PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Fuad Aliyev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ivan Karpov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Karpov has chosen Villieläin - Voittamaton as his entrance music. We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Aliyev
vs
Karpov

187 cm
20
210 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

183 cm
18
200 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light 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, Fuad Aliyev!
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, Ivan Karpov!
The judges for this bout are Illya Tyunina, Ivan Kurochkin and Sergei Dronov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
No joy there for Aliyev, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Karpov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Karpov throws a series of punches but Aliyev avoids them all with ease.
Karpov tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Karpov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Karpov takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Aliyev rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Karpov moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Aliyev lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Karpov at a distance.
Karpov tries to clinch there but Aliyev circles away.
Karpov fails with a takedown attempt.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Karpov changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Aliyev fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Fuad Aliyev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ivan Karpov.
Aliyev misses with the combination.
Aliyev misses with a wild combination.
Aliyev closes the distance looking to clinch

and Karpov counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karpov has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Aliyev is proving hard to escape from.
Karpov looks gassed!
Karpov won't allow Aliyev to get back to his feet.
Aliyev keeping moving, preventing Karpov from controlling successfully.
Karpov being controlled here momentarily.
Karpov trying to control the position from guard on top but Aliyev is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Aliyev tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Aliyev seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Aliyev is looking to slow Karpov down with leg kicks.
Aliyev jabs at Karpov's body.

Aliyev feints and as Karpov raises his hands in defense, Aliyev changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Karpov working a defensive guard here.
Karpov 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.
Aliyev wants to stand but Karpov is controlling his posture from full guard.
Karpov is trying to control the position but Aliyev postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Karpov will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Karpov is controlling Aliyev's posture.
Aliyev wants to stand but Karpov is controlling his posture from full guard.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Horrible takedown by Karpov or perhaps it was just good defense by Aliyev which made him look bad.
No joy there for Aliyev, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Karpov misses with a combination
and Aliyev counters with a leg kick.

Aliyev has closed the distance and engaged Karpov in a clinch.
Karpov has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Aliyev is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Karpov breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Aliyev scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Aliyev misses with the combination.
Karpov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aliyev closes the distance but Karpov moves to the side
and Karpov makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Aliyev really felt that one!
Aliyev throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
letting Karpov counter with a right hand.
Aliyev looks to land a combination. Karpov sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

It looks like Ivan Karpov has been cut.
Aliyev attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Aliyev tries to clinch but Karpov moves away
and Karpov counters with a good low kick that Aliyev was not able to check.
Aliyev lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Karpov backs up against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Aliyev fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Aliyev will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Aliyev misses with a two punch combination.
Aliyev misses with a double jab

and Karpov counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Karpov.
Aliyev lands a left hand.
Karpov lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Aliyev backwards.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Karpov tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Aliyev smiles and moves away.
Karpov showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Aliyev.

Karpov has managed to clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fuad Aliyev dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ivan Karpov'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.

Aliyev closes this distance looking for a takedown but Karpov circles away.
Karpov is looking to clinch but Aliyev is avoiding it.

Aliyev gets a takedown into half guard.
Karpov won't allow Aliyev to pass to mount.
Karpov is trying to get back to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Aliyev decides to stand up.
Karpov fails in his attempt to clinch.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Karpov looks to clinch

and Aliyev counters by clinching up.

Aliyev manages to break the clinch.
Aliyev misses with a body shot.
Nice sprawl there from Karpov as Aliyev shoots in.
Karpov misses with a takedown attempt - Aliyev sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
A punch lands to the side of Aliyev 's head but he takes it in his stride.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karpov doesn't manage to clinch there - Aliyev circles away.
Aliyev throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Aliyev crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Karpov - the referee stops the clock and Aliyev gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Karpov. Aliyev manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.

Karpov gets a clinch.
Karpov drops down looking for an ankle pick but Aliyev pulls his leg out and moves away.
Fuad Aliyev is winning the standup battle so far.
Aliyev connects with a body shot.
Decent striking displayed by Aliyev there.
Aliyev is looking to wear down Karpov with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Aliyev looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Fuad Aliyev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Aliyev tries to bum rush Karpov with a series of wild strikes but Karpov uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Karpov scores with a spinning back kick!
Nice sprawl there from Aliyev as Karpov shoots in.
Fuad Aliyev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ivan Karpov.

Karpov changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Aliyev looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Aliyev manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Karpov is looking to take a break and control but Aliyev is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Karpov is working for a submission of some sort.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aliyev is looking to escape.
Karpov missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Karpov wants to pass the guard but Aliyev is defending well.
Aliyev is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Karpov wants to stand up but Aliyev has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Karpov is thwarting Aliyev's attempts to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Aliyev throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Karpov.
Aliyev shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Karpov but Karpov pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Aliyev misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Karpov shoots in and drives through. Aliyev sprawls well.
Karpov walks into a jab.
Aliyev scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

Aliyev fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Karpov, pushing him back against the cage.
Aliyev is trying to break free.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Aliyev.
Aliyev is stalling here.

Karpov escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Aliyev fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Karpov misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Karpov tries for a takedown but Aliyev circles away easily
and Aliyev counters with a left to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Aliyev takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aliyev looks to land a combination. Karpov sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Karpov shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Aliyev as he avoids it easily.
Karpov closes the distance but Aliyev moves to the side

and Aliyev counters by clinching up.
A short right from Aliyev.
Karpov is trying to stall.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Aliyev.
Karpov slows down the pace here.
The is referee keeping an eye on Aliyev - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Aliyev drops down looking for an ankle pick but Karpov pulls his leg out and moves away.
Aliyev walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Karpov checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Karpov gets caught flat footed, as Aliyev shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

Karpov looking for a guillotine here but Aliyev defends easily.
Aliyev controlling from the top position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fuad Aliyev dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ivan Karpov'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!

Karpov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Aliyev as he jumps to the side.

Karpov shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Karpov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Karpov must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Aliyev lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Karpov!
Aliyev controlling his opponent.
Aliyev avoids the attempt from Karpov to control.
Aliyev content just to control the position here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karpov tries to hold on but Aliyev postures up.
Karpov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Aliyev looking to control and managing it successfully.
Aliyev wants to control the pace but Karpov is squirming around nicely.
Aliyev controlling his opponent.
Aliyev avoids the attempt from Karpov to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Aliyev looking to control and managing it successfully.
Aliyev avoids the attempt from Karpov to control.
Aliyev tries to control but Karpov wriggling away.
Aliyev looking to control and managing it successfully.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Fuad Aliyev just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Aliyev swats away the attempt to clinch by Karpov.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aliyev displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Karpov throws out the jab.
Fuad Aliyev is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Aliyev wants to clinch but Karpov slips to the side

and Karpov counters by clinching up.

Aliyev manages to break the clinch.

Karpov has taken the fight to the clinch.
Aliyev blocking some punches.
Aliyev is trying to break free.
Aliyev drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Aliyev softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Karpov trying to stall but Aliyev improves his position.
Karpov tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Aliyev just stands there and leans against the cage.
Aliyev gets underhooks to prevent Karpov's takedown attempt.
Fuad Aliyev has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ivan Karpov.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Aliyev.

Aliyev breaks from the clinch.
Karpov wants to clinch but Aliyev slips to the side
and Aliyev makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Karpov shoots in for a takedown but Aliyev shows good takedown defense.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aliyev fails to land the takedown.
Karpov scores with a nice body kick.

Karpov gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Karpov can do anything to dispel that myth.
Aliyev trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Aliyev wanted to stand there but Karpov had control of the position.
Karpov wants to stand and escape but Aliyev is having none of it.
Karpov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Aliyev is one step ahead there.
Aliyev trying to control the position from guard on top but Karpov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Aliyev gets to his feet - Karpov follows without any prompting.

And that's the end of the fight!
Fuad Aliyev showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Aliyev 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 Illya Tyunina scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 30:27
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Fuad Aliyev!