PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Nikolai Valuev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stanislav Kravtsov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nikolai Valuev has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Valuev
vs
Kravtsov

213 cm
22
219 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

198 cm
22
281 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good knees
Very strong

Dangerous GnP
Brawler
Very confident

MMA's Best Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Nikolai Valuev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Stanislav Kravtsov!
The judges for this bout are Illya Tyunina, Viktor Lagutenko and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kravtsov shoots in looking for a takedown. Valuev tries to sprawl out of it but Kravtsov keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Valuev manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Valuev really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.

Valuev clinches.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Knees to the body from Valuev.
Kravtsov is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Valuev gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Kravtsov is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Nikolai Valuev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Stanislav Kravtsov.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Kravtsov looks gassed!
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Valuev using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Valuev.
Valuev lands a knee to the body.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

It looks like Stanislav Kravtsov has been cut.
Valuev with a knee to the head.
Valuev landing knees to the head.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev connects with a nasty looking knee right to Kravtsov's face.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Valuev connects with a nasty looking knee right to Kravtsov's face.
Valuev landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Kravtsov goes for a takedown attempt but Valuev pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Valuev wants to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kravtsov lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Valuev circles away quickly and effectively.
Valuev tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kravtsov throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Valuev's waist but Valuev gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Kravtsov off to one side.
Valuev tries to clinch but Kravtsov is having none of it.

Valuev closes the distance and clinches.
Valuev landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Valuev connects with a nasty looking knee right to Kravtsov's face.
Kravtsov looking for a takedown.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Kravtsov drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Valuev is pressed up against the cage. Kravtsov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Valuev down to the mat. Valuev avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Valuev avoids a punch combination nicely.

Valuev has Kravtsov up against the cage in a clinch.
Valuev landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Kravtsov drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Valuev gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Kravtsov has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Valuev is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Kravtsov tightens his grip and picks Valuev up, before dumping him to the ground. Valuev manages to land in guard.
Kravtsov should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Valuev controlling Kravtsov's posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Valuev bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kravtsov's guard.
Kravtsov working a defensive guard but Valuev manages to pass into side control anyway.
Kravtsov tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Valuev presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Valuev prevents Kravtsov from getting the reversal.
Kravtsov is trying to stand but he's just given Valuev his back.
Kravtsov tries to roll but Valuev sticks to his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Kravtsov manages to reverse the position and now he's in Valuev's guard. Nice work there by Kravtsov.
Valuev working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Kravtsov.
Kravtsov landing with the ground and pound.
Valuev manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kravtsov tries to improve his position but instead Valuev has taken his back!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Valuev dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Stanislav Kravtsov's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Kravtsov fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Kravtsov looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown but Valuev sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Nikolai Valuev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Stanislav Kravtsov.
The fight stays on the outside here - Valuev looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Valuev rushes Kravtsov and presses him up against the cage.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Valuev with a knee to the head.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Kravtsov goes for a takedown in the clinch but Valuev prevents it.
Valuev unloads a knee to the mid-section. Kravtsov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Valuev lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown. No joy.
Valuev lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Valuev here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Valuev lands a knee to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
Valuev landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Valuev.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev unloads a knee to the mid-section. Kravtsov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Kravtsov is trying to drag Valuev to the mat but Valuev just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Valuev using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Kravtsov goes for a takedown attempt but Valuev pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Valuev wants to clinch.
Kravtsov shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Valuev pinned against the cage. Valuev gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

Valuev closes the distance and clinches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Valuev.
Knees to the body from Valuev.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Valuev gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Kravtsov.
Kravtsov tries to score a body lock takedown but Valuev shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Kravtsov drops down looking for an ankle pick but Valuev pulls his leg out and moves away.
Horrible takedown by Kravtsov or perhaps it was just good defense by Valuev which made him look bad.
Kravtsov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Kravtsov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Valuev tries to close the distance and clinch but Kravtsov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Valuev keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Valuev clinches.
Valuev landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Valuev lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Kravtsov tries for a takedown but Valuev manages to get underhooks.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Kravtsov wants a takedown but no success here.
Knees to the body from Valuev.
Valuev lands a knee to the head.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Valuev lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Valuev lands a knee to the head.
Kravtsov is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Valuev gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Valuev lands a knee to the body.
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Valuev is pressed up against the cage. Kravtsov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Valuev down to the mat. Valuev avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Kravtsov fails with the takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kravtsov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Valuev as he jumps to the side.
Nikolai Valuev is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kravtsov closes the distance and clinches up with Valuev, looking for a takedown. Kravtsov pushes Valuev against the cage but Valuev circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Kravtsov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kravtsov shoots in for a double leg but Valuev sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Valuev darts in and clinches Kravtsov up against the cage.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Valuev lands a knee to the head.
Valuev with a knee to the head.
Valuev lands a knee to the body.
Valuev using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Valuev unloads a knee to the mid-section. Kravtsov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Valuev lands a nice knee to the body.
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown but Valuev manages to get underhooks.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Valuev dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Stanislav Kravtsov'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. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Kravtsov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Valuev wants to clinch up but Kravtsov keeps it at a distance.
Valuev is looking to clinch but Kravtsov is avoiding it.

Kravtsov feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Kravtsov thows a big elbow that misses.
Kravtsov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Kravtsov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Valuev is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Valuev avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kravtsov throws and elbow that misses. Valuev uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Kravtsov's guard. Nice move by Valuev!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kravtsov striking off his back but it's not causing Valuev any problems.
Kravtsov throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown but Valuev sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Kravtsov shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Valuev but Valuev pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Valuev wants to clinch.
Kravtsov fails with a takedown attempt.
Nikolai Valuev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Stanislav Kravtsov.
Kravtsov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Nikolai Valuev is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Stanislav Kravtsov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two 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.
Kravtsov fails to land the takedown.

Valuev drives through and clinches with Kravtsov against the cage.
Nikolai Valuev has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Valuev gets underhooks to prevent Kravtsov's takedown attempt.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Kravtsov drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Valuev gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Kravtsov wants a takedown.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Valuev landing knees to the head.
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown. No joy.
Kravtsov tries to score a body lock takedown but Valuev shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev unloads a knee to the mid-section. Kravtsov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Valuev lands a knee to the head.
Kravtsov tries for a takedown but Valuev manages to get underhooks.
Kravtsov is working for takedown but Valuev is calmly controlling the position for now.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
Kravtsov is working for takedown but Valuev is calmly controlling the position for now.
Kravtsov has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Valuev avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Valuev landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Valuev with a knee to the head.
Kravtsov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Valuev landing knees to the body.
Kravtsov is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Valuev pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
Valuev is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Kravtsov can do to turn this around?
Valuev with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Valuev connects with a knee to the head.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Valuev unloads a knee to the mid-section. Kravtsov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Stanislav Kravtsov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Valuev scores a nice knee to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Valuev.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nikolai Valuev showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Valuev, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Illya Tyunina scores the fight 30:27
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 30:27
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nikolai Valuev!