PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Elijah Ballard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Daavid Haapalainen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Elijah Ballard could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Daavid Haapalainen's chin.

Ballard
vs
Haapalainen

174 cm
20
158 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

175 cm
27
155 lbs
7 - 6 - 0

Decent wrestler
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

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 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Elijah Ballard!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Daavid Haapalainen!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Marco Blurström and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Haapalainen swings for the body but Ballard moves out of range.
Haapalainen shoots in for a takedown but Ballard shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Haapalainen darts in trying to clinch
and Haapalainen takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ballard misses with a leg kick.
Ballard throws a quick inside leg kick.
Ballard on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Haapalainen throws a right hand that misses
and Ballard counters with a good low kick that Haapalainen was not able to check.
Haapalainen throws a good cross that connects.
Ballard connects with a solid leg kick.
Ballard fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Haapalainen.
Ballard tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Haapalainen was well out of range. Poor timing from Ballard.
Ballard lands a nice looking body shot.
Haapalainen swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses
and Ballard counters with a straight right hand.
Haapalainen checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Ballard misses with a low kick.
Haapalainen fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Ballard misses with an uppercut. Haapalainen saw that one coming.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Haapalainen smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Haapalainen blocks a leg kick.
Ballard is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Haapalainen misses with a hook to the body
and Ballard counters with a big head kick but Haapalainen shrugs it off.
An inside leg kick lands from Ballard.
Ballard tries to score with a low kick but Haapalainen moves his leg out of the way.
Haapalainen wants to slow Ballard down by chopping away at his legs.
Haapalainen shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses
and Ballard counters with a nice low kick that buckles Haapalainen's knee momentarily.
Haapalainen connects with a nice looking jab.
Ballard finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A looping hook to the body misses from Haapalainen. Ballard does a little dance to reset his feet.
Haapalainen takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Ballard scores with a jab.
Ballard misses with a low kick.
Ballard looks to score with a jab to the body but Haapalainen is just out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ballard tries to work over Haapalainen's front leg with a kick but Haapalainen checks it.
Ballard misses with a leg kick
and Haapalainen counters with a big head kick but Ballard shrugs it off.
Haapalainen checks a low kick from Ballard.
Ballard connects with the punch.
Ballard throws a shot to the body.
Ballard paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Ballard throws out a leg kick but Haapalainen moves out of range and Ballard only half commits.
Elijah Ballard is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ballard slips under a jab.
Haapalainen lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Ballard circles away quickly and effectively.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses
enabling Ballard to counter with a crisp jab.
Haapalainen misses with a two punch combination.
Haapalainen misses with the body kick
and Ballard counters with a nice leg kick.
A bone on bone clash there as Haapalainen blocks the leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ballard. Haapalainen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ballard swings widly with a right hand
and Haapalainen counters with a flying knee. Nice.
A telegraphed right hand from Ballard misses the target.
Haapalainen throws a hook but Ballard avoids it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ballard throws a big shot that misses.
Haapalainen chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Ballard can pounce on him.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses.
Ballard finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Haapalainen avoids the head kick by Ballard.
Haapalainen on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Ballard tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Haapalainen is able to avoid easily.
Haapalainen has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Ballard.
A shot to the body from Ballard misses
and Haapalainen counters with a nice body shot.
Ballard misses with a low kick.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses
and Haapalainen takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
A leg kick checked by Haapalainen.
Some bone on bone action there as Haapalainen checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
A shot to the liver by Ballard. Beautiful body shot.
An inside leg kick from Ballard misses.
Ballard throws a head kick but Haapalainen moves out of range.
Haapalainen takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ballard swings away with a body shot that misses
and Ballard takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ballard motions for Haapalainen to come forward. Ballard throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Ballard takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Ballard tries a low kick but Haapalainen avoids it.
Ballard is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Nice defenses there by Ballard.
Haapalainen misses with a left hand
and Ballard makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Ballard scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Ballard lands a head kick. Haapalainen smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Ballard attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Haapalainen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ballard.
Ballard throws a low kick, looking for Haapalainen's leg but Haapalainen calmly moves out of range.
Ballard looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Haapalainen rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Haapalainen takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Haapalainen swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Ballard counters with an outside leg kick.
Ballard avoids the head kick by Haapalainen.
Haapalainen darts in trying to clinch
and Ballard counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elijah Ballard 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.

Ballard moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Haapalainen has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Ballard.
Ballard feints and then cracks Haapalainen's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Haapalainen down.
Ballard avoids the head kick by Haapalainen.
Elijah Ballard is winning the standup battle so far.
Haapalainen throws a head kick but Ballard moves out of range.
A low kick from Ballard misses

and Haapalainen counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Ballard is positioning himself well to prevent Haapalainen advancing to mount.
Ballard is pressing down on Haapalainen's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Haapalainen has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Ballard is proving hard to escape from.
Ballard has Haapalainen pulled in close to control his posture.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Elijah Ballard.
Ballard sizes up Haapalainen with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Haapalainen checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Ballard misses with a leg kick
and Haapalainen counters with a straight right hand.
A big right from Haapalainen misses.
Haapalainen lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Haapalainen.
Haapalainen scores with a one two! Ballard had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Ballard slips under a jab from Haapalainen.
Haapalainen rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Ballard counters with a right hand to the body.
Haapalainen closes the distance but Ballard moves to the side
and Ballard counters with a nice leg kick.
Haapalainen takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Ballard thows a body shot but no joy.
Haapalainen on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Ballard. Ballard obviously looking to wear him down.
Ballard pivots, looking for a leg kick but Haapalainen is out of range and Ballard settles back down.
Haapalainen stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Ballard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ballard misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Haapalainen tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Haapalainen avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Haapalainen throws a head kick that misses
and Ballard counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Ballard scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Haapalainen gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Ballard scoring well with a low kick there.
Haapalainen is breathing heavily.
Ballard is looking to score with low kicks.
Ballard looks to throw the jab but Haapalainen is out of range.
Ballard scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Haapalainen throws a poor cross that misses
and Ballard counters with a thumping low kick.
Ballard throws a leg kick
and Haapalainen counters with a two punch combo.
A head kick by Haapalainen misses
and Ballard counters with an inside leg kick.
Haapalainen's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Haapalainen scores with a punch to the head.
A jab lands there for Ballard.
Ballard connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ballard dips to his left and cracks Haapalainen with an uppercut!
Ballard throws a low kick but Haapalainen avoids it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Haapalainen. Ballard does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ballard scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Ballard throws a leg kick that is checked
and Haapalainen counters with a flying knee. Nice.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ballard. Haapalainen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ballard throws a lazy right hand but Haapalainen sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haapalainen has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Ballard.
Haapalainen fails to land with a series of punches.
A nice leg kick lands there from Ballard.
Ballard lands a right hook to the body.
Ballard keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Haapalainen.
Ballard does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Haapalainen uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Ballard.
Ballard finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A good leg kick by Ballard.
Ballard throws a looping overhand right but Haapalainen ducks down to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Haapalainen throws a sloppy head kick
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Ballard, right into the meat.
Haapalainen uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ballard.
Ballard looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Ballard throws a head kick but Haapalainen moves out of range.
Haapalainen tries to clinch
and Ballard connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Haapalainen looks to land a right hand but Ballard moved out of range.
A head kick by Haapalainen misses
and Ballard counters with a nice leg kick.
Ballard connects with an inside leg kick.
Ballard throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
A head kick by Haapalainen misses
and Ballard counters with a nice low kick that buckles Haapalainen's knee momentarily.
Ballard connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ballard throws a low kick but it's checked well by Haapalainen.
An inside leg kick from Ballard misses.
Ballard lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elijah Ballard dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Ballard connects with a solid leg kick.
Ballard connects with a solid leg kick.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Ballard 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 Haapalainen has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Haapalainen and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Haapalainen misses with an uppercut
and Ballard counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Haapalainen is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Haapalainen closes the distance looking to clinch
and Ballard makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Some bone on bone action there as Haapalainen checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Ballard fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Haapalainen is out of range.
Ballard throws a front kick aimed at Haapalainen's knee but Haapalainen avoids it well.
Haapalainen misses with a right hand
and Ballard counters with a stiff right hand.
Haapalainen gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Ballard.
Ballard fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Haapalainen has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Ballard swinging wildly here.
Haapalainen checks a low kick from Ballard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ballard misses with a jab to the body
letting Haapalainen counter with a right hand.
Haapalainen takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Haapalainen shoots for a double leg takedown but Ballard sprawls well. He's pushed Haapalainen's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Ballard is looking to slow Haapalainen down with leg kicks.
Ballard throws a jab when Haapalainen was well out of range.
Ballard buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Ballard throws a leg kick
and Haapalainen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Haapalainen pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Ballard throws a poor cross that misses
and Haapalainen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Ballard lunges at Haapalainen with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Haapalainen's hand.
Ballard throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Haapalainen on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Ballard. Ballard obviously looking to wear him down.
Haapalainen has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Ballard cracks Haapalainen with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Ballard getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Ballard throws the left hand but Haapalainen avoids the punch easily.
Ballard scoring well with a low kick there.
Ballard jabs at Haapalainen's body.
Haapalainen might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haapalainen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ballard.
Ballard stuffs the takedown attempt from Haapalainen. Haapalainen gets slowly back to his feet.
Ballard tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Haapalainen is able to avoid easily.
Ballard uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Haapalainen.
Ballard scores with a jab to the head.
The fighters circle momentarily. Haapalainen darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Ballard thumps Haapalainen with a low kick.
Ballard connects with an inside leg kick.
Ballard is looking to slow Haapalainen down with leg kicks.
Haapalainen misses with a left hand
and Ballard counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Ballard connects with a looping right hand.
Haapalainen checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Ballard throws a lazy right hand but Haapalainen sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haapalainen scores with a hook.
Haapalainen throws a series of punches but Ballard moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ballard stuffs the takedown attempt from Haapalainen. Haapalainen gets slowly back to his feet.
Elijah Ballard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Daavid Haapalainen.
Ballard attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Ballard.
Ballard misses with a hook to the body
and Haapalainen counters with a big head kick but Ballard shrugs it off.
Ballard fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Haapalainen.
Ballard misses with a body shot.
Haapalainen moves out of range of the body kick.
Daavid Haapalainen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ballard throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Haapalainen throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Haapalainen chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Ballard can pounce on him.
Haapalainen checks a leg kick nicely.
Haapalainen shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Ballard defends it nicely.
Haapalainen moves to clinch but Ballard breaks away
and Ballard counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Haapalainen tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Ballard cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ballard moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Ballard throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Ballard scores with a shot to the body.
Haapalainen takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Nice jab there from Ballard.
Ballard plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Ballard fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Haapalainen is out of range.
A nice inside leg kick there by Ballard. That's going to slow Haapalainen down.
Ballard connects with a leg kick. Haapalainen looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Decent striking displayed by Ballard there.
Haapalainen on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Ballard. Ballard obviously looking to wear him down.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ballard lands with a good body shot.
Ballard connects with a leg kick. Haapalainen looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Ballard scores with a nice head shot.
Ballard with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.

And that's the end of the fight!
Elijah Ballard showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Ballard, 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 30:27
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Elijah Ballard!