheli tries to roll over but Balor keeps him under control.
Bullkheli wants to control but Balor is keeping busy.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balor not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Bullkheli is controlling Balor's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Bullkheli trying to control here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balor wants to take a breather but Bullkheli is having none of it.
Bullkheli is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Balor jumps into side control!
Bullkheli is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Balor lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Bullkheli down.
Balor is looking to take a break and control but Bullkheli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Balor scoring with punches and elbows.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balor has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Bullkheli!
Balor controlling the pace for now.
Balor trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Balor is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Balor with the ground and pound from mount.
Balor with good strikes from the mount here!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Balor controlling the pace for now.
Bullkheli bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!

And that's the end of the fight!
Finn Balor comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Balor has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Finn Balor!
Finn Balor seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.