PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ville rantanen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Heydar Zahedani (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ville rantanen has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

rantanen
vs
Zahedani

194 cm
21
190 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

185 cm
22
167 lbs
5 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

Poweful takedowns
Good kicks
Powerful

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 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Ville rantanen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Heydar Zahedani!
The judges for this bout are Roosa Järviläinen, Ben Zyskovitsi and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

rantanen drives through with a takedown into guard.
rantanen's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Zahedani looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
rantanen controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Zahedani looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Zahedani looking for a guillotine here but rantanen defends easily.
rantanen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Zahedani swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Zahedani keeping moving, preventing rantanen from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
rantanen has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Zahedani is proving hard to escape from.

Zahedani looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Zahedani has his foot on rantanen's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. rantanen works his way back into a safe position though.

rantanen thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

Zahedani is looking for a triangle but rantanen pushes his legs off easily.
Zahedani looks gassed!
rantanen trying to control but Zahedani is working from the bottom.
rantanen looking to sit in guard and control but Zahedani gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
rantanen looking for a sweep. Not yet rantanen, not yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
rantanen lands a couple of decent looking body shots there.

rantanen working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Zahedani doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Zahedani manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

rantanen manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Zahedani takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
rantanen fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nice cross by rantanen.
Zahedani takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
rantanen scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Zahedani gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
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!

Zahedani is working actively from the bottom, looking for submissions. He's escaped his hips to the side and he's going for an armbar! rantanen has his hands clasped together but Zahedani extends an breaks rantanen's desperate grasp, forcing a tap out due to armbar! Nice BJJ displayed there by Zahedani.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:02 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Heydar Zahedani!