PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Armas Kuusisto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sam Nut (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kuusisto comes to the cage accompanied by System of a down - Chop Suey. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Kuusisto
vs
Nut

179 cm
26
192 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

190 cm
23
197 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid boxing
KO power

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

.: AFFAKETION :.
.: AFFAKETION :.

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 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Armas Kuusisto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Sam Nut!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Dmitry Maklakov and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kuusisto takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kuusisto moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Nut takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Nut lands a jab.
Nut thumps Kuusisto with a low kick.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Kuusisto attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Kuusisto tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
A clash of legs there as Nut blocks the low kick.
Nut throws a nice inside leg kick.
Sam Nut seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nut tries to clinch up but Kuusisto circles away and keeps his distance.
Kuusisto fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Nut.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Nut, right into the meat.

Kuusisto shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Nut is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kuusisto looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Nut trying to control from the bottom.
Nut is looking to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuusisto is pressing down on Nut's thigh, looking to free his foot. Nut is holding on for now.

Kuusisto is looking for a kimura but Nut is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Kuusisto to get the leverage.
Kuusisto is keen to just control but Nut is a slippery customer.
Kuusisto throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Kuusisto lands with a thumping leg kick.
Sam Nut is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Nut fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nut feints and then cracks Kuusisto's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Kuusisto down.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Nut tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Nice elbow from Nut.

It looks like Armas Kuusisto has been cut.
Nut trying to land knees to the body.
Nut comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Nut creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Kuusisto blocks an elbow strike from Nut.

Kuusisto's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kuusisto shoots in but no luck this time.
Nut throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Nut feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Kuusisto's calf.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nut explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Kuusisto misses with a kick to the body.
Nut is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nut slaps away a takedown attempt from Kuusisto, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Nut defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Kuusisto.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Armas Kuusisto. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nut lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Nut moves out of range as Kuusisto throws a body kick.
Kuusisto throws a looping overhand right but Nut ducks down to avoid it.
Nice shot by Nut.
Nut lands with a slapping head kick.
Nut lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Kuusisto shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Nut sprawls well. Nut wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Kuusisto gets slowly back to his feet.
Nut scores with a leg kick.
Nut looks to land a body kick but Kuusisto moved away.
Nut lands with an uppercut that bounces Kuusisto off the cage and back into rage.
Kuusisto keeps Nut at a distance using the push kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nut tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuusisto swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuusisto is looking to chop away at Nut's legs.
Kuusisto tries to move into range but Nut moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Kuusisto takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Kuusisto moves out of range as Nut throws a body kick.
Kuusisto scores with a leg kick.
Nut looks gassed!
Nut displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Kuusisto.
Kuusisto is looking to slow Nut down with leg kicks.
Kuusisto smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

Kuusisto changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Nut looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Nut really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Kuusisto. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Nut is not content to let Kuusisto control the position.
Nut manages to work his way to half guard, despite Kuusisto's best efforts.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuusisto trying to pass the guard but Nut defending well.
Nut taking some punishment here, with Kuusisto in his half guard.
Nut trying to control but Kuusisto postures up.
Nut keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Kuusisto seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Kuusisto is nestled in close to Nut, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Nut manages to get to full guard.
Nut wants to sweep but no luck.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kuusisto wants to control from the top but Nut keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Armas Kuusisto dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Armas Kuusisto's cut.
That's time! Kuusisto's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Kuusisto throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

Nut clinches.
Kuusisto lands an uppercut.
Nut blocking some punches.
A right hand to the body from Kuusisto.
Nut creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Kuusisto blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Kuusisto has Nut pressed against the cage.

Kuusisto escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Kuusisto misses with a low kick as Nut jumps back.
Nut takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kuusisto throws a lazy head kick

and Nut holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Nut gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
With the fighters up against the cage, Nut throws an elbow but misses.
Nut lands an elbow inside that Kuusisto shrugs off.
Nut throws an elbow but it misses.
Nut landing knees to the head.
Kuusisto has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Nut is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Nut is breathing heavily.
Nut creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Kuusisto's defenses.
Kuusisto is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Nut tries to land knees in the clinch but Kuusisto avoids the damage to the body.
Nut pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuusisto lands a left hand.
Nut tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Nut missing with knees to the body.
Nut throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Kuusisto misses with some punches.
Kuusisto is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Nut is defending well for now.
With the fighters up against the cage, Nut throws an elbow but misses.
Nut misses with an elbow over the top.
Kuusisto lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Kuusisto stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Kuusisto blocks an elbow strike.
Kuusisto trying to control the position but instead, Nut has worked for underhooks and has pushed Kuusisto into the cage.
Kuusisto tries to break free but Nut pushes him back against the cage.
Kuusisto avoids the elbow strike from Nut, against the cage.
Kuusisto tries to pull guard but Nut won't allow it.
Nut throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Kuusisto blocks it with crossed arms.
Kuusisto taking a breather.

Kuusisto gets control of Nut's arms and successfully pulls guard. Kuusisto will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Kuusisto is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Nut trying to control but Kuusisto is working from the bottom.
Nut's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Kuusisto working for a triangle but Nut defends it easily.
Nut not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Kuusisto is trying to control the position from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nut trying to control but Kuusisto is working from the bottom.

Kuusisto is looking for a triangle but Nut pushes his legs off easily.
Nut is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Nut throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kuusisto looking to hit a scissor sweep but Nut is one step ahead there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Kuusisto is working hard here to advance position.

Kuusisto has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Nut can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Nut in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Kuusisto keeping moving, preventing Nut from controlling successfully.
Nut slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Nut trying to control but Kuusisto is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Nut tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kuusisto paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kuusisto throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Nut misses with a low kick as Kuusisto jumps back.
Kuusisto throws a leg kick that is checked

and Nut holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Nut pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Kuusisto blocks an elbow strike.

Kuusisto pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kuusisto walks forward, straight into a front kick from Nut.
Good work by Kuusisto as he checks the leg kick.
Nut checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Kuusisto throws a half hearted mid kick.
Kuusisto stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Nut.
Nut tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Nut lands a slapping body shot.
Nut lands with a thumping leg kick.
Nut moves in looking to clinch but Kuusisto pushes him off.
Kuusisto takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Armas Kuusisto is winning the standup battle so far.
The fight stays on the outside here - Nut looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nut lands a front kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuusisto fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Nut manages to avoid it.
Nut keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kuusisto looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Nut pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Nut scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Nut checks a low kick from Kuusisto.
Kuusisto misses with a low kick.
Nut tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuusisto swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Kuusisto misses the shot to the body.
Kuusisto goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Both fighters circling a little - Nut finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Nut tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kuusisto paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kuusisto tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Kuusisto chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Nut can pounce on him.
Good leg kick by Nut there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Nut moves out of range of the strikes.

Nut moves into the clinch successfully.
Kuusisto working hard to break the clinch.

Kuusisto escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Nut doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuusisto circles away.
Kuusisto lands with a thumping leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nut checks a leg kick.
Kuusisto tries to land a leg kick but Nut saw it coming and moves away.
Nut blocks a head kick by Kuusisto.
Kuusisto takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

Nut takes the fight into the clinch.

Kuusisto's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
A decent looking cross lands there for Nut.
Nut throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Kuusisto.
Nut is looking to clinch.
Nut leaves Kuusisto with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Nut bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

Nut gets a clinch.
Kuusisto tries to circle away but Nut has him pinned against the cage.
Kuusisto avoids the elbow strike from Nut, against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Nut as Kuusisto tries to tie him up.
Kuusisto avoiding damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuusisto is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Armas Kuusisto.

Nut gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Nut is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kuusisto trying to control the position but instead, Nut has worked for underhooks and has pushed Kuusisto into the cage.
Nut throws a knee to the head but misses.
Nut creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Kuusisto avoids a wild elbow strike from Nut.
Nut throws an elbow but it misses.
Nut throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Kuusisto managing to block the knees to the body from Nut.
Nut throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Kuusisto blocks it with crossed arms.
Kuusisto takes an elbow to the forehead.

Kuusisto breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuusisto misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Kuusisto throws a leg kick but Nut moved away.
Kuusisto looks to score with a jab to the body but Nut is just out of range.
Armas Kuusisto is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Kuusisto checks a leg kick.
Kuusisto avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Kuusisto throws a lazy head kick
and Nut counters with an outside leg kick.
Nut wants to clinch up but Kuusisto keeps it at a distance.
Kuusisto misses with a low kick.
A head kick misses from Nut.
Nut throws a lazy head kick
and Kuusisto counters with an outside leg kick.
Nut tries to clinch there but Kuusisto circles away.
Kuusisto looks to land a right hand but Nut moved out of range.

Nut closes the distance and clinches.
Kuusisto avoids the elbow strike from Nut, against the cage.
Sam Nut has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nut lands an elbow inside that Kuusisto shrugs off.
Nut with a knee to the head.

Armas Kuusisto's cut is getting worse.
Nut creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Kuusisto's defenses.
Kuusisto avoids the elbow strike from Nut, against the cage.
Nut looks to throw an elbow but misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sam Nut comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Kuusisto has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 29:28
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 29:28
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Armas Kuusisto!