PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Trenton Funkhouser (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sven Artur (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Trenton Funkhouser has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Funkhouser
vs
Artur

196 cm
27
222 lbs
12 - 9 - 0

191 cm
31
209 lbs
13 - 9 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 12 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Trenton Funkhouser!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Sven Artur!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Artur pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Funkhouser staying out of range there.
Funkhouser lands with an uppercut that bounces Artur off the cage and back into range.
Funkhouser lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Funkhouser bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Artur's head.
Funkhouser misses with a lunging right hand
and Artur counters with a nice uppercut.
A slow jab from Artur misses its intended target.
Funkhouser throws a body punch but Artur moves out of range.
Artur throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Funkhouser on the side of the head.
We've been hearing reports that Funkhouser has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Funkhouser shoots for a takedown but Artur saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Funkhouser throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Artur gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Artur has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Funkhouser off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
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!
Donk. Funkhouser catches Artur right on the button with a cross.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Artur defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Funkhouser.
Funkhouser tries to bum rush Artur with a series of wild strikes but Artur uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Artur looks to score with a jab to the body but Funkhouser is just out of range.
Artur takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Artur stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Trenton Funkhouser. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Artur looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Funkhouser throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Funkhouser misses the shot to the body.
Artur throws out a counter right but Funkhouser avoids it with no problem.
Funkhouser takes a swing at Artur's ribcage but misses.
Funkhouser misses with a body shot
and Artur counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Funkhouser throws a series of punches but Artur avoids them all with ease.
Funkhouser throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Artur swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.

Artur gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
A left hand lands to the body for Artur.

Funkhouser breaks from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Funkhouser is looking to wear down Artur with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Funkhouser jabs Artur right on the nose. Artur blinks but takes it well.
Trenton Funkhouser seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Funkhouser connects with a looping right hand.
Funkhouser scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

Funkhouser closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Funkhouser lands in his opponent's guard.

Artur is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Funkhouser presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Funkhouser tries to break free but Artur pushes him back against the cage.
Funkhouser is trying to break free.
Artur can't find room to land a body shot as Funkhouser controls the action.
Funkhouser is looking to break free of the clinch but Artur has double underhooks.
Funkhouser wants a takedown but no success here.

Funkhouser breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Funkhouser ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Funkhouser connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser darts in looking for a takedown but Artur gets double underhooks and turns Funkhouser into the cage.
Funkhouser shoots for a double leg takedown but Artur sprawls well. He's pushed Funkhouser's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Artur tests Funkhouser's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Funkhouser lands with a shot to the body.
Artur scores with a crisp jab that stopped Funkhouser in his tracks.
Funkhouser misses with a takedown
and Funkhouser takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Funkhouser's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Funkhouser duly obliges.
Artur looks to land a right hand but Funkhouser moved out of range.
Funkhouser shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Artur counters with a three punch combo that has Funkhouser backing up. Funkhouser nods at Artur to acknowledge the strikes.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Funkhouser shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Artur but Artur pushes him off and we're back to square one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser misses with a lunging right hand
and Artur counters with a left and a right that stings Funkhouser.
Funkhouser misses with a two punch combination.
Artur flicks out a counter leg kick but Funkhouser steps away.
Funkhouser darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Funkhouser.
Funkhouser stuns Artur with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Funkhouser scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Funkhouser ducks under a wild hook from Artur.
Funkhouser lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Artur looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Artur drives through and clinches with Funkhouser against the cage.
Artur misses with a punch to the body.
Funkhouser blocking some punches.
Artur tries to work over Funkhouser's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Sven Artur will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Funkhouser scores with a jab. Artur acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Sloppy strikes from Funkhouser. Those never looked like landing.
Artur appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Funkhouser throws a right hand that Artur ducks under and follows up with a left that Artur also avoids with ease.
Funkhouser shoots in but Artur avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Artur throws a nice inside leg kick.
Funkhouser scores with a punch to the head.
Funkhouser looks to throw the jab but Artur is out of range.
Funkhouser looks to throw the jab but Artur is out of range.
Artur throws out a counter right but Funkhouser avoids it with no problem.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Artur misses with a hook.
Artur walks into a left hand.
Funkhouser ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Artur moves away.
Artur looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Artur misses with a looping left.
It looked like Funkhouser wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Horrible takedown attempt by Funkhouser or perhaps it was just good defense by Artur, which made it look bad.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Funkhouser tries for a takedown but Artur sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
A nice side step and Artur releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Trenton Funkhouser. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Funkhouser uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Artur.
It looked like Funkhouser was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Artur jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Funkhouser slips under a jab.
Funkhouser swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Funkhouser dives in and grabs Artur's left leg, looking for a takedown. Artur pushes down on Funkhouser's head and hops out.
Funkhouser thows a left - swing and a miss!
Artur looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Funkhouser throws a hook but Artur avoids it easily.

Artur moves into the clinch successfully.
Funkhouser letting Artur take a breather here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Artur.
Funkhouser drops down looking for an ankle pick but Artur pulls his leg out and moves away.
Funkhouser cracks Artur with an open hand slap.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Artur swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Funkhouser tries to score a power double leg takedown but Artur sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Funkhouser somewhat.
Funkhouser throws a series of punches but Artur avoids them all with ease.
Artur swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Funkhouser.
Artur dodges the punch combination from Funkhouser.
Funkhouser throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Artur counters with a stiff right hand.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Funkhouser looks to land a combination but Artur avoids it well.
Artur looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Funkhouser throws a series of punches but Artur moves out of range.
Artur looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Funkhouser misses with a two punch combination.
Artur looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser just misses with a punch to the body.
Funkhouser swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Artur moves out of range of the strikes.

Funkhouser closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Artur to the mat! Artur manages to get full guard.

Artur has scooted to the edge of the canvas and used the cage to get back to his feet. Funkhouser has stuck on his opponent and is forcing him back against the cage.
Funkhouser is trying to break the clinch but Artur has him pressed against the cage.
A short uppercut from Funkhouser.
Artur stalls.

Artur breaks the clinch.
A combination from Funkhouser does no damage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Funkhouser checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Funkhouser misses with a body shot
and Artur counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Funkhouser thinking.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Artur feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Funkhouser's calf.
Nice defenses there by Funkhouser.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
letting Artur counter with a right hand.
Funkhouser bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Trenton Funkhouser is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Funkhouser throws a right hand that misses
and Artur cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Funkhouser slips a jab and a cross from Artur.
Funkhouser misses with a straight right.
Trenton Funkhouser is winning the standup battle so far.
Funkhouser fails with a takedown attempt.
Funkhouser misses with an uppercut. Artur saw that one coming.
Funkhouser scores with the left hand. Artur knows he should have avoided that one.
Funkhouser throws a body punch but Artur moves out of range.
Artur avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Artur waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Funkhouser.
Funkhouser just misses with a punch to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Sven Artur will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Artur thows a left - swing and a miss!
Funkhouser goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Funkhouser will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Artur ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Funkhouser moves away.
Artur connects with the punch.
Funkhouser misses with a shot to the body
and Artur cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Funkhouser connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Funkhouser lands with a right hand.
Artur uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Funkhouser.
Funkhouser blocks a jab.
Funkhouser walks into a stiff left hand from Artur.
Funkhouser falls off balance throwing a combination
and Artur counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A chopping leg kick lands by Artur.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Artur lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Artur pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Sven Artur is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Funkhouser takes a swing at Artur's ribcage but misses.
Artur misses with a straight left.
Funkhouser misses with a series of wild punches.
Funkhouser on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Artur. Artur obviously looking to wear him down.
Funkhouser looks to land a left hand but Artur moved out of range nicely.
Artur slips a jab and a cross from Funkhouser.
Artur avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Funkhouser throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Artur connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Funkhouser swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Artur.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Funkhouser throws a poor cross that misses
and Artur counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Funkhouser swings widly with a right hand
and Artur counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Funkhouser slips under a jab from Artur.
Artur just misses with a punch to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Artur leaves Funkhouser with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Funkhouser uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Artur has time to react.
Artur tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Funkhouser misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Artur.
Trenton Funkhouser has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Artur throws the left hand but Funkhouser avoids the punch easily.
Artur uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Funkhouser.
Artur misses with an uppercut.
Funkhouser was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Funkhouser throws a body shot but no joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Funkhouser misses.
Artur swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
A chopping leg kick lands by Artur.
Funkhouser throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Artur moves out of range of the strikes.
Artur wants to clinch up but Funkhouser keeps it at a distance.
Funkhouser misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Artur.
Artur tries to move into range but Funkhouser moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Funkhouser ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Funkhouser swings for the body but Artur moves out of range.
Artur slaps away a takedown attempt from Funkhouser, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Artur now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Artur throws a hook but Funkhouser avoids it easily.
Artur misses with a straight left.
Funkhouser keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A slow jab from Artur misses its intended target.
Artur misses with an uppercut. Funkhouser saw that one coming.
Funkhouser throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Funkhouser misses with a double jab
and Artur counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Artur is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Funkhouser throws a nice looking combination but Artur bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
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!
Funkhouser throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Artur connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Funkhouser misses with a wild body shot.
Funkhouser throws a predictable looking body shot
letting Artur counter with a right hand.
A nice leg kick lands there from Artur.
A looping hook to the body misses from Funkhouser. Artur does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sven Artur is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Funkhouser misses with an uppercut
and Artur counters with a stiff right hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sven Artur comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Artur winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sven Artur!
An out of breath and clearly excited Sven Artur thanked Irish Collar & Elbow Nutrition and Laundry for their help and support (and free stuff they sent him).