PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Carnival Hippo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hans Bjork (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bjork has chosen Tianamen as his entrance music. The key to victory for Carnival Hippo has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Hippo
vs
Bjork

180 cm
25
155 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

180 cm
21
157 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Big right hand

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Carnival Hippo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Hans Bjork!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Arvi Lind.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hippo looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hippo swinging wildly here.
Hippo misses with a wild combination.
Hippo throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Carnival Hippo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination
and Bjork counters with a nice leg kick.
Hippo misses with a double jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hippo looks to land a combination but Bjork avoids it well.
Hippo tries to bum rush Bjork with a series of wild strikes but Bjork uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Hippo misses with the combination.
Hippo misses with the combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hippo throws a nice looking combination but Bjork bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Hippo misses with a takedown attempt

and Bjork counters by clinching up.
Hippo is trying to maintain a safe position but Bjork gets an underhook and turns Hippo into the cage.
Hippo managing to block the knees to the body from Bjork.
Hippo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bjork digs a right hand underneath Hippo's ribcage. Hippo let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Hippo is trying to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling him.
Bjork missing with knees to the body.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Hippo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A knee to the head by Bjork.

Bjork has hold of one of Hippo's legs. Hippo is fighting the takedown attempt but Bjork gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.
Hippo can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Bjork controls the pace.
Hippo is trying to control the position but Bjork postures up.
Bjork must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bjork slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Hans Bjork.
Bjork avoids the body shot from Hippo.
Hippo throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bjork.
Bjork unloads a knee to the mid-section. Hippo lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.

Bjork has picked Hippo up - he's going for a ride! Bjork dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bjork is figuring out what he wants to do next.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Hans Bjork hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Hippo fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bjork.
Bjork misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hippo.
Bjork scores a nice knee to the body.
Hippo is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Bjork is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Bjork.
Hippo managing to block the knees to the body from Bjork.

Bjork gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Hippo regains guard.
Bjork looks gassed!
Hippo keeping moving, preventing Bjork from controlling successfully.
Bjork stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Hippo swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bjork looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Bjork wants to pass the guard but Hippo is keeping the position.
Bjork controlling from the top position.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Hans Bjork was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Some wild striking there from Hippo.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A combination from Hippo does no damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hans Bjork dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Hippo scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Hippo jabs Bjork to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Hippo lands with a nice combination. Bjork backs away looking to recover.

It looks like Hans Bjork has been cut.
Hippo throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Hippo misses with a wild combination.
Hippo throws a right and a left that both miss.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bjork.
Bjork is breathing heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Bjork lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Bjork is trying to control. Hippo wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hippo wants to get back to full guard.
Hippo wants to get back to his feet.
Hippo is trying to maintain the position but Bjork is very close to passing his half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bjork controlling the pace.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Hippo looks like he's trying to stand up.

Hans Bjork has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Hippo thows a body shot but no joy.
Hippo is looking to wear down Bjork with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination

and Bjork counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Bjork tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hippo avoids it.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.

That's two 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.
Hippo tries to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling the position.
Hippo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hippo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hippo has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Hippo tries to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling the position.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Bjork obliges.
Hippo managing to block the knees to the body from Bjork.

Bjork has picked Hippo up - he's going for a ride! Bjork dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
Hippo is trying to stand up here but Bjork is controlling him well.
Bjork seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Hippo does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Hippo wants to get back to his feet.
Bjork is trying to control the action in half guard but Hippo is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Bjork is looking to advance position but Hippo won't allow it.
Bjork trying to control from half guard but Hippo is working away.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Hans Bjork wasn't active enough on the ground.
Hippo misses with a double jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hippo scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Left hook, right uppercut from Hippo.
Carnival Hippo is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hippo tries to bum rush Bjork with a series of wild strikes but Bjork uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Bjork walks into a straight right hand from Hippo.
Hippo shoots and misses

and Bjork holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Bjork tries to land knees in the clinch but Hippo avoids the damage to the body.
Bjork crunches a lovely knee into Hippo's ribcage.
Bjork drops down looking for an ankle pick but Hippo pulls his leg out and moves away.
No joy there for Hippo, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Some wild striking there from Hippo.
Hippo fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Hippo lands a two punch combo.
Hippo pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Bjork back to the cage. Hippo follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bjork showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Hippo.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hippo cracks Bjork with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Hippo scores with a body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carnival Hippo dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Hans Bjork's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hippo throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Bjork.
Hippo fails with the takedown

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bjork.
Hippo avoiding damage as Bjork throws knees to the body.
Bjork lands a knee to the head.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.
Hippo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Bjork tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.
Hippo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Bjork misses with a knee strike.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bjork blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Hippo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bjork trying to land knees to the body.
Bjork takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Bjork misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hippo.
Hippo working hard to break the clinch.
Hippo trying to stall but Bjork improves his position.
Hippo managing to block the knees to the body from Bjork.
Hippo has had enough of the clinch but Bjork keeps him there for the moment.
Hippo wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Bjork has him pressed against the cage.
Hippo has had enough of the clinch but Bjork keeps him there for the moment.
Bjork tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Hippo just stands there and leans against the cage.
Bjork misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hippo.
Hippo is trying to stall.
Hippo is trying to force a seperation but Bjork has the dominant position.
Bjork prevents Hippo from breaking the clinch.
Hippo can't break the clinch.
Hippo is trying to push Bjork away but Bjork has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Hippo tries to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling the position.
Hippo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hippo can't get the takedown.
Hippo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Bjork trying to land knees to the body.
Bjork utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Hippo is trying to break free.

That's two 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.
Hippo avoiding damage as Bjork throws knees to the body.
Hippo is trying to maintain a safe position but Bjork gets an underhook and turns Hippo into the cage.
Hippo can't break the clinch.
Hippo wants to break free but Bjork has control.
Bjork tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hippo avoids it.
Bjork tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hippo avoids it.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.
Bjork with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Hippo is trying to push Bjork away but Bjork has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Bjork tries to land knees in the clinch but Hippo avoids the damage to the body.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.
Hippo has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Bjork avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Carnival Hippo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hippo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Bjork tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hippo avoids it.
Bjork blocks an elbow strike from Hippo.
Bjork misses with a body punch.
Hippo is trying to push Bjork away but Bjork has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Hippo wants to break the clinch but can't.
Hippo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hippo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Hippo tries a knee to the head but Bjork blocks it.
Bjork prevents Hippo from breaking the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bjork tries to land knees in the clinch but Hippo avoids the damage to the body.
Hippo jumps guard but Bjork stands there with Hippo around his waist. Hippo gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Hippo tries to circle away but Bjork has him pinned against the cage.
Hippo gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Bjork.
Hippo wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Hippo trying to stall but Bjork improves his position.
Bjork drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Hippo wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Bjork has him pressed against the cage.
Hippo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Hippo tries to circle away but Bjork has him pinned against the cage.
Hippo is trying to break free.
Bjork jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Hippo walks away with a smile on his face. Bjork gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Hippo misses with an uppercut

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bjork.
Hippo is trying to break free.
Hippo looking to stall.

Bjork ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Bjork no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hippo tries to free his leg and advance position but Bjork is retaining full guard.
Bjork is looking to stand up but Hippo isn't so interested in that idea.
Hippo wants to control from the top but Bjork keeps moving.
Hippo passes Bjork's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Hippo tries to stand and escape but Bjork is controlling the position.
Bjork wants to get back to his feet.

Hippo is looking for a kimura but Bjork is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Hippo to get the leverage.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Hippo seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Bjork does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Hippo decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.
Hippo throws a series of punches but Bjork moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Carnival Hippo did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The cut man is working on Hans Bjork's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Bjork buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Hippo looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hippo looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Jab from Hippo.
Hippo throws a hook but Bjork avoids it easily.

Bjork has Hippo up against the cage in a clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hippo avoiding damage as Bjork throws knees to the body.
Hippo is trying to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling him.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Bjork obliges.
Bjork missing with knees to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Bjork.
Bjork misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hippo.
Bjork is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Bjork lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Bjork jumps guard but Hippo stands there with Bjork around his waist. Bjork gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Hippo lands a hook to the side of the head.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Hippo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bjork has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Hippo avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Hippo wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Hippo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Bjork is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hippo is defending well for now.
Hippo is trying to stall.
Hippo is trying to break the clinch but Bjork is controlling him.
Hippo is trying to break the clinch but Bjork has him pressed against the cage.
Hippo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Hippo changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Bjork fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Hippo swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch.
Bjork missing with knees to the body.
Hippo tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Bjork's elbow.
Hippo tries to circle away but Bjork has him pinned against the cage.

That's two 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.
Hippo misses with a body punch.
Hippo tries to circle away but Bjork has him pinned against the cage.
Bjork unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Hippo looking to stall.

Bjork pulls guard effortlessly.
Bjork is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Hippo trying to control the position from guard on top but Bjork is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bjork wants to stand and escape but Hippo is having none of it.
Bjork keeping moving, preventing Hippo from controlling successfully.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

We're going to have a standup here because Carnival Hippo wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
A right-left combo lands from Hippo.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hippo misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Hippo swinging wildly here.
Bjork keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bjork throws a solid leg kick but Hippo takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Bjork.
Hippo scores with a three punch combo!
Hippo throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Hippo lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Bjork circles away quickly and effectively.
Hippo misses with a few strikes there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
A looping hook to the body misses from Hippo. Bjork does a little dance to reset his feet.
Decent striking displayed by Bjork there.
Hippo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Hippo misses with a shot to the body
and Bjork counters with a low kick, right behind Hippo 's knee.
Carnival Hippo is winning the standup battle so far.
Hippo swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Bjork counters by moving into the clinch.
Hippo drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Bjork gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Bjork is trying to trip Hippo. He has hold of a leg but Hippo is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Bjork persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Bjork controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Hippo is trying to control the position but Bjork postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hans Bjork dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Hans Bjork's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Hippo throws the left hand but Bjork avoids the punch easily.
Hippo throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Hippo throws a hook to the side of Bjork's head but Bjork sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Hippo misses with a series of wild punches.

Bjork gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Bjork has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Hippo uses from the top position.

Bjork manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Bjork is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Hippo looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hippo misses with a takedown attempt

and Bjork counters into the clinch. Nicely done.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bjork lands a nice knee to the body.
Bjork unloads a knee to the mid-section. Hippo lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Hippo takes a knee to the side of the body.
Bjork utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.

Bjork gets a trip takedown into half guard.
Bjork trying to control the pace.
Bjork is looking to advance position but Hippo won't allow it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hippo tries to kick Bjork off but Bjork keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Hippo wants to control but Bjork is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Hippo tries to get to full guard but Bjork has control of the leg.
Bjork takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Hans Bjork wasn't active enough on the ground.
Hippo misses with a wild combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hippo throws a left and a right that both miss

and Bjork moves into the clinch.
Bjork scores a nice knee to the body.
Hippo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Bjork keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Hippo's efforts to push away.

Bjork successfully pulls guard.
Hippo trying to control but Bjork is working from the bottom.

Bjork uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Bjork showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Hippo.
No joy there for Hippo, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hippo throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Bjork.
Hippo falls off balance throwing a combination

and Bjork counters by clinching up.
Hans Bjork seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Bjork misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hippo.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hippo just misses with a elbow thrown towards Bjork's brow.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Bjork blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Bjork has hold of one of Hippo's legs. Hippo is fighting the takedown attempt but Bjork gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.
Bjork prevents Hippo from getting back to his feet.
Hippo looking to control.
Bjork looking to pass the guard.

Hippo working for a triangle but Bjork defends it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bjork sitting in guard here, content to control.
Bjork wants to control from the top but Hippo keeps moving.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Hippo looking for a sweep. Not yet Hippo, not yet.
Bjork engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Hans Bjork.
Hippo misses with a two punch combination.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hans Bjork comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Bjork has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 47:48
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 47:48
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hans Bjork!