PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Because I Can (ranked 2011 p4p, 211 weight class) and Khal Stark (ranked 3267 p4p, 329 weight class). Stark is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Gardenia by Kyuss. 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.

I Can
vs
Stark

155 cm
26
145 lbs
14 - 13 - 0

174 cm
31
158 lbs
14 - 10 - 2

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Zenith Nutrition (160q/225$)
Red Light Coffeeshop

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 14 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Because I Can!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 10 - 2, fighting out of New York, Khal Stark!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Tarja Halkonen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Stark shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
I Can might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
I Can is looking to improve his position.
I Can moves into full guard.
Stark's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Stark working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Stark advances position into side control!
I Can can't do much from the bottom here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Stark is trying to get an arm triangle but I Can is defending well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Stark working away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
I Can is trying to get back to half guard.
Stark working the ground and pound from side control.
Stark looks up at the clock and then as I Can takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Stark smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Stark tries to move into full mount but can't pass I Can's legs.
I Can struggling a bit here.
Stark trying to control the position but I Can is working away.
Stark landing strikes.
I Can is looking for a sweep.
I Can on the wrong end of some ground and pound.

Stark is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, I Can has escaped the position, nice work there.

Stark is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. I Can knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
I Can tries to improve position but can't.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Stark landing a few strikes.

Stark tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Stark has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Stark working the ground and pound but I Can is defending the strikes.
I Can is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
I Can is not content to let Stark control the position.
I Can slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
I Can trying to control the position.
Stark trying to move into half guard but instead I Can has managed to sweep!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stark keeping moving, preventing I Can from controlling successfully.
Stark looking to hit a scissor sweep but I Can is one step ahead there.
I Can wants to control from the top but Stark keeps moving.
Stark has his hands on I Can's head, controlling the position.
I Can pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Stark is keeping the position for now.
Stark looking for a sweep. Not yet Stark, not yet.
I Can stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Stark swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
I Can wants to control from the top but Stark keeps moving.
Stark looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Stark has I Can pulled in close to control his posture.
Stark keeping moving, preventing I Can from controlling successfully.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
I Can 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 motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
I Can looks to land a combination but Stark avoids it well.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Stark misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
I Can loads up on a big right hand but Stark slips the punch.
Stark throws a chopping leg kick but I Can manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
I Can's jab looks to have found its range, popping Stark under the eye.
I Can throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Khal Stark dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

I Can showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Stark.
Stark ducks under a wild hook from I Can.
Stark wants to counter with a clinch but I Can pushes him away.
Stark has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
I Can fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
I Can waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Stark.
Stark throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Stark has managed to clinch.
Stark working aggressively here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for I Can.
Stark lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of I Can backwards.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
I Can tries to throw a body punch but Stark avoids it by throwing I Can back against the cage.
Stark lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Stark misses with a punch on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark looking to throw knees to the head but I Can is blocking nicely.
I Can tries to pull guard but Stark holds him up against the cage and eventually I Can drops back down to his feet.
I Can fails to pull guard.
Stark scores with an uppercut up the middle.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for I Can.
I Can tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Stark taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Stark misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stark tries to throw a body punch but I Can avoids it by throwing Stark back against the cage.
Stark lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for I Can.
I Can fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Because I Can. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stark using the Thai plumb to throw knees but I Can has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
I Can tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
I Can jumps guard but Stark stands there with I Can around his waist. I Can gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Stark fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stark lands with a short shot to the head.
A shot in the inside from Stark.
Stark tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
The referee calls for Stark to work.
Stark tries for a takedown. No joy.
I Can blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A head punch on the inside from I Can fails to land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stark is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. I Can is defending well for now.
Khal Stark seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for I Can.
Stark swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Stark goes for a takedown in the clinch but I Can prevents it.
Stark controlling the action here for a moment.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Stark working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Khal Stark showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

A cross from I Can lands.
Stark pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Stark, as that shot connected.
Stark moves forwards but I Can connects with a nice, crisp jab.
I Can misses with a series of wild punches.
It seemed like Stark was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Stark displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
I Can is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Stark.
Stark defending well as I Can loads up on a big left hand.
I Can seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
I Can takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
I Can looks to throw the jab but Stark is out of range.
Stark tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but I Can paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Because I Can is winning the standup battle so far.
I Can misses with a hook.
Stark pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
I Can connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Stark's hands.

Stark moves into the clinch successfully.
Stark swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Stark lands an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark throws a head punch that misses.
Stark stalling in the clinch.
Stark is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Stark blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A short uppercut from Stark.
I Can blocks a body shot from Stark.
Because I Can has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Khal Stark is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
A shot in the inside from Stark.
Stark lands a nice uppercut.

I Can is rocked!

I Can is fighting off a takedown attempt but Stark is just too persistent for him and manages to trip I Can to the mat. I Can regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Oh I Can is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Stark postures up from his opponent's guard, before exploding into some vicious ground and pound! I Can covers up, he's hurt! Stark keeps throwing the strikes, glancing at the referee... Will he stop it?? One more big shot from Stark and the ref steps in to end the fight! Stark can't hide his delight as he celebrates with his corner.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:38 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Khal Stark!
Post fight, Khal Stark took to the microphone: 'I want to thank my sponsors ZENITH NUTRITION & ASPIRE CLOTHING I wanna thank all my coaches and teammates at Touch Of Death and all the fans who believed!'.
In defeat, Because I Can stepped up to the mic, saying 'I'm so handsome i'm not surprised this guy was all over me the way he was!'.