PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Lusmu Kutvonen (ranked 2135 p4p, 3886 weight class) and Pascal Letaivu (ranked 217 p4p, 358 weight class). Pascal Letaivu told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Kutvonen
vs
Letaivu

170 cm
27
144
9 - 6 - 1

170 cm
38
148
26 - 19 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

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 9 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Lusmu Kutvonen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 26 - 19 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pascal Letaivu!
The judges for this bout are Nard Betker, Saam Ante and Patrick Alders.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A big right from Letaivu misses.
Kutvonen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Letaivu manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Pascal Letaivu seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kutvonen takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Letaivu lands a nice looking body shot.
Letaivu has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Kutvonen.
Kutvonen just misses with a punch to the body.
Kutvonen ducks under a wild hook from Letaivu.
Kutvonen fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Letaivu misses with a leg kick
and Kutvonen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Letaivu throws a lazy uppercut
and Kutvonen counters with a nice low kick that buckles Letaivu's knee momentarily.
Letaivu throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Kutvonen throws a quick inside leg kick.
Kutvonen lands a lovely overhand right.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kutvonen scores with a crisp jab that stopped Letaivu in his tracks.
Letaivu connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Kutvonen momentarily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Letaivu misses with an uppercut
and Kutvonen counters with a nice uppercut.
Kutvonen connects with the punch.
Kutvonen just misses with a punch to the body.
Kutvonen backing away here, and Letaivu unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Letaivu works the jab nicely.
Kutvonen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Letaivu manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Letaivu falls off balance throwing a combination
and Kutvonen cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

Kutvonen bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Letaivu is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Letaivu is trying to control Kutvonen's posture but Kutvonen avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Letaivu is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Letaivu wants to get back to his feet.
Letaivu tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
Letaivu tries to hold on but Kutvonen postures up.
Letaivu is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kutvonen punching from mount but Letaivu doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Kutvonen thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Letaivu is squirming around, avoiding Kutvonen's attempts to control the action.
Kutvonen avoids the attempt from Letaivu to control.
Kutvonen landing strikes, looking to finish!
Kutvonen wants to control the pace but Letaivu is squirming around nicely.
Letaivu tries to hold on but Kutvonen postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kutvonen unloading with bombs!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Letaivu wants to control but Kutvonen is having none of it.
Letaivu is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Kutvonen is staying active.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kutvonen lands a nice shot to the head.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Lusmu Kutvonen dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Kutvonen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kutvonen misses with a hook.
Letaivu looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kutvonen is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Letaivu can do to turn this around?

Letaivu rushes Kutvonen and presses him up against the cage.
I was talking to Kutvonen's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
A right hand to the body from Kutvonen.
Kutvonen softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Kutvonen lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Kutvonen can't find room to land a body shot as Letaivu controls the action.
Letaivu softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Kutvonen lands with a light punch inside.
Letaivu misses with a shot to the kidneys.

Kutvonen works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kutvonen is fighting to break Letaivu's control of his arms but Letaivu is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Letaivu working a defensive guard but Kutvonen passes into half guard.
Letaivu desperately trying to maintain half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Letaivu is trying to control but Kutvonen passes into side control!
Kutvonen trying to control the position but Letaivu is working away.
Kutvonen controlling from side mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Letaivu wants to control but Kutvonen postures up.
Lusmu Kutvonen overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Kutvonen lands a decent elbow from side control.
Letaivu tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
Kutvonen throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Kutvonen content just to control the position here.
Letaivu manages to control the position for a moment.
Kutvonen unloads with some shots from mount but Letaivu bucks and avoids them well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kutvonen landing strikes from the mount and Letaivu is in trouble!
Letaivu tries to lock up and control but Kutvonen gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Kutvonen throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Letaivu because Kutvonen loaded up on that one.
Letaivu wants to control but Kutvonen is having none of it.
Kutvonen trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Letaivu tries to lock up and control but Kutvonen gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Letaivu is bucking up trying to escape but Kutvonen cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Kutvonen trying to control but Letaivu is having none of it.
Letaivu tries to hold on but Kutvonen postures up.
Letaivu is trying desperately to improve position.
Kutvonen tries to control but Letaivu wriggling away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Letaivu is trying desperately to improve position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Lusmu Kutvonen dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Letaivu wants to clinch but Kutvonen slips to the side
and Kutvonen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Kutvonen circles away from the clinch attempt.
Lusmu Kutvonen is winning the standup battle so far.
Letaivu throws a big shot that misses.
Letaivu throws a body shot but no joy.
A little feinted left hand from Kutvonen on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Good shot there by Letaivu.
Kutvonen moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Kutvonen misses with a few strikes there.
Kutvonen lands an overhand right.
A nice inside leg kick there by Kutvonen. That's going to slow Letaivu down.

Kutvonen rushes Letaivu and presses him up against the cage.
Letaivu misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kutvonen misses with a punch to the body.
Kutvonen tries a body shot but Letaivu blocks it.
Letaivu misses with a body punch.

Kutvonen lands a takedown into guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Letaivu is trying to keep Kutvonen in close.
Kutvonen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Letaivu swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Kutvonen is looking to pass into half guard but Letaivu pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Letaivu is in guard.

Kutvonen bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Letaivu's guard.

Letaivu controlling Kutvonen's posture.
Letaivu controls Kutvonen momentarily but Kutvonen frees himself.
Kutvonen trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Letaivu working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Kutvonen.
Pascal Letaivu has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Letaivu working a defensive guard here.
Letaivu throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Kutvonen pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Letaivu is keeping the position for now.
Letaivu wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Kutvonen tries to free his leg and advance position but Letaivu is retaining full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Letaivu has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Letaivu keeping moving, preventing Kutvonen from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Letaivu scores with a sloppy right hand. Kutvonen should have avoided that one.
Letaivu swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kutvonen uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Letaivu.
Kutvonen looks to land a right hand but Letaivu moved out of range.
Kutvonen avoids a punch combination nicely.
Letaivu throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kutvonen sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Letaivu comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Letaivu keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Pascal Letaivu is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kutvonen bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Letaivu throws a shot to the body.
Kutvonen throws a leg kick
and Letaivu counters with a stiff right hand.
Letaivu swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Kutvonen counters with a nice low kick that buckles Letaivu's knee momentarily.
Lusmu Kutvonen is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Kutvonen scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Kutvonen decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Letaivu is looking to control Kutvonen's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Letaivu avoid being mounted?
Kutvonen performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

Letaivu kicks off Kutvonen and gets to his feet.

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 Lusmu Kutvonen.
Well Kutvonen has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Nard Betker scores the fight 30:28
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 30:27
Judge Patrick Alders scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lusmu Kutvonen!
A very excited looking Lusmu Kutvonen rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.