PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between John Duddy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pertti Silsa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Duddy comes to the cage accompanied by Dropkick Murphys - 'Loyal to No One'. Silsa is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Candy by Robbie Williams. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Duddy
vs
Silsa

182 cm
29
196 lbs
18 - 12 - 0

186 cm
24
203 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Lethal high kicks
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
Lethal high 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 18 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, John Duddy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Pertti Silsa!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Arvi Lind and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot lands for Silsa.

It looks like John Duddy has been cut.
Silsa fails to land with a series of punches.

Silsa shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Silsa accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Silsa slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Silsa works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Duddy tries to roll over but Silsa keeps him under control.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Silsa tries to pass to full mount but Duddy defends it.
Silsa missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Silsa performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Silsa stalling away here and it's allowed Duddy to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Duddy looking for a sweep. Not yet Duddy, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Duddy keeping moving, preventing Silsa from controlling successfully.
Silsa landing some decent shots from guard.
Silsa postures up.

Duddy escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Silsa gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Silsa content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Silsa trying to control but Duddy is working from the bottom.

Silsa got a little sloppy there for a moment and Duddy has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Silsa has managed to get both his arms back between Duddy's legs - danger averted.

Silsa drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Silsa jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Silsa landing with the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Duddy looking to hit a scissor sweep but Silsa is one step ahead there.
Silsa trying to control but Duddy is working from the bottom.
Silsa cracks Duddy with a solid left hand.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Silsa postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Silsa scoring with punches to the head and body.
Silsa keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Duddy's head.
Duddy bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Silsa's guard.
Silsa keeping full guard, as Duddy tries to pass.
Duddy stopping the sweep attempt from Silsa.
Silsa trying to keep a closed guard but Duddy is proving a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silsa wants to sweep here but Duddy controlling him for the moment.
Silsa is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Duddy wants to control from the top but Silsa keeps moving.
Duddy looking to pass the guard.
Silsa looking to control.

Silsa is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Duddy defends well.
Duddy trying to control the position from guard on top but Silsa is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Silsa escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Duddy gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Duddy wants to control from the top but Silsa keeps moving.
Duddy advances position into side control!
Silsa regains half guard, as Duddy was trying to land strikes.
Silsa works his way to full guard. Good work.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Silsa looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Silsa looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Duddy got a little sloppy there for a moment and Silsa has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Duddy has managed to get both his arms back between Silsa's legs - danger averted.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pertti Silsa dominated that round.
The cut man is working on John Duddy's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Duddy throws a quick inside leg kick.

Silsa shoots in and bounces Duddy off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Duddy is trying to control the position but Silsa postures up.
Duddy is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Silsa trying to control the position from guard on top but Duddy is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Silsa has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Silsa working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Silsa throwing strikes but missing.
Duddy wants to sweep but no luck.

Duddy wriggles free and stands up.
Silsa tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Duddy was well out of range. Poor timing from Silsa.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silsa takes a swing at Duddy's ribcage but misses.
Silsa moves away from the strike by Duddy.
A head kick misses from Duddy.
Silsa paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Duddy keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Duddy lands with a thumping leg kick.
Duddy swinging wildly here.
Duddy avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Duddy smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

Silsa gets the takedown into side control.
Duddy takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Duddy manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Silsa desperately trying to maintain half guard.

Duddy is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Silsa sees it coming and defends easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Silsa wants to control but Duddy is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Silsa is looking to improve his position.
Duddy thows a huge punch but Silsa dodges it nicely.
Silsa has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Duddy is working away from the top position though.
Duddy trying to mount his opponent but Silsa defends it.
Silsa manages to get to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Silsa looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Duddy looking to pass the guard.
Duddy postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Silsa can't keep his opponent in guard - Duddy advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Duddy is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Silsa!
Duddy trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Silsa can't escape the position.
Duddy unloads with some shots from mount but Silsa bucks and avoids them well.
Duddy scores with a couple of good head shots there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Duddy working for a guillotine from mount but Silsa is in no mood to give up.
Pertti Silsa has got the better of the ground game so far.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Duddy jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Silsa is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Silsa and Duddy has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Duddy is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Silsa has escaped the position, nice work there.

Duddy looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Silsa tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Silsa wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Duddy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that John Duddy will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on John Duddy's cut.
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. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Duddy throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Silsa ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Silsa takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
A big left from Silsa misses.
The fighters circling - Duddy throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Silsa throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Duddy stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Silsa cracks Duddy with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Duddy tries a head kick but it misses.
Silsa misses with a straight left.
Duddy pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Duddy works over Silsa's head and body with a nice combination.
Silsa ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Duddy on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Duddy takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silsa scores with a nice head shot.
Silsa lands a body shot.
Silsa thows a left - swing and a miss!
Silsa throws a leg kick but Duddy moved away.
John Duddy is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Duddy misses with a straight right.
Silsa thows a body shot but no joy.
Duddy lands a jab to the head.
Pertti Silsa seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Silsa misses the jab.
Pertti Silsa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Silsa throws a right and a left that Duddy avoids nicely.
Silsa smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Silsa throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A big right from Duddy misses.
Silsa dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Silsa misses with a wild body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A nice inside leg kick there by Duddy. That's going to slow Silsa down.
Duddy throws out a loose jab but Silsa uses good head movement to avoid it.
Duddy feints and then cracks Silsa's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Silsa down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Duddy misses with a hook.
Duddy misses with a hook. Silsa ducked under it nicely.
Silsa wants to land a leg kick but Duddy is out of range.
Silsa connects with a right hand. Duddy shakes it off.
Duddy throws a leg kick which misses Silsa's front leg but catches the back leg as Silsa tries to avoid it.
Silsa checks a leg kick.
Silsa connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Silsa connects with a body shot.
Silsa throws a shot from downtown. Duddy moves away and avoids it.
Silsa misses with a lunging right hand
and Duddy counters with a two punch combo.
Duddy lands a nice looking body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silsa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Duddy manages to avoid it.
Silsa misses with a wild combination.
Silsa has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Duddy.
Silsa throws a leg kick that is checked
and Duddy makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Silsa takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Silsa wants to clinch
and Duddy makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Silsa misses with an uppercut.
Duddy scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Silsa misses with a hook. Duddy ducked under it nicely.
Nice cross by Duddy.
Silsa cracks Duddy with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Duddy looks to score with a jab to the body but Silsa is just out of range.
Silsa misses with a combination
and Silsa takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Duddy slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Sloppy strikes from Duddy. Those never looked like landing.
Duddy stuffs the takedown.
Duddy tries to move into range but Silsa moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
A head kick misses from Silsa.
Silsa scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Duddy scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Silsa shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Duddy pinned against the cage. Duddy gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Duddy moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Duddy lands a leg kick that knocks Silsa off balance momentarily.
Silsa misses with the combination.

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 John Duddy.
I think Duddy has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 29:28
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 29:28
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Duddy!
An out of breath John Duddy thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.