PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Stepan Grachev (ranked 24133 p4p, 24170 weight class) and Vulfgang Takumi (ranked 595 p4p, 588 weight class). The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Grachev
vs
Takumi

175 cm
23
165
0 - 1 - 0

180 cm
23
160
5 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Stepan Grachev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Vulfgang Takumi!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Grachev fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Takumi on the side of the head.
Grachev slips under a jab.
Takumi scores with a shot to the body.
Takumi 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.
Grachev misses with a kick to the body.
Takumi throws out a counter right but Grachev avoids it with no problem.
Grachev dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Takumi lands with a good body shot.
Takumi takes one on the button.
Takumi throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Grachev sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Grachev drives through and clinches with Takumi against the cage.
Grachev misses with a punch to the body.
Grachev doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Grachev manages to break the clinch.
Takumi cracks Grachev with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Takumi ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Grachev scores with a nice strike.
Takumi misses with a series of wild punches.
Grachev lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Takumi tries to bum rush Grachev with a series of wild strikes but Grachev uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Grachev misses with a hook.
Grachev tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Takumi was well out of range. Poor timing from Grachev.
Grachev throws a leg kick
and Takumi counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Takumi lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Grachev throws a quick inside leg kick.
Takumi misses with an uppercut. Grachev saw that one coming.
A right-left combo lands from Takumi.
A big right from Takumi misses.
Some wild striking there from Takumi.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Grachev avoids the body shot from Takumi.
Grachev misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Takumi.
Grachev throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Takumi sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Takumi unleashes a big counter combination but Grachev bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Takumi takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grachev keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Grachev misses with a wild body shot.
Grachev throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Takumi.
Jab from Takumi.

Takumi gets tackled into the cage by Grachev. Grachev maintains the clinch.
Grachev tries to work over Takumi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Grachev is trying to force a seperation but Takumi has the dominant position.
Grachev is leaning against Takumi and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Grachev tries a body shot but Takumi blocks it.

Takumi manages to break the clinch.
Takumi swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Stepan Grachev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Takumi with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Grachev to score with a decent uppercut.
Takumi throws a series of punches but Grachev moves out of range.
Grachev dodges the punch combination from Takumi.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grachev misses with a right hand
and Takumi counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Grachev thinking.
Takumi misses with an uppercut. Grachev saw that one coming.
Grachev tries to clinch up but Takumi circles away and keeps his distance.
Takumi lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Grachev circles away quickly and effectively.
Grachev moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Takumi scores with a hook.
A swing and a miss from Grachev.
A nice inside leg kick there by Grachev. That's going to slow Takumi down.
Takumi throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Grachev slips a straight right by Takumi.
Grachev tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Takumi manages to circle out of the way.
Some wild striking there from Takumi.
Grachev ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Grachev connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Grachev throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grachev keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A jab from Takumi misses.
Takumi misses with a hook
and Grachev counters with a stiff right hand.
Grachev connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Takumi's hands.
A jab from Takumi misses.
Takumi throws a hook but Grachev blocks it.
Grachev throws a jab but it's blocked by Takumi.
Takumi misses with a wild body shot.
Grachev lands with an overhand left.
Takumi will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Grachev lands a really nice looking cross but Takumi seems unphased.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Takumi takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Grachev throws a one two combo.
Takumi's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Grachev connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Takumi scrambles back to his feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Stepan Grachev will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Takumi missing with a left hand there. Grachev was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Grachev fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Takumi manages to avoid it.
Grachev throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Takumi connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Jab, jab by Grachev - just one landing.
Grachev misses the jab.
Stepan Grachev is winning the standup battle so far.
Grachev connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Takumi's hands.
Takumi throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Takumi slips a jab from Grachev.
No luck for Takumi with that takedown attempt.
The fighters circling - Takumi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Grachev moves into range and connects with a jab.
Takumi shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Grachev as he jumps to the side.
Takumi tries to bum rush Grachev with a series of wild strikes but Grachev uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Takumi takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Grachev throws a shot from downtown. Takumi moves away and avoids it.
Takumi throws a left and a right that both miss
and Grachev connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Takumi gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Grachev throws a body kick that misses
and Takumi counters with a nice body shot.
Takumi fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Grachev showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Takumi.
Takumi misses with a double jab.

Grachev moves into the clinch.
Takumi taking a breather.
Grachev misses with a hook to the ribs.
Grachev has Takumi pushed against the cage.
Takumi takes a shot to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grachev tries to work over Takumi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Grachev's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Takumi misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Stepan Grachev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Vulfgang Takumi.
Takumi circles away from the clinch attempt.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nice jab there from Grachev.
Grachev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Takumi manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Grachev lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Stepan Grachev is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Takumi misses the jab.
Takumi avoids the head kick by Grachev.
Takumi misses the shot to the body.
Takumi throws a right and a left that both miss.
A looping hook to the body misses from Grachev. Takumi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Grachev dodges the punch combination from Takumi.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grachev uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Grachev moves away from the strike by Takumi.
Grachev fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Takumi has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Takumi missing with a left hand there. Grachev was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Takumi dodges the punch combination from Grachev.
Grachev moves into range and connects with a jab.
Grachev waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Takumi.
Takumi has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
No joy there for Takumi, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Grachev fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
The fight stays on the outside here - Grachev looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Takumi moves out of range as Grachev strikes.
Grachev swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grachev has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Vulfgang Takumi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice body punch from Grachev.
Takumi fails to land with a series of punches.
Nice uppercut lands for Grachev. That snapped Takumi's head back.
Grachev throws a body shot but no joy.
Grachev throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Takumi moves out of range as Grachev throws a body kick.
A jab lands there for Grachev.
Grachev jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Takumi is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Grachev with a body shot.
Grachev lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Takumi circles away quickly and effectively.
Takumi is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
A shot to the liver by Grachev. Beautiful body shot.
Takumi throws a right and a left that Grachev avoids nicely.
Grachev jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Takumi misses with a combination
and Grachev counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Stepan Grachev dominated that second round.
That's time! Grachev's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. And we move into the final round!

Grachev throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Takumi throws a series of punches but Grachev moves out of range.
Grachev connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Takumi misses with a jab, cross combination.
Grachev stuns Takumi with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Grachev is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Takumi.
Takumi unleashes a big counter combination but Grachev bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Grachev scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Grachev lands a nice shot to the body.
Takumi chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Grachev can pounce on him.
Takumi throws a hook to the side of Grachev's head but Grachev sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Grachev looks to land a left hand but Takumi moved out of range nicely.
Takumi looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Takumi moves away from the strike by Grachev.
It seemed like Takumi was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Grachev fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Takumi has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Grachev moves in looking to clinch but Takumi pushes him off.
Grachev scores with a jab to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Takumi throws a right hand that Grachev ducks under and follows up with a left that Grachev also avoids with ease.
Grachev is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Takumi can do to turn this around?
A solid leg kick lands there for Grachev.
Takumi misses with a wild combination.
Grachev scores with a nice right hand.
Grachev uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Takumi.
A nice combination there by Takumi.
Takumi connects with a nice looking jab.
Grachev moves out of range of the strikes.
Grachev throwing a counter right hand but Takumi manages to avoid it.
Grachev jabs at Takumi's body.
Good exchange - Grachev coming out on top.
Grachev misses with an uppercut. Takumi saw that one coming.
Takumi swinging wildly here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Takumi takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Grachev throws out a loose jab but Takumi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Takumi doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Takumi throws a jab when Grachev was well out of range.
Grachev misses with a straight right.
Grachev keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Takumi misses the shot to the body.
Takumi misses with a body shot.
Grachev tests Takumi's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Grachev takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
No joy there for Takumi, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Takumi throws a combination that misses
and Grachev counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Grachev rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Takumi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Grachev jabs Takumi to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Stepan Grachev is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takumi scores with a body shot.
Takumi shoots in for a takedown but Grachev shows good takedown defense.
Takumi takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Grachev clinches.
Grachev doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Takumi takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Grachev swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Takumi looking to stall.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grachev is struggling to control the position.
Grachev working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Takumi taking a breather.
Grachev lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Takumi or not.
Vulfgang Takumi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Takumi slowing the pace effectively.

And that's the end of the fight!
Stepan Grachev showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Grachev 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Stepan Grachev!