PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Miguel Mendiola (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Niko Nakkeli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nakkeli has chosen LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out as his entrance music. Niko Nakkeli has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mendiola
vs
Nakkeli

180 cm
19
183 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

175 cm
21
180 lbs
3 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

MADE IN GERMANY

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Miguel Mendiola!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Niko Nakkeli!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Matti Vanhoillinen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mendiola shoots for a takedown but Nakkeli saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Mendiola bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Mendiola has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Mendiola there as he acknowledges the shot.
Mendiola ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nakkeli misses with an uppercut. Mendiola saw that one coming.
Niko Nakkeli seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nakkeli misses with a straight right.

Mendiola shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Nakkeli napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Mendiola throwing strikes but Nakkeli manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Mendiola manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Mendiola missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Nakkeli tries to kick Mendiola off but Mendiola keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mendiola trying to control the action but Nakkeli is working from the bottom.
Mendiola missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Mendiola looks to land a strike but Nakkeli avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Nakkeli avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Nakkeli wants to stand up but Mendiola is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Mendiola stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Nakkeli swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Mendiola trying to control the position from guard on top but Nakkeli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mendiola throwing strikes but missing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mendiola trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Nakkeli being controlled here, momentarily.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Miguel Mendiola.
Mendiola fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Mendiola throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Nakkeli's waist but Nakkeli gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Mendiola off to one side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Miguel Mendiola. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nakkeli fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mendiola manages to avoid it.
Nakkeli scores with a jab to the head.
Mendiola on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Niko Nakkeli is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
The fighters circling - Nakkeli throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Nakkeli scores with a jab.
Nakkeli throws out a loose jab but Mendiola uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nice shot by Nakkeli.
Nakkeli connects with a right hand. Mendiola shakes it off.
Mendiola displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nakkeli throws out the jab.
Nakkeli doesn't manage to clinch there - Mendiola circles away.
Mendiola uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nakkeli.
Mendiola avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Nakkeli is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Mendiola shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Nakkeli defends it nicely.
Mendiola staying out of range there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Niko Nakkeli dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Nakkeli misses with an uppercut.
Mendiola with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Nakkeli to score with a decent uppercut.
Nakkeli works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Mendiola uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nakkeli.
Nakkeli throws a right hand that Mendiola ducks under and follows up with a left that Mendiola also avoids with ease.
Nakkeli misses the jab.
Nakkeli displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Nakkeli leaves Mendiola with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Mendiola slips a straight right by Nakkeli.
Nakkeli stuffs the takedown.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Nakkeli throws a jab but it's blocked by Mendiola.
Mendiola uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nakkeli.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nakkeli looks to land a right hand but Mendiola moved out of range.
Nakkeli might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Mendiola misses with a takedown attempt - Nakkeli sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Miguel Mendiola. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mendiola drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Nakkeli pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Nakkeli misses with an uppercut.
No luck for Mendiola with that takedown attempt.
Mendiola shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Nakkeli as he avoids it easily.
Mendiola uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nakkeli.
No luck for Mendiola with that takedown attempt.
Mendiola uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nakkeli.

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.
Mendiola slips a straight right by Nakkeli.
Mendiola takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Good exchange - Nakkeli coming out on top.
Mendiola has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Mendiola blocks a jab.
Nakkeli fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mendiola manages to avoid it.
Nakkeli lands with an uppercut that bounces Mendiola off the cage and back into rage.
Nakkeli wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Mendiola avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nakkeli stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Nakkeli wants it to stay on the feet.
Nakkeli throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nakkeli fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Nakkeli swings for the body but Mendiola moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mendiola slips under a jab from Nakkeli.
Nakkeli cracks Mendiola with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Nakkeli throws a shot from downtown. Mendiola moves away and avoids it.
Nakkeli tries to clinch up.
Nakkeli tries to clinch up.
Nakkeli scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Mendiola doesn't seem bothered though.
A cross from Nakkeli lands.
Mendiola displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nakkeli throws out the jab.
Nakkeli tries to bum rush Mendiola with a series of wild strikes but Mendiola uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Mendiola takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Mendiola shoots in for a takedown but Nakkeli shows good takedown defense.
Nakkeli lands with a straight right. Mendiola didn't see that one coming.
Nakkeli thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakkeli thuds a left hand into Mendiola's body.
Mendiola swats away the attempt to clinch by Nakkeli.

Nakkeli has managed to clinch.

Nakkeli pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Nakkeli just misses with a punch to the body.
Nakkeli looks to score with a jab to the body but Mendiola is just out of range.
Nakkeli tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Mendiola manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Nakkeli tests Mendiola's chin there with a solid looking shot.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nakkeli scores with a nice head shot.
Nakkeli connects with a looping right hand.
Nakkeli misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Mendiola.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Niko Nakkeli showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Mendiola dodges the punch combination from Nakkeli.
Nakkeli tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Mendiola paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nakkeli scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Nakkeli missing with a left hand there. Mendiola was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nakkeli doesn't manage to clinch there - Mendiola circles away.
Nakkeli scores with a nice head shot.
Mendiola is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Nakkeli.
Nakkeli is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Mendiola.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mendiola shoots for a double leg takedown but Nakkeli sprawls well. He's pushed Mendiola's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Nakkeli dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Horrible takedown by Mendiola or perhaps it was just good defense by Nakkeli which made him look bad.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Nakkeli.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mendiola shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Nakkeli but Nakkeli pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Miguel Mendiola. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mendiola takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Nakkeli throws a jab but it's blocked by Mendiola.
Nakkeli misses with a looping left.
Mendiola bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Mendiola on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Nakkeli paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Mendiola takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Sloppy strikes from Nakkeli. Those never looked like landing.
Mendiola walks into a stiff left hand from Nakkeli.
Donk. Nakkeli catches Mendiola right on the button with a cross.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nakkeli moves into range and connects with a jab.

Mendiola is rocked!
Nakkeli waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mendiola.
Oh Mendiola is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Nakkeli closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Nakkeli waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mendiola.
Nakkeli misses with a hook.
Nakkeli with a nice cross.
A looping hook to the body misses from Nakkeli. Mendiola does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nakkeli swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Mendiola seems to have got his legs back now.
Nakkeli throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Nakkeli smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Nakkeli swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Nice jab there from Nakkeli.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nakkeli fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Mendiola on the side of the head.
Mendiola shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Mendiola shoots in but Nakkeli avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Mendiola looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Mendiola pivots, looking for a leg kick but Nakkeli is out of range and Mendiola settles back down.
Niko Nakkeli seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nakkeli missing with a left hand there. Mendiola was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Mendiola on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Mendiola walks into a stiff left hand from Nakkeli.
Mendiola blocks a jab.
A punch lands to the side of Mendiola 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Nakkeli connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Mendiola's hands.

Mendiola shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Mendiola looking to finish with strikes here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakkeli trying desperately to get to his feet.
Mendiola tries to control but Nakkeli wriggling away.
Nakkeli wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
Miguel Mendiola has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Niko Nakkeli is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Mendiola throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.

And that's the end of the fight!
Niko Nakkeli comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Nakkeli winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 26:30
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 26:30
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Niko Nakkeli!