PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Liam St. Georges (ranked 4316 p4p, 4158 weight class) and Rupert Helenius (ranked 534 p4p, 521 weight class). Liam St. Georges has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

St. Georges
vs
Helenius

182 cm
20
175
4 - 3 - 0

185 cm
22
177
1 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

FF Gear

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 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Liam St. Georges !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Rupert Helenius!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Paulo Santos and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
St. Georges looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
St. Georges throws a big shot that misses.
Helenius lands a head kick!

It looks like Liam St. Georges has been cut.
Helenius connects with a good right hand that stumbles St. Georges . St. Georges circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
St. Georges misses the shot to the body.
It seemed like Helenius was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Helenius throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent St. Georges stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
St. Georges misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Helenius misses with a leg kick
and St. Georges counters with a stiff right hand.
Helenius misses with a few strikes there.
A low kick lands for Helenius.
St. Georges connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Helenius throws a wild body kick that St. Georges sees coming a mile off.

St. Georges scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Helenius tries to get to full guard but St. Georges has control of the leg.
Helenius manages to get to full guard.
St. Georges with a nice head shot there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St. Georges is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Helenius working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from St. Georges .
St. Georges is looking to work some ground and pound but Helenius has wrist control.
St. Georges is looking to work some ground and pound but Helenius has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
St. Georges content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
St. Georges has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Helenius is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Helenius is looking to pass St. Georges 's guard but actually St. Georges recovers to full guard.
St. Georges is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Helenius's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Helenius wants to control from the top but St. Georges keeps moving.
Helenius is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
St. Georges pulls Helenius in close to his closed guard and prevents Helenius from doing any damage or advancing position.
Helenius would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
St. Georges trying to control the position here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges keeping full guard, as Helenius tries to pass.
Helenius trying to control the position from guard on top but St. Georges is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
St. Georges is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Helenius won't allow St. Georges to sweep him here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
St. Georges shoots for a double leg takedown but Helenius sprawls well. He's pushed St. Georges 's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Helenius has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Helenius there as he acknowledges the shot.
St. Georges 's jab looks to have found its range, popping Helenius under the eye.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges moves forwards but Helenius connects with a nice, crisp jab.
St. Georges misses with a body shot.
St. Georges on the wrong end of a nice jab.
St. Georges throws the left hand but Helenius avoids the punch easily.
Helenius uses good head movement to avoid the hook from St. Georges .
Helenius walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
St. Georges misses with a low kick.
St. Georges throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Helenius uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by St. Georges .
Helenius keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from St. Georges .
Helenius is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by St. Georges .
Helenius slips under a jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Helenius throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Helenius slips a straight right by St. Georges .
St. Georges lands with a cross.
Helenius lands with a nice combination. St. Georges backs away looking to recover.
Helenius throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Liam St. Georges will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Liam St. Georges 's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A slapping leg kick lands for St. Georges .
Helenius closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Helenius misses the jab.
Helenius wants to land a leg kick but St. Georges is out of range.
Rupert Helenius seems to be getting the better of the standup.
St. Georges misses with a straight left.
Helenius throws out a counter right but St. Georges avoids it with no problem.
Helenius misses with a series of wild punches.
St. Georges bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Helenius's head backwards.
Helenius thows a leg kick but St. Georges checks it
and St. Georges counters with a one-two to the body.
Helenius stuffs the takedown attempt from St. Georges . St. Georges gets slowly back to his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Helenius turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
St. Georges is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
St. Georges avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Helenius takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Helenius throws a leg kick
and St. Georges counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
St. Georges scores with a shot to the body.
Helenius tries to bum rush St. Georges with a series of wild strikes but St. Georges uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
St. Georges looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.

St. Georges closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Helenius's guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Helenius tries to land a sweep but no joy.
St. Georges pushes down on Helenius's leg and manages to get into half guard.
St. Georges thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
St. Georges wants to advance to full mount but Helenius doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells St. Georges 's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
St. Georges knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Helenius on the ground.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges looking to pass the guard.
Helenius manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. St. Georges manages to get himself to full guard.

Helenius wants to control from the top but St. Georges keeps moving.
St. Georges trying to control the position.
St. Georges is pulling down on Helenius's head. It's preventing any offense from Helenius, at least for the moment.
St. Georges wants to sweep here but Helenius controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges is working hard here to advance position.
St. Georges seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Helenius wants to control from the top but St. Georges keeps moving.
Helenius pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. St. Georges is keeping the position for now.

Helenius drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and St. Georges dives on top into guard.

Helenius is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Helenius wants to sweep here but St. Georges controlling him for the moment.
St. Georges lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
St. Georges advances to half guard.
St. Georges is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
St. Georges moves into full mount! Helenius won't be happy about that!
St. Georges has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Helenius's face.
Helenius is looking to improve his position but St. Georges isn't that keen on the idea.
St. Georges lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
St. Georges is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Helenius can do to turn this around?
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, St. Georges cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Liam St. Georges dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Liam St. Georges 's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Helenius misses with a leg kick
and St. Georges counters with a lovely straight right hand!
St. Georges avoids the body shot from Helenius.
Nice defenses there by Helenius.
St. Georges getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Helenius tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and St. Georges is able to avoid easily.
St. Georges throws a jab but it's blocked by Helenius.
Helenius slips a straight right by St. Georges .
St. Georges misses with a wild body shot.
Good work by St. Georges as he checks the leg kick.
St. Georges tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Helenius lands a head kick. St. Georges smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Helenius tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
St. Georges checks a leg kick nicely.
St. Georges needs to keep his hands up - Helenius had a free shot at his head there.
St. Georges throws a shot from downtown. Helenius moves away and avoids it.
Despite the aggression on Helenius's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
St. Georges throws out a loose jab but Helenius uses good head movement to avoid it.
Helenius now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Helenius fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St. Georges just misses with a punch to the body.
St. Georges throws a looping overhand right but Helenius ducks down to avoid it.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Helenius! But no joy.
Helenius is looking to score with low kicks.
St. Georges just misses with a punch to the body.
St. Georges throws a leg kick
and Helenius counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
A nice inside leg kick there by Helenius. That's going to slow St. Georges down.
Helenius takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Helenius uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
St. Georges throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Helenius fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and St. Georges has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Helenius pulls out of a head kick attempt.

St. Georges drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
St. Georges working away.
Helenius sneaks back into half guard.
Rupert Helenius has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Helenius defending well though.
Helenius is pressing down on St. Georges 's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Helenius working a defensive guard here.
St. Georges tries to free his leg and advance position but Helenius is retaining full guard.
St. Georges lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Our spies down at at FF Forever inform us that Helenius has really been working on his submissions in the buildup to this fight. Will it pay off?
Helenius is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Helenius works his foot free and advances to mount.
St. Georges can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

St. Georges defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Helenius.
St. Georges tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Helenius fails to advance to St. Georges 's back.

Helenius jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but St. Georges manages to avoid the submission attempt.
St. Georges is not content to let Helenius control the position.
Liam St. Georges is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
St. Georges is trying to improve his position.

Helenius goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, St. Georges has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Helenius but great work by St. Georges .
St. Georges takes a little break here. Helenius wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Helenius tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but St. Georges wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Rupert Helenius.
I think St. Georges has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 29:29
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:27
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 28:29

The fight is ruled a draw!