PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Manu Ahonen (ranked 572 p4p, 76 weight class) and Dimitri Vasleyiev (ranked 528 p4p, 72 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Ahonen might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to For Heavy Metal we will die!. Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Ahonen
vs
Vasleyiev

182 cm
28
170 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

178 cm
28
170 lbs
17 - 9 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

FinnFighter Nutrition (Five 160Q supps!)
Bullet Proof System

Aspire Clothing
Bullet Proof System

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 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Manu Ahonen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 9 - 1, fighting out of New York, Dimitri Vasleyiev!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Roosa Järviläinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vasleyiev scores with a jab to the jaw.
Ahonen throws an overhand right that lands on Vasleyiev's shoulder, as Vasleyiev tries to avoid the shot.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Vasleyiev! But no joy.
A leg kick checked by Vasleyiev.
Ahonen throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Ahonen displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Vasleyiev ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Ahonen takes a jab right on the kisser.
Ahonen misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Vasleyiev.
A punch combination from Vasleyiev misses.
Vasleyiev waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Ahonen.
Ahonen has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Heavy Metal in the buildup to the fight.
Vasleyiev's jab looks to have found its range, popping Ahonen under the eye.
Vasleyiev scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ahonen throws a shot from downtown. Vasleyiev moves away and avoids it.
Ahonen lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Ahonen scores with a punch to the head.
Vasleyiev blocks a jab.
Vasleyiev just misses with a punch to the body.
Ahonen attempts a counter takedown but Vasleyiev avoids it well and moves away.
Ahonen connects with a body shot.
Ahonen throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A head kick misses from Ahonen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vasleyiev misses with a body shot.
Vasleyiev just misses with a punch to the body.
Ahonen swinging wildly here.
Vasleyiev throws a body shot but no joy.
A big right from Ahonen misses.
Vasleyiev works Ahonen's body with a nice hook.
Vasleyiev misses with a jab to the body
and Ahonen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Vasleyiev throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Ahonen is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Dimitri Vasleyiev is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ahonen paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Vasleyiev uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ahonen.
Vasleyiev was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
A punch combination from Vasleyiev misses.
Ahonen drops down looking for a counter takedown but Vasleyiev sprawls and moves away.
Ahonen throws a lazy right hand but Vasleyiev sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Vasleyiev throws a counter combo.
Vasleyiev throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Ahonen stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Ahonen fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
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!
Ahonen shoots in for a double leg but Vasleyiev sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
A punch lands to the side of Vasleyiev 's head but he takes it in his stride.
A big right from Ahonen misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen lands with a nice body kick.
Vasleyiev throws a body shot but no joy.

Ahonen clinches up against the cage.

Vasleyiev manages to break the clinch.
Vasleyiev keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Ahonen.
Vasleyiev misses with a jab, cross combination.
A chopping leg kick lands by Ahonen.
Ahonen shoots in looking for a takedown but Vasleyiev manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Ahonen's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Manu Ahonen seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Vasleyiev feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Ahonen's calf.
Vasleyiev will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Ahonen is looking to counter punch.
Vasleyiev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Ahonen can pounce on him.
A jab from Ahonen misses.
Vasleyiev moves out of range as Ahonen strikes.
A leg kick checked by Vasleyiev.
Vasleyiev fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ahonen manages to avoid it.
Ahonen dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Vasleyiev. That did some damage!
Vasleyiev waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Ahonen.
A head kick misses from Ahonen.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen misses with a straight right.
Vasleyiev connects with a good right hand that stumbles Ahonen. Ahonen circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Vasleyiev is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Ahonen rather than just go for the knockout.
Vasleyiev dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Ahonen. That did some damage!
Vasleyiev throws out a leg kick but Ahonen moves out of range and Vasleyiev only half commits.
It looked like Ahonen wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Vasleyiev bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Vasleyiev displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ahonen throws out the jab.
Vasleyiev takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Good exchange - Ahonen coming out on top.
Vasleyiev misses with a kick to the body.
Ahonen takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Ahonen throws a looping overhand right but Vasleyiev ducks down to avoid it.
Ahonen misses with a body kick.
Vasleyiev tries to land a leg kick but Ahonen saw it coming and moves away.
Ahonen swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Ahonen throws out a leg kick but Vasleyiev moves out of range and Ahonen only half commits.
Ahonen misses with a hook. Vasleyiev ducked under it nicely.
Vasleyiev takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen scores with the left hand. Vasleyiev knows he should have avoided that one.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ahonen fails to land the takedown.
Vasleyiev follows through with a counter body kick but it doesn't land.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Manu Ahonen. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Vasleyiev thuds a left hand into Ahonen's body.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Ahonen.
Ahonen misses with an uppercut.
Vasleyiev stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Ahonen.
Vasleyiev misses with a body kick.
Vasleyiev feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Ahonens jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Vasleyiev lands the left hand.

Ahonen feints and as Vasleyiev raises his hands in defense, Ahonen changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Ahonen postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ahonen with a flurry of punches that miss.
Vasleyiev preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ahonen lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manu Ahonen dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ahonen walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Ahonen misses with a body shot.
Vasleyiev takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Vasleyiev takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Ahonen throws a leg kick that is checked
and Vasleyiev counters with an outside leg kick.
Vasleyiev throws a nice looking combination but Ahonen bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
A cross from Vasleyiev lands.
Ahonen bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Vasleyiev's head.
A low kick from Ahonen misses
enabling Vasleyiev to counter with a crisp jab.
Vasleyiev misses with a body shot.
Ahonen misses with a right hand
and Vasleyiev counters with a low kick, right behind Ahonen 's knee.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Ahonen takes a swing at Vasleyiev's ribcage but misses.
A nice side step and Vasleyiev releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Ahonen buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

Ahonen shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Ahonen missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vasleyiev tries to get to full guard but Ahonen has control of the leg.
Ahonen looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Vasleyiev with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Vasleyiev keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Ahonen has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Vasleyiev on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Ahonen trying to control from half guard but Vasleyiev is working away.
Ahonen wants to free his trapped foot but Vasleyiev is holding on for dear life with his legs.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Ahonen lands a nice short elbow.
Ahonen is pressing down on Vasleyiev's thigh, looking to free his foot. Vasleyiev is holding on for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Ahonen is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Vasleyiev defends it well.
Ahonen thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Vasleyiev's head.
Ahonen missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ahonen looks to land a strike but Vasleyiev avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Ahonen pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Vasleyiev is keeping the position for now.
Ahonen throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Vasleyiev works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Vasleyiev working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Ahonen.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen is working Vasleyiev over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Ahonen looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Ahonen throwing strikes from guard but Vasleyiev blocks nicely.
Vasleyiev preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ahonen throws a big elbow that misses.
Ahonen works over Vasleyiev with some ground and pound from guard.
Ahonen looking to pass the guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Ahonen scoring with some ground and pound.
Ahonen looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Vasleyiev utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Vasleyiev keeping moving, preventing Ahonen from controlling successfully.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Vasleyiev, as that shot connected.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Vasleyiev displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Ahonen.

Ahonen forces Vasleyiev back against the cage and clinches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manu Ahonen dominated that second round.
That's time! Ahonen's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Vasleyiev throws a series of punches but Ahonen avoids them all with ease.
Ahonen moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Vasleyiev uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Ahonen.
Ahonen throws a leg kick which misses Vasleyiev's front leg but catches the back leg as Vasleyiev tries to avoid it.
Ahonen connects with a single shot there.
Ahonen misses with a series of wild punches.
Vasleyiev tries to work over Ahonen's front leg with a kick but Ahonen checks it.
Ahonen is looking for a counter combo.
Ahonen wants to slow Vasleyiev down by chopping away at his legs.
Ahonen is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vasleyiev can do to turn this around?
Ahonen throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Ahonen misses with a wild body shot.
Ahonen throws a nice outside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vasleyiev scores with a decent looking hook.
Vasleyiev scoring well with a low kick there.
Vasleyiev scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
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!
Ahonen lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Vasleyiev circles away quickly and effectively.
Vasleyiev slips a jab from Ahonen.
Ahonen misses with a right hand
and Vasleyiev counters with a three punch combo that has Ahonen backing up. Ahonen nods at Vasleyiev to acknowledge the strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ahonen clinches up against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Ahonen.
Vasleyiev tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Vasleyiev tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Ahonen lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Ahonen misses with a short punch on the inside.

Vasleyiev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Ahonen throws the kick towards the body but Vasleyiev avoids it.
Ahonen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Vasleyiev manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Vasleyiev's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Ahonen moves away from the strike by Vasleyiev.
Ahonen connects with the punch.
Ahonen lands a nice shot to the body.
Vasleyiev scores with a jab to the head.
Ahonen jabs Vasleyiev right on the nose. Vasleyiev blinks but takes it well.
Ahonen shoots in for a double leg but Vasleyiev sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Vasleyiev throws a head kick but Ahonen moves out of range.
Vasleyiev slips under a jab from Ahonen.
Dimitri Vasleyiev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Ahonen moves into range and connects with a jab.
Vasleyiev bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Ahonen's head.
Ahonen tries to close the distance and clinch but Vasleyiev swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Manu Ahonen is winning the standup battle so far.
Vasleyiev lands with a good body shot.
Ahonen on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Vasleyiev displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ahonen throws out the jab.
Vasleyiev with a hook.
Vasleyiev connects with a body shot that sends Ahonen's belly button to the back.
Ahonen fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Ahonen blocks the body kick.
Ahonen slips a jab from Vasleyiev.
Vasleyiev slips under a jab from Ahonen.
Vasleyiev unleashes a big counter combination but Ahonen bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Ahonen tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Vasleyiev defends well and Ahonen ends up having to push Vasleyiev into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Vasleyiev throws out a counter right but Ahonen avoids it with no problem.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Manu Ahonen. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ahonen fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Vasleyiev checks it well.

Ahonen clinches with his opponent.
Vasleyiev taking a breather.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen can't find room to land a body shot as Vasleyiev controls the action.

Vasleyiev's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Vasleyiev throws a shot to the body.
Ahonen thuds his right hand into Vasleyiev's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Vasleyiev misses with a low kick.
Vasleyiev paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Ahonen throws a lazy uppercut
and Vasleyiev counters with a series of strikes. Ahonen will be more careful next time no doubt.
Vasleyiev misses with a wild body shot.
Vasleyiev bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Ahonen scores with a hook.

Ahonen darts in and clinches Vasleyiev up against the cage.
Vasleyiev swings wildly with an uppercut but Ahonen uses good head movement to avoid it.
Vasleyiev misses with a punch on the inside.
Vasleyiev throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Ahonen misses with a short punch on the inside.
Ahonen misses with the head strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ahonen tries to work over Vasleyiev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A shot in the inside from Vasleyiev.
Ahonen can't find room to land a body shot as Vasleyiev controls the action.
Vasleyiev misses with a body punch.
Vasleyiev tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

Vasleyiev manages to break the clinch.
Ahonen checks a leg kick.
Vasleyiev is looking to score with low kicks.
Ahonen tries to counter with a takedown but Vasleyiev is quick to defend against it.
Ahonen keeps Vasleyiev at a distance using the push kick.
A slow jab from Ahonen misses its intended target.
Vasleyiev feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Ahonens jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Vasleyiev thows a leg kick but Ahonen checks it
and Ahonen counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Ahonen slips a jab and a cross from Vasleyiev.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ahonen throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasleyiev counters with a nice body kick.
Vasleyiev waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Ahonen.
Vasleyiev steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ahonen.
Vasleyiev lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Dimitri Vasleyiev.
I think Ahonen has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Manu Ahonen!
A less than humble Manu Ahonen misjudged his post fight interview somewhat and came across a little too arrogant whilst trying to hype up his own abilities.