PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Chris Weidman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Break Down (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Weidman comes to the cage accompanied by Alab ng Puso-Abra. Well, the cameraman is lingering on a pretty young lady for a bit too long there. Keep your eyes on the prize buddy or you'll miss the fighter intros!

Weidman
vs
Down

182 cm
25
185 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

178 cm
25
180 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Chris Weidman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Break Down!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Ben Zyskovitsi and Arvi Lind.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Down is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Down throws a series of punches but Weidman moves out of range.
Break Down seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Down lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Weidman circles away quickly and effectively.

Weidman takes the fight into the clinch.
Weidman avoiding damage as Down throws knees to the body.
Weidman stalling.
Down misses with a knee to the head.
Weidman has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
We've been hearing reports that Weidman has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Down tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Weidman lands a left hand.
Weidman crunches a lovely knee into Down's ribcage.
Down tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Down looks winded!
Down creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Weidman blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Weidman looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Weidman throws a head kick that half lands.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Down looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Down darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Weidman misses with a series of wild punches.

Weidman closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Weidman takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.

Weidman's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Down lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Weidman circles away quickly and effectively.

Weidman has closed the distance and engaged Down in a clinch.
Weidman lands a good knee to the midsection. Down won't want to take too many of those.
Weidman lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Down or not.

Weidman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Weidman throws a head kick but Down moves out of range.

Down rushes Weidman and presses him up against the cage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Weidman breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Weidman lands with a nice body kick.
Weidman displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Down throws out the jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Weidman clinches up with Down and pushes him back against the cage.
Weidman has Down pressed against the cage.

Weidman breaks the clinch.

Weidman instigates a clinch.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Weidman ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Down moves away.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Weidman blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Weidman tries to stall but Down uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Down wants to stall.
Weidman wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Weidman blocks the elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Weidman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Weidman moves into the clinch.
Down throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Weidman creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Down's defenses.

Weidman breaks from the clinch.
Down goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Down looks to land a combination but Weidman avoids it well.
Weidman slips a jab and a cross from Down.

Weidman gets a clinch.
Weidman using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Weidman blocks the elbow strike.
Weidman landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Weidman lands a good knee to the midsection. Down won't want to take too many of those.
Weidman lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Weidman manages to break the clinch.
Down misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Weidman.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Down blocks a head kick by Weidman.
Weidman tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Down pushes Weidman up against the cage in a clinch.
Down misses with an elbow strike.
Weidman avoiding damage as Down throws knees to the body.
Weidman controlling the action here for a moment.
Down throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Weidman lands with a light punch inside.
Weidman throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Downs head.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Down is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Weidman is defending well for now.
Down tries to land a knee to the head but Weidman blocks with his arms.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Weidman cracks Down with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chris Weidman dominated that round.
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.

Weidman has managed to clinch.

Weidman's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Weidman moves into the clinch.
Weidman takes an elbow to the forehead.
Knees in the clinch landing for Weidman.
Down looking to stall.

Weidman breaks from the clinch.

Weidman has closed the distance and engaged Down in a clinch.
Down using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Weidman has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Weidman is looking to control Down's arms but Down gets an underhook and turns him. Now Weidman has his back to the cage.
Down missing with knees to the body.
Down creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.

Weidman breaks the clinch.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Down throws a right hand that Weidman ducks under and follows up with a left that Weidman also avoids with ease.
Down has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Weidman.
Weidman throws a combination. Down tries to block but a couple of punches get through.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Weidman lands a body shot.
Down misses with a series of wild punches.
Danga de danga de dang - Weidman scores with a four punch combination!

Weidman has Down up against the cage in a clinch.
Weidman blocks an elbow strike from Down.
Come on Weidman - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
A nice left hand lands by Weidman.
Weidman is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Down throws an elbow but it misses.

Weidman manages to break the clinch.

Weidman moves into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Down looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Weidman pushes Down back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Down with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Down tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
A knee to the head by Weidman.
With the fighters up against the cage, Down throws an elbow but misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Weidman breaks the clinch.

Weidman closes the distance and clinches.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Down just misses with a elbow thrown towards Weidman's brow.

Weidman breaks from the clinch.
Down rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Weidman moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

Weidman clinches with his opponent.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Down fails to land with a series of punches.
Chris Weidman is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Weidman gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Weidman manages to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Weidman looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Weidman takes a swing at Down's ribcage but misses.
Down scores with a nice head shot.
Down lands a right hook to the body.

Weidman moves into the clinch.

Weidman breaks the clinch.
Down tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Weidman paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Weidman fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Down, pushing him back against the cage.
Down trying to land knees to the body.
Chris Weidman has scored more points in the clinch so far.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Weidman instigates a clinch.
Down misses with an elbow over the top.
Weidman is stalling here.
Down is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Down throws a knee to the head but misses.
Weidman just leaning against Down, taking a breather.
Down unloads a knee to the mid-section.

Weidman breaks from the clinch.
Down throws a series of punches but Weidman moves out of range.

Weidman has Down up against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Weidman pushes Down back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Weidman scores with a hook to the body.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
No joy there for Down, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Weidman moves into the clinch successfully.
Weidman unloads a knee to the mid-section. Down lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Weidman creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Down's defenses.
With the fighters up against the cage, Down throws an elbow but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chris Weidman dominated that second round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Down rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Weidman moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Down with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Down throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Weidman.
Weidman scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Down is rocked!

Weidman clinches with his opponent.
Down is still on wobbly legs! Can Weidman finish him?
Weidman is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

Weidman breaks the clinch.
Weidman connects with a solid leg kick.
Down seems to have recovered his senses.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Weidman blocks an elbow strike.
Weidman misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Down.

Weidman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Down throws a poor cross that misses
and Weidman counters with a one-two to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Weidman closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Down managing to block the knees to the body from Weidman.
Weidman blocks an elbow strike.
The referee is keeping an eye on Weidman - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Down missing with knees to the body.
Down with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Weidman throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.

Weidman escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Down throws a series of punches but Weidman moves out of range.

Weidman has managed to clinch.
Weidman using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Weidman is working Down over against the cage.
Weidman tries to break free but Down pushes him back against the cage.
Down throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Weidman blocks it with crossed arms.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Weidman connects with a knee to the head.
Down lands an elbow that stopped Weidman in his tracks for a moment.
A left hand lands to the body for Weidman.
Down throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Weidman using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.

Weidman manages to break the clinch.

Down closes the distance and clinches.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Down lands a nice elbow.

Weidman breaks from the clinch.

Weidman closes the distance and clinches.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Weidman takes an elbow to the temple.
Weidman utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Down just misses with a elbow thrown towards Weidman's brow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Weidman wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Down has him pressed against the cage.
Down throws an elbow but it misses.
Down is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Weidman is defending well for now.
Weidman lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Weidman manages to break the clinch.
Down ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Weidman moves away.
Weidman's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Weidman duly obliges.
Down throws a series of punches but Weidman avoids them all with ease.
Weidman feints and then cracks Down's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Down down.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Down takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.

Weidman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Weidman dodges the punch combination from Down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Weidman clinches with his opponent.
Weidman dodges an elbow strike from Down.
A hook to the body from Weidman.
Down creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Weidman is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Down throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

Weidman pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Down throws a right and a left that both miss.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Down tries a knee to the head but Weidman blocks it.
Break Down has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Weidman breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

And that's the end of the fight!
Chris Weidman showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Weidman has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Chris Weidman!
Chris Weidman was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.