PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Seppo Taalasmaa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Santeri Norzu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Norzu is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Cult of Luna - Back To Chapel Town. Seppo Taalasmaa could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Santeri Norzu's chin.

Taalasmaa
vs
Norzu

170 cm
29
160 lbs
27 - 14 - 0

185 cm
27
163 lbs
22 - 9 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

SPARTA FIGHTWARE-GTI
Perkele!

Undead clothing. All items 10$
Perkele!

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 27 - 14 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Seppo Taalasmaa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Santeri Norzu!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Radbod Blank and Aafke Stam.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Taalasmaa dodges the punch combination from Norzu.
Norzu misses with a series of wild punches.
Norzu connects with a leg kick. Taalasmaa looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Taalasmaa throws a series of punches but Norzu avoids them all with ease.
Taalasmaa takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Taalasmaa throws a good cross that connects.
Seppo Taalasmaa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Taalasmaa fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Norzu has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Norzu lands a jab-cross combination.
Horrible takedown by Taalasmaa or perhaps it was just good defense by Norzu which made him look bad.
Norzu throws a chopping leg kick but Taalasmaa manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Norzu takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Taalasmaa throws a head kick but Norzu moves out of range.
Taalasmaa turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Taalasmaa fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Norzu checks it well.
Nice body kick from Taalasmaa.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norzu slips a jab from Taalasmaa.
Norzu swings for the body but Taalasmaa moves out of range.
Norzu throws a chopping leg kick but Taalasmaa manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Santeri Norzu is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Taalasmaa with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Norzu swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Taalasmaa counters with a good low kick that Norzu was not able to check.
Taalasmaa misses with an uppercut
and Norzu counters with a head kick.
Taalasmaa just misses with a punch to the body.
Taalasmaa misses with a wild body shot.
Taalasmaa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Taalasmaa wants to clinch up but Norzu keeps it at a distance.
Taalasmaa checks a low kick from Norzu.
Norzu throws a push kick but Taalasmaa slaps the foot to one side.
Taalasmaa looks to land a left hand but Norzu moved out of range nicely.
Norzu throws a leg kick but Taalasmaa sees it coming and moves out of range.
Taalasmaa tests Norzu's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Taalasmaa fails miserably with a takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Norzu swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Good shot there by Taalasmaa.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Taalasmaa connects with a body shot.
Norzu throws a chopping leg kick but Taalasmaa manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Taalasmaa thows a body shot but no joy.
Taalasmaa tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Norzu moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Taalasmaa lands a nice looking body shot.
Norzu takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Taalasmaa misses with a takedown attempt - Norzu sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Seppo Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Taalasmaa comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Taalasmaa lands the left hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Norzu takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Norzu misses with a head kick.
Taalasmaa throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
A nice inside leg kick there by Taalasmaa. That's going to slow Norzu down.
Taalasmaa feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Norzu's calf.
Norzu getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Taalasmaa throws the kick towards the body but Norzu avoids it.
Norzu ducks under a wild hook from Taalasmaa.
Norzu misses with a body kick.
Taalasmaa tries to clinch up
and Norzu counters with a stiff right hand.
Taalasmaa lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Taalasmaa throws a low kick, looking for Norzu's leg but Norzu calmly moves out of range.
Good leg kick by Taalasmaa there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa dives in and grabs Norzu's left leg, looking for a takedown. Norzu pushes down on Taalasmaa's head and hops out.
Taalasmaa misses with a wild body shot.
Taalasmaa wants to clinch.
A looping hook to the body misses from Taalasmaa. Norzu does a little dance to reset his feet.
Norzu swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Norzu looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Taalasmaa throws a looping overhand right but Norzu ducks down to avoid it.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Norzu pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Taalasmaa checks a low kick from Norzu.
Taalasmaa takes a swing at Norzu's ribcage but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Taalasmaa throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Norzu sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Norzu moves out of range of the body kick.
Taalasmaa moves out of range as Norzu throws a body kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Seppo Taalasmaa will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

A swing and a miss from Taalasmaa.
Norzu slaps away a takedown attempt from Taalasmaa, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Taalasmaa is looking to wear down Norzu with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Taalasmaa dips to his left and cracks Norzu with an uppercut!
Norzu misses with the combination.
Taalasmaa throws a big shot that misses.
Taalasmaa throws a leg kick but Norzu sees it coming and moves out of range.
Norzu tries to work over Taalasmaa's front leg with a kick but Taalasmaa checks it.
A slow jab from Taalasmaa misses its intended target.
Norzu misses with an uppercut

and Taalasmaa counters with a nice double leg into guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Taalasmaa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Taalasmaa postures up in Norzu's guard and throws a big left but Norzu blocks it.
Taalasmaa looking to pass the guard.
Norzu preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norzu controls Taalasmaa momentarily but Taalasmaa frees himself.
Norzu has momentary wrist control but Taalasmaa slips an elbow through the middle.
Taalasmaa throws a big elbow that misses.
Taalasmaa with a flurry of punches that miss.
Taalasmaa looking to pass the guard.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Norzu is trying to keep Taalasmaa in close.
Taalasmaa wants to control from the top but Norzu keeps moving.
Taalasmaa postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Taalasmaa 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.
Taalasmaa throwing strikes but missing.
Taalasmaa trying to control but Norzu is working from the bottom.
Taalasmaa looking to sit in guard and control but Norzu gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Norzu preventing the sweep.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Norzu slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Taalasmaa is trying to keep Norzu in close.
Norzu trying to control but Taalasmaa is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Norzu has passed into side control.
You can see the frustration on Taalasmaa's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Norzu trying to control the position but Taalasmaa is working away.
Taalasmaa might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Taalasmaa is looking to reverse the position.
Taalasmaa gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Taalasmaa is refusing to be controlled, as Norzu sits in half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa moves into full guard.
Seppo Taalasmaa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Norzu preventing the sweep.
Taalasmaa is looking to sweep but instead, Norzu has passed into half guard.
Norzu takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Taalasmaa wants to get back to full guard.

Norzu is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Taalasmaa is looking for a sweep. Norzu is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Norzu is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.

Norzu is looking for a kimura but Taalasmaa is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Norzu to get the leverage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Seppo Taalasmaa dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Norzu drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.

Taalasmaa rushes Norzu and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Norzu misses with a short punch on the inside.
Norzu can't find room to land a body shot as Taalasmaa controls the action.
Taalasmaa is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
A short left from Taalasmaa.

It looks like Santeri Norzu has been cut.

Taalasmaa ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Taalasmaa no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Taalasmaa wants to sweep but no luck.

Taalasmaa is looking for a triangle but Norzu pushes his legs off easily.
Taalasmaa keeping moving, preventing Norzu from controlling successfully.

Taalasmaa looks to be working for a triangle here. Oh, it looks like he might have it! Norzu has picked Taalasmaa up and slammed him! Taalasmaa can't keep hold of the triangle and Norzu manages to pass to side control!
Norzu is looking to take a break and control but Taalasmaa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
You can see the frustration on Taalasmaa's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norzu is looking to take a break and control but Taalasmaa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Norzu controlling from side mount.
Taalasmaa is looking for a sweep.
Norzu wants to control but Taalasmaa is keeping him busy.
Taalasmaa is trying to get back to half guard.

Norzu looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Taalasmaa's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Taalasmaa is looking to reverse the position.
Taalasmaa can't do much from the bottom here.
Taalasmaa tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Taalasmaa is trying to control Norzu's posture but Norzu avoids it.
Taalasmaa is looking for a sweep.
Taalasmaa is trying to control Norzu's posture but Norzu avoids it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Norzu stands up.
Taalasmaa takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Norzu throws a solid leg kick but Taalasmaa takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Norzu.
Taalasmaa defending well as Norzu loads up on a big left hand.
Norzu throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Nice shot by Norzu.
Taalasmaa throws a lazy uppercut
and Norzu counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Norzu throws the left hand but Taalasmaa avoids the punch easily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Taalasmaa throws a leg kick but Norzu checks it.
Taalasmaa tries to close the distance and clinch but Norzu swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Norzu clobbers Taalasmaa with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Taalasmaa turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa blocks a leg kick.
Taalasmaa throws a low kick but Norzu moves out of range easily.
The fighters circling - Taalasmaa throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Santeri Norzu has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Norzu throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Norzu has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Norzu throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Taalasmaa.
Norzu throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Taalasmaa on the side of the head.

Taalasmaa changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Norzu looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Norzu taking a bit of punishment here - Taalasmaa scoring with strikes.
Norzu prevents Taalasmaa from improving position.
Norzu manages to get back to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Taalasmaa lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Taalasmaa is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Seppo Taalasmaa.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Taalasmaa, 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 30:28
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Seppo Taalasmaa!