PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Raphael Melendez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Claus Tanka (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Raphael Melendez has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Melendez
vs
Tanka

201 cm
18
177 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

180 cm
20
165 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Can Moonwalk

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Raphael Melendez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Claus Tanka!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Johanna Lukiainen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Tanka closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Melendez to the mat! Melendez manages to get full guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Melendez looking to hit a scissor sweep but Tanka is one step ahead there.
Tanka wants to control from the top but Melendez keeps moving.
Melendez is looking to stand up but Tanka isn't so interested in that idea.
Melendez trying to keep a closed guard but Tanka is proving a slippery customer.
Melendez tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Melendez will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Tanka closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Tanka slows the pace down in half guard.
Melendez is refusing to be controlled, as Tanka sits in half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tanka prevents Melendez from standing back up.
Tanka is trying to control the action in half guard but Melendez is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Tanka thows a huge punch but Melendez dodges it nicely.
Tanka perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Claus Tanka was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Melendez fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Tanka avoids it really well and circles away.

Tanka looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Melendez!
Tanka throwing strikes but missing, from side control.

Tanka decides to stand up, so the ref orders Melendez to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tanka misses with the combination.
Tanka swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Tanka misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tanka looks winded!
Melendez misses with a takedown attempt - Tanka sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Tanka misses with a head kick.
Tanka throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tanka scores with a one two! Melendez had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

Melendez has taken the fight to the clinch.
Melendez jumps guard but Tanka turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Raphael Melendez. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Tanka lands a takedown into guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melendez is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Tanka is controlling him.
Melendez trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Tanka working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Melendez controls Tanka momentarily but Tanka frees himself.
Tanka advances to half guard.
Melendez keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Tanka is keen to just control but Melendez is a slippery customer.
Melendez has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Tanka is working away from the top position though.
Melendez is trying to stand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tanka is stalling here. Melendez is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Tanka seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Melendez has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

Melendez tries for a kimura but Tanka is defending well.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Melendez decides to take the fight back to the feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Claus Tanka dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Tanka shoots in and bounces Melendez off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Tanka in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Melendez is trying to control the position but Tanka postures up.
Claus Tanka has got the better of the ground game so far.
Melendez is really struggling to control Tanka but he's trying to hold on to the position.

Raphael Melendez has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Melendez fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Tanka misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Tanka swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tanka scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Melendez is looking for a sweep.
Tanka is breathing heavily.
A lull in the action here as Tanka stalls from top position.
Melendez manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Tanka has hold of Melendez's hands but Melendez slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Melendez thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Tanka's head.
Melendez thows a huge punch but Tanka dodges it nicely.
Melendez wants to free his trapped foot but Tanka is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Melendez not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tanka wants to control but Melendez is keeping busy and won't allow it.

Tanka manages to escape and get back to his feet!
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!
Tanka throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Melendez.
Melendez tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A head kick misses from Melendez.
Melendez throws a head kick but Tanka moves out of range.

Tanka has managed to clinch.
Tanka lands a hook to the side of the head.
Tanka tries to land knees in the clinch but Melendez avoids the damage to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Tanka lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Melendez wants to control but Tanka is keeping busy.

Tanka is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Melendez sees it coming and defends easily.
Melendez is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Tanka's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Tanka's back!
Melendez punishes Tanka with strikes from the back mount.
Tanka is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Melendez is punishing Tanka with strikes - can he finish him?!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Melendez is landing with strikes. Tanka can't take much more of this.
Tanka has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.

Melendez tightening his grip on Tanka, looking for the choke.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Even with his hooks in, Melendez manages to miss with strikes from the back.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tanka avoids the strikes from Melendez.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Claus Tanka will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Melendez's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Tanka displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Melendez.
Tanka misses with the combination.

Tanka scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Tanka stops Melendez from getting back to his feet.
Tanka works his way into side control.
Tanka throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Melendez is looking to regain half guard here but Tanka keeps moving and retains side control.
The referee asks Tanka politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Tanka prefers to stall for the moment though.
Melendez is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Tanka's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Melendez avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Tanka.
Melendez manages to get to full guard.
Tanka prevents Melendez from getting back to his feet.
Tanka trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Melendez keeping full guard, as Tanka tries to pass.

Melendez looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Tanka working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tanka trying to control the position from guard on top but Melendez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Melendez working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Tanka.
Tanka landing some decent shots from guard.

Tanka gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Tanka throws a series of strikes that have Melendez backpedaling.

Tanka shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Melendez wants to sweep here but Tanka controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melendez can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Tanka controls the pace.
Tanka preventing the sweep.
Tanka wants to control from the top but Melendez keeps moving.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Tanka trying to stand up but can't free himself from Melendez's guard.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Claus Tanka wasn't active enough on the ground.
Melendez throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Tanka's head.
Claus Tanka seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Melendez avoids a punch combination nicely.
Tanka blocks a head kick by Melendez.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tanka bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Melendez's head backwards.
Melendez looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Tanka keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Tanka has worked on his takedown defense in the runup to this fight and it is paying off so far.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Raphael Melendez. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Melendez has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Melendez there as he acknowledges the shot.

Tanka has taken the fight to the clinch.

Tanka pulls Melendez into guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Melendez postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Melendez is in close to Tanka's body, working some short punches and elbows.

And that's the end of the fight!
Claus Tanka comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Tanka has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Claus Tanka!