PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rauno Rauhala (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matti Lautakasa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rauno Rauhala has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Rauhala
vs
Lautakasa

185 cm
22
280 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

195 cm
21
245 lbs
3 - 10 - 0

Decent wrestler
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rauno Rauhala!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Matti Lautakasa!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Roosa Järviläinen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rauhala throws a hook but Lautakasa blocks it.
Lautakasa looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Lautakasa fails in his attempt to clinch.

Rauhala moves into range and clinches up with Lautakasa.

Rauhala manages to break the clinch.

Rauhala has managed to clinch.
Rauhala holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Rauhala works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Rauhala seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rauhala pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Lautakasa is keeping the position for now.
Rauhala is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rauhala has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

Lautakasa had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Rauhala is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Lautakasa Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Rauhala's back instead.
Rauhala has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.
Lautakasa avoiding Rauhala 's attempts to control his hands.
Lautakasa has the hooks in. Rauhala is trying to push off one leg but he has to do so cautiously to avoid being submitted.

That's two 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.
Lautakasa is not going to allow Rauhala to sit and survive in this position.
A lull in the action here.
Rauhala rolls, trying to escape but Lautakasa keeps control of the position.

Lautakasa is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Rauhala knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Rauhala for a finish.
Rauhala controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad spot.

Lautakasa is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Rauhala knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Rauhala for a finish.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rauhala surviving as best he can, preventing damage.
Rauhala trying to get back to his feet but Lautakasa is in full control for now.
Lautakasa struggling to keep hold of the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Rauhala trying to control the position but Lautakasa manages to sink in the hooks.
Rauhala manages to reverse the position and now he's in Lautakasa's guard. Nice work there by Rauhala.
Rauhala wanted to stand there but Lautakasa had control of the position.
Rauhala has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Rauhala rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Lautakasa moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Rauhala misses with the combination.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Lautakasa fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rauno Rauhala dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Rauhala lands with an uppercut that bounces Lautakasa off the cage and back into rage.

Rauhala shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Rauhala content to stall in guard here.
Rauhala knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Lautakasa on the ground.
Lautakasa keeping full guard, as Rauhala tries to pass.
Lautakasa being controlled here, momentarily.
Lautakasa is breathing heavily.

Rauhala avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rauhala stands up over Lautakasa, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Rauhala sitting in guard here, content to control.

Lautakasa is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Lautakasa can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Rauhala controls the pace.
Rauhala seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Lautakasa for as long as he can get away with.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Rauhala postures up and lands a big shot to Lautakasa's brow.
Rauhala is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Rauno Rauhala just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.

Rauhala drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Lautakasa stops Rauhala from passing to mount.
Lautakasa seems a little lost for a moment, as Rauhala dominates the positioning.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rauhala passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Lautakasa!
Rauhala controlling from mount.
Rauhala unloading with bombs!
Lautakasa is wriggling around trying to escape.
Rauhala controlling the position easily from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lautakasa is trying to escape the mount.
Rauhala controlling the pace for now.

Rauhala is going olschool here, as he tries to force Lautakasa to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Lautakasa shrugs it off.
Rauhala avoids the attempt from Lautakasa to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rauno Rauhala dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Rauhala fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Lautakasa, pushing him back against the cage.

Rauhala pulls Lautakasa into guard.
Rauhala wants to sweep but no luck.
Rauhala on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Rauhala tries to get out of the position.
Lautakasa wants to control from the top but Rauhala keeps moving.
Rauhala managing to control the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lautakasa takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rauhala keeping moving, preventing Lautakasa from controlling successfully.
Rauhala is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Rauno Rauhala just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.

Rauhala shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Lautakasa had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Rauhala is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Lautakasa Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Rauhala's back instead.
Lautakasa has the hooks in. Rauhala is trying to push off one leg but he has to do so cautiously to avoid being submitted.

Lautakasa looking to break Rauhala's wrist control so he can sink in the choke. Rauhala remaining controlled and patient though - he really has to keep calm otherwise Lautakasa will wrap this one up with the rear naked choke!
Rauhala wants to control his opponent's hands but Lautakasa gets his hands free.
Rauhala tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
Rauhala is trying desperately to improve position.

Lautakasa has control of Rauhala's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Rauhala regains control of the situation pretty easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Lautakasa is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Rauhala has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Rauhala!

Lautakasa working for a triangle but Rauhala defends it easily.
Rauhala is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

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.
Rauhala controlling from the top position.
Matti Lautakasa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rauhala trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Rauhala is stalling in the full guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rauno Rauhala showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rauhala has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 30:26
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rauno Rauhala!