PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dustin Anderson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ahti Saarelainen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Anderson
vs
Saarelainen

179 cm
22
179 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

180 cm
21
175 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Dustin Anderson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Ahti Saarelainen!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Sergei Dronov and Vladimir Khabensky.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Anderson misses with a left hand
and Saarelainen cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Saarelainen fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Dustin Anderson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Saarelainen misses the jab.
Anderson swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Saarelainen has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Anderson is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Anderson takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
A slow jab from Saarelainen misses its intended target.
Saarelainen displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Anderson throws out the jab.
Anderson misses with an uppercut
and Saarelainen counters with a lovely straight right hand!

Anderson darts in and clinches Saarelainen up against the cage.
Anderson misses with a hook to the ribs.
Anderson tries to land a knee to the head but Saarelainen blocks with his arms.
Good body shot from Anderson.
Saarelainen wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Anderson misses with a hook to the ribs.
Saarelainen is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Anderson is keeping busy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saarelainen managing to block the knees to the body from Anderson.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Anderson.
Anderson tries to work over Saarelainen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Saarelainen fails to pull guard.
Anderson lands a body punch in the clinch.
Saarelainen fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Saarelainen jumps guard but Anderson turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Dustin Anderson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ahti Saarelainen.
Anderson is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Saarelainen is defending well for now.
Anderson content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Anderson swings wildly with an uppercut but Saarelainen uses good head movement to avoid it.
The referee is keeping an eye on Anderson - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Anderson presses Saarelainen against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
A short left from Anderson.
Anderson trying to land knees to the body.
Anderson tries a body shot but Saarelainen blocks it.
Anderson can't find room to land a body shot as Saarelainen controls the action.
Anderson using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Anderson.
Anderson swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Anderson can't find room to land a body shot as Saarelainen controls the action.
Saarelainen is trying to maintain a safe position but Anderson gets an underhook and turns Saarelainen into the cage.
Saarelainen prevents a body shot from Anderson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Anderson lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Saarelainen backwards.
Anderson landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Saarelainen.
Anderson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Saarelainen has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Anderson landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Anderson tries a knee to the head but Saarelainen blocks it.
Anderson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Saarelainen's face.
Anderson tries to work over Saarelainen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Anderson throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Saarelainens head.
Anderson misses with the head strike.
Anderson landing knees to the head.

It looks like Ahti Saarelainen has been cut.
Anderson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Anderson obliges.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Anderson is working Saarelainen over against the cage.
Saarelainen looks winded!
Anderson scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Anderson connects with a knee to the head.
Anderson content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Anderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Anderson lands a shot to the body.
Anderson lands a knee to the body.
Nice body punch from Anderson.
Anderson working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Anderson is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Saarelainen is defending well for now.
Anderson misses with a punch on the inside.
Saarelainen jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Anderson walks away with a smile on his face. Saarelainen gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dustin Anderson dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ahti Saarelainen's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Decent striking displayed by Anderson there.
Saarelainen ducks under a wild hook from Anderson.
Saarelainen throws an overhand right that lands on Anderson's shoulder, as Anderson tries to avoid the shot.
Saarelainen connects with the punch.
Saarelainen ducks under a wild hook from Anderson.
Anderson keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
As Saarelainen tries to get set, Anderson tries to push him back and clinch up but Saarelainen manages to avoid the attempt.
Saarelainen throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Anderson sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Anderson swings for the body but Saarelainen moves out of range.
Saarelainen misses with the combination.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Anderson throws out a loose jab but Saarelainen uses good head movement to avoid it.
Saarelainen avoids the body shot from Anderson.
Saarelainen ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Anderson scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

Anderson closes the distance and pushes Saarelainen back into the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Anderson putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Saarelainen in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Saarelainen tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Anderson just stands there and leans against the cage.
Anderson cracks Saarelainen with a nice body shot.
Anderson tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Saarelainen is trying to push Anderson away but Anderson has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Anderson misses with a knee strike.
Anderson presses Saarelainen against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Saarelainen is breathing heavily.
Anderson tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Anderson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Anderson swings wildly with an uppercut but Saarelainen uses good head movement to avoid it.
Saarelainen blocks a body shot from Anderson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Anderson tries a body shot but Saarelainen blocks it.
Anderson lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Anderson lands a left hand.
A knee to the head by Anderson.
Saarelainen is trying to pull guard but Anderson turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Anderson is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Saarelainen can do to turn this around?
Anderson looking to throw knees to the head but Saarelainen is blocking nicely.
Anderson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Anderson is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Anderson lands a shot to the body.
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!
Anderson scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Anderson scores with a knee to the head.
Anderson tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Saarelainen's elbow.
Dustin Anderson has scored more points in the clinch so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Anderson taking a breather.
Anderson lands a body punch in the clinch.
Anderson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Anderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Anderson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A right hook to the body lands for Anderson.
Anderson lands with a left to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Anderson fails to land.
Anderson lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Saarelainen tries to pull guard but Anderson won't allow it.
Dustin Anderson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ahti Saarelainen.
Anderson tries to land a knee to the head but Saarelainen blocks with his arms.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Anderson missing with knees to the body.
Anderson lands with a short shot to the head.
Anderson tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Saarelainen avoiding damage as Anderson throws knees to the body.
Saarelainen tries to break free but Anderson pushes him back against the cage.
Saarelainen on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Anderson lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Saarelainen.
Anderson scores a nice knee to the body.
Anderson misses with a punch to the body.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Anderson.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Anderson lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Saarelainen backwards.
The referee calls for Anderson to work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dustin Anderson dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ahti Saarelainen's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Saarelainen takes one on the button.
Saarelainen takes a shot right to the bread basket.
A slow jab from Anderson misses its intended target.
Saarelainen slips a jab from Anderson.

Anderson clinches with his opponent.
A right hook to the body lands for Anderson.
Anderson can't find room to land a body shot as Saarelainen controls the action.
Anderson misses with a short punch on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Anderson lands with a right to the head.
Anderson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Nice body punch from Anderson.
Saarelainen takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Anderson lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A short right from Anderson on the inside.
Anderson lands a left hand.
Saarelainen takes a knee to the side of the body.
A right hand to the body from Anderson.
Anderson lands a knee to the body.
Anderson presses Saarelainen against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Anderson softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Come on Anderson - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Anderson landing knees to the body.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Anderson creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Anderson misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Saarelainen.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Anderson manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Anderson.
Saarelainen wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Saarelainen tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Anderson throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Anderson crunches a lovely knee into Saarelainen's ribcage.
Anderson lands a nice shot to the body.
Anderson works on Saarelainen's body with a couple of short punches.
A body shot lands from Anderson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Anderson crunches a lovely knee into Saarelainen's ribcage.
Anderson lands a body shot.
Anderson tries to work over Saarelainen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Anderson missing with knees to the body.
Saarelainen tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Anderson just stands there and leans against the cage.
Anderson lands a shot to the body.
Anderson utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Anderson pushes Saarelainen back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Anderson tries to throw a body punch but Saarelainen avoids it by throwing Anderson back against the cage.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Anderson.
Good body shot from Anderson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Anderson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Saarelainen has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Anderson can't find room to land a body shot as Saarelainen controls the action.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Anderson creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Anderson stalling in the clinch.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Anderson.
Anderson tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Saarelainen managing to block the knees to the body from Anderson.
A nice left hand lands by Anderson.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Come on Anderson - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Anderson gets through Saarelainen's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dustin Anderson clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Ahti Saarelainen's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Anderson slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Nice defenses there by Saarelainen.
Anderson blocks a jab.
Dustin Anderson is winning the standup battle so far.

Anderson has taken the fight to the clinch.
Saarelainen trying to control the position but instead, Anderson has worked for underhooks and has pushed Saarelainen into the cage.
Saarelainen is trying to push Anderson away but Anderson has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Anderson keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Saarelainen's efforts to push away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Anderson tries to work over Saarelainen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Anderson lands a knee to the body.
Good body shot from Anderson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Anderson tries to land knees in the clinch but Saarelainen avoids the damage to the body.
Anderson scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Anderson tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Saarelainen's elbow.
Anderson working aggressively here.
Anderson letting Saarelainen take a breather here.
Anderson trying to land knees to the body.
Anderson pushes Saarelainen back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Anderson scores with a knee to the head.
Anderson lands a body shot.
Anderson is working Saarelainen over against the cage.
Saarelainen is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Anderson lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Saarelainen or not.
Anderson landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Knees to the body from Anderson.
A short uppercut from Anderson.
Anderson landing knees to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A bit of stalling here from Anderson.
Anderson slowing the pace effectively.
Anderson misses with a knee strike.
Anderson tries a knee to the head but Saarelainen blocks it.
Anderson cracks Saarelainen with a nice body shot.
A short left from Anderson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Anderson misses with a body punch.
Anderson struggles to land a body shot inside as Saarelainen controls his hands.
Saarelainen blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Anderson taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Anderson leaning his opponent against the cage.
Anderson stalling against the cage.

Saarelainen breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Saarelainen digs a good body shot into Anderson's ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Anderson looks to throw the jab but Saarelainen is out of range.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Saarelainen! But no joy.
Anderson lands a nice looking body shot.
Saarelainen misses with a lunging right hand
and Anderson counters with a straight right hand.
Anderson pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Saarelainen takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Saarelainen avoids the body shot from Anderson.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Saarelainen! But no joy.
Saarelainen slips a jab from Anderson.
Saarelainen slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Anderson tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Saarelainen was well out of range. Poor timing from Anderson.
Anderson misses the shot to the body.
Saarelainen falls off balance throwing a combination
and Anderson counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Anderson throws a series of punches but Saarelainen avoids them all with ease.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dustin Anderson had his way with Ahti Saarelainen in that round.
The cut man is working on Ahti Saarelainen's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Saarelainen swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Saarelainen misses with a hook. Anderson ducked under it nicely.
A big right from Anderson misses.
Saarelainen looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Saarelainen doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Saarelainen works Anderson's body with a nice hook.
Anderson misses with a double jab
and Saarelainen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Saarelainen digs a good body shot into Anderson's ribs.

Anderson has managed to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Anderson swings wildly with an uppercut but Saarelainen uses good head movement to avoid it.
Anderson misses with the head strike.
Anderson throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Anderson working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Anderson lands a body punch.
Saarelainen is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Anderson is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Anderson lands with a light punch inside.
Anderson misses with a body punch.
Anderson misses with the head strike.
Anderson unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Anderson scores with a nice hook to the head.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Anderson stops a takedown attempt from Saarelainen.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A short uppercut from Anderson.
Anderson is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Saarelainen is defending well for now.
Anderson missing with knees to the body.
Anderson lands a nice shot to the body.
Anderson digs a right hand into Saarelainen's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Saarelainen's gas tank.
Saarelainen's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Anderson taking a breather.
Anderson misses with a punch to the body.
Anderson lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Saarelainen backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saarelainen tries to break the clinch but Anderson is controlling the position.
Anderson misses with a hook to the ribs.
Anderson scores a nice knee to the body.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Anderson.
Anderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Anderson pushes Saarelainen back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Saarelainen blocks a body shot from Anderson.
A right hook to the body lands for Anderson.
Anderson has Saarelainen pressed against the cage, preventing Saarelainen from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Saarelainen blocks an uppercut.
Dustin Anderson is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saarelainen jumps guard but Anderson stands there with Saarelainen around his waist. Saarelainen gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Anderson struggles to land a body shot inside as Saarelainen controls his hands.
Ahti Saarelainen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Anderson unloads a knee to the mid-section. Saarelainen lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Saarelainen takes a knee right on the jaw!
Anderson using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Anderson lands a knee to the body.
Anderson lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Saarelainen or not.
Anderson lands a body shot in the clinch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Anderson obliges.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Anderson lands a body shot in the clinch.
Anderson landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A nice right hand lands inside from Anderson.
Nice body punch from Anderson.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dustin Anderson showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Anderson 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight for Dustin Anderson!
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight for Dustin Anderson!
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight for Dustin Anderson!

Dustin Anderson wins by unanimous decision!
After the fight, Dustin Anderson was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.