PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Tommi Sihoven (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Murray Whelan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Whelan has chosen Stand Up for Rock and Roll as his entrance music. Tommi Sihoven looks tired to me. Hopefully he has got enough gas left in the tank to put in a good performance.

Sihoven
vs
Whelan

164 cm
18
134 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

162 cm
20
140 lbs
1 - 3 - 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 bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Tommi Sihoven!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Murray Whelan!
The judges for this bout are Summer Carpenter, Donatello Bradman and Eliza Hachem.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Whelan throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Sihoven's head.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Whelan, right into the meat.
Whelan stuffs the takedown.
Sihoven shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Whelan as he jumps to the side.
Whelan stuns Sihoven with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Whelan throws a right hand that Sihoven ducks under and follows up with a left that Sihoven also avoids with ease.
Whelan is looking to slow Sihoven down with leg kicks.
Whelan misses with a double jab.
Murray Whelan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Whelan misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Whelan ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Sihoven showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Whelan.
Sihoven tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Whelan fails to land with a series of punches.

Sihoven clinches up against the cage.
Sihoven is breathing heavily.
Whelan lands a right hand.
Whelan gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Sihoven.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tommi Sihoven. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A short uppercut from Whelan.
Whelan lands with a short punch from the clinch.
with the fighters clinched against the cage, Whelan creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whelan misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Whelan scores with a one two! Sihoven had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Sihoven tries for a takedown but Whelan sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Whelan thows a body kick. Sihoven tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Whelan's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Whelan duly obliges.
Sihoven shoots in but no luck this time.
Sihoven tries to clinch up.
Sihoven fails to land the takedown.

Sihoven shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Whelan looks like he's trying to stand up.
Whelan wants to control but Sihoven is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Sihoven sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Whelan defending well though.
Sihoven throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

Sihoven is looking for a kimura here.
Whelan holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whelan is staying active underneath Sihoven, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Sihoven has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Whelan preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Whelan throws a head kick that misses.
Sihoven stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Whelan.
Sihoven misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Whelan throws a nice outside leg kick.
Whelan lands a high kick!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sihoven walks forward, straight into a front kick from Whelan.
Whelan throws a head kick that Sihoven semi-blocks.

Sihoven gets the takedown into side control.

Sihoven is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Whelan has escaped the position, nice work there.
Whelan is looking to regain half guard here but Sihoven keeps moving and retains side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Sihoven working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Whelan sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Whelan is looking for a sweep. Sihoven is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Whelan preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Whelan is refusing to be controlled, as Sihoven sits in half guard.
Ground and pound from Sihoven.
Whelan wants to control but Sihoven is keeping busy.
Whelan gets back to full guard.
Whelan pulls Sihoven in to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whelan wants to stand up but Sihoven is controlling him.
Whelan manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Whelan looking to control but Sihoven is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Whelan with the ground and pound from mount.
Whelan controlling his opponent.
Whelan unloading with bombs!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Whelan wants to control the pace but Sihoven is squirming around nicely.
Whelan controlling from the full mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Murray Whelan dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Sihoven avoids the head kick by Whelan.

Whelan gets caught flat footed, as Sihoven shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Sihoven throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sihoven is fighting to break Whelan's control of his arms but Whelan is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Sihoven postures up.

Despite being in the dominant position, Murray Whelan just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Sihoven looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Whelan is looking to slow Sihoven down with leg kicks.
Whelan scores with a jab. Sihoven acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Whelan throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
A combination from Whelan does no damage.
Whelan connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Tommi Sihoven is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Whelan scores with a jab to the head.
Sihoven shoots for a double leg takedown but Whelan sprawls well. He's pushed Sihoven's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Whelan stalks Sihoven and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Sihoven's face. Sihoven staggers backwards, shaken.
Sihoven misses with a takedown attempt - Whelan sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Whelan misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whelan misses with a head kick.
Sihoven dodges the punch combination from Whelan.
Whelan throws a jab when Sihoven was well out of range.
Nice sprawl there from Whelan as Sihoven shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tommi Sihoven. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Whelan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Sihoven.
Sihoven looks for a takedown but Whelan sprawls well.
Sihoven tries to clinch up but Whelan circles away and keeps his distance.
Whelan thuds a left hand into Sihoven's body.
Sihoven checks a low kick from Whelan.
Murray Whelan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sihoven walks into a jab.

Sihoven gets a takedown into half guard.
Whelan trying to control here.
Sihoven wants to lay and pray for a moment but Whelan keeps working.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whelan landing small, sideways elbows.
Whelan tries to roll over but Sihoven keeps him under control.
Sihoven tries to pass the half guard into mount. Whelan knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Whelan wants to control but Sihoven is keeping busy.
Sihoven seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Whelan does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Whelan tries to land a leg kick but Sihoven saw it coming and moves away.
Whelan looks to land a combination but Sihoven avoids it well.
Sihoven fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Whelan throws a body kick that misses.
Whelan fails to land with a series of punches.
Sihoven will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

Sihoven looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Sihoven wants to control from the top but Whelan keeps moving.
Sihoven postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sihoven 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.
Whelan keeping full guard, as Sihoven tries to pass.
Whelan working a defensive guard here.
Sihoven advances to half guard.

Sihoven is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Whelan has managed to free his arm - good work.
Sihoven has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.

Sihoven working for a guillotine from mount but Whelan is in no mood to give up.
Whelan is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Sihoven looking to control but Whelan is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sihoven avoids the attempt from Whelan to control.
Sihoven postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Whelan looks a forlorn figure.
Tommi Sihoven overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Whelan is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Sihoven with good strikes from the mount here!
Whelan is working to get back to half guard.
Whelan is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Whelan is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

Sihoven jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Whelan manages to avoid the submission attempt.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Sihoven has a takedown stuffed.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tommi Sihoven dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Sihoven feints and as Whelan raises his hands in defense, Sihoven changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Sihoven won't allow Whelan to sweep him here.
Whelan controlling the position.
Whelan wants to sweep but no luck.
Sihoven looking to pass the guard.
Whelan keeping moving, preventing Sihoven from controlling successfully.
Whelan is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Sihoven trying to control here.

Sihoven actively working from the bottom here.
Whelan looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Sihoven trying to control but Whelan postures up.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Whelan tries to stand but his arm is trapped.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sihoven is looking for a sweep. Whelan is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Sihoven flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Sihoven is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Whelan's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Whelan's back!
Sihoven missing with strikes from the back.
Sihoven missing with punches from the back.

Sihoven has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Whelan has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
Sihoven somehow managing to miss with a strike from the back.
Whelan tries to break free.
Whelan wants to control his opponent's hands but Sihoven gets his hands free.
A lull in the action here.

Sihoven has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Whelan tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whelan wants to hold on but Sihoven pushes him away.
Sihoven fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Whelan sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Whelan controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Whelan trying to control from the bottom.
Sihoven looks to land a strike but Whelan avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Sihoven wants to control from the top but Whelan keeps moving.
Whelan looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sihoven is one step ahead there.
Sihoven postures up.
Sihoven stopping the sweep attempt from Whelan.
Sihoven postures up in Whelan's guard and throws a big left but Whelan blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Whelan scores with a leg kick.
Sihoven is looking to clinch but Whelan is avoiding it.
Sihoven ducks right into an uppercut from Whelan.
A head kick misses from Whelan.
Sihoven misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Whelan lands a high kick!
Nice body kick there by Whelan.
Whelan throws a nice inside leg kick.
Whelan misses with a jab, cross combination.
Whelan feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Sihoven's calf.
Sihoven closes this distance looking for a takedown but Whelan circles away.
Whelan throws a sloppy head kick and Sihoven moves out of range easily.
Sihoven closes this distance looking for a takedown but Whelan circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tommi Sihoven. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice sprawl there from Whelan as Sihoven shoots in.
Whelan stuffs the takedown.
Whelan finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Sihoven scores a takedown into full mount!
Whelan tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Whelan wants to hold on but Sihoven pushes him away.
Whelan might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Sihoven kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Sihoven landing strikes from the mount.
Sihoven connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

Sihoven is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Whelan is surviving well by controlling Sihoven's body position as best he can.
Sihoven avoids the attempt from Whelan to control.
Sihoven looking to control but Whelan is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Whelan is looking to improve his position but Sihoven isn't that keen on the idea.
Sihoven looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tommi Sihoven showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Sihoven 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 Summer Carpenter scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tommi Sihoven!