PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Taisto Perälä (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Johnny Luca (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Luca has chosen Filthy Luca Greeting as his entrance music. Taisto Perälä could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Johnny Luca's chin.

Perälä
vs
Luca

182 cm
23
175 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

180 cm
26
185 lbs
9 - 4 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Lethal high kicks
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Sun-Tzu

MMA Hype Apparel
Spartan Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Taisto Perälä!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Johnny Luca!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Sam Margolis and James Atkins.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Luca scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Perälä dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Luca throws a body shot but no joy.
Luca throws a series of punches but Perälä avoids them all with ease.
Perälä checks a leg kick nicely.
Luca tries to land a body kick
enabling Perälä to counter with a crisp jab.
Luca throws a wild body kick that Perälä sees coming a mile off.
Perälä seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Luca works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Perälä lands a nice looking body shot.
Luca has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Perälä finds it's way round the side to connect with Luca's head.
Luca misses with a looping left.
Luca tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Perälä uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Luca.
Perälä lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Luca tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Luca looks for the body kick but Perälä saw that one coming.
Perälä throws a half hearted mid kick.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Luca, as that shot connected.
Perälä ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luca throws a low kick but Perälä avoids it.
Perälä turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Perälä misses with a wild body shot.
Perälä buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Luca walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
A bone on bone clash there as Luca blocks the leg kick.
Perälä dodges the punch combination from Luca.
An inside leg kick lands from Perälä.
Perälä slips a straight right by Luca.
Luca takes a swing at Perälä's ribcage but misses.
Perälä feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Luca tries a head kick but it misses.
Luca walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Perälä checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Luca on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
A jab from Perälä misses.
Luca wants to counter the offense by Perälä and move into the clinch position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luca pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
A chopping leg kick lands by Luca.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Luca wants to slow Perälä down by chopping away at his legs.
Luca lands with a thumping leg kick.
Perälä misses with a body shot.
Luca on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Luca throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Luca looks to land a right hand but Perälä moved out of range.
Luca takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.

It looks like Johnny Luca has been cut.
Luca looks to throw the jab but Perälä is out of range.
Perälä throws a body punch but Luca moves out of range.
Luca follows through with a counter body kick but it doesn't land.
Luca bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Perälä checks a leg kick nicely.
Perälä throws a leg kick but Luca moved away.
Luca throws a head kick but Perälä moves out of range.
Luca throws a good cross that connects.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Luca throws a head kick that misses.
Perälä slips a jab and a cross from Luca.
Perälä lands a two punch combo.

Luca has Perälä up against the cage in a clinch.
Perälä lands a body punch in the clinch.
Perälä lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Luca backwards.
Luca is looking to control Perälä's arms but Perälä gets an underhook and turns him. Now Luca has his back to the cage.
Perälä misses with a body punch.
Perälä misses with some punches.
Nice body punch from Perälä - that landed with a thud.
Perälä lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Perälä drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Luca gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Luca fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Perälä misses with the head strike.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Perälä creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Luca displaying some good clinch control by pressing Perälä up against the cage.
Perälä avoids a wild elbow strike from Luca.
Luca tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Perälä's elbow.
Luca is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Perälä is keeping busy.
Perälä misses with a punch on the inside.
Luca misses with an elbow over the top.
A shot in the inside from Perälä.
Perälä lands a nice shot to the body.
Perälä lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.

Perälä's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
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 Taisto Perälä will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Johnny Luca's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Some wild striking there from Perälä.
Luca checks a leg kick nicely.
Perälä scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Luca doesn't seem bothered though.
Perälä listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Perälä throws a big shot that misses.
Luca scores with a jab. Perälä acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Donk. Perälä catches Luca right on the button with a cross.
Perälä ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Luca with a hook.
Luca tries to clinch but Perälä moves out of range.
Perälä throwing a counter right hand but Luca manages to avoid it.
Perälä cracks Luca with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Perälä connects with a leg kick. Luca looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Perälä throws a leg kick which misses Luca's front leg but catches the back leg as Luca tries to avoid it.
Luca misses with a two punch combination.
Perälä swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Luca moves out of range of the strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Perälä throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Luca throws a poor cross that misses
and Perälä counters with a nice kick to the body.
Luca punishes Perälä's body with a nice straight punch.
Perälä lands a lovely overhand right.
Taisto Perälä is winning the standup battle so far.
Perälä catches Luca with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Perälä stuns Luca with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Perälä lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Perälä ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Luca moves away.
Luca throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.

It looks like Taisto Perälä has been cut.
Perälä ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Luca moves away.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Luca misses with a head kick.
A quick step to the side and Perälä tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Perälä's corner calls for a 1-2. Perälä obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Perälä misses with a body kick.
Luca slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Perälä looks to score with a jab to the body but Luca is just out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Perälä scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Perälä connects with a leg kick. Luca looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Perälä chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Luca throws the kick towards the body but Perälä avoids it.
Luca throws a sloppy head kick and Perälä moves out of range easily.
Luca tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Perälä is able to avoid easily.
Luca throws a lazy head kick
and Perälä counters with a stiff right hand.
Perälä fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Luca on the side of the head.
Perälä buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
A combination from Perälä does no damage.
Perälä blocks a head kick by Luca.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Luca misses with a head kick.
Perälä swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Luca is breathing heavily.
Luca takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Luca tries a head kick but it misses.
Perälä's corner calls for a 1-2. Perälä obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

Luca is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Perälä lands a nice hook to Luca's body. Luca takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

Luca clinches up against the cage.
Luca pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Luca swings wildly with an uppercut but Perälä uses good head movement to avoid it.
Perälä lands a nice uppercut.
Luca blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Luca tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Luca.
Luca blocks a body shot from Perälä.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Luca throws a punch but it's blocked by Perälä.
Perälä gets through Luca's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Perälä tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Luca's elbow.
Luca misses with a short punch on the inside.
Perälä is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Luca can do to turn this around?
A head punch blocked on the inside by Luca.
Perälä has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Perälä dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A hook to the body from Perälä.
Perälä tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Perälä looking to slow down the pace here.
Perälä lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Luca backwards.
Taisto Perälä has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Perälä misses with a hook to the ribs.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Luca creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Perälä swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Perälä scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Perälä pulls guard.

Perälä had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Luca defends it easily.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Perälä looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Taisto Perälä dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's time! Perälä's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Perälä tests Luca's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Luca turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Luca pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Luca throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Luca on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Luca tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Perälä scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Luca doesn't seem bothered though.
Perälä throws a body punch but Luca moves out of range.
Nice shot lands for Luca.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Perälä looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Luca fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Perälä keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Luca misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
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!
Perälä lands with a nice body kick.
Luca takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luca ducks right into an uppercut from Perälä.
Perälä takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Perälä lunges at Luca with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Luca's hand.
Luca is still on wobbly legs! Can Perälä finish him?
Perälä feints and then cracks Luca's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Luca down.
Luca seems to have recovered his senses.
Luca pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A quick step to the side and Perälä tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Perälä throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Perälä sends Luca crashing to the mat with a devastating uppercut! Perälä is motioning to the referee to let Luca up. He wants to try and finish this one on the feet!

That has opened up Johnny Luca's cut even more.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Luca with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Perälä misses with a low kick.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Luca! But no joy.
Perälä misses with a low kick as Luca jumps back.
A little jabbing left from Luca on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Luca looks for the body kick but Perälä saw that one coming.
Luca takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Perälä connects with an inside leg kick.
Perälä circles and sees the opportunity to plant his feet and throw a really nice straight left hand that drops Luca to the canvas! Luca doesn't know where he is but he's trying to survive - Perälä keeps piling on the pressure and forces the referee to step in! This one is aaaaaall over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:59 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Taisto Perälä!
Taisto Perälä decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.