PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kari Taalasmaa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Chris Holt (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chris Holt has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Taalasmaa
vs
Holt

190 cm
18
205 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
20
195 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Solid chin

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Kari Taalasmaa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Chris Holt!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Alan Glass and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Holt closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Holt lands in his opponent's guard.
Taalasmaa throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Taalasmaa wants to sweep but no luck.
Holt won't allow Taalasmaa to get back to his feet.
Holt keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Taalasmaa's head.
Holt wants to control from the top but Taalasmaa keeps moving.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Taalasmaa wants to sweep but no luck.
Holt pushes down on Taalasmaa's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Taalasmaa wants to get back to full guard.
Taalasmaa is trying to stand back up but Holt is controlling him
Taalasmaa is breathing heavily.
Taalasmaa is looking to improve his position.
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.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Taalasmaa keeps the fight on the outside.
Holt scores with a head kick.
Taalasmaa tries for a takedown but Holt circles away easily
and Holt counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Holt lands a right hook to the body.
Holt stuns Taalasmaa with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Holt cracks the inside of Taalasmaa's front leg.
Taalasmaa takes a kick to the side of the head.
Taalasmaa shoots and misses
and Holt counters with an outside leg kick.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown but Holt shows good takedown defense.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kari Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Holt tries to land a front kick but Taalasmaa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Taalasmaa gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Holt counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Holt lands with a thumping leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Taalasmaa tries for a takedown but Holt circles away easily
and Holt counters with a nice body kick.

Taalasmaa scores a takedown into full mount!
Taalasmaa throws a sloppy strike and Holt uses the opportunity to reverse the position! A bit of a scramble here and Holt has ended up in Taalasmaa's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa keeping moving, preventing Holt from controlling successfully.
Taalasmaa wants to hit a switch here but Holt passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Taalasmaa there!
Holt is landing with some decent strikes but Taalasmaa is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Holt looking to control but Taalasmaa is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Holt lands a nice shot to the head.
Taalasmaa is in all sorts of trouble here.
Holt tries to control but Taalasmaa wriggling away.
Taalasmaa sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Holt prevents Taalasmaa from standing back up.
Taalasmaa is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Taalasmaa strikes from the bottom but Holt uses the opportunity to move to side control.
Taalasmaa is looking to reverse the position.
Taalasmaa is working hard here to advance position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Taalasmaa fails with the takedown
and Holt finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.

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.

Taalasmaa looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Holt!
Taalasmaa lands with some strikes.
Taalasmaa landing strikes from the mount.
Taalasmaa throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Holt because Taalasmaa loaded up on that one.
Taalasmaa looking to finish with strikes here!
Taalasmaa has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Holt's face.
Taalasmaa scores with a couple of good head shots there.

Holt is rocked!
Taalasmaa looking to finish with strikes here!
Holt is still in real trouble! Can Taalasmaa finish him?
Taalasmaa with good strikes from the mount here!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Taalasmaa punishing his opponent with strikes.
Taalasmaa lands a nice shot to the head.
Taalasmaa working the ground and pound effectively.
Taalasmaa with good strikes from the mount here!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kari Taalasmaa dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Taalasmaa gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
letting Holt counter with a right hand.
Nice takedown defense from Holt. No joy for Taalasmaa on that attempt.
Taalasmaa looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Holt is fending him off so far but Taalasmaa persists. Nope, Holt circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kari Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Taalasmaa looks for a takedown but Holt sprawls well.
Kari Taalasmaa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Holt as he jumps to the side.
Taalasmaa shoots in but no luck this time.
Taalasmaa has a takedown stuffed.
Taalasmaa shoots in looking for a takedown. Holt tries to sprawl out of it but Taalasmaa keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Holt manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Taalasmaa shoots for a double leg takedown but Holt sprawls well. He's pushed Taalasmaa's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Taalasmaa fails with the takedown.
Holt seems to have recovered his senses.
Taalasmaa takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Taalasmaa shoots in and drives through. Holt sprawls well.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown but Holt shows good takedown defense.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holt misses with a series of wild punches.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
A cross from Holt lands.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Holt but Holt pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Holt dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Taalasmaa. That did some damage!
Taalasmaa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.

Taalasmaa closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Taalasmaa is looking to stall here but Holt recovers full guard.
Holt is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Taalasmaa wanted to stand there but Holt had control of the position.

Holt is working an open guard so Taalasmaa takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Taalasmaa shoots in but Holt avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Taalasmaa looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Holt is fending him off so far but Taalasmaa persists. Nope, Holt circles away and we're back to standing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Holt is fending him off so far but Taalasmaa persists. Nope, Holt circles away and we're back to standing.
Holt tries to close the distance and clinch but Taalasmaa swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Taalasmaa closes the distance and clinches up with Holt, looking for a takedown. Taalasmaa pushes Holt against the cage but Holt circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Holt throws a nice outside leg kick.

Taalasmaa closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Taalasmaa lands in his opponent's guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Taalasmaa missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Taalasmaa is looking to work some ground and pound but Holt has wrist control.
Holt preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Holt wants to stand but Taalasmaa is controlling the position.
Holt working a defensive guard here.
Taalasmaa passes Holt's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Taalasmaa is trying to control the action in half guard but Holt is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa working the head and body with strikes.
Taalasmaa throwing shots but Holt is blocking nicely.
Holt is looking for a sweep. Taalasmaa is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Taalasmaa wants to stand up but Holt has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Holt works his way to full guard. Good work.
Taalasmaa stands up over Holt, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Holt keeping moving, preventing Taalasmaa from controlling successfully.
Holt looking for a sweep. Not yet Holt, not yet.
Taalasmaa connects with a couple of short punches.

Taalasmaa gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Taalasmaa shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Holt but Holt pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Holt connects with a high kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa circles away from the clinch attempt.
A head kick misses from Holt.
Holt looks for the body kick but Taalasmaa saw that one coming.
Holt lands a front kick.
Holt stuffs the takedown attempt from Taalasmaa. Taalasmaa gets slowly back to his feet.
Taalasmaa looks for a takedown but Holt sprawls well.
Kari Taalasmaa is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Holt shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Holt was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Taalasmaa in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Taalasmaa bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Holt looking to control.
Kari Taalasmaa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Taalasmaa has gone for a leg lock! Holt slips out almost immediately though and dives into Taalasmaa's guard.
Holt stands up over Taalasmaa, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chris Holt showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Taalasmaa's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. And we move into the final round!

Holt drives through and clinches with Taalasmaa against the cage.
Nice body punch from Holt.
Taalasmaa is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Holt gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Holt cracks Taalasmaa with a nice body shot.

Holt breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Holt connects with a high kick.
Holt throws a head kick that Taalasmaa semi-blocks.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Taalasmaa takes a knee right on the jaw!
Taalasmaa is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Holt gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Nice body punch from Holt.

Holt breaks the clinch.
Taalasmaa with a lazy takedown attempt
and Holt counters with a nice leg kick.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kari Taalasmaa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Taalasmaa tries for a takedown but Holt sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.

Taalasmaa shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Taalasmaa showed some decent athleticism there.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Taalasmaa scoring with strikes to the body and head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Holt is looking to control Taalasmaa's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Holt avoid being mounted?
Holt is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Taalasmaa's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Taalasmaa's back!

Holt is staying calm and holding on to the back position, whilst working on a rear naked choke. Taalasmaa is defending well though. Holt let's go of the attempt for now.
Taalasmaa rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Taalasmaa misses with some strikes from the bottom.

Taalasmaa kicks Holt off and gets back to his feet.

Taalasmaa bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Taalasmaa passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Holt!
Taalasmaa landing strikes, looking to finish!
This has been an exciting period of action!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Taalasmaa cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Holt is working to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa with a couple of short strikes.
The referee warns Holt that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Taalasmaa lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Taalasmaa breaks from Holt's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Taalasmaa fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Holt wants to control but Taalasmaa is having none of it.
Holt is in a horrible position here. Taalasmaa smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
A nice elbow there by Taalasmaa.
Taalasmaa lands a big elbow.
Taalasmaa scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Holt?
Taalasmaa putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Taalasmaa is landing with some decent strikes but Holt is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taalasmaa working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Taalasmaa lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Holt working to try and regain half guard.
Taalasmaa lands with some strikes.
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!
Taalasmaa looking to finish Holt with some ground and pound. This is bad for Holt!
Taalasmaa fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Taalasmaa avoids the attempt from Holt to control.
Taalasmaa with shots to the head and body - Holt looks very uncomfortable down there.
Taalasmaa looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Holt regains half guard.
Taalasmaa lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Holt gets full guard.
Taalasmaa with a flurry of punches that miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Holt wants to sweep here but Taalasmaa controlling him for the moment.
Taalasmaa is pushing down on Holt's leg trying to pass to half guard. Holt is fighting to maintain full guard but Taalasmaa has managed to sneak the leg through.
Taalasmaa trying to mount his opponent but Holt defends it.
Taalasmaa lands strikes from half guard.
Taalasmaa wants to stand but his hand is trapped. Holt uses the opportunity to regain full guard.
Taalasmaa tries to free his leg and advance position but Holt is retaining full guard.
Taalasmaa thows a big elbow that misses.
Holt avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Holt bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Taalasmaa's guard.
Holt postures up and lands a big shot to Taalasmaa's brow.

Taalasmaa is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Holt is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kari Taalasmaa showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Taalasmaa 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 George Francis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kari Taalasmaa!