PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Ricky Rawse (ranked 2254 p4p, 2683 weight class) and Dmitri Zaitsev (ranked 96 p4p, 111 weight class). Dmitri Zaitsev has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Ricky Rawse's chin.

Rawse
vs
Zaitsev

193 cm
28
269
10 - 8 - 1

192 cm
38
278
24 - 20 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

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 10 - 8 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ricky Rawse!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 24 - 20 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Dmitri Zaitsev!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Shirou Masuda and Yasuomi Hirokawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rawse lands a nice looking body shot.

Zaitsev lands a big head kick that sends Rawse tumbling to the mat! Zaitsev takes a step backwards and waves Rawse back to his feet - he wants the finish!

It looks like Ricky Rawse has been cut.
Rawse throws a body punch but Zaitsev moves out of range.
Rawse looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Jab, jab by Rawse - just one landing.
Zaitsev fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Rawse.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Decent striking displayed by Rawse there.
Rawse fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Rawse throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rawse misses the jab.
Rawse lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Zaitsev backs up against the cage.
Zaitsev avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Zaitsev looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Zaitsev throws a shot from downtown. Rawse moves away and avoids it.
Rawse throws a good cross that connects.
Rawse takes a swing at Zaitsev's ribcage but misses.
Rawse lands a jab.
Rawse misses with a few strikes there.
Rawse bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Zaitsev looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Rawse throws a big shot that misses.
Rawse fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Zaitsev looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zaitsev closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Rawse is looking to break free of the clinch but Zaitsev has double underhooks.
Rawse wants to break free but Zaitsev has control.
Zaitsev has Rawse pushed against the cage.
Rawse is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Zaitsev lands a right hand that snaps the head of Rawse backwards.
Rawse working hard to break the clinch.
Zaitsev leaning against his opponent.
Rawse is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Rawse's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Zaitsev keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Rawse's efforts to push away.
Zaitsev's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Still in the clinch, Zaitsev scores with a nice short uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Rawse breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Rawse doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Zaitsev misses with a jab, cross combination.

Zaitsev gets a clinch.
Zaitsev leaning against his opponent.
Rawse working hard to break the clinch.
Zaitsev avoiding damage.
Zaitsev slows down the pace here.
Rawse is trying to break free.
Zaitsev leaning against his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zaitsev tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rawse's elbow.
Rawse can't break the clinch.
Zaitsev makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
A frustrated look appears on Rawse's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rawse is trying to force a seperation but Zaitsev has the dominant position.
Zaitsev tries to throw a body punch but Rawse avoids it by throwing Zaitsev back against the cage.
Zaitsev stalling against the cage.
Zaitsev has Rawse pressed against the cage, preventing Rawse from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Zaitsev swings wildly with an uppercut but Rawse uses good head movement to avoid it.
Zaitsev displaying some good clinch control by pressing Rawse up against the cage.
Rawse tries to break free but Zaitsev pushes him back against the cage.
Rawse has had enough of the clinch but Zaitsev keeps him there for the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Rawse wants to break the clinch but can't.
A frustrated look appears on Rawse's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Zaitsev goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Zaitsev tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rawse's elbow.
Zaitsev misses with a punch to the body.
Zaitsev lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Rawse escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Rawse loads up on a big right hand but Zaitsev slips the punch.
A looping hook to the body misses from Rawse. Zaitsev does a little dance to reset his feet.
Rawse slips a jab and a cross from Zaitsev.
Zaitsev throws out a leg kick but Rawse moves out of range and Zaitsev only half commits.
Rawse scores with a nice head shot.
Zaitsev throws a lazy uppercut
and Rawse counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Rawse lands a really nice looking cross but Zaitsev seems unphased.
Zaitsev lands an overhand right.
Zaitsev misses with a jab to the body
and Rawse counters with a lovely straight right hand!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Dmitri Zaitsev will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Ricky Rawse'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.

Zaitsev just misses with a punch to the body.
Rawse lands a jab-cross combination.
Rawse throws a series of punches but Zaitsev avoids them all with ease.
Rawse misses with a few strikes there.
Rawse connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Zaitsev misses with a shot to the body
and Zaitsev takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Rawse lands with a cross.
A jab from Zaitsev misses.
Rawse looks to throw the jab but Zaitsev is out of range.
Ricky Rawse is winning the standup battle so far.
Zaitsev doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Zaitsev.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Zaitsev shoots in and drives through. Rawse sprawls well.
Zaitsev throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Rawse throws out a powerful jab.
Zaitsev moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Zaitsev throws a right hand that misses
and Rawse counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rawse tests Zaitsev's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zaitsev ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Rawse falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Zaitsev counter with a right hand.
Nice shot lands for Rawse.
Zaitsev blocks a jab.
Zaitsev sizes up Rawse with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Rawse ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Rawse rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Zaitsev counters with a crisp right hand that drops Rawse! Zaitsev lets Rawse back up to his feet, looking for a finish!

Rawse is rocked!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rawse digs a good hook to Zaitsev's body.
Zaitsev takes a body punch but keeps moving.
A big right from Zaitsev misses.
Nice straight punches there by Rawse. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Rawse.
Rawse misses with a looping right.
Zaitsev ducks under a wild hook from Rawse.
A combination from Rawse does no damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rawse throws a looping overhand right but Zaitsev ducks down to avoid it.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Rawse.
Zaitsev ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Rawse uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Zaitsev.
Zaitsev comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Zaitsev throws a head kick that misses.
Zaitsev with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Rawse to score with a decent uppercut.
Zaitsev throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Zaitsev throws a head kick that Rawse semi-blocks.
Zaitsev moves out of range of the strikes.
Rawse works Zaitsev's body with a nice hook.
Zaitsev misses with a few strikes there.
Zaitsev avoids the body shot from Rawse.
Rawse keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Zaitsev.

Zaitsev closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A short right from Zaitsev.
Zaitsev tries a body shot but Rawse blocks it.
Rawse takes a shot to the head.
The referee is keeping an eye on Zaitsev - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Zaitsev fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Zaitsev lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Rawse backwards.
Rawse wants to break the clinch but can't.
Dmitri Zaitsev seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Zaitsev throws a head punch that misses.
Zaitsev leaning his opponent against the cage.
Rawse letting Zaitsev take a breather here.
Zaitsev dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zaitsev throws a head punch that misses.
Zaitsev has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.

Rawse breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rawse connects with a nice looking jab.
Rawse ducks under a wild hook from Zaitsev.
Ricky Rawse is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Zaitsev tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Rawse defends well and Zaitsev ends up having to push Rawse into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Rawse moves into range and connects with a jab.
Rawse lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rawse scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Rawse lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
A big right from Zaitsev misses.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Zaitsev takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Rawse cracks Zaitsev with a hook to the temple - Zaitsev is on wobbly legs here! Rawse swarms him with hook after hook, landing with each one! Zaitsev falls to the canvas face first and the referee dives in to stop the fight! Rawse wins by TKO!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Punches). Ricky Rawse!
Our winner, Ricky Rawse, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.