PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Vladimir Kopylov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Abel Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Abel Johnson is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Kopylov
vs
Johnson

180 cm
19
180 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

183 cm
18
185 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Tends to cut

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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Vladimir Kopylov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Abel Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Ivan Kurochkin and Fedor Mirinova.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kopylov misses with a straight left.
Johnson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Johnson checks the leg kick.
Kopylov throws an off balance right hand
and Johnson counters with a nice low kick that buckles Kopylov's knee momentarily.
Kopylov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kopylov throws a combination that misses
and Johnson counters with a slapping leg kick.
Kopylov fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Kopylov throws a sloppy head kick and Johnson moves out of range easily.
Kopylov rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Johnson finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Kopylov throws a lazy head kick
and Johnson makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kopylov looks to land a combination. Johnson sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
A slow jab from Kopylov misses its intended target.
Kopylov gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Johnson makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Kopylov really felt that one!
Johnson takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Johnson staying out of range there.
Kopylov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kopylov falls off balance throwing a combination
and Johnson counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Kopylov is breathing heavily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson moves in looking to clinch but Kopylov pushes him off.
Kopylov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Johnson.
Kopylov misses with a left hand
and Johnson counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Johnson connects with a leg kick. Kopylov looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Kopylov throws a right hand that Johnson ducks under and follows up with a left that Johnson also avoids with ease.
Kopylov throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch but Kopylov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Kopylov misses with a combination
and Johnson counters with a good low kick that Kopylov was not able to check.
Johnson throws a series of punches but Kopylov moves out of range.
Johnson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Johnson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Good shot there by Kopylov.
Johnson takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Kopylov swats away the attempt to clinch by Johnson.
A nice inside leg kick there by Johnson. That's going to slow Kopylov down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kopylov swats away the attempt to clinch by Johnson.
Johnson scoring well with a low kick there.
Kopylov throws a right hand that misses
and Johnson finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kopylov misses with a hook. Johnson ducked under it nicely.
Kopylov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Johnson moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Kopylov misses with a double jab.
Johnson wants to clinch.
Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov is having none of it.
Kopylov lands a nice looking body shot.
A slow jab from Kopylov misses its intended target.
Johnson misses with a head kick.
Kopylov with a hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson avoids the head kick by Kopylov.
Johnson lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Vladimir Kopylov has been cut.
Johnson takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Kopylov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kopylov throws the left hand but Johnson avoids the punch easily.
Kopylov connects with a crisp jab.
Kopylov misses with an uppercut
and Johnson counters with a nice body kick.
Johnson connects with a solid leg kick.
Kopylov listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Kopylov throws a combination that misses
and Johnson counters with a thumping low kick.
Kopylov is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Kopylov throws a head kick that Johnson semi-blocks.
Kopylov gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Johnson counters with an outside leg kick.
Johnson tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Johnson scores with a kick to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Johnson tries to clinch there but Kopylov circles away.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch but Kopylov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov moves out of range.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch but Kopylov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Johnson lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Johnson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kopylov.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Johnson, right into the meat.
Kopylov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Johnson counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Johnson lands a head kick!
Kopylov will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Johnson is looking to clinch.
Johnson fails in his attempt to clinch.
A jab from Kopylov misses.
Kopylov throws a sloppy head kick
and Johnson makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Kopylov really felt that one!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kopylov looks to land a left hand but Johnson moved out of range nicely.
Johnson tries to clinch up but Kopylov circles away and keeps his distance.
Kopylov throws a body kick the misses
and Johnson counters with a nice leg kick.
Kopylov keeps the fight on the outside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Abel Johnson dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Vladimir Kopylov's cut.
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.

Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov is having none of it.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kopylov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Johnson lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Johnson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kopylov.
Johnson is looking to clinch but Kopylov is avoiding it.
Kopylov throws a right hand that Johnson ducks under and follows up with a left that Johnson also avoids with ease.
Johnson takes one to the side of the head.
Kopylov misses with a leg kick.
Johnson throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Kopylov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kopylov misses with a hook
and Johnson counters with a nice low kick that buckles Kopylov's knee momentarily.
Kopylov moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Kopylov throws a shot from downtown. Johnson moves away and avoids it.
Kopylov thows a leg kick but Johnson checks it
and Johnson counters with a low kick, right behind Kopylov 's knee.
Johnson takes one on the button.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Kopylov might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.
Johnson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kopylov.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Johnson. Kopylov does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kopylov throws a hook to the side of Johnson's head but Johnson sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kopylov throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Kopylov throws a series of punches but Johnson avoids them all with ease.
Nice shot lands for Kopylov.
Kopylov tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Kopylov throws a head kick but Johnson moves out of range.
Johnson is looking to clinch.
Johnson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Kopylov throws the kick towards the body but Johnson avoids it.
Johnson is looking to chop away at Kopylov's legs.
Johnson moves away from the strike by Kopylov.
Johnson tried to score with a low kick but Kopylov checks it.
Johnson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kopylov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Johnson ducks under a wild hook from Kopylov.
Abel Johnson seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kopylov throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Johnson counters with a big head kick but Kopylov shrugs it off.
Vladimir Kopylov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kopylov fails to land with a series of punches.
Kopylov blocks a head kick by Johnson.
Kopylov bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Johnson's head backwards.
Kopylov misses with a kick to the body
and Johnson counters with an outside leg kick.
Kopylov misses with an uppercut

and Johnson counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Johnson.
Kopylov wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Johnson throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Kopylov blocks it with crossed arms.
Kopylov tries to pull guard but Johnson holds him up against the cage and eventually Kopylov drops back down to his feet.
Kopylov fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Kopylov blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Kopylov is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

Kopylov's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kopylov throws a right and a left that Johnson avoids nicely.
Kopylov throws a head kick that Johnson semi-blocks.
A head kick by Kopylov misses
and Johnson counters with a solid body kick.
Johnson misses with a kick to the body.
Johnson shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Kopylov throws a combination that misses
and Johnson makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Johnson moves into range and clinches up with Kopylov.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Kopylov is defending well for now.
Johnson misses with a knee strike.
Kopylov avoiding damage as Johnson throws knees to the body.
Johnson misses with a knee strike.
Kopylov is trying to push Johnson away but Johnson has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Kopylov jumps guard and drags Johnson to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

Johnson drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Kopylov dives on top into guard.
Kopylov slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

Johnson escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Kopylov gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Johnson looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Kopylov content to stall in guard here.
Kopylov wanted to stand there but Johnson had control of the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Kopylov stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Johnson walks into a left hand.
Johnson gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Johnson walks into a stiff left hand from Kopylov.
Kopylov scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Johnson has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Johnson there as he acknowledges the shot.
Kopylov lands a nice shot that snaps Johnson's head back.
Kopylov punishes Johnson's body with a nice straight punch.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kopylov works Johnson's body with a nice hook.
Kopylov lands with a straight right. Johnson didn't see that one coming.
Kopylov tests Johnson's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kopylov misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vladimir Kopylov dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Vladimir Kopylov's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Kopylov misses with a right hand
and Johnson counters with a thumping low kick.
Kopylov throws a right and a left that Johnson avoids nicely.
Johnson attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Kopylov scores with a punch to the head.
Kopylov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov moves out of range.
Kopylov connects with a body shot.
Kopylov scores with a one two! Johnson had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Kopylov throws a sloppy head kick

and Johnson counters by clinching up.

Kopylov manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.

Johnson postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Kopylov is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Johnson, into his guard.

Johnson looks to be working for a triangle here. Oh, it looks like he might have it! Kopylov has picked Johnson up and slammed him! Johnson can't keep hold of the triangle and Kopylov manages to pass to side control!
Johnson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Johnson is trying to escape the position but Kopylov is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kopylov decides to stand back up.
Kopylov throws a series of punches but Johnson moves out of range.
Johnson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kopylov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kopylov missing with a left hand there. Johnson was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Kopylov swinging wildly here.
Kopylov with a jab.
Kopylov misses with a wild combination.
A swing and a miss from Kopylov.
Kopylov throws a series of punches but Johnson moves out of range.
Johnson wants to clinch.
Kopylov misses with a right hand
and Johnson counters with a head kick. That will keep Kopylov thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Kopylov throws a hook to the side of Johnson's head but Johnson sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Johnson slips under a jab.
Kopylov misses with a kick to the body
and Johnson counters with a nice kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kopylov looks to land a combination but Johnson avoids it well.
Kopylov throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Kopylov throws a one two combo.
Kopylov swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kopylov throws a sloppy head kick and Johnson moves out of range easily.
Kopylov misses the body punch
and Johnson counters with an outside leg kick.
Johnson is looking to land body kicks.
Kopylov looks to land a body kick but Johnson moved away.
Kopylov misses with a double jab
and Johnson counters with a slapping leg kick.
Kopylov throws a sloppy head kick
and Johnson counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Johnson throws a sloppy head kick and Kopylov moves out of range easily.
Kopylov throws a lazy uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Kopylov keeps the fight on the outside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Kopylov. Those never looked like landing.
A jab from Kopylov does it's job there.
Johnson throws a chopping leg kick but Kopylov manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Kopylov cracks a nice hook into Johnson's ribs.
Kopylov takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Kopylov swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Johnson counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Kopylov can't break the clinch.
Kopylov on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Kopylov tries to circle away but Johnson has him pinned against the cage.
Kopylov tries to pull guard but Johnson won't allow it.
Kopylov tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Johnson smiles and moves away.
Left hook, right uppercut from Kopylov.
Kopylov getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Johnson motions for Kopylov to come forward. Johnson throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Kopylov looks for the body kick but Johnson saw that one coming.
Johnson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kopylov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kopylov avoids the head kick by Johnson.
Kopylov works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Kopylov throws out a loose jab but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kopylov lunges at Johnson with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Johnson's hand.
Johnson takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Kopylov chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Johnson can pounce on him.
Kopylov bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Johnson tries to clinch but Kopylov moves out of range.
Kopylov lands with a right hand.
Kopylov throws a combination. Johnson tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Kopylov misses with a head kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kopylov scores with a three punch combo!
Kopylov lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A cross from Kopylov lands.

And that's the end of the fight!
Vladimir Kopylov showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Kopylov 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vladimir Kopylov!