PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Paul Paul (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mirko Jr Filipovic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mirko Jr Filipovic will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Paul
vs
Jr Filipovic

201 cm
22
250 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

188 cm
22
225 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Enjoys gardening

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 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Paul Paul!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Mirko Jr Filipovic!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Paul keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Filipovic will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Paul moves out of range as Filipovic throws a body kick.

Paul bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Filipovic is trying to improve his position.
Paul working the ground and pound from side control.
Paul will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
You can see the frustration on Filipovic's face as Paul controls the position.
Paul misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Filipovic is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Paul is controlling him well.
Paul taking a breather here.
Filipovic stops Paul from passing to mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paul wants to lay and pray for a moment but Filipovic keeps working.
Filipovic taking punishment in the form of punches.
Paul wants to lay and pray for a moment but Filipovic keeps working.
Paul tries to advance to mount but Filipovic denies him.
Filipovic tries to bench press Paul off him but Paul keeps the position.
Paul in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Paul trying to control the position but Filipovic is working away.
Filipovic is looking to reverse the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Paul working the head and body with strikes.
Paul is chipping away with strikes.
Filipovic tries to bench press Paul off him but Paul keeps the position.
Paul lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Paul moves into full mount!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Paul controlling from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Paul's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Paul Paul just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Paul.
The fight stays on the outside here - Filipovic looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

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.
Filipovic keeps the fight on the outside.
Filipovic thows a body kick. Paul tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Mirko Jr Filipovic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Paul is breathing heavily.
Paul walks forward, straight into a front kick from Filipovic.
Filipovic with a poor takedown

and Paul counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Paul.
Paul Paul has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mirko Jr Filipovic.
Filipovic is trying to control the position but Paul postures up.
Filipovic really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Paul. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Filipovic is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Paul missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Filipovic wants to control the position but Paul says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Well, if Paul is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

Filipovic actively working from the bottom here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Paul dominated that round.
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.

Paul closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Filipovic has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Paul tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Filipovic smiles and moves away.
Filipovic shoots in for a takedown but Paul shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

Paul shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Filipovic manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Paul showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Filipovic looking to hit a scissor sweep but Paul is one step ahead there.
Filipovic manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Paul manages to get himself to full guard.
Paul tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Paul is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Filipovic preventing the sweep.
Paul is looking to stand up but Filipovic isn't so interested in that idea.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Filipovic trying to control the position from guard on top but Paul is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Filipovic scoring with some ground and pound.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Paul is on top in guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Paul looking to sit in guard and control but Filipovic gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Filipovic postures up.
Paul 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.
Paul bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Filipovic's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Paul stops Filipovic from standing up.
Paul sitting in guard, not really doing much.

Filipovic working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Paul doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Paul manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Paul scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Paul is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Filipovic looking to control but Paul passes into half guard.

That's four 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.
Paul working the head and body with strikes.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Paul in particular looking to stall.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Paul connects with a nice short shot to Filipovic's temple.
Filipovic taking some punishment here, with Paul in his half guard.
Paul thows a huge punch but Filipovic dodges it nicely.
Paul wants to free his trapped foot but Filipovic is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Paul wants to take a breather but Filipovic is having none of it.
Paul sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Paul has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Paul dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Filipovic stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Filipovic wants it to stay on the feet.
Paul circles away from the clinch attempt

and Paul holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Filipovic landing knees to the body.
Paul tries to break the clinch but Filipovic is controlling the position.
Paul has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Filipovic is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Filipovic has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Paul is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Paul breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Paul is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Filipovic pushes Paul away with a front kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Filipovic tries for a takedown but Paul circles away easily
and Paul counters with a nice body shot.
Paul Paul is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Filipovic lands a high kick!
Filipovic lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Filipovic fails with the takedown

and Paul counters with a shoot takedown. Filipovic fights it but they end up in guard.
Paul Paul has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mirko Jr Filipovic.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Paul drops back looking for a leg! Filipovic is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Filipovic manages to kick Paul off! Paul jumps back into Filipovic's guard.
Filipovic is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Paul trying to control the position from guard on top but Filipovic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Paul working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Filipovic is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Paul is controlling him.
Paul is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Filipovic pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Filipovic closes the distance but Paul moves to the side

and Paul counters with a nice double leg into side control. Filipovic won't be happy with that.
Paul remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Filipovic is working to avoid the ground and pound but Paul connects with a decent elbow.
Filipovic is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Paul off and has taken his back!
Filipovic is trying to stick to Paul's back but Paul is turning into Filipovic. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Filipovic's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Paul.
Filipovic is striking from the bottom but Paul uses the opportunity to pass into half guard.
Paul is controlling the pace.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Paul tries to pass the half guard into mount. Filipovic knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Paul Paul overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Paul is looking for a kimura but Filipovic is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Paul to get the leverage.
Filipovic tries to kick Paul off but Paul keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Paul has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Paul is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Paul is thwarting Filipovic's attempts to control the position.
Mirko Jr Filipovic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Paul Paul is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Filipovic is trying to stand back up but Paul is controlling him

And that's the end of the fight!
Paul Paul showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Paul, 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Paul Paul!