PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Steve Staios (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alto Berg (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Alto Berg is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Staios
vs
Berg

205 cm
20
265 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

185 cm
22
227 lbs
0 - 1 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Big heart

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Determined

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, Steve Staios!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Alto Berg!
The judges for this bout are Roosa Järviläinen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Berg tries to close the distance and clinch but Staios swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Staios looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Berg moves in looking to clinch but Staios pushes him off.
Staios looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Staios swats away the attempt to clinch by Berg.
Berg swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Staios.

Staios tries to keep at a distance but Berg has taken the fight into the clinch.
Staios gets underhooks to prevent Berg's takedown attempt.
Staios taking a breather.
Berg wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Staios holding his opponent close, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Staios drops down looking for an ankle pick but Berg pulls his leg out and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Staios. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Berg misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Staios fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Berg sprawls well initially but Staios persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Staios seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Staios lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Berg wants to get back to his feet.
Staios looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Berg wants to get back to his feet.
Staios is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Berg has hold of Staios's hands but Staios slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Staios missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Staios scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Staios throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Berg won't allow Staios to pass to mount.
Berg blocking the ground and pound attempt from Staios.
Berg is trying to stand.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Staios lands a nice short elbow.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Berg avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Staios.
Berg is looking to escape.
Staios throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.

Berg clinches up against the cage.
Berg is looking to break free of the clinch but Staios has double underhooks.
Berg can't break the clinch.
Berg tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Staios.
Staios is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Berg is keeping busy.
Berg has had enough of the clinch but Staios keeps him there for the moment.
The is referee keeping an eye on Staios - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Staios seems to have come into the fight with the intention of avoiding any damage in the clinch, rather than actually showing any aggression.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with Staios for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Steve Staios.
Staios looks to clinch
and Berg counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Nice sprawl there from Berg as Staios shoots in.

Staios closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Staios lands in his opponent's guard.
Staios trying to control but Berg is working from the bottom.
Staios will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Berg wants to sweep but no luck.
Staios loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Staios lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Staios trying to control the position from guard on top but Berg is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Staios in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Staios scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Staios won't allow Berg to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Staios accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Staios won't allow Berg to get back to his feet.
Berg avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Berg wants to get back to his feet but Staios passes into half guard.
Staios thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Berg tries to land a front kick but Staios steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Berg slips a jab and a cross from Staios.

Berg darts in and clinches Staios up against the cage.
Berg is looking to break free of the clinch but Staios has double underhooks.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Staios just misses with a elbow thrown towards Berg's brow.
Staios tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Berg has had enough of the clinch but Staios keeps him there for the moment.
Staios tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Berg wants a takedown.
Staios with a knee to the head.
Staios leaning against his opponent.
Berg is trying to break free.

Berg breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Berg throws a combination that misses

and Staios counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Staios.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Steve Staios dominated that round.
That's time! Staios's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Berg tries to clinch up but Staios circles away and keeps his distance.
Berg fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Staios fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Staios throws a looping overhand right but Berg ducks down to avoid it.

Staios moves into range and clinches up with Berg.
Staios leaning his opponent against the cage.
Staios is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Berg gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
The referee calls for Staios to work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Staios.
Staios tries for a takedown but Berg manages to get underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Staios. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Berg tries for a takedown. No joy.
Berg is breathing heavily.
Staios is stalling here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Staios scores with a knee to the head.
Staios stalling.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Steve Staios.
Berg throws a low kick but Staios avoids it.

Staios closes the distance and clinches.
Staios stalling against the cage.
Staios gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Berg.
Berg wants to break the clinch but can't.
Berg has had enough of the clinch but Staios keeps him there for the moment.
Staios leaning his opponent against the cage.
Berg has had enough of the clinch but Staios keeps him there for the moment.

Staios breaks the clinch.

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.

Staios scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Staios working Berg over with strikes.
Berg is trying to stand back up but Staios is controlling him
Staios trying to control from half guard but Berg is working away.

Berg looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Staios 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.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Staios in particular looking to stall.
Staios thows a huge punch but Berg dodges it nicely.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Berg closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Staios shoots in but no luck this time.
Staios shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.

Staios has managed to clinch.
Berg misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Staios.
Berg gets underhooks to prevent Staios's takedown attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Staios has double underhooks and is working for a body lock takedown. He's got it. The fighters land in half guard but Berg regains guard immediately.
Berg wants to get back to his feet but Staios is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Staios cracks Berg with a solid left hand.
Berg keeping moving, preventing Staios from controlling successfully.
Berg can't keep his opponent in guard - Staios advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Berg wants to get back to full guard.
Berg wants to get back to his feet.
Staios trying to mount his opponent but Berg defends it.
Berg pushes Staios off looking to stand but Staios dives back in and keeps control.
Berg is not content to let Staios control the position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Some wild striking there from Berg.

Berg drives through and clinches with Staios against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Berg managing to block the knees to the body from Staios.

Staios breaks the clinch.
Staios closes the distance and clinches up with Berg, looking for a takedown. Staios pushes Berg against the cage but Berg circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Staios takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Berg takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Berg misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Staios tries to clinch up.
Staios throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Berg's waist but Berg gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Staios off to one side.
Berg throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

Staios clinches up against the cage.
Berg is trying to break the clinch but Staios has him pressed against the cage.

Berg lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Staios punching from the bottom.
Staios gets full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Staios will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Staios manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Berg manages to get himself to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Steve Staios dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Berg wants to clinch but Staios slips to the side

and Staios counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Staios is looking to take a break and control but Berg is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Berg tries to kick Staios off but Staios keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Staios lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Staios looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Staios not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Staios prevents Berg from standing back up.
Berg throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Berg is refusing to be controlled, as Staios sits in half guard.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Staios shoots in but Berg avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Staios circles away from the clinch attempt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nice takedown defense from Berg. No joy for Staios on that attempt.
Staios slips a jab and a cross from Berg.
Berg tries to clinch but Staios moves away

so Staios counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Staios wants to control from the top but Berg keeps moving.
Berg is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Staios dives into side control.
Berg is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Berg is not in a great position here, taking some shots.

Berg is rocked!
Staios working the ground and pound from side control.
Berg is still in real trouble! Can Staios finish him?
Staios lands a decent elbow from side control.
Berg tries to escape but Staios is in control.
Staios working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Staios is putting a hurting on Berg here, landing some big shots from side control.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Staios cracks Berg with a big elbow.
Staios fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Steve Staios overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Berg is trying to improve his position.
Berg manages to get back to half guard.
Berg is looking to escape.
Ground and pound from Staios.
Staios trying to control from half guard but Berg is working away.
Berg is trying to stand up here but Staios is controlling him well.

That's two minutes 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.
Berg tries to clinch

and Staios counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Berg's guard now.

Berg has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Staios can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Staios chips away with some ground and pound.
Staios postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Berg seems to have recovered his senses.
Berg is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Staios is controlling him.
Berg is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Staios trying to control the position from guard on top but Berg is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Staios trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Berg is looking to stand up but Staios isn't so interested in that idea.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Berg looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Staios fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Staios. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Berg throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Berg stuffs the takedown attempt from Staios. Staios gets slowly back to his feet.
Berg closes the distance looking to clinch

and Staios counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Berg is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Staios is pushing down on Berg's leg trying to pass to half guard. Berg is fighting to maintain full guard but Staios has managed to sneak the leg through.
Berg avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Staios.
Staios trying to control the action but Berg is working from the bottom.
Staios slips a nice elbow through Berg's hands, connecting with Berg's forehead.
Staios seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Staios thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Berg's head.

Staios stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Staios shoots in for a takedown but Berg shows good takedown defense.
Berg shoots in for a double leg but Staios sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Staios has Berg up against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Berg wants to break the clinch but can't.

Staios turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Staios manages to end up in side control.
Sloppy strikes there by Staios.
Berg takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Staios in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Staios cracks Berg with a big elbow.
Berg is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Staios wants to lay and pray for a moment but Berg keeps working.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Berg bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!
Berg looks to land a combination but Staios avoids it well.
Alto Berg has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Alto Berg seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Staios fails miserably with a takedown attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
Steve Staios showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Staios, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 30:26
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Steve Staios!