PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Hunter Brady (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Heikki Salmela (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Salmela has chosen Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King as his entrance music. Hunter Brady has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Brady
vs
Salmela

223 cm
18
214 lbs
0 - 6 - 0

200 cm
25
190 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Experienced

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Solid chin

FinnFighter Nutrition (Five 160Q supps!)

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 0 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Hunter Brady!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Heikki Salmela!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Tarja Halkonen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Salmela.
Salmela looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Salmela is staying tight to Brady's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Brady is trying to control Salmela's posture but Salmela avoids it.
Brady is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Salmela is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Salmela content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Brady is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Salmela asserts his dominance and retains side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salmela sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Brady is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Salmela wants to control but Brady is keeping him busy.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Salmela gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Brady wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Brady tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Brady jumps guard but Salmela turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Brady fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hunter Brady. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Brady tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Salmela just stands there and leans against the cage.

Salmela breaks from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Brady closes the distance and pushes Salmela back into the cage.
Brady tries to break free but Salmela pushes him back against the cage.

Salmela breaks from the clinch.
Brady avoids a punch combination nicely.

Salmela clinches with his opponent.

Brady breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Brady tries a head kick but it misses.
Brady throws a nice head kick!

Salmela drives through with a takedown into Brady's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Salmela is stalling in the full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brady working a defensive guard here.
Salmela wants to stand but Brady has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

Brady looking for a guillotine here but Salmela defends easily.
Brady trying to keep a closed guard but Salmela is proving a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salmela looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Heikki Salmela.

Salmela decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Brady is trying to control but can't.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Heikki Salmela dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Salmela gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Brady jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Salmela walks away with a smile on his face. Brady gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Heikki Salmela seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A head kick misses from Salmela.

Salmela scores with a takedown into Brady's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Salmela stops Brady from standing up.

Brady throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
My spies in Cozad MMA Helsinki inform me that Salmela has been getting involved in the gym's BJJ sparring sessions. Let's see whether that pays dividends!
Brady pulls Salmela in close to his closed guard and prevents Salmela from doing any damage or advancing position.
Salmela is breathing heavily.
Salmela postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salmela pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Brady is keeping the position for now.
Brady really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Brady looking to control.
Salmela stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Brady swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Brady trying to control the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Hunter Brady wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Brady throws a sloppy head kick and Salmela moves out of range easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Salmela takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Brady lunges at Salmela with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Salmela's hand.

Salmela closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Brady quickly recovers to half guard.
Brady is pressing down on Salmela's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Brady wants to stand up but Salmela is controlling him.
Brady will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Salmela trying to control but Brady is working from the bottom.
Salmela sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salmela trying to control but Brady is working from the bottom.
Brady knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Salmela on the ground.

Heikki Salmela has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Brady is looking to clinch but Salmela is avoiding it.
Salmela avoids the head kick by Brady.

Salmela fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Brady to the ground. Salmela is now in Brady's guard.

Salmela got a little sloppy there for a moment and Brady has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Salmela has managed to get both his arms back between Brady's legs - danger averted.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Salmela accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salmela wants to control from the top but Brady keeps moving.
Salmela advances position into side control!
Salmela trying to control the position but Brady is working away.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Salmela wants to stand but Brady has his arm trapped.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Heikki Salmela 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!

Brady throws a head kick but Salmela moves out of range.

Salmela shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Brady manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Salmela wants to control from the top but Brady keeps moving.
Salmela postures up.
Salmela trying to control the position from guard on top but Brady is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Brady wants to get back to his feet but Salmela passes into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Salmela takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salmela is looking to take a break and control but Brady is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Brady is looking to control Salmela's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Brady avoid being mounted?
Brady is concentrating on defense, preventing Salmela from advancing position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
A head kick misses from Salmela.
Brady lands a head kick!
Salmela walks into a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brady throws a sloppy head kick and Salmela moves out of range easily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Brady tries to break free but Salmela pushes him back against the cage.

Brady pulls guard.
Salmela trying to stand up but can't free himself from Brady's guard.

Brady looking for a guillotine here but Salmela defends easily.

Brady is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salmela passes into half guard.
Salmela uses his free foot to push down on Brady's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Brady.
Salmela looking to control but Brady is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brady tries to get back to half guard but can't.

And that's the end of the fight!
Heikki Salmela comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Salmela winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 27:30
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Heikki Salmela!
A determined Heikki Salmela didn't want to dwell on this fight in his post fight interview. Instead he was more keen to state he wants a title shot. Let's see if he gets it!