PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Finn Balor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pikku Nilkki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Balor comes to the cage accompanied by Monster. The crowd seem to be enjoying Nilkki's choice of entrance music: Fintelligens - Sori. Pikku Nilkki has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Finn Balor's chin.

Balor
vs
Nilkki

172 cm
37
152 lbs
28 - 11 - 1

154 cm
31
146 lbs
16 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Zenith Nutrition (160q)
Invictus

Perkele!

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 28 - 11 - 1, fighting out of New York, Finn Balor!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Pikku Nilkki!
The judges for this bout are Roger Salmon, Ryoma Takatsuka and Josh West.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Balor lands a jab to Nilkki's midsection.
A slow jab from Nilkki misses its intended target.
It looked like Balor wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
A punch combination from Balor misses.
Nilkki loads up on a big right hand but Balor slips the punch.
Balor misses with a head kick.
Nilkki thumps Balor with a low kick.
Balor takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Nilkki dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Balor. That did some damage!
Balor checks the leg kick.
Balor is looking to chop away at Nilkki's legs.
Balor misses with a body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Balor avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Balor thinks about countering with a head kick.
Nilkki throws a right and a left that Balor avoids nicely.
Balor blocks the body kick.
Pikku Nilkki seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Balor misses with a wild body shot.
Nilkki throws a low kick but Balor moves out of range easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nilkki thows a body kick. Balor tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Nilkki throws a push kick but Balor slaps the foot to one side.
Nilkki fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nilkki scoring well with a low kick there.
Balor shoots in and drives through. Nilkki sprawls well.
Balor throws a leg kick but Nilkki sees it coming and moves out of range.
Pikku Nilkki is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Nilkki misses with a leg kick
and Balor counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Nilkki's corner calls for a 1-2. Nilkki obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

Nilkki darts in and clinches Balor up against the cage.
Balor digs a right hand into Nilkki's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Nilkki's gas tank.
Balor on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Balor creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Nilkki pushes Balor back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Nilkki misses with some punches.
Nilkki misses with an elbow over the top.
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!
Balor swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Nilkki told us before the fight that he's been working on his elbows. An under utilised technique these days - let's see if it can sway the outcome of the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balor lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Nilkki lands a body punch.
Balor swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Balor tries a body shot but Nilkki blocks it.

Balor is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Nilkki can't fight it off and eventually Balor manages to take the fight to the floor. Nilkki looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Balor trying to control the position from guard on top but Nilkki is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Balor wants to pass the guard but Nilkki is keeping the position.
Balor is working hard here to advance position.
Nilkki wants to sweep but no luck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nilkki wants to hit a switch here but Balor passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Nilkki there!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nilkki is trying desperately to improve position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nilkki blocking the ground and pound.

Balor is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Nilkki can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Balor punishing his opponent with strikes.
Balor trying to control but Nilkki is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nilkki can't escape the position.
Nilkki sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Nilkki is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Balor wants to pass the guard but Nilkki is defending well.
Balor is just content to waste time from the top position. Nilkki takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Balor tries to free his leg and advance position but Nilkki is retaining full guard.
Nilkki working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Balor.
Balor throwing strikes but missing.
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 Finn Balor will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Some wild striking there from Nilkki.
Nilkki walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balor checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Balor throws a leg kick but Nilkki checks it.
Nilkki avoids a kick to the body.
Nilkki only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Nilkki scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Nilkki pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Nilkki cracks Balor with a good jab.
Nilkki ducks under a wild hook from Balor.
Balor connects with a looping right hand.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A jab lands there for Nilkki.
Balor throws a head kick that looked like it stung.

It looks like Pikku Nilkki has been cut.
Nilkki lands a nice leg kick that just misses Balor's sensitive parts.
A big left from Balor misses.
Nilkki wants to counter the offense by Balor and move into the clinch position.
Pikku Nilkki seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A cross from Nilkki lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nilkki checks a leg kick.
Balor throws an overhand right that lands on Nilkki's shoulder, as Nilkki tries to avoid the shot.
Nilkki is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
Nilkki throws a head kick but Balor moves out of range.
Balor goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Nilkki looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Balor misses with a few strikes there.
Nilkki steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Balor.
Balor throws a half hearted mid kick.
Nilkki tests Balor's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Balor comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Nilkki throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Balor cracks Nilkki with a good jab.
Balor throws a low kick but Nilkki moves out of range easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Balor takes one to the chin there.
Nilkki scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Balor scores with a punch to the head.
Nilkki lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Donk. Balor catches Nilkki right on the button with a cross.
Nilkki lands with a thumping leg kick.
Balor lunges at Nilkki with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Nilkki's hand.
Nilkki dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Balor looks to land a body kick but Nilkki moved away.
Balor misses with a low kick.
Balor misses with a looping left.
Nilkki fakes the leg kick and cracks Balor in the body.
Nilkki tries to clinch but Balor is having none of it.
Balor keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balor chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Nilkki can pounce on him.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Nilkki, right into the meat.
Nilkki checks a low kick from Balor.
Balor is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Nilkki tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A slapping leg kick lands for Nilkki.
Balor attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Balor misses with a wild body shot.
Nilkki jabs at Balor's body.
Balor fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Balor lands with a nice body punch.
Balor throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nilkki tries to land a front kick but Balor steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Balor swings widly with a right hand
and Nilkki counters with a stiff right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nilkki fails with an attempt to clinch.
Balor is looking to counter punch.
Balor attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Balor on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nilkki tries to close the distance and clinch up but Balor swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Nilkki misses with the combination.
It looked like Balor was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Nilkki.
Balor takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Balor misses with a body kick.
Nilkki now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Balor steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nilkki.
Balor moves out of range as Nilkki strikes.
Nilkki misses with a body kick.
Balor on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Nilkki. Nilkki obviously looking to wear him down.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Pikku Nilkki will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Pikku Nilkki's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Balor throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Nilkki's head.
Balor takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

Nilkki fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Balor, pushing him back against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Balor.
Nilkki lands with a left to the head.
Balor tries a body shot but Nilkki blocks it.
Nilkki lands a knee to the body.
Nilkki blocks an uppercut.
Balor misses with a body punch.
Nilkki blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Nilkki tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Nilkki trying to land knees to the body.
Nilkki blocking some punches.
Nilkki lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Balor backwards.
Nilkki's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A head punch on the inside from Nilkki fails to land.
Nilkki lands a good knee to the midsection. Balor won't want to take too many of those.
Balor has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Nilkki after a bit of a struggle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balor swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Balor gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Balor stopping the sweep attempt from Nilkki.
Nilkki bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Balor's guard.

Balor is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Balor has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Nilkki is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Balor.
Nilkki trying to control the position but Balor is working away.
Nilkki misses with an attempted head punch from side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balor is being controlled here.
Balor looks to move to half guard but instead Nilkki has passed into mount! Damn!
Nilkki sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Balor is squirming around, avoiding Nilkki's attempts to control the action.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balor is trying desperately to improve position.
Nilkki trying to control but Balor is having none of it.
Balor is looking to get to half guard.
Balor sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Nilkki is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Balor is not content to let Nilkki control the position.
Balor moves into full guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Nilkki wants to control from the top but Balor keeps moving.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pikku Nilkki comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Nilkki 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 Roger Salmon scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ryoma Takatsuka scores the fight 27:30
Judge Josh West scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pikku Nilkki!
A very excited looking Pikku Nilkki rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.