PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rolf Thorkildsen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rob Ramirez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Thorkildsen might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to AC/DC - Hell's Bells. This should be fireworks!

Thorkildsen
vs
Ramirez

176 cm
36
165 lbs
24 - 16 - 0

179 cm
25
155 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 24 - 16 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rolf Thorkildsen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rob Ramirez!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Johanna Lukiainen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thorkildsen buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Ramirez swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Ramirez misses with a right hand
and Thorkildsen counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Thorkildsen ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ramirez moves away.
Ramirez looks to land a right hand but Thorkildsen moved out of range.
A low kick from Ramirez is predictable there
and Thorkildsen counters with a thumping low kick.
Thorkildsen thuds his right hand into Ramirez's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Thorkildsen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ramirez.
Thorkildsen jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
A slow jab from Ramirez misses its intended target.
Rob Ramirez seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Thorkildsen shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
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.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ramirez avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Thorkildsen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thorkildsen throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Thorkildsen wants to take a breather but Ramirez is having none of it.
Thorkildsen not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Thorkildsen is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Ramirez is just riding it out for now. Thorkildsen eventually gives up the hold.
Thorkildsen not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Thorkildsen is taking a breather. Ramirez says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Thorkildsen lands strikes from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thorkildsen not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Thorkildsen missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Thorkildsen looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Thorkildsen is keen to just control but Ramirez is a slippery customer.
Thorkildsen thows a huge punch but Ramirez dodges it nicely.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thorkildsen is looking to take a break and control but Ramirez is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Thorkildsen throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Thorkildsen throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Ramirez is trying to control but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thorkildsen is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Ramirez really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Thorkildsen. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Thorkildsen moves nicely into side control.
Ramirez looks winded!
Thorkildsen landing strikes.
Ramirez is not content to let Thorkildsen control the position.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Ramirez parries the strikes from Thorkildsen easily there. Thorkildsen is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Ramirez to escape.
Thorkildsen working the head with strikes.
Ramirez is working to avoid the ground and pound but Thorkildsen connects with a decent elbow.

Thorkildsen is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Ramirez knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Thorkildsen lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ramirez takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Thorkildsen scores with a couple of short elbows.

Thorkildsen has hold of Ramirez's arm. He's looking for a kimura. Ramirez seems comfortable defending it but Thorkildsen has shifted his position slighty and is cranking on the arm! Ramirez is real pain and he's forced to tap out! Ramirez is disgusted with himself for not defending it better but Thorkildsen couldn't care less - he's delighted!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:34 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Rolf Thorkildsen!
Rolf Thorkildsen was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.