PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Taisto Rakuuna (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Numero Cero (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rakuuna kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Bad Company - Bad Company. Cero has chosen Hate Me Now - Nas as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Rakuuna
vs
Cero

184 cm
23
159 lbs
9 - 5 - 1

178 cm
22
160 lbs
3 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Taisto Rakuuna!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Numero Cero!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Johanna Lukiainen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cero scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Rakuuna looks to land a body kick but Cero moved away.
Cero comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Cero tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rakuuna was well out of range. Poor timing from Cero.
Cero takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Rakuuna staying out of range there.
Rakuuna throws a body kick that misses.
Cero dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
A big left from Cero misses.
Rakuuna scores with a head kick.
Rakuuna just misses with a punch to the body.
Cero fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Cero moves into the clinch successfully.
Cero lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Rakuuna lands a body shot in the clinch.
Cero works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cero taking a breather.
Cero lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Cero pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Cero wants to stall.
Cero tries a body shot but Rakuuna blocks it.
Cero misses with a hook from the clinch.
Cero tries a body shot but Rakuuna blocks it.
Cero doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Cero keeps control of Rakuuna as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Cero misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Cero is working Rakuuna over against the cage.
Rakuuna misses with a punch to the body.
Rakuuna is working Cero over against the cage.
Rakuuna's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Cero can't find room to land a body shot as Rakuuna controls the action.
Cero tries to throw a body punch but Rakuuna avoids it by throwing Cero back against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rakuuna looking to stall.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Cero.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Rakuuna lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

Rakuuna breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Rakuuna has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Rakuuna there as he acknowledges the shot.
Cero blocks the body kick.
Rakuuna checks the leg kick.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rakuuna misses with a straight left.
Cero takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
A looping hook to the body misses from Rakuuna. Cero does a little dance to reset his feet.
Cero tries to clinch but Rakuuna moves out of range.
Cero thows a body shot but no joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cero takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Numero Cero is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rakuuna scores with a crisp jab that stopped Cero in his tracks.
Rakuuna misses with a straight left.

Cero moves into the clinch.
Cero blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Cero trying to control the position but instead, Rakuuna has worked for underhooks and has pushed Cero into the cage.
Rakuuna misses with a short punch on the inside.
Cero lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Cero pushes Rakuuna back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Rakuuna lands a right hand that snaps the head of Cero backwards.
Rakuuna misses with a short punch on the inside.
Cero tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Rakuuna is trying to stall.
Rakuuna tries to break free but Cero pushes him back against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rakuuna takes a knee to the side of the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rakuuna misses with a punch to the body.
Cero struggles to land a body shot inside as Rakuuna controls his hands.
Rakuuna tries a body shot but Cero blocks it.
Cero lands a body punch in the clinch.
Rakuuna being controlled against the cage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Rakuuna tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cero tries a body shot but Rakuuna blocks it.
Cero avoiding damage.
Cero continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.
Cero lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Cero forces Rakuuna back against the cage and clinches.
A short body shot lands from Cero as the two fighters clinch.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Rakuuna as Cero tries to tie him up.
Rakuuna prevents a body shot from Cero.
Rakuuna softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Cero doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Cero lands a left hand.
Cero can't find room to land a body shot as Rakuuna controls the action.
Rakuuna misses with a body punch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Cero creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Rakuuna wants to stall.
A short uppercut from Cero.
Cero makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Rakuuna throws a punch but it's blocked by Cero.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rakuuna lands with a light punch inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A short right from Cero on the inside.
Cero stalling the fight.
Cero scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Numero Cero seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rakuuna.
Cero is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Rakuuna wants to get back to striking at distance but Cero won't allow it.
Rakuuna softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Rakuuna prevents a body shot from Cero.
Rakuuna tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rakuuna working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Cero goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A right hook to the body lands for Cero.
Rakuuna is looking to control Cero's arms but Cero gets an underhook and turns him. Now Rakuuna has his back to the cage.
Cero struggles to land a body shot inside as Rakuuna controls his hands.
Nice body punch from Cero - that landed with a thud.
Cero swings wildly with an uppercut but Rakuuna uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Cero misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Cero lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Cero displaying some good clinch control by pressing Rakuuna up against the cage.
Rakuuna swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Rakuuna prevents a body shot from Cero.
Cero tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Cero misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Rakuuna blocks an elbow strike from Cero.
Cero works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Cero lands an uppercut.
Cero throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Rakuunas head.
Rakuuna is trying to stall.
Cero lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cero is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Rakuuna takes a shot to the head.
Rakuuna wants to break the clinch but can't.
Rakuuna tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Cero stalling in the clinch.
Cero tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Cero trying to stall but Rakuuna improves his position.
Cero slows down the pace here.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Numero Cero.
Rakuuna shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Cero sprawls well. Cero wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Rakuuna gets slowly back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by Cero.
Cero cracks Rakuuna with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A jab from Cero misses.
Cero pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Rakuuna dodges the punch combination from Cero.
Rakuuna swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Cero thows a body shot but no joy.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Cero takes a swing at Rakuuna's ribcage but misses.
Rakuuna misses with a body shot.
Cero throws a hook to the side of Rakuuna's head but Rakuuna sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Numero Cero showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. This is the final round!

Rakuuna pivots, looking for a leg kick but Cero is out of range and Rakuuna settles back down.
Rakuuna moves out of range of the body kick from Cero.
Cero throws a front kick aimed at Rakuuna's knee but Rakuuna avoids it well.
Rakuuna looks to land a left hand but Cero moved out of range nicely.
Rakuuna scores with a three punch combo!
Cero just misses with a punch to the body.
Cero misses with a two punch combination.
Rakuuna keeps the fight on the outside.
Rakuuna uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Cero.
Cero on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Rakuuna. Rakuuna obviously looking to wear him down.
Cero scores with a nice right hand.
Cero misses with a series of wild punches.
Cero moves in looking to clinch but Rakuuna pushes him off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cero lands with a thumping leg kick.
Rakuuna slips under a jab.
Numero Cero seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Rakuuna throws a leg kick that is checked
and Cero counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Rakuuna thinking.
Rakuuna uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Cero.
Cero digs a good body shot into Rakuuna's ribs.
Rakuuna swats away the attempt to clinch by Cero.
Rakuuna takes one on the button.
Cero tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Rakuuna manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Cero dips to his left and cracks Rakuuna with an uppercut!
Cero walks into a straight right hand from Rakuuna.
Cero has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Rakuuna.
Taisto Rakuuna has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A left lands for Cero.
Cero wants to clinch up but Rakuuna keeps it at a distance.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Rakuuna lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Cero has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Cero and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Cero getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Cero blocks a jab.
No luck for Rakuuna with that takedown attempt.
Rakuuna blocks the body kick.
Cero misses with a kick to the body.
Rakuuna moves away from the strike by Cero.
Numero Cero seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cero blocks a leg kick.
Rakuuna misses with a hook. Cero ducked under it nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cero misses with a two punch combination.
A head kick by Cero misses
and Rakuuna counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Nice body kick there by Cero.
Cero tries to clinch but Rakuuna moves out of range.
Rakuuna walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Cero doesn't manage to clinch there - Rakuuna circles away.

Cero pushes Rakuuna up against the cage in a clinch.
Cero struggles to land a body shot inside as Rakuuna controls his hands.
Rakuuna is looking to break free of the clinch but Cero has double underhooks.
Cero looking to slow down the pace here.

Rakuuna breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rakuuna attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.

Cero takes the fight into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Rakuuna.
Cero blocks an uppercut.
Cero goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Rakuuna goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cero blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Cero pushes Rakuuna back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Cero lands with a left to the head.
Rakuuna misses with the head strike.
Rakuuna misses with a punch to the body.
Numero Cero is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Cero goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Rakuuna throws a head punch that misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A nice right hand lands inside from Rakuuna.
Rakuuna throws a punch but it's blocked by Cero.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Cero.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Numero Cero.
Well Cero has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Numero Cero!