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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Michael Eldridge (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tarja Halonen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.
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| 188 cm
31
220 lbs
18 - 10 - 0 |
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180 cm
31
212 lbs
16 - 4 - 0 |
BJJ Purple Belt
Great elbows
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
Great elbows
Granite chin |
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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
18 - 10 - 0, fighting out of London, Michael Eldridge!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
16 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Tarja Halonen!
The judges for this bout are Chris Edwards, William Gold and James Ackerman.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Halonen throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Eldridge lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Halonen throws a combination that misses
and Eldridge counters with a one-two to the body.
It looks like Tarja Halonen has been cut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Eldridge throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Eldridge is looking to land body kicks.
Halonen shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Eldridge eats them both and turns towards Halonen to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
It looks like Michael Eldridge has been cut.
Eldridge swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Eldridge misses with a double jab.
Halonen misses with a looping right.
Halonen shoots in but no luck this time.
Halonen shoots in for a takedown but Eldridge shows good takedown defense.
Eldridge avoids a punch combination nicely.
Halonen avoids the head kick by Eldridge.
Halonen takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
A head kick misses from Halonen.
A head kick misses from Halonen.
Good leg kick by Eldridge there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Eldridge doesn't manage to clinch there - Halonen circles away.
Tarja Halonen seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Eldridge clinches up with Halonen and pushes him back against the cage.
Eldridge is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Eldridge tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Eldridge is trying to stall.
Halonen has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Halonen is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Halonen as Eldridge tries to tie him up.
Halonen tries to break free but Eldridge pushes him back against the cage.
Halonen misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Halonen has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Eldridge is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Michael Eldridge has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tarja Halonen.
Eldridge creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Halonen is trying to trip Eldridge. He has hold of a leg but Eldridge is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Halonen persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Eldridge has his foot on Halonen's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Halonen works his way back into a safe position though.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halonen being controlled here momentarily.
Halonen pushing down on Eldridge's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Halonen is trying to control. Eldridge wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Eldridge gets full guard.
Halonen throws a big right hand that misses.
Halonen with a flurry of punches that miss.
Eldridge utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Halonen won't allow Eldridge to get back to his feet.
Halonen with a flurry of punches that miss.
Halonen won't allow Eldridge to sweep him here.
Eldridge keeping moving, preventing Halonen from controlling successfully.
Halonen is looking to work some ground and pound but Eldridge has wrist control.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halonen preventing the sweep.
Eldridge throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Eldridge has control of Halonen's left arm, preventing Halonen from doing any damage.
Halonen throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Halonen lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Halonen postures up in Eldridge's guard and throws a big left but Eldridge blocks it.
Eldridge looking to hit a scissor sweep but Halonen is one step ahead there.
Eldridge thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Halonen controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Halonen postures up and lands a big shot to Eldridge's brow.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halonen trying to control the position from guard on top but Eldridge is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Halonen got a little sloppy there for a moment and Eldridge has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Halonen has managed to get both his arms back between Eldridge's legs - danger averted.
Eldridge pulls Halonen in to control the position.
Eldridge lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Halonen!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Halonen is wriggling around trying to escape.
Eldridge looking to control but Halonen is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
You get the feeling that Halonen really doesn't like being in this position too much.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Halonen regains half guard.
Halonen is staying active underneath Eldridge, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
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 Michael Eldridge will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
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.
Halonen fails to land with a series of punches.
Eldridge throws a sloppy head kick and Halonen moves out of range easily.
Eldridge fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Halonen will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Halonen closes the distance and clinches.
Halonen tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Eldridge avoids it.
Eldridge keeps control of Halonen as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
A short right from Halonen on the inside.
Halonen is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Eldridge pushes off an throws an elbow but Halonen leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Halonen misses with a short punch on the inside.
Halonen has Eldridge pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Halonen pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Eldridge tumbling to the mat - Halonen dives into Eldridge's guard.
Eldridge is looking to stand up but Halonen isn't so interested in that idea.
Halonen wants to get up but he can't break Eldridge's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Halonen loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Halonen stops Eldridge from standing up.
Tarja Halonen has got the better of the ground game so far.
Halonen wants to control from the top but Eldridge keeps moving.
Halonen trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Eldridge is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Eldridge manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Halonen manages to get himself to full guard.
Halonen wants to get back to his feet but Eldridge passes into half guard.
Eldridge blocks the strikes from Halonen.
Halonen wants to get back to his feet.
Eldridge wants to lay and pray for a moment but Halonen keeps working.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halonen is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
We're going to have a standup here because Michael Eldridge wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
A head kick misses from Eldridge.
Halonen uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Eldridge.
Nice takedown defense from Eldridge. No joy for Halonen on that attempt.
Michael Eldridge has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tarja Halonen.
Eldridge cracks Halonen with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Eldridge rushes Halonen and presses him up against the cage.
Halonen working aggressively here.
Halonen has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Eldridge is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Eldridge misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Halonen.
The referee is keeping an eye on Eldridge - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Eldridge throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Halonen blocks an elbow strike.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Eldridge obliges.
Eldridge tries to work over Halonen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Eldridge lands with a right to the head.
Nice elbow from Eldridge.
Halonen manages to break the clinch.
Eldridge fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Halonen manages to avoid it.
Excellent takedown into side control there by Halonen.
Eldridge manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Eldridge regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Halonen.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Halonen looking to sit in guard and control but Eldridge gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Eldridge looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Eldridge lands a couple of digs.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Halonen wants to control the position but Eldridge says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Michael Eldridge dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! 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.
Halonen slips under a jab from Eldridge.
Halonen ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Eldridge moves away.
Halonen has his takedown stuffed
and Eldridge counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Eldridge avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Halonen slips under a jab.
Eldridge cracks Halonen with an open hand slap.
Michael Eldridge is winning the standup battle so far.
A punch combination from Halonen misses.
Halonen moves into the clinch.
Eldridge effectively controlling the action here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Halonen wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Halonen breaks from the clinch.
A head kick misses from Halonen.
Tarja Halonen is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Eldridge lands a jab to Halonen's midsection.
Halonen takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Eldridge blocks the body kick.
Eldridge swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Eldridge keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Eldridge misses the jab.
Eldridge throws a sloppy head kick and Halonen moves out of range easily.
Halonen tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Halonen scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Eldridge is trying to get back to his feet.
Halonen tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Halonen working away.
Halonen working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Halonen scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Eldridge to see if he's OK.
Sloppy strikes there by Halonen.
Halonen fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Halonen lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
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!
Eldridge managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Halonen.
Tarja Halonen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The strikes coming from Halonen are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Eldridge can't do much from the bottom here.
Eldridge tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Halonen throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Eldridge works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.
Eldridge blocking the ground and pound attempt from Halonen.
Eldridge manages to get to full guard.
Eldridge wants to sweep but no luck.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halonen trying to control the position from guard on top but Eldridge is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Halonen throwing strikes but missing.
Halonen throwing strikes from guard but Eldridge blocks nicely.
Halonen wants to control from the top but Eldridge keeps moving.
Halonen loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Eldridge pushes Halonen off and scrambles back to his feet.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Halonen.
Halonen throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halonen fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Eldridge avoids it really well and circles away.
Michael Eldridge has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tarja Halonen.
Halonen walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Halonen has a takedown stuffed.
Eldridge lands a right hook to the body.
Halonen on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Halonen misses with an uppercut.
Eldridge jabs Halonen to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Eldridge lands with a cross.
Halonen throws a combination that misses
and Eldridge counters with a leg kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Eldridge scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Halonen doesn't seem bothered though.
Eldridge lands a slapping body shot.
Michael Eldridge is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Eldridge tries a head kick but it misses.
And that's the end of the fight!
Michael Eldridge showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Eldridge, 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 Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27
Judge William Gold scores the fight 29:28
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 30:28
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Michael Eldridge!
An out of breath and clearly excited Michael Eldridge thanked [EVO] Koffin Inc. *92% Laundry NOT Available* for their help and support (and free stuff they sent him).
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
100% |
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