PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Julius Lovehall (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Markos Merisalu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Markos Merisalu has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Julius Lovehall's chin.

Lovehall
vs
Merisalu

180 cm
23
205 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

165 cm
18
200 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Decent wrestler
Solid boxing
Big right hand

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Julius Lovehall!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Markos Merisalu!
The judges for this bout are Paul Tew, Phil Schofield and Richard Clark.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A nice combination there by Lovehall.

It looks like Markos Merisalu has been cut.
Merisalu changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Lovehall tries to avoid it but Merisalu manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Lovehall to the ground. Lovehall escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Merisalu should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Merisalu swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
letting Lovehall counter with a right hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lovehall with a nice cross.
Lovehall throws a series of strikes that have Merisalu backpedaling.
Lovehall scores with a hook to the body. Merisalu takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Lovehall fails to land with a series of punches.
Merisalu stuffs the takedown attempt from Lovehall. Lovehall gets slowly back to his feet.
Lovehall displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Lovehall throws a right hand that Merisalu ducks under and follows up with a left that Merisalu also avoids with ease.
Merisalu throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Lovehall's head.
Lovehall throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Merisalu stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Lovehall throws a lazy head kick

and Merisalu counters by clinching up.

Lovehall escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Merisalu swings for the body but Lovehall moves out of range.

Lovehall instigates a clinch.
Lovehall is trying to pull guard but Merisalu has him pressed against the cage.

Merisalu jumps guard and drags Lovehall to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Merisalu looks gassed!
Lovehall is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Lovehall is looking to stand up but Merisalu won't let him.
Merisalu is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Lovehall has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Merisalu is proving hard to escape from.
Merisalu bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Lovehall's guard.
Merisalu trying to control the position from guard on top but Lovehall is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lovehall on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Lovehall tries to get out of the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Merisalu.
Merisalu stops Lovehall from standing up.
Lovehall utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Merisalu wants to control from the top but Lovehall keeps moving.
Lovehall is looking to stand up but Merisalu isn't so interested in that idea.
Merisalu trying to stand up but can't free himself from Lovehall's guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Merisalu won't allow Lovehall to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall keeping moving, preventing Merisalu from controlling successfully.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Markos Merisalu hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Merisalu throws a head kick but Lovehall moves out of range.
Lovehall misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Merisalu shoots for a double leg takedown but Lovehall sprawls well. He's pushed Merisalu's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
No joy there for Lovehall, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Lovehall has closed the distance and engaged Merisalu in a clinch.
Merisalu prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Julius Lovehall. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Merisalu jumps guard but Lovehall turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Lovehall is looking to take this one to the mat.
Lovehall jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Merisalu walks away with a smile on his face. Lovehall gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Lovehall shoots in but no luck this time.
Lovehall avoids a kick to the body.
Lovehall misses with a head kick.
Lovehall tries to score a power double leg takedown but Merisalu sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Lovehall somewhat.
Merisalu shoots in and drives through. Lovehall sprawls well.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Merisalu misses with a takedown attempt - Lovehall sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
We're hearing some news coming in from back stage. It's official - Merisalu has eaten all the pies!
Merisalu takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Julius Lovehall dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Markos Merisalu's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Lovehall scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Merisalu shoots for a takedown but Lovehall saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Merisalu looks to land a body kick but Lovehall moved away.
Merisalu wants to clinch but Lovehall slips to the side
and Merisalu takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Julius Lovehall is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Merisalu tries to close the distance and clinch up but Lovehall swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Lovehall has closed the distance and engaged Merisalu in a clinch.

Merisalu has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Lovehall uses from the top position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Merisalu working a defensive guard here.
Merisalu can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Lovehall controls the pace.
Lovehall wants to get up but he can't break Merisalu's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Merisalu not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Lovehall tries to stand but Merisalu is controlling from the bottom.
Merisalu is breathing heavily.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Merisalu tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Lovehall counters with a series of strikes. Merisalu will be more careful next time no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lovehall misses with a head kick.
Merisalu takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Merisalu misses with a double jab
and Lovehall counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Lovehall lands a lovely overhand right.
Lovehall lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Julius Lovehall seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The fighters circle momentarily. Lovehall darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Lovehall throws a sloppy head kick and Merisalu moves out of range easily.
Lovehall scores with a punch to the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Lovehall throws a sloppy head kick

and Merisalu counters with a nice double leg into side control. Lovehall won't be happy with that.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall tries to improve position but can't.

Merisalu decides to stand back up.
A nice combination there by Lovehall.
Lovehall misses with a few strikes there.

Merisalu has managed to clinch.
Lovehall is looking for a takedown.
Merisalu lands an elbow inside that Lovehall shrugs off.
Lovehall misses with a body punch.

Merisalu gets a trip takedown into half guard.
Merisalu is stalling here. Lovehall is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Merisalu seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Lovehall has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Merisalu's face as Lovehall controls the position.

Lovehall decides to stand back up. Lovehall steps back and let's Merisalu get back to his feet.
Danga de danga de dang - Lovehall scores with a four punch combination!
Julius Lovehall is winning the standup battle so far.
Merisalu shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Lovehall sprawls well. Lovehall wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Merisalu gets slowly back to his feet.
Lovehall throws a leg kick that misses.
Merisalu fails in his attempt to clinch.
A jab lands there for Lovehall.
Lovehall stalks Merisalu and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Merisalu's face. Merisalu staggers backwards, shaken.
Lovehall stuffs the takedown.
Julius Lovehall has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Markos Merisalu.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Lovehall lands a jab-cross combination.
Lovehall defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Merisalu.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lovehall moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Merisalu is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Lovehall.
Lovehall ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Lovehall's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Lovehall duly obliges.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Merisalu fails with the takedown
and Lovehall counters with a three punch combo that has Merisalu backing up. Merisalu nods at Lovehall to acknowledge the strikes.
Lovehall looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Julius Lovehall dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Markos Merisalu's cut.
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. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Lovehall avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Merisalu shoots in looking for a takedown but Lovehall manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Merisalu's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Merisalu looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Lovehall is fending him off so far but Merisalu persists. Nope, Lovehall circles away and we're back to standing.

Lovehall gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Lovehall is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Lovehall fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Lovehall displaying some good clinch control by pressing Merisalu up against the cage.

Merisalu manages to break the clinch.
Merisalu shoots in and drives through. Lovehall sprawls well.
Julius Lovehall has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Markos Merisalu.
Merisalu takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Lovehall drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Lovehall working away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lovehall wants to stand but Merisalu is controlling his arm.
Lovehall knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Merisalu on the ground.
Merisalu gets back to half guard.
Merisalu wants to control but Lovehall is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Lovehall wants to stand up but Merisalu has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Merisalu is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Lovehall will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Lovehall is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
Merisalu tries to roll over but Lovehall keeps him under control.
Markos Merisalu has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall wants to get back to his feet.
Merisalu wants to improve his position but Lovehall is controlling well.
Merisalu trying to hold on to Lovehall's head to control him but Lovehall postures up.
Lovehall wants to stand but Merisalu has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Lovehall scores with a one two! Merisalu had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Lovehall scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Lovehall is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lovehall scores with a one two! Merisalu had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Merisalu gets cracked there but stands up to it.

Merisalu closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Merisalu lands in his opponent's guard.
Merisalu trying to control the position from guard on top but Lovehall is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Merisalu wants to stand but Lovehall is controlling his posture from full guard.
Merisalu throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lovehall is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Merisalu trying to control but Lovehall is working from the bottom.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Markos Merisalu hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Merisalu shoots in and drives through. Lovehall sprawls well.
Lovehall pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Merisalu back to the cage. Lovehall follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Lovehall lands a high kick!
Lovehall throws a one two combo.
Julius Lovehall is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
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!
Merisalu fails to land with a series of punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
Julius Lovehall showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Lovehall, 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 Paul Tew scores the fight 30:27
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Julius Lovehall!