PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kalervo Kaunismieli (ranked 108 p4p, 14 weight class) and Anton Obuhov (ranked 526 p4p, 67 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.

Kaunismieli
vs
Obuhov

183 cm
39
192 lbs
40 - 15 - 2

190 cm
31
200 lbs
16 - 13 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

BJJ Red Belt
World class MT
Good gas tank

CAGED UP Clothings 50$

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 40 - 15 - 2, fighting out of New York, Kalervo Kaunismieli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 13 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Anton Obuhov!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Colin Fotheringham and Daniel Bishop.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A big left from Kaunismieli misses.
Obuhov throws out a counter right but Kaunismieli avoids it with no problem.
Kaunismieli lands an overhand right.

It looks like Anton Obuhov has been cut.
Obuhov keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kaunismieli.
Kaunismieli looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Obuhov connects with a looping right hand.
Kaunismieli showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Obuhov.

Obuhov shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Obuhov was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Obuhov trying to control the action but Kaunismieli is working from the bottom.
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Obuhov lands a decent elbow from side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Obuhov looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Kaunismieli is avoiding damage well.
Obuhov sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Kaunismieli is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Obuhov cracks Kaunismieli with a big right hand but Kaunismieli just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Kaunismieli struggling a bit here.
Kaunismieli defending against the ground and pound.
Obuhov trying to control the position but Kaunismieli is working away.
Kaunismieli is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Obuhov wants to pass to mount but Kaunismieli is defending the position.
Obuhov thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov is thwarting Kaunismieli's attempts to control the position.
Kaunismieli is trying is best to control the position here.
Obuhov wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kaunismieli keeps working.
Obuhov missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Obuhov not doing much here.
Obuhov is trying to control the action in half guard but Kaunismieli is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov is nestled in close to Kaunismieli, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Kaunismieli is refusing to be controlled, as Obuhov sits in half guard.
Kaunismieli tries to get to full guard but Obuhov has control of the leg.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Kaunismieli keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Obuhov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Kaunismieli's head.
Obuhov controlling the pace.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Kaunismieli fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Obuhov has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Obuhov scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Kaunismieli doesn't seem bothered though.
Obuhov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov moves away from the strike by Kaunismieli.
Kaunismieli tries to clinch but Obuhov is having none of it.
Obuhov cracks Kaunismieli with an open hand slap.
Obuhov shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Kaunismieli scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Obuhov staying out of range there.
A nice side step and Obuhov releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Obuhov connects with a nice looking jab.
Obuhov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Nice defenses there by Obuhov.
Obuhov looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Kalervo Kaunismieli is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Obuhov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Kaunismieli throws a nice looking combination but Obuhov bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Kaunismieli is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Obuhov's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Obuhov avoids the body shot from Kaunismieli.
Obuhov bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Obuhov checks a leg kick.
Obuhov misses with a double jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anton Obuhov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Anton Obuhov's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

A looping hook to the body misses from Obuhov. Kaunismieli does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kaunismieli lands the left hand.
Kaunismieli has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Kaunismieli there as he acknowledges the shot.
A big left from Kaunismieli misses.
Kaunismieli lands with a shot to the body.
Obuhov wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Obuhov looks to land a right hand but Kaunismieli moved out of range.
Kaunismieli throws a big shot that misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Obuhov. Kaunismieli does a little dance to reset his feet.
Obuhov looks to score with a jab to the body but Kaunismieli is just out of range.
An attempted straight right counter from Kaunismieli misses the target.
Kaunismieli rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Obuhov counters with a nice double leg into side control. Kaunismieli won't be happy with that.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Obuhov trying to control the action but Kaunismieli is working from the bottom.
Kaunismieli tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaunismieli struggling a bit here.
Obuhov cracks Kaunismieli with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Kaunismieli struggling a bit here.
Obuhov is chipping away with strikes.
Kaunismieli can't do much from the bottom here.
Anton Obuhov has got the better of the ground game so far.
Obuhov misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Obuhov working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Obuhov trying to control the position but Kaunismieli is working away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov landing a few strikes.
Obuhov creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Kaunismieli sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Kaunismieli is not content to let Obuhov control the position.
Kaunismieli is looking to reverse the position.
Obuhov sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Kaunismieli is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Kaunismieli is not content to let Obuhov control the position.
Obuhov throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Kaunismieli works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Kaunismieli is trying to maintain the position but Obuhov is very close to passing his half guard.
Obuhov throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Obuhov seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Obuhov looks to land a strike but Kaunismieli avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Obuhov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Kaunismieli works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Obuhov throws a strike but Kaunismieli rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Kaunismieli trying to control but Obuhov is working from the bottom.
Kaunismieli is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Obuhov trying to keep a closed guard but Kaunismieli is proving a slippery customer.
Obuhov keeping moving, preventing Kaunismieli from controlling successfully.
Kaunismieli is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Obuhov is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kaunismieli won't allow Obuhov to sweep him here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anton Obuhov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Anton Obuhov's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Kaunismieli misses with the combination.
Kaunismieli throws the kick towards the body but Obuhov avoids it.
Kaunismieli throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Kaunismieli clobbers Obuhov with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
No joy there for Obuhov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kaunismieli is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Obuhov.
Kaunismieli ducks under a wild hook from Obuhov.
Obuhov fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Kaunismieli pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kaunismieli looks to clinch
letting Obuhov counter with a right hand.
Obuhov shoots in and drives through. Kaunismieli sprawls well.
Kaunismieli misses the jab.
Obuhov has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Obuhov scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Obuhov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Obuhov moves into range and connects with a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Obuhov lands a really nice looking cross but Kaunismieli seems unphased.
Obuhov lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Obuhov misses with a lunging right hand
and Kaunismieli counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Kaunismieli lunges at Obuhov with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Obuhov's hand.
Obuhov throws a right hand that misses
and Kaunismieli counters with a straight right hand.
Obuhov has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Kaunismieli.
Kaunismieli lands a jab.
Obuhov scores with a sloppy right hand. Kaunismieli should have avoided that one.
Obuhov blocks the body kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kaunismieli ducks under a wild hook from Obuhov.
Kaunismieli takes a swing at Obuhov's ribcage but misses.
Anton Obuhov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kaunismieli misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Kaunismieli misses with a looping left.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kaunismieli scores with a shot to the body.
Kaunismieli scores with the left hand. Obuhov knows he should have avoided that one.
Obuhov thuds his right hand into Kaunismieli's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Obuhov goes for a double leg but Kaunismieli avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Kaunismieli continues to drive forward.
Kalervo Kaunismieli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Anton Obuhov.
Obuhov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kaunismieli sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Kaunismieli looks to score with a jab to the body but Obuhov is just out of range.
Obuhov's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kaunismieli connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Obuhov scrambles back to his feet.
Kaunismieli has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Kaunismieli there as he acknowledges the shot.
Kaunismieli shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Kaunismieli connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Obuhov throws a body punch but Kaunismieli moves out of range.
Kaunismieli lands with an overhand left.
A jab from Kaunismieli misses.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Obuhov! But no joy.
Kaunismieli staying out of range there.
Kalervo Kaunismieli has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Obuhov has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Obuhov shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Kaunismieli on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Obuhov is nestled in close to Kaunismieli, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Kaunismieli slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Obuhov trying to control the position from guard on top but Kaunismieli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kaunismieli preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Obuhov is working Kaunismieli over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Kaunismieli controls Obuhov momentarily but Obuhov frees himself.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Obuhov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Obuhov throws a big right hand that misses.
Anton Obuhov is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Obuhov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Obuhov has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Obuhov throws a strike but Kaunismieli rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Kaunismieli stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Obuhov swivels though and keeps the full guard.

Obuhov looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Obuhov throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Kaunismieli escapes and throws Obuhov's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Obuhov tries to buck Kaunismieli off but Kaunismieli is having none of it.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Kalervo Kaunismieli.
I think Obuhov 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 28:30
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Anton Obuhov!
After the fight, Anton Obuhov was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.