PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Antonio Kovalov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jesse Jalkalukko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jalkalukko has chosen Jordan Sparks ft. Chris Brown - No Air as his entrance music. Jesse Jalkalukko will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Kovalov
vs
Jalkalukko

170 cm
29
196 lbs
10 - 4 - 1

190 cm
23
200 lbs
7 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Knockout power

Balco Boys Battle Gear

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 - 4 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Antonio Kovalov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jesse Jalkalukko!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Johanna Lukiainen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jalkalukko has his takedown stuffed
and Kovalov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Jalkalukko tries to clinch
and Kovalov counters with a straight right hand.
Jalkalukko misses with a takedown
and Kovalov counters with a nice uppercut.
Jesse Jalkalukko seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jalkalukko misses with a takedown attempt

and Kovalov decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Jalkalukko's guard.
Antonio Kovalov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jesse Jalkalukko.
Jalkalukko tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Jalkalukko is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Kovalov is controlling him.
Kovalov wants to control from the top but Jalkalukko keeps moving.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalov is really struggling to control Jalkalukko but he's trying to hold on to the position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Antonio Kovalov.
Jalkalukko thows a leg kick but Kovalov checks it
and Jalkalukko takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kovalov looks to land a left hand but Jalkalukko moved out of range nicely.
Jalkalukko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Kovalov counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Jalkalukko throws a leg kick
and Kovalov counters with an inside leg kick.
Kovalov tries a head kick but it misses.
Kovalov misses with a double jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kovalov scores with a jab to the jaw.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Jalkalukko enables Kovalov to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Jalkalukko manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Jalkalukko throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Jalkalukko is trying to keep Kovalov in close.
Jalkalukko keeping moving, preventing Kovalov from controlling successfully.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Kovalov looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Kovalov might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Antonio Kovalov wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Jalkalukko has his takedown stuffed
and Kovalov counters with a straight right hand.
Jalkalukko misses with a takedown
and Kovalov counters with a nice low kick that buckles Jalkalukko's knee momentarily.

Jalkalukko shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Kovalov napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Kovalov can't do much from the bottom here.
Kovalov keeps Jalkalukko under control for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jalkalukko wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kovalov keeps working.
Kovalov tries to improve position but can't.
Jalkalukko has knee on belly momentarily but Kovalov bucks him off and regains half guard.
Kovalov controlling the position well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Antonio Kovalov dominated that round.
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.

Jalkalukko tries to clinch up

The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
and Kovalov counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Jalkalukko!
Kovalov in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Jalkalukko keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalov looking to control but Jalkalukko is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Jalkalukko is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Kovalov can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Jalkalukko is looking to escape.
Jalkalukko is trying to escape the mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Jalkalukko wants to control but Kovalov is having none of it.
Kovalov wants to control the pace but Jalkalukko is squirming around nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Jalkalukko can't escape the position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Jalkalukko misses with a takedown

and Kovalov counters with a takedown into side control.
Jalkalukko stuck in half guard on the bottom here.
Kovalov is looking to take a break and control but Jalkalukko is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jalkalukko is pushing Kovalov's head away, looking to escape. Kovalov manages to hold on to the position though.
You can see the frustration on Jalkalukko's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Jalkalukko is trying to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Antonio Kovalov dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Jalkalukko fails with the takedown
and Kovalov counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Jalkalukko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Kovalov counters with a nice uppercut.
Jalkalukko misses with a leg kick
and Kovalov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Kovalov is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Jalkalukko's half guard.
Jalkalukko is trying to get back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jalkalukko is trying to stand back up but Kovalov is controlling him
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kovalov passes into side control, despite Jalkalukko's attempt to control the position.
Jalkalukko is looking to reverse the position.
Kovalov tries to move into full mount but can't pass Jalkalukko's legs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Jalkalukko tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Kovalov presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Jalkalukko wants to control but Kovalov is having none of it.
Kovalov can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Jalkalukko is looking to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jalkalukko is looking to improve his position but Kovalov isn't that keen on the idea.

That's four 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.
Jalkalukko is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Antonio Kovalov is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Antonio Kovalov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Kovalov lands a big shot there that rocks Jalkalukko but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Kovalov looking to control and managing it successfully.

And that's the end of the fight!
Antonio Kovalov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Kovalov 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 30:27
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:27
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Antonio Kovalov!