PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Andre Roussimoff (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marat Blagenov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Blagenov's choice of entrance music: Krasnoe derevo-Drova. The key to victory for Andre Roussimoff has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Roussimoff
vs
Blagenov

223 cm
24
300 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

180 cm
25
212 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very strong

Good takedowns
Brawler
Solid chin

Milwaukee's Best 159's - $45

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Andre Roussimoff!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Marat Blagenov!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Illya Tyunina and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Roussimoff scores with a decent looking hook.
Horrible takedown by Blagenov or perhaps it was just good defense by Roussimoff which made him look bad.

Roussimoff moves into the clinch.

Blagenov wants the takedown. Roussimoff is fighting it off but Blagenov persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Roussimoff's guard against the cage.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Blagenov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Blagenov postures up.
Roussimoff will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Roussimoff is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Blagenov is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Blagenov has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Blagenov with a flurry of punches that miss.
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!
Blagenov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Blagenov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Blagenov thows a big elbow that misses.
Blagenov is looking to work some ground and pound but Roussimoff has wrist control.
Roussimoff looking for a sweep. Not yet Roussimoff, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Roussimoff preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Roussimoff utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Blagenov is looking to work some ground and pound but Roussimoff has wrist control.

Roussimoff looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Blagenov throwing strikes but missing.
Blagenov is looking to work some ground and pound but Roussimoff has wrist control.
Blagenov working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Blagenov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Blagenov lands a couple of elbows.
Blagenov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Blagenov throwing strikes but missing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blagenov postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Blagenov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Blagenov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Blagenov throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Roussimoff wants to sweep here but Blagenov controlling him for the moment.
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!
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Roussimoff preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Blagenov throws and elbow that misses. Roussimoff uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Blagenov's guard. Nice move by Roussimoff!

Blagenov has his feet on Roussimoff's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Roussimoff looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Blagenov is looking to escape.
Roussimoff tries to pass to full mount but Blagenov defends it.
Roussimoff throwing shots but Blagenov is blocking nicely.
Roussimoff wants to stand up but Blagenov is controlling the position.
Roussimoff seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Blagenov does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Roussimoff is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.

Blagenov kicks Roussimoff off and gets back to his feet.
Roussimoff fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Roussimoff misses with the combination.
Roussimoff misses with a wild combination.
Blagenov fails with the takedown.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Marat Blagenov will probably get the nod.
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.

A combination from Roussimoff does no damage.
Roussimoff thows a body kick. Blagenov tries to catch it but that hurt him.
A punch combination from Roussimoff misses.
Roussimoff fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Blagenov shoots in for a takedown but Roussimoff shows good takedown defense.
Roussimoff is looking to clinch but Blagenov is avoiding it.
Blagenov shoots in but no luck this time.
Roussimoff tries to clinch there but Blagenov circles away.
Roussimoff chopping away at his opponent's legs.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Roussimoff tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Blagenov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Roussimoff feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Blagenov's calf.
Roussimoff throws a series of punches but Blagenov moves out of range.
Blagenov takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Blagenov tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Blagenov is breathing heavily.

Oooooh!!! Roussimoff has knocked Blagenov down with a huge combo! Roussimoff steps away and waves a wobbly Blagenov back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!

It looks like Marat Blagenov has been cut.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Roussimoff throws a series of punches but Blagenov avoids them all with ease.
Blagenov takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

Blagenov is rocked!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Roussimoff connects with a leg kick. Blagenov looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Blagenov is still on wobbly legs! Can Roussimoff finish him?
Blagenov keeps the fight on the outside.
Blagenov seems to have recovered his senses.
A punch combination from Roussimoff misses.
Roussimoff avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Roussimoff throws a nice looking combination but Blagenov bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Blagenov shoots in for a takedown but Roussimoff shows good takedown defense.
Andre Roussimoff has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marat Blagenov.
Blagenov dodges the punch combination from Roussimoff.
Blagenov fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Roussimoff avoids it really well and circles away.
Roussimoff lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Roussimoff fails to land with a series of punches.
Roussimoff feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Blagenovs jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Roussimoff throws a nice looking combination but Blagenov bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Sloppy strikes from Roussimoff. Those never looked like landing.
Blagenov shoots in but no luck this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blagenov avoids a punch combination nicely.
Blagenov showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Roussimoff.
Blagenov shoots in and drives through. Roussimoff sprawls well.
Marat Blagenov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blagenov shoots in looking for a takedown but Roussimoff manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Blagenov's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Blagenov fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
A right-left combo lands from Roussimoff.
Blagenov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Andre Roussimoff is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Roussimoff misses with the combination.
Roussimoff misses with a series of wild punches.
Roussimoff stuffs the takedown attempt from Blagenov. Blagenov gets slowly back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Roussimoff rushes Blagenov and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Blagenov wants to take the fight to the mat but Roussimoff manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Roussimoff has Blagenov pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Blagenov manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Blagenov looking for a takedown.

Roussimoff breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Roussimoff fails to land with a series of punches.
Blagenov avoids a punch combination nicely.
Roussimoff looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Roussimoff defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Blagenov.

Roussimoff looking to score a takedown here. Blagenov is defending well but Roussimoff drives through and ends up in Blagenov's guard.
Roussimoff wants to control from the top but Blagenov keeps moving.
Roussimoff has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Roussimoff throws and elbow that misses. Blagenov uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Roussimoff's guard. Nice move by Blagenov!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blagenov trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Roussimoff not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Roussimoff wants to stand and escape but Blagenov is having none of it.
Roussimoff is trying to control the position but Blagenov postures up.
Blagenov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Roussimoff works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Blagenov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Blagenov postures up and lands a big shot to Roussimoff's brow.
Blagenov landing some decent shots from guard.
Roussimoff preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Roussimoff dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Marat Blagenov's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Roussimoff misses with a low kick.
Blagenov fails with a takedown attempt.
Roussimoff lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

Roussimoff pushes Blagenov up against the cage in a clinch.

Roussimoff breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Blagenov circles away from the clinch attempt.

Roussimoff manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Blagenov on his heels. He'll look to pass Blagenov's guard now, I'm sure.
Roussimoff with a flurry of punches that miss.
Roussimoff throws a big right hand that misses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Roussimoff is looking to work some ground and pound but Blagenov has wrist control.
Roussimoff controls from within his opponent's guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Roussimoff wants to stand but Blagenov is controlling his posture from full guard.
Roussimoff postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Roussimoff wants to pass the guard but Blagenov is keeping the position.
Roussimoff lands a couple of elbows.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Roussimoff slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Roussimoff loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Roussimoff tries to clinch but Blagenov moves out of range.
Roussimoff scores with the left hand. Blagenov knows he should have avoided that one.
Roussimoff wants to clinch up but Blagenov keeps it at a distance.
Roussimoff throws a right and a left that both miss.
Roussimoff tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Blagenov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Roussimoff lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Roussimoff clinches up with Blagenov and pushes him back against the cage.
Blagenov is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.

Roussimoff breaks the clinch.
Roussimoff misses with a two punch combination.
Roussimoff dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Blagenov gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Roussimoff tests Blagenov's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Roussimoff throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Roussimoff fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Blagenov manages to avoid it.
Blagenov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Roussimoff as he jumps to the side.
Andre Roussimoff has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marat Blagenov.
Roussimoff throws a nice looking combination but Blagenov bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Roussimoff is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Blagenov can do to turn this around?
Blagenov shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Roussimoff counters with a lovely straight right hand!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Roussimoff pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Blagenov back to the cage. Roussimoff follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Andre Roussimoff is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Roussimoff drives through and clinches with Blagenov against the cage.

Roussimoff breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Roussimoff throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Blagenov.
Blagenov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Roussimoff as he jumps to the side.
Roussimoff throws a right and a left that both miss.
Blagenov looks for a takedown but Roussimoff sprawls well.

Roussimoff drives through with a takedown into guard.
Roussimoff looking to sit in guard and control but Blagenov gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Blagenov postures up in Roussimoff's guard and throws a big left but Roussimoff blocks it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Andre Roussimoff showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Roussimoff has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight for Andre Roussimoff!
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight for Andre Roussimoff!
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight for Andre Roussimoff!

Andre Roussimoff wins by unanimous decision!
In his post fight interview, Andre Roussimoff started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.