PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Daniel Bornholm (ranked 2080 p4p, 249 weight class) and Aito Lager (ranked 2787 p4p, 311 weight class). Lager has chosen Army Of The Pharaohs - Seven as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Bornholm
vs
Lager

183 cm
27
189 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

178 cm
26
199 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Red Belt
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Bee Krazy

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 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Daniel Bornholm!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Aito Lager!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Tarja Halkonen and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot lands for Lager.
A slapping leg kick lands for Bornholm.
Aito Lager seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bornholm throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Bornholm uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Lager throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Bornholm stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Bornholm moves out of range as Lager strikes.
Lager lands a head shot.

It looks like Daniel Bornholm has been cut.
Lager gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Bornholm avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Bornholm bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
An attempted straight right counter from Bornholm misses the target.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Bornholm.
Bornholm checks a low kick from Lager.
Bornholm half committed to a counter leg kick.
Bornholm throws a nice inside leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bornholm throws a nice outside leg kick.

Lager looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Bornholm keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Lager not doing much here.
Let's hope that Lager has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lager tries to pass the half guard into mount. Bornholm knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Bornholm tries to roll over but Lager keeps him under control.
Bornholm trying to control from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Lager not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Lager slows the pace down in half guard.
Bornholm is looking to improve his position.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Bornholm wants to improve his position but Lager is controlling well.
Lager keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Lager is thwarting Bornholm's attempts to control the position.
Lager is taking a breather. Bornholm says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Bornholm trying to control here.
Lager is taking a breather. Bornholm says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Bornholm connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Lager misses with a hook. Bornholm ducked under it nicely.
Lager sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Bornholm keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

Lager drives through with a takedown into Bornholm's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Bornholm wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Lager postures up in Bornholm's guard and throws a big left but Bornholm blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lager not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Lager lands a couple of elbows.
Lager working some strikes from top position.
Bornholm is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Lager trying to control but Bornholm is working from the bottom.
Lager is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Lager looking to pass the guard.
Bornholm has Lager pulled in close to control his posture.
Lager is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Lager controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Lager throwing strikes but missing.
Lager landing some decent shots from guard.
Lager's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Lager in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Lager sitting in guard here, content to control.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aito Lager dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Daniel Bornholm's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Lager misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bornholm.
Bornholm misses with an attempted mid kick.
Lager throws a hook but Bornholm blocks it.
A thudding body kick lands there by Bornholm!
Lager blocks a low kick nicely.
Lager keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bornholm displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lager throws out the jab.
Lager slips under a jab.
Jab, jab by Bornholm - just one landing.
Bornholm bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Bornholm pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Lager drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Lager controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
We're seeing a lot of stalling here from Lager.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bornholm is trying to control the position but Lager postures up.
Lager controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Lager is continuing to stall.
Lager wants to control from the top but Bornholm keeps moving.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Bornholm lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Bornholm blocks a jab.
Lager throws a jab but it's blocked by Bornholm.
Bornholm appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Lager ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Bornholm moves away.
Bornholm ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bornholm ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Lager tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Lager moves out of range as Bornholm throws a body kick.
Lager drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Bornholm defends it well.
Bornholm throws a body kick that misses.
Bornholm lands a leg kick that knocks Lager off balance momentarily.
Lager misses with an uppercut. Bornholm saw that one coming.
Lager misses with a straight left.
Bornholm getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Bornholm steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Lager.
Daniel Bornholm is winning the standup battle so far.
Lager throws a jab but it's blocked by Bornholm.
Daniel Bornholm is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bornholm misses with a hook.
Lager throws a jab but it's blocked by Bornholm.
Nice straight punches there by Bornholm. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Bornholm.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Lager throws a shot from downtown. Bornholm moves away and avoids it.
Bornholm defending well as Lager loads up on a big left hand.
Lager swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Lager rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Bornholm counters with a nice uppercut.
Lager tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bornholm was well out of range. Poor timing from Lager.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lager just misses with a punch to the body.
Bornholm uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Lager.
Lager moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Lager throws a body punch but Bornholm moves out of range.
Lager misses with an uppercut. Bornholm saw that one coming.
Lager misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bornholm.
Bornholm throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bornholm bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Lager's head backwards.
Bornholm moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Lager takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Bornholm on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Lager throws a body shot but no joy.
Lager connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Lager connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bornholm throws a wild body kick that Lager sees coming a mile off.
Lager thuds a left hand into Bornholm's body.
Lager moves away from the strike by Bornholm.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bornholm gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Lager.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Bornholm. Lager shrugs it off though.
Lager jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Lager uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Bornholm.
Bornholm connects with a crisp jab.
Horrible takedown attempt by Lager or perhaps it was just good defense by Bornholm, which made it look bad.
Bornholm throws a front kick aimed at Lager's knee but Lager avoids it well.
Bornholm checks a leg kick nicely.
Lager is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Bornholm.
Lager ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Bornholm moves away.
Lager scores with a nice strike.
Bornholm defending well as Lager loads up on a big left hand.
Lager's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Bornholm scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Bornholm lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Aito Lager has been cut.
Bornholm connects with a crisp jab.
Bornholm throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Daniel Bornholm will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Bornholm gets caught flat footed, as Lager shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Bornholm utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Bornholm keeping full guard, as Lager tries to pass.
Bornholm trying to control the position here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bornholm tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Lager stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Bornholm swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Bornholm is trying to control the position but Lager postures up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lager sitting in guard here, content to control.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Lager is looking to advance position but Bornholm has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!

Lager has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lager can't escape the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bornholm controlling his opponent.
Lager wants to hold on but Bornholm pushes him away.
Lager might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Bornholm haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Bornholm prevents Lager from getting the reversal.
Lager tries to lock up and control but Bornholm gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Lager regains half guard.
Bornholm looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Lager wants to control but Bornholm is keeping busy.
Lager wants to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lager moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Lager can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Bornholm controls the pace.
Aito Lager has got the better of the ground game so far.
Lager is pulling down on Bornholm's head. It's preventing any offense from Bornholm, at least for the moment.
Bornholm content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Bornholm looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Lager looking for a sweep. Not yet Lager, not yet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lager is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Bornholm postures up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Lager shoots in looking for a takedown. Bornholm tries to sprawl out of it but Lager keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Bornholm manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Bornholm looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Lager throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bornholm takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Bornholm misses with an attempted mid kick.
Lager tests Bornholm's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Lager swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Lager takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Bornholm throws a body punch but Lager moves out of range.
Lager throws out a loose jab but Bornholm uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lager takes a swing at Bornholm's ribcage but misses.
Bornholm throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Lager.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lager blocks the body kick.
Lager connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Bornholm looks to score with a jab to the body but Lager is just out of range.
Bornholm throws a low kick but Lager avoids it.
Bornholm keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bornholm scoring well with a low kick there.
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!
Lager checks a low kick from Bornholm.
Lager's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Bornholm connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Lager scrambles back to his feet.
Bornholm ducks under a wild hook from Lager.
Bornholm slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Lager tests Bornholm's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Lager avoids a kick to the body.
Bornholm keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Lager.
Bornholm uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Lager.
Lager lands with a shot to the body.
Lager throws the left hand but Bornholm avoids the punch easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Aito Lager.
I think Lager 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 28:29
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Aito Lager!
During a confident post fight interview, Aito Lager thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.