PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Gunnar Johnsson (ranked 210 p4p, 31 weight class) and Pekka Pera (ranked 264 p4p, 41 weight class). Pekka Pera has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Johnsson
vs
Pera

180 cm
30
178 lbs
19 - 6 - 0

150 cm
25
178 lbs
13 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Gunnar Johnsson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pekka Pera!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Alec Ball and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pera lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Johnsson looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Pera scores with a crisp jab that stopped Johnsson in his tracks.
Pera moves out of range as Johnsson strikes.
Pera misses the shot to the body.
Johnsson tries to land a body kick
and Pera counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Pera attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Johnsson on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Pera. Pera obviously looking to wear him down.
Johnsson delivers a nice body kick.
Decent striking displayed by Johnsson there.

It looks like Pekka Pera has been cut.
Johnsson takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
A low kick from Pera is predictable there
and Johnsson counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Johnsson fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Pera manages to avoid it.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pera swings for the body but Johnsson moves out of range.
Nice cross by Pera.
Pera ducks under a wild hook from Johnsson.
Pera listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pera blocks the body kick.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Pera has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Johnsson swings widly with a right hand
and Pera counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Johnsson throws a predictable looking body shot
and Pera counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

Pera instigates a clinch.
Pera working aggressively here.
Pera tries to throw a body punch but Johnsson avoids it by throwing Pera back against the cage.
Johnsson dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Pera goes for a takedown in the clinch but Johnsson prevents it.
Pera misses with a short punch on the inside.
Johnsson swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Johnsson softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Johnsson tries to work over Pera's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Pera throws a punch but it's blocked by Johnsson.
Johnsson lands with a short head shot on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnsson gets through Pera's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Pera working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Pera doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Pera lands with a light punch inside.
Pera lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Johnsson or not.
Pera misses with a short punch on the inside.
Pera cracks Johnsson with a nice body shot.
Johnsson misses with a hook to the ribs.
Pera doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Pera pushes Johnsson back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Johnsson blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Pera stalling against the cage.
Pera tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Johnsson's elbow.

Johnsson breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Johnsson fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Johnsson scores with a head kick. Pera tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pera fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Johnsson, pushing him back against the cage.
Johnsson lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Pera tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A short left from Johnsson.
Pera lands with a right to the head.
Johnsson blocking some punches.
Pera works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Pera misses with the head strike.
Johnsson blocks a body shot from Pera.
A head punch on the inside from Pera fails to land.
A head punch on the inside from Pera fails to land.
Nice body punch from Pera - that landed with a thud.
Johnsson working aggressively here.
Johnsson blocks a body shot from Pera.
Johnsson lands a hook to the side of the head.
Pera swings wildly with an uppercut but Johnsson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Pera tries a body shot but Johnsson blocks it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pera scores with a hook to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Pera misses with a hook to the ribs.
Johnsson throws a head punch that misses.
Pera fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Johnsson misses with a punch on the inside.
Johnsson can't find room to land a body shot as Pera controls the action.
Pera has a couple of punches blocked by Johnsson.
Pera lands a hook that snaps the head of Johnsson backwards.
The referee is keeping an eye on Pera - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Pera's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Pera misses with some punches.
Johnsson working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Pera misses with a body punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pekka Pera dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Pekka Pera's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Pera lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Pekka Pera seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Pera lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Johnsson lands a nice hook to Pera's body. Pera takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Johnsson swings widly with a right hand
and Pera counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Johnsson is looking to chop away at Pera's legs.
Pera tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnsson was well out of range. Poor timing from Pera.
Johnsson misses with a hook. Pera ducked under it nicely.
Johnsson slips under a jab.
A jab from Johnsson does it's job there.
Johnsson throws out a loose jab but Pera uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnsson throws a big shot that misses.
Pera let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Johnsson wants to land a leg kick but Pera is out of range.
Pera takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Johnsson checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnsson throws a leg kick but Pera moved away.
Johnsson throws an overhand right that lands on Pera's shoulder, as Pera tries to avoid the shot.
Pera moves out of range of the leg kick from Johnsson.
Pera takes a swing at Johnsson's ribcage but misses.
Pera takes a swing at Johnsson's ribcage but misses.

Johnsson forces Pera back against the cage and clinches.
Pera is trying to stall.
Pera blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Pera can't find room to land a body shot as Johnsson controls the action.
Pera struggles to land a body shot inside as Johnsson controls his hands.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Johnsson pushes Pera back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Johnsson lands a shoulder strike.
Johnsson looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Johnsson is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Pera is keeping busy.
Pera digs a right hand underneath Johnsson's ribcage. Johnsson let out a lung full of air as it connected.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Pera has clasped his hands together around Johnsson's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Johnsson taking punishment in the form of punches.
Johnsson is trying to get back to half guard.
Pera throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Pera is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Johnsson will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
You can see the frustration on Johnsson's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
An elbow from Pera crashes against the mat.
Johnsson manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnsson passes the guard and advances to mount!
Pera is squirming around, avoiding Johnsson's attempts to control the action.
Johnsson takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Pera manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Pera controlling the position well.
Johnsson takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Johnsson has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Johnsson wants to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gunnar Johnsson dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Pekka Pera's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Johnsson throws a shot from downtown. Pera moves away and avoids it.
Johnsson lands with a thumping leg kick.
Johnsson throws a shot to the body.
Johnsson throws a wild body kick that Pera sees coming a mile off.
Pera throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Pera tries to close the distance and clinch but Johnsson swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Johnsson's jab looks to have found its range, popping Pera under the eye.
Pera bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Pera connects with an inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnsson throws a jab when Pera was well out of range.
Johnsson checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Johnsson gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Pera throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Johnsson throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnsson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Pera.
Pera swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Johnsson counters with a good, hard body kick but Pera shrugs it off.
Pera connects with a body shot.
Johnsson throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Pera changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Johnsson misses with a wild combination.
Pera looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Johnsson cracks Pera with a right hand to the side of the head.
Johnsson misses with a right hand
and Pera counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Johnsson pivots, looking for a leg kick but Pera is out of range and Johnsson settles back down.

Johnsson closes the distance and clinches.
Pera misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pera misses with a punch on the inside.
Johnsson can't find room to land a body shot as Pera controls the action.
Pera pushes Johnsson back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Pera makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Pera blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Pera working aggressively here.
Pera misses with some punches.
Pera blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Pera has Johnsson pushed against the cage.
Johnsson stalls.
Pera lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Pera struggles to land a body shot inside as Johnsson controls his hands.
A nice right hand lands inside from Johnsson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pera can't find room to land a body shot as Johnsson controls the action.
Pera misses with a punch on the inside.
Johnsson lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Pera lands an uppercut.
Pera gets through Johnsson's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Johnsson misses with a hook from the clinch.
Pera tries a body shot but Johnsson blocks it.
Pera misses with a punch to the body.
Johnsson lands with a short shot to the head.
Pera working aggressively here.
Pera tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Johnsson misses with a punch to the body.
Johnsson blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Pera blocking some punches.
Pera tries to throw a body punch but Johnsson avoids it by throwing Pera back against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Johnsson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnsson misses with a punch to the body.
Johnsson taking a breather.
Johnsson swings wildly with an uppercut but Pera uses good head movement to avoid it.
Pekka Pera seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Pera misses with a hook from the clinch.
Pera lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Johnsson blocks an uppercut.
Johnsson is trying to break the clinch but Pera is controlling him.
Johnsson misses with a body punch.
Johnsson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Still in the clinch, Pera scores with a nice short uppercut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Johnsson swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Pera scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Johnsson blocks a body shot from Pera.
Pera prevents Johnsson from breaking the clinch.
Pera has a couple of punches blocked by Johnsson.
Pera pushes Johnsson back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Pekka Pera.
I think Pera 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 Elvis Blanc scores the fight 28:29
Judge Alec Ball scores the fight 28:29
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pekka Pera!
Our winner, Pekka Pera, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.