PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Jokke Nappula (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mitchell Pearsen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nappula kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is The Troggs- Wild Thing. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Nappula
vs
Pearsen

165 cm
33
149 lbs
22 - 14 - 2

170 cm
26
159 lbs
14 - 10 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Reaper Combatwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 14 - 2, fighting out of Hilo, Jokke Nappula!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Mitchell Pearsen!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Anni Minnemäki and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nappula throws a hook but Pearsen avoids it easily.
Pearsen displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Nappula.
Pearsen moves away from the strike by Nappula.
Pearsen misses the shot to the body.
Pearsen misses with an uppercut.
A looping hook to the body misses from Pearsen. Nappula does a little dance to reset his feet.
Pearsen throws a hook but Nappula blocks it.
Pearsen leaves Nappula with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Nappula throws a head kick but Pearsen moves out of range.
Pearsen works the jab nicely.
Pearsen looks to land a left hand but Nappula moved out of range nicely.
Donk. Pearsen catches Nappula right on the button with a cross.
Pearsen throws a lazy uppercut
and Nappula counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Pearsen misses with a hook.
Nappula on the wrong end of a nice hook.
A telegraphed right hand from Pearsen misses the target.

Pearsen clinches up against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Nappula pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nappula takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Pearsen throws out a powerful jab.
Pearsen misses with a body shot.
Pearsen on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Mitchell Pearsen is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A telegraphed right hand from Pearsen misses the target.
Pearsen lands a glancing blow to the side of Nappula's head.
Pearsen throws a jab when Nappula was well out of range.
Nappula closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Nappula ducks under a wild hook from Pearsen.
Nappula moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Nappula ducks under a wild hook from Pearsen.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pearsen thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nappula misses with a body kick.
Pearsen moves out of range of the body kick.
Pearsen looks to throw the jab but Nappula is out of range.
Nappula moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Pearsen's corner calls for a 1-2. Pearsen obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Pearsen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nappula.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nappula fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Pearsen might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
The crowd cheers as Pearsen lands an impressive looking overhand right. Nappula doesn't seem phased though.

Nappula is rocked!
Pearsen misses with an uppercut.
Oh Nappula is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

Nappula scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Nappula seems to have got his legs back now.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Pearsen wants to get back to his feet.
Nappula stalling.
Nappula thows a huge punch but Pearsen dodges it nicely.
Nappula lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Nappula thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Pearsen's head.
Nappula slows the pace down in half guard.
Pearsen wants to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nappula wants to lay and pray for a moment but Pearsen keeps working.
Nappula prevents Pearsen from improving his position.

Pearsen makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Nappula misses with an uppercut. Pearsen saw that one coming.
A jab from Pearsen misses.
Nappula stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Pearsen dips to his left and cracks Nappula with an uppercut!
A nice combination there by Nappula.
Nappula cracks Pearsen with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Nappula lands a nice hook to Pearsen's body. Pearsen takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pearsen blocks a head kick by Nappula.
Pearsen misses with a looping left.
Pearsen fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Nappula looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nappula fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Pearsen checks it well.
Nappula misses with a head kick.
Pearsen bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Nappula's head.
A big right from Pearsen misses.
Nappula has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Nappula there as he acknowledges the shot.
Pearsen scores with a jab.
A head kick from Nappula lands but Pearsen takes it in his stride.
Pearsen connects with a nice looking jab.
Nappula throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Nappula finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pearsen slips under a jab.
Nappula lands with a thumping leg kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Pearsen misses the target.
Nappula lands a nice leg kick that just misses Pearsen's sensitive parts.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mitchell Pearsen dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Pearsen misses the jab.
Pearsen looks to score with a jab to the body but Nappula is just out of range.
Nappula throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nappula just misses with a punch to the body.
Pearsen misses with a looping right.
Donk. Pearsen catches Nappula right on the button with a cross.
A head kick misses from Nappula.
Mitchell Pearsen seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Pearsen slips a jab from Nappula.
Pearsen looks to score with a jab to the body but Nappula is just out of range.
A jab from Pearsen misses.
Pearsen changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Good exchange - Pearsen coming out on top.
Nappula lands a nice leg kick that just misses Pearsen's sensitive parts.
The fighters circle momentarily. Nappula darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Pearsen checks a low kick from Nappula.
A swing and a miss from Pearsen.

Nappula shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Pearsen manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nappula looking to sit in guard and control but Pearsen gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pearsen trying to control the position from guard on top but Nappula is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Nappula is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Pearsen defends well.
Pearsen wants to control from the top but Nappula keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nappula manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Pearsen's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Nappula controlling from the full mount.
Pearsen regains half guard.
Nappula stops Pearsen from getting back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nappula moves into full mount! Pearsen won't be happy about that!
Nappula controlling the pace for now.
Nappula trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Nappula controlling the position easily from mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Nappula cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Nappula prevents Pearsen from getting the reversal.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Nappula is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Pearsen can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Nappula prevents Pearsen from getting the reversal.
Nappula wants to control the pace but Pearsen is squirming around nicely.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nappula controlling his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jokke Nappula dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Nappula scores with a kick to the midsection.
Pearsen throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Nappula counters with a good low kick that Pearsen was not able to check.
Pearsen feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Nappulas jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Pearsen tries to clinch up.
Pearsen scores with a body shot.
Pearsen throws an overhand right that lands on Nappula's shoulder, as Nappula tries to avoid the shot.
Pearsen throws an overhand right that lands on Nappula's shoulder, as Nappula tries to avoid the shot.
Nappula throws the kick towards the body but Pearsen avoids it.
Pearsen thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nappula connects with an inside leg kick.
Nappula scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Pearsen connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Pearsen throws a right hand that misses
and Nappula counters with a two punch combo.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nappula shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Pearsen but Pearsen pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Nappula throws a nice outside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nappula uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Pearsen.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Nappula drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Pearsen gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Nappula misses with a punch to the body.
Nappula lands a right hand.
Pearsen misses with a punch on the inside.

Pearsen's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Nappula throws a quick inside leg kick.
Nappula doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Pearsen misses the target.
Nappula lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Pearsen's corner calls for a 1-2. Pearsen obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Pearsen scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nappula misses with a hook.
Pearsen looks to land a right hand but Nappula moved out of range.
Pearsen tries to clinch but Nappula moves out of range.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pearsen misses with a hook. Nappula ducked under it nicely.
Nappula looks to throw the jab but Pearsen is out of range.
Nappula thumps Pearsen with a low kick.
Pearsen misses with a looping right.
Pearsen misses with a straight left.
Pearsen throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Nappula fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Pearsen is out of range.
Nappula misses with a head kick.
Nappula moves out of range of the strikes.
Pearsen is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Pearsen doesn't manage to clinch there - Nappula circles away.
Pearsen scores with a nice strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An inside leg kick lands from Nappula.
Mitchell Pearsen seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nappula slips a straight right by Pearsen.
Nappula misses with a wild body shot.
Nice defenses there by Nappula.
Nappula tries to score with a low kick but Pearsen moves his leg out of the way.
Nappula cracks the inside of Pearsen's front leg.
Nappula thuds his right hand into Pearsen's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Pearsen scores with a decent looking hook.
Pearsen misses with a left hand
and Nappula counters with a big head kick but Pearsen shrugs it off.
Nappula connects with a solid leg kick.
Pearsen throws out a loose jab but Nappula uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nappula looks to land a body kick but Pearsen moved away.
Pearsen tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Nice straight punches there by Pearsen. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Pearsen.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Pearsen waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nappula.
Nappula avoids the body shot from Pearsen.
Nappula pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nappula fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Pearsen.
Nappula lands a jab to the head.
Pearsen's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Nappula takes one to the side of the head.
Pearsen avoids the head kick by Nappula.
Nappula looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Pearsen throws a lazy uppercut
and Nappula counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Pearsen lands a lovely overhand right.
Pearsen is looking to clinch.
Pearsen uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nappula.
Pearsen scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Nappula tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
A nice combination there by Nappula.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pearsen misses with a body shot.
Nappula throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Pearsen throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nappula moves away from the strike by Pearsen.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Mitchell Pearsen.
I think Pearsen has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 29:29
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:29
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Mitchell Pearsen!
Our winner, Mitchell Pearsen, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.