PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Matti Nykanen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pena Trasseli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Trasseli has chosen Look at my horse! as his entrance music. Pena Trasseli has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Nykanen
vs
Trasseli

165 cm
31
133 lbs
19 - 10 - 0

177 cm
23
150 lbs
9 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Matti Nykanen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pena Trasseli!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Johanna Lukiainen and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Trasseli takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Nykanen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Trasseli throws a low kick but Nykanen avoids it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Trasseli. Nykanen does a little dance to reset his feet.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Trasseli enables Nykanen to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Trasseli manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Nykanen wants to control from the top but Trasseli keeps moving.
Trasseli wants to stand up but Nykanen is controlling him.
Nykanen preventing the sweep.
Trasseli is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Nykanen postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Nykanen is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Trasseli working a defensive guard but Nykanen passes into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Trasseli pushes Nykanen off and gets back to his feet.
A looping hook to the body misses from Nykanen. Trasseli does a little dance to reset his feet.
Trasseli looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Pena Trasseli is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Trasseli dodges the punch combination from Nykanen.
Nykanen scores with a body shot.
Nykanen tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Trasseli was well out of range. Poor timing from Nykanen.
Trasseli takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Trasseli slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Nykanen moves out of range of the body kick.
Trasseli misses with a combination
and Nykanen counters with a straight right hand.
Trasseli throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
A big left from Nykanen misses.
Trasseli misses with a double jab
letting Nykanen counter with a right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nykanen looks to score with a jab to the body but Trasseli is just out of range.
Nykanen ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Trasseli moves away.
Trasseli swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nykanen throws a right hand that Trasseli ducks under and follows up with a left that Trasseli also avoids with ease.
Trasseli throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Trasseli lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nykanen scores with a shot to the body.
Trasseli misses with a series of wild punches.
Nykanen has a takedown stuffed.
Trasseli slaps away a takedown attempt from Nykanen, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Trasseli throws a body punch but Nykanen moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trasseli misses with a few strikes there.
Nykanen misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Matti Nykanen. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Trasseli falls off balance throwing a combination
enabling Nykanen to counter with a crisp jab.
Nice body punch from Nykanen.
Nice straight punches there by Nykanen. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Nykanen.
Trasseli swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nykanen shoots in looking for a takedown. Trasseli tries to sprawl out of it but Nykanen keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Trasseli manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Nykanen lands with a right hand.
Trasseli misses with an uppercut. Nykanen saw that one coming.
Trasseli swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Trasseli throws a right and a left that Nykanen avoids nicely.
Trasseli just misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nykanen misses with a body shot.
Trasseli misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nykanen swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Trasseli 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 Nykanen has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Nykanen and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Nykanen is looking to wear down Trasseli with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Trasseli looks to score with a jab to the body but Nykanen is just out of range.
Trasseli uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nykanen.
Trasseli lunges at Nykanen with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Nykanen's hand.
Nykanen ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Nykanen throws a body punch but Trasseli moves out of range.
Trasseli swinging wildly here.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Trasseli throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nykanen lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Trasseli at a distance.
Nykanen stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Nykanen throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Matti Nykanen will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Trasseli throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A big left from Nykanen misses.
Trasseli looks to land a right hand but Nykanen moved out of range.
Nykanen staying out of range there.
Nykanen ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Trasseli moves away.
Trasseli tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Nykanen was well out of range. Poor timing from Trasseli.
Trasseli throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Nykanen throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nykanen swings widly with a right hand
and Trasseli counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Nykanen thinking.
Trasseli keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nykanen.
Nykanen avoids a punch combination nicely.
Trasseli will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Trasseli takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Pena Trasseli seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nykanen misses with a wild combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nykanen ducks right into an uppercut from Trasseli.
Nykanen connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Trasseli momentarily.
A slow jab from Nykanen misses its intended target.
Nykanen has a takedown stuffed.
Nykanen takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Trasseli misses with a hook. Nykanen ducked under it nicely.
Nykanen misses with a wild combination.
Trasseli fails to land with a series of punches.
Nykanen throws the left hand but Trasseli avoids the punch easily.
Nykanen slips a jab and a cross from Trasseli.
Trasseli ducks under a wild hook from Nykanen.
Nykanen swings for the body but Trasseli moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nykanen misses with a body shot.
Trasseli throws a series of punches but Nykanen moves out of range.
Nykanen jabs Trasseli to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Nykanen scores with a hook.
Trasseli throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Trasseli uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nykanen.
Nykanen works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Nykanen lands a glancing blow to the side of Trasseli's head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A looping hook to the body misses from Trasseli. Nykanen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nykanen just misses with a punch to the body.
Trasseli wants to slow Nykanen down by chopping away at his legs.
Trasseli takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Nykanen lands a jab to the nose.
Nykanen avoids the body shot from Trasseli.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Nykanen.
Trasseli misses with a wild combination.
Trasseli lands a really nice looking cross but Nykanen seems unphased.
Nykanen scores with a hook.

Nykanen closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Nykanen keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Nykanen winds up and cracks Trasseli with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Trasseli manages to get to full guard.
Nykanen trying to control the position from guard on top but Trasseli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nykanen working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Trasseli is trying to keep Nykanen in close.
Nykanen 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.
Trasseli keeping moving, preventing Nykanen from controlling successfully.
Nykanen loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Nykanen trying to control but Trasseli is working from the bottom.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Nykanen content to stall in guard here.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Nykanen here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Nykanen loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matti Nykanen dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Trasseli swings for the body but Nykanen moves out of range.
Trasseli lands with a right hand.
Trasseli pushes Nykanen away with a front kick.
Trasseli has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Nykanen throws out a loose jab but Trasseli uses good head movement to avoid it.
Trasseli slips a jab and a cross from Nykanen.
Trasseli slips a jab from Nykanen.
The fighters circle momentarily. Trasseli darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Trasseli tests Nykanen's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Trasseli slips a straight right by Nykanen.
Pena Trasseli is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nykanen rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Trasseli moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Nykanen jabs Trasseli right on the nose. Trasseli blinks but takes it well.
Trasseli swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Trasseli uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nykanen.
No joy there for Trasseli, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Nykanen.
Nykanen throws a shot to the body.
A good leg kick by Trasseli.
The crowd cheers as Nykanen lands an impressive looking overhand right. Trasseli doesn't seem phased though.
Trasseli fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Nykanen throws a looping overhand right but Trasseli ducks down to avoid it.
Trasseli keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Trasseli misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nykanen.
Trasseli fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nykanen throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Nykanen pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Trasseli uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nykanen.
Trasseli needs to keep his hands up - Nykanen had a free shot at his head there.
Trasseli swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Trasseli pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Trasseli takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Trasseli thuds his right hand into Nykanen's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

Nykanen scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nykanen in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Trasseli is looking for a sweep.
Nykanen wants to control but Trasseli is keeping him busy.
Trasseli can't do much from the bottom here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nykanen tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Nykanen working away.
Trasseli is not content to let Nykanen control the position.
Trasseli is trying to get back to half guard.
Nykanen controlling the position.
Nykanen sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Trasseli is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Trasseli wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Nykanen controls the position from side control.
Trasseli is trying to get back to half guard.
Nykanen is working Trasseli over with some ground and pound from side control.
Matti Nykanen is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Matti Nykanen overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nykanen in side control, throwing shots but Trasseli defends.
Nykanen taking a breather here.
Pena Trasseli has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nykanen tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Matti Nykanen.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Nykanen, 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:28
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matti Nykanen!
Jumping up and down and very excited, Matti Nykanen waved his t-shirt featuring FinnSubs's logo in front of the cameras.