PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Because I Can (ranked 1175 p4p, 123 weight class) and Khal Stark (ranked 1204 p4p, 127 weight class). Stark has chosen The River Dragon by Nevermore as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Khal Stark will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

I Can
vs
Stark

155 cm
28
145 lbs
16 - 17 - 0

174 cm
32
158 lbs
18 - 13 - 2

Abu Dhabi Champ
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 16 - 17 - 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 18 - 13 - 2, fighting out of New York, Khal Stark!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Arvi Lind and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stark misses with the combination.
Stark misses with a body shot.
Stark is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

Stark looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Stark looking to sit in guard and control but I Can gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Stark keeping full guard, as I Can tries to pass.
I Can trying to control but Stark is working from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stark looking for a sweep. Not yet Stark, not yet.
I Can trying to control but Stark is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark wants to sweep here but I Can controlling him for the moment.
I Can looking to sit in guard and control but Stark gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

I Can can't keep his opponent in guard - Stark advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
I Can is refusing to be controlled, as Stark sits in half guard.
Stark wants to pass to mount but I Can is defending the position.
Stark perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
I Can might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Stark is trying to control. I Can wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

Stark looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stark trying to mount his opponent but I Can defends it.
Stark scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
I Can wants to control but Stark is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Stark keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.

Stark seems to be looking for submissions.
I Can makes his way to full guard. A much better position for I Can.
I Can working a defensive guard here.
I Can utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stark stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. I Can swivels though and keeps the full guard.
I Can controlling Stark's posture.
Stark looking to sit in guard and control but I Can gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Stark wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and I Can is now in half guard.
Stark is staying active underneath I Can, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

I Can is working for a submission of some sort.
Stark is trying to stand up here but I Can is controlling him well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
I Can is trying to control the action in half guard but Stark is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Stark trying to control here.
I Can thows a huge punch but Stark dodges it nicely.

I Can seems to be working for a kimura but Stark defends the submission attempt.
Stark flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

I Can looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
I Can content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Stark fails with an attempt to clinch.

I Can gets a takedown into half guard.
I Can trying to control the pace.

Stark is defending against the submission attempts here by I Can.
I Can has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stark is trying to escape the mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
I Can wants to lay and pray for a moment but Stark keeps working.
Stark has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. I Can is working away from the top position though.
Stark controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Stark flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Stark trying to control here.

That's two 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.
Stark is refusing to be controlled, as I Can sits in half guard.
Because I Can overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Stark is looking to improve his position.
I Can is trying to control the action in half guard but Stark is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Stark wants to control the action here but instead I Can manages to pass to full mount!
Poor strikes thrown by I Can there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
I Can avoids the attempt from Stark to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Stark is working to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
I Can landing strikes, looking to finish!
I Can thowing shots but they're missing.
Stark tries to lock up and control but I Can gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Stark is squirming around, avoiding I Can's attempts to control the action.
I Can prevents Stark from getting the reversal.

I Can working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Stark is looking to improve his position but I Can isn't that keen on the idea.
I Can looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stark tries to lock up and control but I Can gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Stark gets back to half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
I Can is looking to take a break and control but Stark is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Stark manages to get to full guard.
Stark keeping full guard, as I Can tries to pass.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
I Can controls from within his opponent's guard.
I Can trying to control the position from guard on top but Stark is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Because I Can dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

I Can darts in looking for a takedown but Stark gets double underhooks and turns I Can into the cage.
I Can takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
I Can thuds his right hand into Stark's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Stark tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but I Can paws at him with a jab and circles away.
I Can just misses with a punch to the body.

Stark has taken the fight to the clinch.
Stark misses with a hook from the clinch.
Stark taking a breather.
Stark throws a head punch that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stark is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Stark.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Stark breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
I Can looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Stark is fending him off so far but I Can persists. Nope, Stark circles away and we're back to standing.
Stark is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
A bone on bone clash there as I Can blocks the leg kick.

Stark instigates a clinch.
I Can drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Because I Can. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stark cracks I Can with a nice body shot.
I Can blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stark lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Stark lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Stark missing with knees to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Stark fails to land.
I Can is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Stark pulls him back up using the underhooks.
I Can blocks an elbow strike from Stark.
I Can jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Stark walks away with a smile on his face. I Can gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Khal Stark is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Stark throws a body kick that misses.
It looked like I Can wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Stark waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract I Can.
Stark throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
I Can seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Stark throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Stark misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
I Can stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Stark.

Stark instigates a clinch.
I Can being controlled against the cage.
Stark wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
I Can scores with a nice hook to the head.
A short right from Stark.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
I Can misses with the head strike.
I Can goes for a takedown attempt but Stark pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Stark uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from I Can.

Stark closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Khal Stark seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Stark scores with a hook to the body.
Stark lands a right hand.
Stark misses with the head strike.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Stark stops a takedown attempt from I Can.
Stark has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Stark tries to throw a body punch but I Can avoids it by throwing Stark back against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Khal Stark comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Stark 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 28:29
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Khal Stark!
Khal Stark was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.
The defeated Because I Can had this to say: 'I'm so handsome i'm not surprised this guy was all over me the way he was!'.