PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pauli Painija (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Charles Bronson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Painija
vs
Bronson

160 cm
22
176 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

176 cm
24
183 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

M/S Paint Fightwear **Laundry service**

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Pauli Painija!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Charles Bronson!
The judges for this bout are Eliza Hachem, Steve Erwin and John Mangel.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bronson keeps the fight on the outside.
Painija moves forwards but Bronson connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Painija looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Painija throws an ugly left hook that misses
letting Bronson counter with a right hand.
Bronson throws an off balance right hand

and Painija counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Painija wants to take a breather but Bronson is having none of it.
Painija slips a nice elbow through Bronson's hands, connecting with Bronson's forehead.
Painija keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Painija not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Painija wants to take a breather but Bronson is having none of it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Painija stops Bronson from getting back to his feet.
Painija is keen to just control but Bronson is a slippery customer.
Painija seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Bronson can do anything to dispel that myth.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

Pauli Painija has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Bronson throws a series of strikes that have Painija backpedaling.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Painija with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Bronson closes the distance looking to clinch

and Painija counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Painija.
Painija passes Bronson's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Bronson really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Painija. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Painija trying to control from half guard but Bronson is working away.
Bronson keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Bronson trying to control from the bottom.
Painija scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Painija works his foot free and advances to mount.
Painija looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Painija tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Painija scoring with strikes but Bronson is staying in there.
Painija takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Painija can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Bronson is looking to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Painija prevents Bronson from getting the reversal.
Painija is landing with some decent strikes but Bronson is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Bronson wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Painija.
Painija thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Painija controlling from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bronson is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Painija pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Painija wants to control but instead Bronson manages to regain half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bronson is refusing to be controlled, as Painija sits in half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pauli Painija dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Painija tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Bronson paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bronson is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Bronson throws an off balance right hand

and Painija counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Bronson!
Painija controlling from the full mount.
Poor strikes thrown by Painija there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Painija sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Painija with the ground and pound from mount.
Bronson is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Painija controlling his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Painija landing strikes from the mount and Bronson is in trouble!
Bronson really wants to buck Painija off and get back to his feet.
Painija thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Painija trying to control but Bronson is having none of it.
Painija misses with a head shot.
Painija controlling the pace for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bronson wants to try and get back to his feet.
Painija takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Bronson can't escape the position.
Painija has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Painija content just to control the position here.
Painija lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Painija lands a big shot there that rocks Bronson but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Bronson squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Painija tries to control but Bronson wriggling away.
Painija postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Bronson looks a forlorn figure.
Painija wants to control the pace but Bronson is squirming around nicely.
Painija working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Painija scoring with strikes but Bronson is staying in there.
Painija landing shots from mount.
Painija connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Painija unloads with some shots from mount but Bronson bucks and avoids them well.
Poor strikes thrown by Painija there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Painija landing strikes from the mount.
Painija with shots to the head and body - Bronson looks very uncomfortable down there.
Painija throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Bronson because Painija loaded up on that one.
Painija landing strikes, looking to finish!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Painija working Bronson over with strikes here.
Painija sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Painija's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Painija throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pauli Painija dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Painija needs to keep his hands up - Bronson had a free shot at his head there.
Bronson thuds a left hand into Painija's body.
Bronson misses with a lunging right hand
and Painija counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Painija is looking to clinch but Bronson is avoiding it.
Bronson rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Painija holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Painija creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Painija lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Bronson or not.
Painija trying to land knees to the body.

Bronson decides to pull guard.
Bronson wants to sweep but no luck.
Painija is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Painija passes into half guard.
Painija throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Bronson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Painija stops Bronson from getting back to his feet.
Painija takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Painija takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Painija throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Painija stalling.
Painija scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Painija perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Painija wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bronson keeps working.
Painija thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Painija sitting and controlling from the half guard.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

Bronson makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Bronson scores to the head and body with a nice combination!

Painija instigates a clinch.
Painija lands an elbow inside that Bronson shrugs off.
Painija cracks Bronson with a nice body shot.
Bronson is trying to break the clinch but Painija is controlling him.
Painija is pushing Bronson up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Bronson has had enough of the clinch but Painija keeps him there for the moment.
Bronson is trying to break free.

Painija manages to break the clinch.
Bronson keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Painija.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bronson closes the distance but Painija moves to the side
and Painija makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Bronson tries to clinch up

and Painija counters with a nice double leg into side control. Bronson won't be happy with that.
Painija tries to move to mount but Bronson blocks the move with his legs.
Painija wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bronson keeps working.
Pauli Painija overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Bronson struggling a bit here.
Check out the look on Painija's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Painija landing a few strikes.
An elbow from Painija crashes against the mat.
Painija staying calm.
Bronson is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Painija is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Painija throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pauli Painija clearly takes that round.
That's time! Painija's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Bronson misses with a left hand

and Painija counters by moving into the clinch.
Bronson works on Painija's body with a couple of short punches.
Bronson is trying to break the clinch but Painija is controlling him.

Bronson breaks the clinch.
Bronson ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Painija moves away.

Painija shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Painija showed some decent athleticism there.
Painija trying to mount his opponent but Bronson defends it.
Painija sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Bronson defending well though.
Painija is controlling the pace.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Painija trying to pass the guard but Bronson defending well.
Bronson is trying to maintain the position but Painija is very close to passing his half guard.
Painija not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Bronson is trying to control but can't.
Painija thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Bronson's head.
Painija is keen to just control but Bronson is a slippery customer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Painija will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Painija slips a jab from Bronson.
Bronson closes the distance but Painija moves to the side
and Painija counters with a straight right hand.
Bronson tries to clinch but Painija moves away
and Painija counters with a nice uppercut.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Painija's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Painija has his takedown stuffed
and Bronson counters with a nice uppercut.
Bronson misses with a wild body shot.
Bronson misses with a right hand
letting Painija counter with a right hand.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Painija.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pauli Painija. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bronson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Painija.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bronson closes the distance looking to clinch

and Painija counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Bronson!
Poor strikes thrown by Painija there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Painija breaks from Bronson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Painija with a couple of short strikes.
Painija dominating with strikes here.
Painija lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Bronson hang on?
Painija throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Bronson because Painija loaded up on that one.
Painija raining down shots from the mount!
Bronson is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bronson really wants to buck Painija off and get back to his feet.
Bronson wants to hold on but Painija pushes him away.
Bronson takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Painija landing shots from mount.
Painija postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Bronson looks a forlorn figure.
Painija landing strikes from the mount and Bronson is in trouble!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Painija controlling his opponent.
Painija punishing his opponent with strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pauli Painija had his way with Charles Bronson in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Bronson gets tackled into the cage by Painija. Painija maintains the clinch.
Bronson drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Painija gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Bronson is trying to break free.
Painija lands an elbow inside.
Painija missing with knees to the body.
A short right from Painija on the inside.
Painija scores with a nice hook to the head.
Bronson wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Painija has him pressed against the cage.
Painija is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Bronson is keeping busy.

Painija has picked Bronson up - he's going for a ride! Painija dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
Painija thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Bronson's head.
Painija is controlling the pace.
Painija throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Bronson is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ground and pound from Painija.
Bronson is refusing to be controlled, as Painija sits in half guard.
Painija throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Well, if Painija is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Painija working the head and body with strikes.

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.
Bronson tries to kick Painija off but Painija keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Painija missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Bronson wants to stand back up but Painija manages to pass into side control.
Painija cracks Bronson with a big right hand but Bronson just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Painija tries to advance to mount but Bronson denies him.
Bronson is trying to get back to half guard.
Painija trying to control the position but Bronson is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bronson is trying to get back to half guard.
Bronson gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
Bronson wants to control but Painija is having none of it.
Painija putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Painija putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Painija lands a big shot there that rocks Bronson but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Painija trying to control but Bronson is having none of it.
Pauli Painija is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bronson takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Painija takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Painija lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Bronson hang on?
Charles Bronson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Painija is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Bronson can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pauli Painija showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Painija, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 50:43
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 50:43
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 50:43

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pauli Painija!
Pauli Painija retains his welterweight title!