PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Eino Haarju (ranked 2498 p4p, 1631 weight class) and Andrew Blanchard (ranked 229 p4p, 168 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Haarju
vs
Blanchard

175 cm
20
163
2 - 0 - 0

176 cm
20
165
5 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

BANZAI NUTRITION

Uncle Rufus Clothing .Co
BANZAI NUTRITION

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Eino Haarju!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Andrew Blanchard!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, James Glass and William Gold.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The fighters circling - Haarju throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Haarju misses with an uppercut. Blanchard saw that one coming.
A jab from Haarju finds it's way through Blanchard's defenses.
Blanchard throws a big shot that misses.
Haarju throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Haarju takes a jab right on the kisser.
Haarju looks to land a left hand but Blanchard moved out of range nicely.
Haarju scores with a hook to the body. Blanchard takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Haarju lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Blanchard tries to move into range but Haarju moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Blanchard scores with a hook.
Blanchard checks a leg kick.
Blanchard looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Blanchard fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Haarju manages to avoid it.
Haarju swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blanchard throws a body shot but no joy.
Haarju throwing a counter right hand but Blanchard manages to avoid it.
Blanchard uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Haarju.
Blanchard is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Haarju with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Haarju misses with a telegraphed body shot
enabling Blanchard to counter with a crisp jab.
Haarju looks to throw the jab but Blanchard is out of range.
Blanchard throws a big shot that misses.
Haarju defending well as Blanchard loads up on a big left hand.
Blanchard keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Blanchard looks to throw the jab but Haarju is out of range.
A slow jab from Haarju misses its intended target.
Haarju throws a shot from downtown. Blanchard moves away and avoids it.
Haarju throws out a loose jab but Blanchard uses good head movement to avoid it.
Haarju throws a low kick but Blanchard moves out of range easily.
Blanchard looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Blanchard looks to land a right hand but Haarju moved out of range.
Haarju misses with a body shot.
Haarju thuds a left hand into Blanchard's body.
Haarju lands a nice looking body shot.
Sloppy strikes from Blanchard. Those never looked like landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard misses with a body shot.
Eino Haarju seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Blanchard keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Blanchard looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Haarju is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Blanchard uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Haarju.
Blanchard throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Haarju swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice shot by Haarju.
Blanchard scores with a body shot.
Haarju throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Blanchard sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Good standup being displayed there by Haarju as he connects with a hook.
Blanchard throws a one two combo.
Haarju lands a lovely overhand right.
A big right from Blanchard misses.
Haarju quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.
Haarju throws a shot from downtown. Blanchard moves away and avoids it.
Haarju throws a lazy right hand but Blanchard sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haarju throws a lazy right hand but Blanchard sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Haarju scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Haarju throws a body shot but no joy.
Haarju lands an overhand right.
Haarju pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Blanchard keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Haarju.
Blanchard looks to land a left hand but Haarju moved out of range nicely.
Blanchard misses the shot to the body.
Haarju swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Haarju thuds his right hand into Blanchard's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
A swing and a miss from Blanchard.
Blanchard throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Haarju was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Haarju jabs Blanchard to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Blanchard blocks the body kick.
Blanchard now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Blanchard fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Haarju throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Blanchard sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Blanchard swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Blanchard misses with an uppercut
and Haarju counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Haarju misses with a right hand
and Blanchard counters with a stiff right hand.

Haarju is rocked!
Haarju lands a glancing blow to the side of Blanchard's head.
Oh Haarju is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Haarju slips a jab from Blanchard.
Haarju seems to have got his legs back now.
Blanchard blocks a head kick by Haarju.
Blanchard lands a body shot.
Blanchard misses with a looping left.
A big left from Haarju misses.
Blanchard misses with a jab to the body
and Haarju counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Oooooh!!! Blanchard has knocked Haarju down with a huge combo! Blanchard steps away and waves a wobbly Haarju back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Haarju lunges at Blanchard with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Blanchard's hand.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Haarju, as that shot connected.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Eino Haarju will probably get the nod.
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.

Haarju takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Haarju wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Haarju clobbers Blanchard with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Haarju misses with an uppercut
and Blanchard counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Blanchard walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Blanchard scores with a body shot.
Eino Haarju is winning the standup battle so far.
Haarju staying out of range there.
Haarju throws a body punch but Blanchard moves out of range.
Haarju throws the left hand but Blanchard avoids the punch easily.
Haarju misses with an uppercut. Blanchard saw that one coming.
Blanchard looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Haarju ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Blanchard moves away.
Haarju throws an overhand right that lands on Blanchard's shoulder, as Blanchard tries to avoid the shot.
Haarju with a nice cross.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice straight punches there by Haarju. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Haarju.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blanchard checks a leg kick.
Blanchard looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Haarju lands a head shot.
Haarju ducks under a wild hook from Blanchard.
Haarju moves away from the strike by Blanchard.
Haarju missing with a left hand there. Blanchard was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Haarju cracks Blanchard with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
A low kick from Haarju misses
and Blanchard counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Blanchard throws a looping overhand right but Haarju ducks down to avoid it.
Blanchard walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Blanchard misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Haarju.
Blanchard defending well as Haarju loads up on a big left hand.
A looping hook to the body misses from Blanchard. Haarju does a little dance to reset his feet.
A little feinted left hand from Haarju on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
A head kick misses from Haarju.
Blanchard throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Blanchard takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haarju looks to land a combination but Blanchard avoids it well.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blanchard walks into a straight right hand from Haarju.
Haarju bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Haarju bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Haarju misses with a jab to the body
and Haarju takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Haarju jabs Blanchard to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Haarju throws a shot to the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Blanchard misses the target.
Haarju swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Decent striking displayed by Haarju there.
Haarju throws a lazy uppercut
and Blanchard counters with a right hand to the body.
Blanchard swings for the body but Haarju moves out of range.
Blanchard takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
A big right from Blanchard misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard throws out a loose jab but Haarju uses good head movement to avoid it.
Blanchard on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Blanchard throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Haarju's waist but Haarju gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Blanchard off to one side.
Blanchard takes one to the side of the head.
No joy there for Haarju, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Blanchard misses with a wild body shot.
Haarju slips under a jab from Blanchard.
Nice body punch from Haarju.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with each other but Blanchard might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Haarju has got the better of the exchanges.
Haarju throws a leg kick that misses.
A jab lands there for Haarju.
Haarju throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Haarju scores with a decent looking hook.
Nice defenses there by Haarju.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Haarju lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
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!
Nice uppercut there from Haarju.
Haarju misses with a hook
and Blanchard counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A slow jab from Blanchard misses its intended target.
Haarju scores with a jab.
Haarju moves out of range as Blanchard strikes.
Haarju connects with a nice looking jab.
Haarju scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Blanchard has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
A cross from Haarju lands.
Haarju takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.

Blanchard is rocked!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A slow jab from Haarju misses its intended target.
Haarju throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A nice side step and Blanchard releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Eino Haarju dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Haarju throws a hook to the side of Blanchard's head but Blanchard sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
A big left from Blanchard misses.
Blanchard jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Blanchard throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Blanchard avoids the head kick by Haarju.
Blanchard uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Haarju.
Haarju looks to land a right hand but Blanchard moved out of range.
Blanchard avoids the body shot from Haarju.
Haarju looks to score with a jab to the body but Blanchard is just out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Blanchard rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Haarju moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Haarju lands a nice shot to the body.
Haarju displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Haarju connects with a right hand. Blanchard shakes it off.
A telegraphed right hand from Haarju misses the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blanchard keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Haarju works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Haarju swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Blanchard takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Blanchard moves out of range as Haarju strikes.
Haarju waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Blanchard.
A telegraphed right hand from Blanchard misses the target.
Haarju throws a nice looking combination but Blanchard bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Blanchard slips a straight right by Haarju.
The fighters circling - Haarju throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Blanchard! But no joy.
Haarju lands a jab to the nose.
Haarju throws a head kick but Blanchard moves out of range.
Blanchard takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Andrew Blanchard has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Haarju was well out of range. Poor timing from Blanchard.
A jab lands there for Haarju.
A slow jab from Blanchard misses its intended target.
Haarju cracks a nice hook into Blanchard's ribs.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Blanchard avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Haarju is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Blanchard can do to turn this around?
Nice jab there from Haarju.
Blanchard ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Haarju getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Haarju moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Blanchard tries to move into range but Haarju moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Blanchard is still on wobbly legs! Can Haarju finish him?
Blanchard throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Haarju sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Blanchard seems to have recovered his senses.
Haarju scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Haarju looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Haarju displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Blanchard throws out the jab.
A punch lands to the side of Blanchard 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Blanchard takes one to the side of the head.
Haarju lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Haarju uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Blanchard.
Haarju scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Blanchard defending well as Haarju loads up on a big left hand.
Haarju lands a right hook to the body.
Haarju throws a lazy right hand but Blanchard sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haarju slips a straight right by Blanchard.
Haarju throws a jab when Blanchard was well out of range.
Blanchard just misses with a punch to the body.
Haarju swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Haarju throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Eino Haarju is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Blanchard moves forwards but Haarju connects with a nice, crisp jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Blanchard misses with a right hand
and Haarju counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Haarju throws a head kick but Blanchard moves out of range.
Blanchard thows a left - swing and a miss!
Blanchard throws a hook to the side of Haarju's head but Haarju sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
A bone on bone clash there as Blanchard blocks the leg kick.
Blanchard swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Haarju throws a lazy right hand but Blanchard sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haarju pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Blanchard blocks a low kick nicely.
Haarju throws a jab but it's blocked by Blanchard.
Haarju connects with a crisp jab.
Blanchard throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eino Haarju showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Haarju 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Glass scores the fight 30:27
Judge William Gold scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eino Haarju!