PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Juha Niska (ranked 618 p4p, 406 weight class) and Adils Hallbjornsson (ranked 93 p4p, 65 weight class). Hallbjornsson comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Herr Mannelig kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Niska
vs
Hallbjornsson

193 cm
33
212
22 - 11 - 0

190 cm
26
210
14 - 4 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Voodoo Nutrition
Kore Fight Nutrition

Conquer

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Juha Niska!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Adils Hallbjornsson!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Shigeki Sano and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Niska rushes Hallbjornsson and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Niska missing with knees to the body.
Hallbjornsson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Niska is trying to pull guard but Hallbjornsson turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Hallbjornsson lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Hallbjornsson avoiding damage as Niska throws knees to the body.
Niska lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Hallbjornsson tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Niska's elbow.
Niska tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallbjornsson avoids the damage to the body.
Hallbjornsson presses Niska against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Hallbjornsson lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Niska is trying to trip Hallbjornsson. He has hold of a leg but Hallbjornsson is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Niska persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Niska trying to control but Hallbjornsson is working from the bottom.
Hallbjornsson looking for a sweep. Not yet Hallbjornsson, not yet.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hallbjornsson is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Niska looking to pass the guard.
Hallbjornsson 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.
Hallbjornsson has control of Niska's left arm, preventing Niska from doing any damage.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.
Hallbjornsson keeping full guard, as Niska tries to pass.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Hallbjornsson takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
A leg kick checked by Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson looks to throw the jab but Niska is out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Niska thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Hallbjornsson if he has to take too many more of those.
Hallbjornsson bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Niska has been working on his balance at IMMAC Training Facility™ ($50/week), so perhaps that has help him stuff some of the takedown attempts by Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson blocks a jab.
Hallbjornsson thinks about the counter body kick.

Niska darts in and clinches Hallbjornsson up against the cage.
Niska blocks a body shot from Hallbjornsson.
Niska misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallbjornsson.
Niska is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hallbjornsson is defending well for now.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hallbjornsson.
Niska working aggressively here.
Niska tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallbjornsson avoids the damage to the body.
Niska tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Hallbjornsson smiles and moves away.
Niska misses with a body kick.
Niska is looking to clinch but Hallbjornsson is avoiding it.
Hallbjornsson steps in looking to counter with the mid kick but it doesn't connect.
Hallbjornsson lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Niska moves out of range as Hallbjornsson strikes.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hallbjornsson lands with a nice body kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hallbjornsson avoids a kick to the body.
Hallbjornsson scores with a nice body kick.
Niska closes this distance looking for a takedown but Hallbjornsson circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Juha Niska. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hallbjornsson is looking to slow Niska down with leg kicks.
Hallbjornsson checks a leg kick.
Niska throws a leg kick
and Hallbjornsson counters with a nice low kick that buckles Niska's knee momentarily.
Adils Hallbjornsson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Niska misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson feints a counter leg kick.
Niska ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Niska throws a body punch but Hallbjornsson moves out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Hallbjornsson misses.
Hallbjornsson connects with a looping right hand.
Niska defending well as Hallbjornsson loads up on a big left hand.
Hallbjornsson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Niska.
Niska tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Niska feints and then cracks Hallbjornsson's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Hallbjornsson down.
Nice jab there from Niska.
Niska tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Hallbjornsson manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Niska looking to land some kicks to the body here.
A left and a right from Niska both land. Nice combination.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Hallbjornsson lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Niska has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Niska and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Niska throws a poor cross that misses
and Hallbjornsson counters with a nice body shot.
Hallbjornsson lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Niska fails in his attempt to clinch.
Niska wants to clinch
and Hallbjornsson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Niska tries to clinch but Hallbjornsson is having none of it.
Niska tries to clinch but Hallbjornsson is having none of it.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Niska cracks Hallbjornsson with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Niska goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Niska with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Good leg kick by Niska.
Niska throws a leg kick but Hallbjornsson checks it.
Niska backing away here, and Hallbjornsson unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Niska shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Hallbjornsson but Hallbjornsson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Hallbjornsson feints a counter leg kick.
Hallbjornsson scores with a head kick. Niska tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.

It looks like Juha Niska has been cut.
Hallbjornsson tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Niska was well out of range. Poor timing from Hallbjornsson.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Niska sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Niska rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
letting Hallbjornsson counter with a right hand.
Niska throws a jab but it's blocked by Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
Hallbjornsson punishes Niska's body with a nice straight punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hallbjornsson lands with a shot to the body.
Niska misses the jab.
Niska takes a swing at Hallbjornsson's ribcage but misses.
Hallbjornsson throws a leg kick which misses Niska's front leg but catches the back leg as Niska tries to avoid it.
Hallbjornsson lands with a shot to the body.
Hallbjornsson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Niska.
Niska is trying hard to land a takedown here. Hallbjornsson sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Niska tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Hallbjornsson counters with a nice uppercut.
Niska shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Juha Niska. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Niska throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hallbjornsson counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hallbjornsson lands a nice looking kick to the body. Niska takes a step back to recover.
Niska takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Niska stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hallbjornsson.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hallbjornsson throws a big shot that misses.
Niska misses with a series of wild punches.
Hallbjornsson flicks out a counter leg kick but Niska steps away.
Hallbjornsson digs a good hook to Niska's body.
Hallbjornsson scores with a spinning back kick!
Niska keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Hallbjornsson throws a shot to the body.
Hallbjornsson lands an overhand right.
Niska lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Hallbjornsson looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Juha Niska seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
That kick from Hallbjornsson tenderised Niska's leg. Niska is trying to keep his angry face on.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Niska throws an off balance right hand
and Hallbjornsson counters with a right hand to the body.
Hallbjornsson misses with a wild combination.
Niska will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Niska connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Hallbjornsson momentarily.
Niska looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Hallbjornsson flicks out a counter leg kick but Niska steps away.
Niska misses with a jab, cross combination.
Hallbjornsson has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Hallbjornsson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Niska throws a lazy uppercut
and Hallbjornsson counters with a slapping leg kick.
Niska throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Hallbjornsson throws a nice head kick!
Hallbjornsson connects with a high kick.
Hallbjornsson scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Niska attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Niska gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Hallbjornsson.
Niska throws a predictable looking body shot
and Hallbjornsson counters with a stiff right hand.
Hallbjornsson throws out a powerful jab.
Good exchange - Niska coming out on top.
Hallbjornsson lands a leg kick that knocks Niska off balance momentarily.
Niska will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Hallbjornsson circles away from the clinch attempt.
A solid leg kick lands there for Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson with a nice cross.
Niska tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Hallbjornsson swivels and escapes.
Niska fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Hallbjornsson looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Niska is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Niska throws a right and a left that both miss.
Hallbjornsson only half commits to the counter leg kick.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Adils Hallbjornsson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Juha Niska's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Niska chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Hallbjornsson can pounce on him.
Hallbjornsson bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
A looping hook to the body misses from Niska. Hallbjornsson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Hallbjornsson keeps the fight on the outside.
Hallbjornsson swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Hallbjornsson has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Hallbjornsson misses with the body kick
and Niska counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Niska throws an off balance right hand
and Hallbjornsson counters with a stiff right hand.
Niska fails with the takedown.
Niska shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Hallbjornsson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hallbjornsson comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Hallbjornsson throws the left hand but Niska avoids the punch easily.
And Niska counters with a quick kick to the body but Hallbjornsson blocks it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Hallbjornsson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Niska throws out the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hallbjornsson swats away the attempt to clinch by Niska.
Hallbjornsson avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Hallbjornsson tries a quick counter leg kick but Niska is wise to it.
Niska throws an off balance right hand
and Hallbjornsson counters with a one-two to the body.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Hallbjornsson. Niska shrugs it off though.
Niska swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hallbjornsson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hallbjornsson lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
A thudding body kick lands there by Hallbjornsson!
Niska chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Hallbjornsson can pounce on him.
Hallbjornsson with a nice calf kick.
Niska gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Niska wants to clinch
and Hallbjornsson counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Juha Niska has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Niska on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Niska misses with an uppercut
and Hallbjornsson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hallbjornsson displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Niska.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Juha Niska. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Niska shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Niska shoots in but Hallbjornsson avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Hallbjornsson fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hallbjornsson lands with a nice body punch.
A cross from Hallbjornsson lands.
Niska throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hallbjornsson counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hallbjornsson connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Hallbjornsson lands with an uppercut that bounces Niska off the cage and back into range.
Hallbjornsson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Niska.
Niska throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Niska throws a right hand that misses
and Hallbjornsson counters with a left and a right that stings Niska.
Niska on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Niska looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Niska waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Hallbjornsson.
Niska gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.

Niska is rocked!
Hallbjornsson throws a nice outside leg kick.
A nice inside leg kick there by Hallbjornsson. That's going to slow Niska down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hallbjornsson lands a glancing blow to the side of Niska's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Niska wants to clinch up but Hallbjornsson keeps it at a distance.
Niska takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Niska tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hallbjornsson swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Niska backing away here, and Hallbjornsson unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Hallbjornsson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Niska.
Niska backing away here, and Hallbjornsson unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Niska swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Niska takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hallbjornsson with the inside leg kick.
Hallbjornsson stuns Niska with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Hallbjornsson connects with a leg kick.
Niska ducks right into an uppercut from Hallbjornsson.
Hallbjornsson misses with a wild body shot.
A low kick from Niska is predictable there
and Hallbjornsson counters with a head kick. That will keep Niska thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Adils Hallbjornsson is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Niska misses with a lunging right hand
and Hallbjornsson counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

And that's the end of the fight!
Adils Hallbjornsson comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Hallbjornsson winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 26:30
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Adils Hallbjornsson!
An out of breath Adils Hallbjornsson thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.