PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Epeli Nailatikau (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Evil Ryu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nailatikau kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Number of the Bollywood. Epeli Nailatikau has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Nailatikau
vs
Ryu

172 cm
20
154 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

175 cm
25
154 lbs
4 - 0 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent elbows
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Epeli Nailatikau!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Evil Ryu!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Anni Minnemäki and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nailatikau throws a head kick that misses.
Nailatikau misses with a hook. Ryu ducked under it nicely.
Ryu doesn't manage to clinch there - Nailatikau circles away.
Nailatikau misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Nailatikau bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Nailatikau wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Ryu misses with a wild combination.
Ryu tests Nailatikau's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Nailatikau misses with a hook. Ryu ducked under it nicely.
Ryu keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nailatikau.
Ryu just misses with a punch to the body.
A slow jab from Nailatikau misses its intended target.
Ryu lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Nailatikau throws a right hand that misses
and Ryu counters with a three punch combo that has Nailatikau backing up. Nailatikau nods at Ryu to acknowledge the strikes.
Ryu keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Ryu moves away from the strike by Nailatikau.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A slow jab from Nailatikau misses its intended target.
A telegraphed right hand from Nailatikau misses the target.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Ryu checks a leg kick.
Nailatikau thows a body shot but no joy.

Ryu has Nailatikau up against the cage in a clinch.
Ryu working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Ryu misses with a punch to the body.
Nailatikau throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Ryu blocks it with crossed arms.
Ryu taking a breather.
Ryu is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Nailatikau is keeping busy.
Ryu pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Ryu lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Nailatikau misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Ryu.
Ryu lands an elbow that stopped Nailatikau in his tracks for a moment.
Nailatikau stalling in the clinch but Ryu improves position.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ryu.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ryu lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Ryu creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Nailatikau's defenses.
Nailatikau looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Ryu.
Ryu putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Nailatikau in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ryu avoiding damage.
Ryu trying to land knees to the body.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ryu.
Ryu missing with knees to the body.
Ryu works on Nailatikau's body with a couple of short punches.
A short right from Ryu.
Ryu lands a good knee to the midsection. Nailatikau won't want to take too many of those.
Ryu tries to land knees in the clinch but Nailatikau avoids the damage to the body.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ryu.
Ryu looking to throw knees to the head but Nailatikau is blocking nicely.
Nailatikau changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Ryu fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Ryu moves in looking to clinch but Nailatikau pushes him off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ryu tries to clinch up but Nailatikau circles away and keeps his distance.
Nailatikau misses with a looping right.
Nailatikau misses with a jab to the body
and Ryu counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Nailatikau is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Nailatikau throws a right and a left that Ryu avoids nicely.
Ryu ducks under a wild hook from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Ryu ducks under a wild hook from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau digs a good hook to Ryu's body.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Ryu.
Nailatikau misses with a body shot.
Ryu tries to clinch there but Nailatikau circles away.
Ryu will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Nailatikau throws a leg kick but Ryu checks it.
Nailatikau misses the shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Ryu closes the distance and clinches.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Nailatikau as Ryu tries to tie him up.
Ryu works on Nailatikau's body with a couple of short punches.
Ryu lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Ryu swings wildly with an uppercut but Nailatikau uses good head movement to avoid it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ryu stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Ryu avoids a wild elbow strike from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau looking to slow down the pace here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ryu content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Ryu pushes off an throws an elbow but Nailatikau leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Nailatikau is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Ryu is defending well for now.
Ryu tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Evil Ryu dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Ryu misses with a head kick.
Ryu tries to clinch up but Nailatikau circles away and keeps his distance.
Ryu misses with a double jab.
Ryu keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nailatikau circles away from the clinch attempt.
Nailatikau scores with a jab. Ryu acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Nailatikau misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ryu.

Ryu forces Nailatikau back against the cage and clinches.
Nailatikau tries to score a body lock takedown but Ryu shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Nailatikau breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Epeli Nailatikau is winning the standup battle so far.
Ryu ducks under a wild hook from Nailatikau.

Nailatikau tries to keep at a distance but Ryu has taken the fight into the clinch.
Nailatikau dodges an elbow strike from Ryu.
Nailatikau tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ryu avoids it.
Ryu landing knees to the head.

It looks like Epeli Nailatikau has been cut.
Ryu stops a takedown attempt from Nailatikau.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A short uppercut from Ryu.
Ryu blocks an elbow strike from Nailatikau.
Ryu misses with a body punch.
Ryu tries to land a knee to the head but Nailatikau blocks with his arms.
Ryu is struggling to control the position.
Nailatikau has Ryu pushed against the cage.
Evil Ryu seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Ryu lands a nice knee to the body.
Ryu lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nailatikau backwards.
Ryu works on Nailatikau's body with a couple of short punches.
Ryu is trying to maintain a safe position but Nailatikau gets an underhook and turns Ryu into the cage.

Nailatikau breaks from the clinch.
Nailatikau keeps the fight on the outside.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Ryu.
A looping hook to the body misses from Nailatikau. Ryu does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nailatikau throws a body punch but Ryu moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nailatikau fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Nailatikau misses with a hook. Ryu ducked under it nicely.
Nailatikau looks to land a right hand but Ryu moved out of range.
Nailatikau throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Ryu on the side of the head.
Nailatikau throws a front kick aimed at Ryu's knee but Ryu avoids it well.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Ryu checks the leg kick nicely there.
Nailatikau throws an overhand right that lands on Ryu's shoulder, as Ryu tries to avoid the shot.
Nailatikau swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ryu throws a series of punches but Nailatikau moves out of range.
Nailatikau walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Ryu checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Ryu lands with a nice combination. Nailatikau backs away looking to recover.
A telegraphed right hand from Nailatikau misses the target.
Evil Ryu is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nailatikau scores with a nice body kick.
Ryu is looking to clinch.
Nailatikau swats away the attempt to clinch by Ryu.
Ryu moves in looking to clinch but Nailatikau pushes him off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ryu displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nailatikau throws out the jab.
Ryu ducks under a wild hook from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ryu tries to clinch up.
Nailatikau swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Nailatikau throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Ryu fails with an attempt to clinch.
Ryu thows a body kick. Nailatikau tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Nailatikau moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Nailatikau connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Ryu throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
A punch combination from Ryu misses.
Nailatikau misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Ryu keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nailatikau.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nailatikau ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ryu moves away.
Ryu tries to close the distance and clinch but Nailatikau swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Ryu slips a straight right by Nailatikau.
Sloppy strikes from Ryu. Those never looked like landing.
Ryu tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Nailatikau loads up on a big right hand but Ryu slips the punch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ryu steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Nailatikau lands with a slapping head kick.
Ryu tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nailatikau swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Ryu staying out of range there.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nice defenses there by Ryu.
Ryu slips under a jab from Nailatikau.
Nailatikau walks into a straight right hand from Ryu.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Evil Ryu will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Epeli Nailatikau'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!

Ryu clinches up against the cage.
Ryu on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Ryu misses with an elbow strike.
Nailatikau goes for a takedown attempt but Ryu pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Ryu staying out of range there.
Nailatikau missing with a left hand there. Ryu was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ryu fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nailatikau lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Ryu tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nailatikau swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Nailatikau lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Ryu tries to clinch but Nailatikau moves out of range.
Nailatikau throws a poor cross that misses
and Ryu counters with a good, hard body kick but Nailatikau shrugs it off.
Nailatikau fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A slapping leg kick lands for Nailatikau.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nailatikau keeps the fight on the outside.
A looping hook to the body misses from Nailatikau. Ryu does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ryu throws a series of punches but Nailatikau avoids them all with ease.
Epeli Nailatikau seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ryu staying out of range there.
Nailatikau throws a hook but Ryu blocks it.
Nailatikau throws a chopping leg kick but Ryu manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Nice defenses there by Ryu.
Ryu wants to clinch up but Nailatikau keeps it at a distance.
Nailatikau misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Nailatikau throws a looping overhand right but Ryu ducks down to avoid it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Ryu looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nailatikau moves out of range of the body kick from Ryu.
Ryu tries to clinch but Nailatikau moves out of range.
Some wild striking there from Nailatikau.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ryu moves in looking to clinch but Nailatikau pushes him off.
Nailatikau avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nailatikau throws an off balance right hand
enabling Ryu to counter with a crisp jab.
Ryu fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nailatikau thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nailatikau getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Ryu tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nailatikau swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Ryu misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nailatikau lands with a thumping leg kick.
Nailatikau scores with the left hand. Ryu knows he should have avoided that one.
Nailatikau throws a jab but it's blocked by Ryu.
Nailatikau misses with an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ryu tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nailatikau paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nailatikau misses with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ryu fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nailatikau throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ryu doesn't manage to clinch there - Nailatikau circles away.
Ryu fails in his attempt to clinch.
Ryu displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nailatikau throws out the jab.
Ryu tries to clinch but Nailatikau is having none of it.
Ryu slips a straight right by Nailatikau.
Nailatikau throws a shot from downtown. Ryu moves away and avoids it.
Epeli Nailatikau has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nailatikau tries to land a leg kick but Ryu saw it coming and moves away.
A head kick by Nailatikau misses

and Ryu counters by moving into the clinch.
Ryu blocks an uppercut.
Nailatikau blocks an elbow strike from Ryu.
Ryu is struggling to control the position.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Evil Ryu is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ryu misses with a body punch.
Nailatikau tries to score a body lock takedown but Ryu shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Ryu makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Ryu unloads a knee to the mid-section. Nailatikau lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Nailatikau takes a knee right on the jaw!
Nailatikau lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ryu taking a breather.
Nailatikau lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nailatikau is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Ryu is defending well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Epeli Nailatikau. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nailatikau wants to break the clinch but can't.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Nailatikau just misses with a elbow thrown towards Ryu's brow.
Ryu tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Nailatikau leaning against his opponent.

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 Epeli Nailatikau.
I think Ryu 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:29
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Evil Ryu!