PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dereese Francis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kimmo Ojala (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Francis
vs
Ojala

190 cm
18
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

196 cm
22
180 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Granite chin

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Dereese Francis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Kimmo Ojala!
The judges for this bout are Anthony Taglia, Jonathan Paton and David Schapiro.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Ojala gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Francis trying to control but Ojala is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Francis tries to free his leg and advance position but Ojala is retaining full guard.
Ojala is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Francis wants to stand and escape but instead Ojala has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Ojala looks gassed!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Francis wants to stand but Ojala is controlling the position.

Ojala decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Francis, up you get!
Ojala takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.

Francis scores with a takedown into Ojala's guard.
Francis tries to stand but Ojala is controlling from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Francis stands up from Ojala's guard - Francis perhaps looking for a knockout.
Ojala misses with a double jab.

Ojala rushes Francis and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Francis gets underhooks to prevent Ojala's takedown attempt.
Francis wants to break free but Ojala has control.
Francis is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

Ojala breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Francis tries to clinch up
and Ojala counters with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ojala doesn't manage to clinch there - Francis circles away.
Francis tries to close the distance and clinch up but Ojala swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Francis closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Ojala tries to kick Francis off but Francis keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Ojala tries to kick Francis off in order to stand up. Francis Avoids the leg push though and dives into side control.

Francis decides to stand back up.
Francis will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Ojala scores a takedown into full mount!
Ojala is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Francis is trying desperately to improve position.
Francis is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dereese Francis dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Francis tries for a takedown but Ojala circles away easily
and Ojala counters with a two punch combo.

Francis looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Francis trying to control but Ojala is working from the bottom.
Ojala wants to sweep but no luck.
Ojala is breathing heavily.
Francis landing with the ground and pound.
Ojala wants to stand and escape but Francis is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Francis tries to stand but Ojala is controlling from the bottom.
Ojala looking for a sweep. Not yet Ojala, not yet.
Ojala is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Francis lands a couple of digs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Francis lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Francis trying to control the position from guard on top but Ojala is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Francis looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Francis passes into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Francis seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Ojala does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Ojala is looking to sinch up a gullotine here but Francis pulls his head out easily.

Francis is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Ojala defends it well.
Francis wants to pass to mount but Ojala is defending the position.

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.
Francis wants to take a breather but Ojala is having none of it.
Ojala is looking to control Francis's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Ojala avoid being mounted?
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

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

Dereese Francis dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Ojala!
Francis misses with a takedown attempt - Ojala sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
A punch combination from Ojala misses.

Francis has taken the fight to the clinch.
Francis can't break the clinch.
Francis is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Ojala pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Francis is looking to control Ojala's arms but Ojala gets an underhook and turns him. Now Francis has his back to the cage.
Francis goes for a takedown attempt but Ojala pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dereese Francis. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ojala works over Francis's head and body with a nice combination.
A chopping leg kick lands by Francis.

Francis looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Francis postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Ojala to stand up.
Dereese Francis is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ojala scores with a takedown into Francis's guard.
Ojala takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Francis tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Francis trying to keep a closed guard but Ojala is proving a slippery customer.
Francis wants to sweep but no luck.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Francis kicks Ojala off and gets to his feet.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Francis.
Ojala wants to control but Francis postures up.
Ojala holding on.
Ojala pushes Francis away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Francis gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Francis throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Francis working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Francis creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Ojala sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
You can see the frustration on Ojala's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Francis connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Ojala throws a right and a left that both miss.

Francis shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Ojala's guard.

Francis gets to his feet. Ojala looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Francis swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Francis throws a head kick that misses.
Ojala on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Francis closes the distance and clinches up with Ojala, looking for a takedown. Francis pushes Ojala against the cage but Ojala circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Francis dips to his left and cracks Ojala with an uppercut!

It looks like Kimmo Ojala has been cut.
A head kick misses from Francis.
Ojala shoots in and drives through. Francis sprawls well.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Francis lands a slapping body shot.

Francis darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Ojala wants to control but Francis is keeping busy.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dereese Francis showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Francis, 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 Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 30:27
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dereese Francis!