PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ilya Kushnirov (ranked 4028 p4p, 4030 weight class) and Ace London (ranked 508 p4p, 509 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Kushnirov
vs
London

175 cm
20
195
1 - 1 - 0

187 cm
19
188
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
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 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ilya Kushnirov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Ace London!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Franklyn Lucas and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kushnirov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kushnirov has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Jab from London.
A big right from London misses.

London takes the fight into the clinch.
London swings wildly with an uppercut but Kushnirov uses good head movement to avoid it.

London escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Kushnirov throws a right hand that London ducks under and follows up with a left that London also avoids with ease.
Kushnirov blocks a jab.
Kushnirov scores with a jab to the jaw.
London displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kushnirov throws out the jab.
London falls off balance throwing a combination
and Kushnirov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Kushnirov throws a jab when London was well out of range.
London tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kushnirov swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
London scores with a jab to the jaw 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!
Kushnirov throws a looping overhand right but London ducks down to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
London pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kushnirov was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
London misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov on the wrong end of a nice jab.
London misses with a hook.
London uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kushnirov.
London looks to land a right hand but Kushnirov moved out of range.
Kushnirov avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kushnirov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but London manages to avoid it.
London throws a lazy uppercut
and Kushnirov counters with a straight right hand.
London misses with a jab to the body
and Kushnirov counters with a nice uppercut.
London looks to throw the jab but Kushnirov is out of range.
Kushnirov scores with a nice head shot.
Kushnirov takes a jab right on the kisser.
Kushnirov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
London scores with a three punch combo!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
London defending well as Kushnirov loads up on a big left hand.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from London! But no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kushnirov tries to keep at a distance but London has taken the fight into the clinch.
London scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Kushnirov blocks a body shot from London.

Kushnirov pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
London has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
London misses with a combination
and London takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
London scores with a jab. Kushnirov acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Kushnirov misses with a body shot.
Nice straight punches there by London. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of London.
Kushnirov lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Kushnirov.

It looks like Ace London has been cut.
Kushnirov scores with a body shot.
Kushnirov throws out a loose jab but London uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kushnirov misses the jab.
London throws a body shot but no joy.
London slips under a jab from Kushnirov.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kushnirov takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
London throws a body shot but no joy.
Kushnirov takes one to the chin there.
London swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Kushnirov.
The fighters circling - Kushnirov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Kushnirov misses with an uppercut.
London misses with a wild body shot.
Kushnirov digs a good hook to London's body.
London avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kushnirov misses with a hook. London ducked under it nicely.
Kushnirov looks to land a combination but London avoids it well.
Kushnirov throws out a loose jab but London uses good head movement to avoid it.
London swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
London swings for the body but Kushnirov moves out of range.
London bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Kushnirov's head backwards.
London walks into a straight right hand from Kushnirov.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
London tests Kushnirov's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
London thows a left - swing and a miss!
Kushnirov throws a shot from downtown. London moves away and avoids it.
Kushnirov throws a big shot that misses.
London staying out of range there.
Kushnirov misses with a straight right.
London looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Kushnirov is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
London slips a jab from Kushnirov.
The crowd cheers as London lands an impressive looking overhand right. Kushnirov doesn't seem phased though.
London throws a shot from downtown. Kushnirov moves away and avoids it.
Kushnirov avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
London throws a big shot that misses.
London is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Kushnirov had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
London tries to close the distance and clinch but Kushnirov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
London with a hook.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
London throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Kushnirov counters with a nice uppercut.
Nice shot lands for London.
London is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Kushnirov.
Kushnirov changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Ace London will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Ace London's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

London misses with a body shot.
It looked like Kushnirov was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from London.
London cracks Kushnirov with a good jab.
Kushnirov moves out of range as London strikes.
Kushnirov takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
London throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kushnirov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Kushnirov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from London.
London misses with the combination.
Kushnirov swings and misses with a hook to the body.
London doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Kushnirov moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

London drives through and clinches with Kushnirov against the cage.
A short right from London on the inside.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kushnirov wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but London has him pressed against the cage.
Kushnirov has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Kushnirov lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt London or not.
London keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Kushnirov's efforts to push away.
Kushnirov wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but London has him pressed against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
London throws a punch but it's blocked by Kushnirov.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Kushnirov.
London blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A left hand lands to the body for London.
Kushnirov trying to control the position but instead, London has worked for underhooks and has pushed Kushnirov into the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Kushnirov can't seem to implement his control oriented gameplan at the moment. That's no bad thing of course, for those of us who want to see a good fight.
Kushnirov blocks a punch to the side of the head.
London lands with a short punch from the clinch.
London misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kushnirov's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Kushnirov working some nice short punches in the clinch.
London tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
London lands with a right to the head.
London lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Kushnirov backwards.

Kushnirov's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
London rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Kushnirov counters with a nice uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
London will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kushnirov throws a hook to the side of London's head but London sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kushnirov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract London.
Kushnirov lands with a shot to the body.

London takes the fight into the clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for London.
London goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Kushnirov lands a shot to the body.
Kushnirov softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
London misses with a punch to the body.
A short uppercut from London.
Kushnirov blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
London lands with a right to the head.
Kushnirov is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but London is keeping busy.
London misses with a punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Kushnirov.
London lands a nice uppercut.
London is working Kushnirov over against the cage.
London blocks a body shot from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
London lands a nice shot to the body.
Kushnirov is trying to break the clinch but London has him pressed against the cage.
London lands on the inside with an uppercut.
London lands with a right to the head.
London fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
London has Kushnirov pressed against the cage, preventing Kushnirov from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Ace London seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
London lands a hook that snaps the head of Kushnirov backwards.
Kushnirov tries to break free but London pushes him back against the cage.
London keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Kushnirov's efforts to push away.
London tries a body shot but Kushnirov blocks it.
London lands a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A shot in the inside from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov has had enough of the clinch but London keeps him there for the moment.
London prevents Kushnirov from breaking the clinch.
A right handed body shot lands from London.
Kushnirov is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
London lands a body punch.
Kushnirov is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
London lands a right hand that snaps the head of Kushnirov backwards.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
London misses with a hook from the clinch.
London has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
London lands a hook that snaps the head of Kushnirov backwards.

Kushnirov breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
A looping hook to the body misses from London. Kushnirov does a little dance to reset his feet.
London slips under a jab.
Kushnirov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by London.
Kushnirov throwing a counter right hand but London manages to avoid it.
Kushnirov takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Ace London seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Jab from London.
London looks to land a left hand but Kushnirov moved out of range nicely.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ace London showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Ace London's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Kushnirov misses with a straight right.
London displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kushnirov throws out the jab.

London gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kushnirov.
Kushnirov working hard to break the clinch.

Kushnirov pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A big right from Kushnirov misses.
London lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
A lazy left from London finds it's target.
Kushnirov throws a looping overhand right but London ducks down to avoid it.
London lands with a right hand.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
London goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
London rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Kushnirov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kushnirov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but London moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
London throws a counter combo.
Kushnirov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
London throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's one minute gone in the round.
London connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Kushnirov momentarily.
Kushnirov looks to land a right hand but London moved out of range.
London tries to clinch up.
Kushnirov ducks under a wild hook from London.
London with a hook.
Kushnirov throws a looping overhand right but London ducks down to avoid it.
London misses with a hook. Kushnirov ducked under it nicely.
London throws a body shot but no joy.
Kushnirov slips a jab and a cross from London.
A punch combination from Kushnirov misses.
London takes a body punch but keeps moving.
London misses with a right hand
and Kushnirov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
London missing with a left hand there. Kushnirov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
London rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kushnirov moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A counter left hand to the body from Kushnirov misses its target.
London is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
London bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kushnirov on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Nice defenses there by Kushnirov.
Kushnirov misses with a straight right.

London has taken the fight to the clinch.
A short right from London on the inside.

London pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
London throws out a loose jab but Kushnirov uses good head movement to avoid it.
London wants to clinch
and Kushnirov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
London throws a looping overhand right but Kushnirov ducks down to avoid it.
Kushnirov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
London jabs at Kushnirov's body.
Kushnirov throws a lazy right hand but London sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
London looks to throw the jab but Kushnirov is out of range.
Kushnirov lands a nice hook to London's body. London takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

London clinches up with Kushnirov and pushes him back against the cage.
Kushnirov wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
London prevents Kushnirov from breaking the clinch.
Ilya Kushnirov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kushnirov is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
London throws a head punch that misses.
Kushnirov blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Kushnirov breaks the clinch.
London throws a combination that misses
and Kushnirov counters with a nice body shot.
Kushnirov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
London looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
London misses with a lunging right hand
and London takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kushnirov keeps the fight on the outside.
A jab from London misses.
London darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
London wants to clinch up but Kushnirov keeps it at a distance.

London drives through and clinches with Kushnirov against the cage.
London throws a head punch that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Kushnirov breaks the clinch.
London doesn't manage to clinch there - Kushnirov circles away.
Kushnirov slips a jab from London.
Kushnirov was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
London misses with a double jab.
Kushnirov throwing a counter right hand but London manages to avoid it.
London tries to clinch there but Kushnirov circles away.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
London throws out a loose jab but Kushnirov uses good head movement to avoid it.
It looked like Kushnirov was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from London.
London avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
London tries to clinch up
and London takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kushnirov throws an off balance right hand
and Kushnirov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kushnirov thows a left - swing and a miss!
London swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
London lands a jab.
London misses with a body shot
and Kushnirov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
London scores with a nice right hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ace London comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well London 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 John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ace London!
An out of breath Ace London thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.