PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jessie Alejandro (ranked 5819 p4p, 145 weight class) and Lehel Bartasz (ranked 24370 p4p, 204 weight class). Bartasz is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Manowar.... Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Alejandro
vs
Bartasz

164 cm
25
139 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

202 cm
18
275 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jessie Alejandro !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Lehel Bartasz!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Roosa Järviläinen and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bartasz fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Alejandro , pushing him back against the cage.
Bartasz jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Alejandro walks away with a smile on his face. Bartasz gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Alejandro .
Alejandro misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Alejandro avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Horrible takedown attempt by Alejandro or perhaps it was just good defense by Bartasz, which made it look bad.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jessie Alejandro . That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bartasz darts in trying to clinch
and Alejandro counters with a lovely straight right hand!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Alejandro shoots in for a takedown but Bartasz shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Alejandro tries a head kick but it misses.
Bartasz tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Alejandro defends well and Bartasz ends up having to push Alejandro into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Bartasz is looking to clinch.
It looked like Alejandro wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alejandro misses with a kick to the body.

Bartasz clinches up against the cage.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Alejandro .
Alejandro jumps guard but Bartasz turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Bartasz connects with a knee to the head.
Bartasz's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Bartasz managing to block the knees to the body from Alejandro .
Alejandro tries to pull guard but Bartasz forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Bartasz wants to take the fight to the mat but Alejandro manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Alejandro is trying to break free.
Bartasz's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Alejandro slowing the pace effectively.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Alejandro blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Alejandro avoiding damage.
Alejandro is pushing Bartasz up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Bartasz jumps guard but Alejandro stands there with Bartasz around his waist. Bartasz gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Bartasz with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Alejandro is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Alejandro can't break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Alejandro pushes off an throws an elbow but Bartasz leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

Alejandro pulls guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bartasz postures up.
Bartasz stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Alejandro swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Bartasz postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Alejandro has control of Bartasz's left arm, preventing Bartasz from doing any damage.

Alejandro is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Bartasz presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Bartasz misses with a knee to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bartasz keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Alejandro 's efforts to push away.
Bartasz lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Bartasz landing knees to the head.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Bartasz throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Alejandro is trying to drag Bartasz to the mat but Bartasz just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bartasz throws a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Lehel Bartasz will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Bartasz tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Bartasz has taken the fight to the clinch.
Alejandro tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Alejandro tries to break the clinch but Bartasz is controlling the position.
Bartasz wants to take the fight to the mat but Alejandro manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Bartasz tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Alejandro scores with a hook to the body.
Bartasz throws an elbow but it misses.
Bartasz wants to take the fight to the mat but Alejandro manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Jessie Alejandro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Lehel Bartasz.

Alejandro successfully pulls guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Alejandro wants to stand up but Bartasz is controlling him.
Alejandro working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Bartasz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alejandro has control of Bartasz's left arm, preventing Bartasz from doing any damage.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Alejandro has scooted to the edge of the canvas and used the cage to get back to his feet. Bartasz has stuck on his opponent and is forcing him back against the cage.
Bartasz drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Alejandro gets the underhooks and prevents it.
We've been informed that Bartasz has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Bartasz throws an elbow that misses.
Bartasz jumps guard but Alejandro stands there with Bartasz around his waist. Bartasz gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Alejandro pulls Bartasz into guard.
Alejandro is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Bartasz trying to control from the bottom.
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.
Bartasz wants to get back to full guard but Alejandro has passed into side control.
Alejandro tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Alejandro trying to control the position but Bartasz is working away.
Bartasz tries to escape but Alejandro is in control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bartasz manages to work his way to half guard, despite Alejandro 's best efforts.
Alejandro prevents Bartasz from improving his position.

Bartasz looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Bartasz wants to control the action here but instead Alejandro manages to pass to full mount!
Bartasz is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Alejandro looking to secure an arm triangle but Bartasz defends it well.
Bartasz is squirming around, avoiding Alejandro 's attempts to control the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Alejandro is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Bartasz has managed to escape the submission attempt.

Alejandro is working for a guillotine from mount but Bartasz frees his head quite easily.
Bartasz is in all sorts of trouble here.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Alejandro takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jessie Alejandro dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Alejandro looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Bartasz is fending him off so far but Alejandro persists. Nope, Bartasz circles away and we're back to standing.
Bartasz slaps away a takedown attempt from Alejandro , before circling back to the center of the mat.

Bartasz shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Alejandro manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

Alejandro pushes Bartasz off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.

Bartasz has managed to clinch.
Alejandro blocking some punches.
Alejandro blocks an uppercut.
Bartasz manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Bartasz swings wildly with an uppercut but Alejandro uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bartasz jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Alejandro walks away with a smile on his face. Bartasz gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Alejandro looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Bartasz unleashes a big counter combination but Alejandro bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jessie Alejandro . That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bartasz clinches.
Bartasz pushes off an throws an elbow but Alejandro leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Bartasz lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Alejandro or not.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Bartasz takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Alejandro is trying to break the clinch but Bartasz has him pressed against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Bartasz is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Alejandro jumps guard but Bartasz turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Alejandro pulls Bartasz into guard.
Bartasz trying to stand up but can't free himself from Alejandro 's guard.
Bartasz trying to control but Alejandro is working from the bottom.
Bartasz slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Bartasz postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bartasz wants to control from the top but Alejandro keeps moving.
Alejandro pulls Bartasz in to control the position.

Alejandro throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bartasz shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Alejandro pinned against the cage. Alejandro gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Alejandro tries to counter with a takedown but Bartasz is quick to defend against it.
Alejandro shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Bartasz sprawls well. Bartasz wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Alejandro gets slowly back to his feet.
Bartasz tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Alejandro paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Alejandro tries for a takedown but Bartasz sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Bartasz gets underhooks to prevent Alejandro 's takedown attempt.
Alejandro tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A knee to the head by Bartasz.
Bartasz slowing the pace effectively.
Bartasz tries a knee to the head but Alejandro blocks it.
Alejandro tries to pull guard but Bartasz forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Bartasz throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Alejandro blocks it with crossed arms.
Alejandro tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lehel Bartasz comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Bartasz 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 Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Lehel Bartasz!
Lehel Bartasz thanked the fans post fight for their support.