PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dominic Donnelly (ranked 3053 p4p, 0 weight class) and Petter Norlin (ranked 5840 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.

Donnelly
vs
Norlin

185 cm
20
198 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

198 cm
25
191 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Dominic Donnelly!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Petter Norlin!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Anni Minnemäki and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Donnelly tries to bum rush Norlin with a series of wild strikes but Norlin uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Donnelly tries to bum rush Norlin with a series of wild strikes but Norlin uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Norlin tries to counter by closing the distance.
Norlin is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Donnelly uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Norlin.
Norlin stuns Donnelly with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Donnelly just misses with a punch to the body.
Norlin tries to counter with a clinch but Donnelly shakes him off and moves away.
Donnelly misses with a double jab

and Norlin moves into the clinch.
Norlin using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Norlin works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Donnelly struggles to land a body shot inside as Norlin controls his hands.
Norlin putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Donnelly in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Donnelly is breathing heavily.
Donnelly tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Norlin tries a knee to the head but Donnelly blocks it.
Norlin misses with a knee to the head.
Norlin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Donnelly misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Donnelly tries to work over Norlin's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Norlin obliges.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norlin landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Norlin connects with a nasty looking knee right to Donnelly's face.
Norlin putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Donnelly in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Norlin tries to land a knee to the head but Donnelly blocks with his arms.
Donnelly misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Donnelly lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Norlin with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Donnelly blocks an elbow strike.
Norlin unloads a knee to the mid-section. Donnelly lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Norlin blocks an elbow strike from Donnelly.
Donnelly tries to work over Norlin's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Norlin missing with knees to the body.
Norlin landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Norlin keeps control of Donnelly as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Norlin lands a good knee to the midsection. Donnelly won't want to take too many of those.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Norlin tries to land a knee to the head but Donnelly blocks with his arms.
Norlin avoids a wild elbow strike from Donnelly.
Norlin scores a nice knee to the body.
Norlin connects with a knee to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Norlin lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Donnelly backwards.
Norlin lands a knee to the head.
Donnelly takes an elbow to the forehead.
Donnelly goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Norlin unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Norlin connects with a knee to the head.

It looks like Dominic Donnelly has been cut.
A knee to the head by Norlin.
Norlin with a knee to the head.
A knee to the head by Norlin.
Norlin scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Norlin working Donnelly over with knees to the body.
Norlin misses with a knee to the head.
Norlin lands a knee to the head.
A knee to the head by Norlin.
Donnelly has a couple of punches blocked by Norlin.
Norlin scores with a knee to the head.
Norlin with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Norlin missing with knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Norlin misses with a knee strike.
Norlin utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Norlin misses with a knee strike.
Norlin tries to land knees in the clinch but Donnelly avoids the damage to the body.
Donnelly misses with a hook to the ribs.
Donnelly has a couple of punches blocked by Norlin.
Norlin scores with a knee to the head.
Norlin scores with a knee to the head.
Norlin pushes Donnelly back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Donnelly takes a knee right on the jaw!
Donnelly tries to break free but Norlin pushes him back against the cage.

Donnelly escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Norlin uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Donnelly.
Norlin is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Donnelly misses with a wild combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Donnelly. Those never looked like landing.
Norlin throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Norlin throws a good cross that connects.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Donnelly lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
A slow jab from Norlin misses its intended target.
Donnelly on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Dominic Donnelly seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Good work by Norlin as he checks the leg kick.
Norlin wants to counter with a clinch but Donnelly pushes him away.
Donnelly tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Norlin was well out of range. Poor timing from Donnelly.
Norlin tries to counter by closing the distance.
Norlin takes a swing at Donnelly's ribcage but misses.

Donnelly gets in close and instigates a clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Norlin connects with a nasty looking knee right to Donnelly's face.
Norlin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Donnelly.
Norlin dodges an elbow strike from Donnelly.
Norlin with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Petter Norlin dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dominic Donnelly's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Donnelly throws a body shot but no joy.
Norlin scores with a crisp jab that stopped Donnelly in his tracks.
Norlin has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Norlin avoids a kick to the body.
Norlin wants to counter the offense by Donnelly and move into the clinch position.
Norlin misses with a wild combination.
Norlin is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
A low kick from Donnelly misses
and Norlin connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A shot to the liver by Norlin. Beautiful body shot.
Donnelly throws a hook but Norlin avoids it easily.
Donnelly misses with a jab, cross combination.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Norlin keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Norlin cracks Donnelly with a good jab.
Donnelly throws a poor cross that misses
and Norlin counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Donnelly thinking.
Norlin swings for the body but Donnelly moves out of range.
Donnelly wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Donnelly misses with a two punch combination.
Norlin tries to counter by closing the distance.
Norlin is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Donnelly rather than just go for the knockout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norlin scores with a hook to the body. Donnelly takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Donnelly misses with the combination.
Norlin lands with a straight right. Donnelly didn't see that one coming.
Donnelly dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Norlin. That did some damage!
Norlin scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Norlin digs a good body shot into Donnelly's ribs.
Norlin uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Donnelly.
Norlin tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Donnelly was well out of range. Poor timing from Norlin.
Donnelly throws a hook but Norlin avoids it easily.
Norlin steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Donnelly.
Norlin throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Donnelly wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Norlin has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Some bone on bone action there as Norlin checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Norlin fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Norlin slips a jab and a cross from Donnelly.
A big left from Donnelly misses.
Petter Norlin seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Donnelly chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Donnelly looks to throw the jab but Norlin is out of range.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Donnelly misses with a wild body shot.
Norlin throws a nice looking combination but Donnelly bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Norlin lands a nice shot that snaps Donnelly's head back.
Donnelly on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Donnelly fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Norlin scores with a jab to the body.
Norlin tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Donnelly was well out of range. Poor timing from Norlin.

Donnelly instigates a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Norlin with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Norlin using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Norlin utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Donnelly works on Norlin's body with a couple of short punches.
Donnelly is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Norlin's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Norlin lands a knee to the head.

Norlin connects with a massive knee from the clinch and Donnelly goes down! Norlin jumps into full mount looking to finish!

Donnelly is rocked!
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!
Norlin controlling his opponent.
Oh Donnelly is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Norlin's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Norlin is continuing to stall.
Donnelly seems to have got his legs back now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The adventures of Norlin the control monster continue. Boring.
Donnelly working to try and regain half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Petter Norlin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Dominic Donnelly's cut.
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. This is the final round!

Norlin fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

Norlin tries to keep at a distance but Donnelly has taken the fight into the clinch.
A knee to the head by Norlin.
Norlin with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Donnelly on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Donnelly blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Norlin is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Donnelly avoiding damage as Norlin throws knees to the body.
Donnelly swings away with an uppercut that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Norlin blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Norlin lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Donnelly.
Donnelly throws a head punch that misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A head punch on the inside from Donnelly fails to land.
Donnelly goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
With the fighters up against the cage, Donnelly throws an elbow but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norlin unloads a knee to the mid-section. Donnelly lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Norlin tries to land knees in the clinch but Donnelly avoids the damage to the body.
Norlin with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Norlin pushes Donnelly back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Norlin looking to throw knees to the head but Donnelly is blocking nicely.
Norlin landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Norlin landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Norlin with a knee to the head.
Norlin throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Donnelly blocks it with crossed arms.
Donnelly throws an elbow that misses.
Donnelly goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Norlin with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Norlin connects with a knee to the head.
Petter Norlin seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Norlin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Norlin.
This has been an exciting period of action!
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Donnelly.
Norlin scores with a knee to the head.
Dominic Donnelly has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Norlin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Donnelly.
A knee to the head by Norlin.
Donnelly struggles to land a body shot inside as Norlin controls his hands.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Donnelly.
Donnelly has had enough of the clinch but Norlin keeps him there for the moment.
Donnelly lands an elbow that stopped Norlin in his tracks for a moment.
Petter Norlin is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Norlin blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Norlin landing knees to the body.
Norlin blocks an elbow strike from Donnelly.
Donnelly scores with a shoulder strike.
Norlin misses with a knee to the head.
Donnelly misses with some punches.
Donnelly throws a head punch that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Donnelly misses with a punch to the body.
Donnelly pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Donnelly throws a head punch that misses.
Donnelly swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Donnelly misses with a body punch.
Norlin tries to land a knee to the head but Donnelly blocks with his arms.
Donnelly's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Norlin prevents a body shot from Donnelly.
Norlin working Donnelly over with knees to the body.
Donnelly misses with a short punch on the inside.
Norlin lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

Donnelly manages to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Norlin throws a right and a left that Donnelly avoids nicely.

Donnelly rushes Norlin and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Donnelly fails to land.
Donnelly swings wildly with an uppercut but Norlin uses good head movement to avoid it.
Norlin with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Norlin.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Donnelly throws a head punch that misses.
Norlin blocks an elbow strike.
Donnelly stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Norlin blocks an elbow strike from Donnelly.

And that's the end of the fight!
Petter Norlin comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Norlin has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Petter Norlin!