PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Abel Koponen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Harris (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Koponen
vs
Harris

187 cm
27
215 lbs
7 - 8 - 0

185 cm
21
222 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Powerful takedowns
Good kicks
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Abel Koponen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Paul Harris!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Matti Vanhoillinen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Koponen looks to land a left hand but Harris moved out of range nicely.
Harris throws a hook but Koponen blocks it.
Harris throws a lazy right hand but Koponen sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Harris takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Harris throws a sloppy body shot
and Koponen counters with a nice uppercut.

It looks like Paul Harris has been cut.
Harris swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Good standup being displayed there by Harris as he connects with a hook.
Koponen scores with a jab to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Koponen closes the distance and clinches up with Harris, looking for a takedown. Koponen pushes Harris against the cage but Harris circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Harris connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Koponen momentarily.
Harris ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Koponen keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Harris looks to score with a jab to the body but Koponen is just out of range.
Koponen loads up on a big right hand but Harris slips the punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harris steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Koponen.
Harris drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Koponen fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Harris manages to avoid it.
Paul Harris seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Harris connects with a leg kick. Koponen looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Harris, right into the meat.
Harris moves away from the strike by Koponen.
Harris misses with a body punch
and Koponen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Harris fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Harris throws a hook to the side of Koponen's head but Koponen sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Koponen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Paul Harris is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Koponen misses the jab.
Harris pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harris displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Koponen throws out the jab.
Harris scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Koponen connects with a good right hand that stumbles Harris. Harris circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Harris moves out of range of the body kick from Koponen.
Koponen is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Harris lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Koponen throws a low kick, looking for Harris's leg but Harris calmly moves out of range.
Harris slips a straight right by Koponen.
Harris fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Harris connects with a right hand. Koponen shakes it off.
Koponen walks into a stiff left hand from Harris.
Koponen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Harris.
Koponen throws out a loose jab but Harris uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koponen ducks right into an uppercut from Harris.
Koponen misses the shot to the body.
That kick from Harris tenderised Koponen's leg. Koponen is trying to keep his angry face on.
Harris misses with a right hand
and Koponen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That has opened up Paul Harris's cut even more.
Koponen misses with a leg kick.
Harris misses with a hook
letting Koponen counter with a right hand.
Harris bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Koponen looks to land a combination but Harris avoids it well.
The fight stays on the outside here - Koponen looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Harris is looking to slow Koponen down with leg kicks.
Harris fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Koponen checks it well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harris avoids a kick to the body.

Koponen scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Koponen wants to control but Harris is keeping him busy.
Koponen is really struggling to control Harris but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Harris tries to roll over but Koponen keeps him under control.

Koponen is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Harris doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Koponen.
Harris wants to improve his position but Koponen is controlling well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Abel Koponen dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Harris's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Koponen fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Harris misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Koponen.
Koponen throws a chopping leg kick but Harris manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Koponen misses with a hook.
Harris connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Harris just misses with a punch to the body.
Harris lands a really nice looking cross but Koponen seems unphased.
Harris throws a right hand that misses
and Koponen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Koponen is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Koponen is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Harris buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Abel Koponen is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Koponen walks into a stiff left hand from Harris.
Koponen takes a swing at Harris's ribcage but misses.
A swing and a miss from Harris.
Koponen throws a right hand that Harris ducks under and follows up with a left that Harris also avoids with ease.
Koponen misses with an uppercut. Harris saw that one coming.
Left hook, right uppercut from Koponen.

The cut above Paul Harris's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Koponen smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

Harris is rocked!

Koponen has managed to clinch.
Harris is still on wobbly legs! Can Koponen finish him?
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Harris seems to have recovered his senses.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Harris breaks from the clinch.
Harris's corner calls for a 1-2. Harris obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Harris ducks under a wild hook from Koponen.
Koponen shoots in for a takedown but Harris shows good takedown defense.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harris dodges the punch combination from Koponen.
Harris comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Koponen keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Harris.
Jab, jab by Harris - just one landing.
A jab lands there for Harris.

Koponen is rocked!
Harris scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Oh Koponen is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Harris fakes the body blow, causing Koponen to drop his hands! Left hook to the temple! Koponen goes stiff, and falls face first into the mat. Goodnight!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:42 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Paul Harris!