PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Piotr Rasputin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jim Dangle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jim Dangle has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Rasputin
vs
Dangle

198 cm
29
280 lbs
17 - 4 - 0

194 cm
29
239 lbs
18 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

Conviction

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Balco Boys - Hilo

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Piotr Rasputin!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jim Dangle!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Alan Glass and Robert Twigg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dangle takes a jab right on the kisser.
Dangle lands with a good body shot.
Rasputin does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Rasputin misses with a straight right.
Rasputin misses with a jab to the body

so Dangle counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Dangle in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Dangle tries to free his leg and advance position but Rasputin is retaining full guard.
Dangle thows a big elbow that misses.
Rasputin looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Rasputin can't keep his opponent in guard - Dangle advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Rasputin gets full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rasputin keeping full guard, as Dangle tries to pass.

Dangle drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Rasputin manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Dangle has Rasputin in his guard.
Rasputin's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Rasputin has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Dangle lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Rasputin!
Dangle avoids the attempt from Rasputin to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dangle misses with a head shot.
Rasputin holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Dangle tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Dangle postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Rasputin looks a forlorn figure.
Rasputin is trying to escape the mount.
Dangle connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Rasputin is trying desperately to improve position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dangle looking to ground and pound but Rasputin is blocking nicely.
Dangle breaks from Rasputin's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Dangle scoring with strikes but Rasputin is staying in there.
Rasputin is trying desperately to improve position.
Dangle throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Dangle controlling the pace for now.
Rasputin wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Dangle.
Dangle pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dangle trying to control but Rasputin is having none of it.
Dangle with the ground and pound from mount.
Dangle throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Rasputin wants to control but Dangle is having none of it.
Dangle is in the full mount, landing strikes.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dangle prevents Rasputin from getting the reversal.
Dangle unloading with bombs!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jim Dangle dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Dangle moves into range and connects with a jab.
Rasputin throws a predictable looking body shot
and Dangle counters with a nice body shot.
Dangle keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Rasputin.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Dangle. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.

Oooooh!!! Rasputin has knocked Dangle down with a huge combo! Rasputin steps away and waves a wobbly Dangle back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!

It looks like Jim Dangle has been cut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The crowd cheers as Dangle lands an impressive looking overhand right. Rasputin doesn't seem phased though.
Rasputin misses with a shot to the body
and Dangle counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Rasputin misses with a low kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rasputin misses with a body punch

and Dangle counters with a nice double leg into side control. Rasputin won't be happy with that.
Dangle trying to control the position but Rasputin is working away.
Rasputin is trying to improve his position.
Dangle looking to control but instead Rasputin has slipped a leg in, to regain half guard.
Jim Dangle has got the better of the ground game so far.
Dangle moves nicely into side control.
Rasputin is trying to control Dangle's posture but Dangle avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dangle lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Dangle has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

Dangle is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Rasputin is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Dangle throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Dangle trying to control the position but Rasputin is working away.
Rasputin manages to work his way to half guard, despite Dangle's best efforts.
Dangle is looking to take a break and control but Rasputin is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dangle seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Dangle throwing shots but Rasputin is blocking nicely.
Rasputin wants to control but Dangle is keeping busy.
Dangle controlling the action here.
Dangle is looking to take a break and control but Rasputin is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Dangle thows a huge punch but Rasputin dodges it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Dangle wants to control but Rasputin is keeping him busy.
Dangle seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

Jim Dangle has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Rasputin connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Piotr Rasputin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rasputin swings and misses with a shot to the body

so Dangle counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Dangle trying to control but Rasputin is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Jim Dangle will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Jim Dangle's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Rasputin tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Dangle is able to avoid easily.
Dangle chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Rasputin can pounce on him.
Piotr Rasputin is winning the standup battle so far.
The fighters circling - Rasputin throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Rasputin looks to land a body kick but Dangle moved away.
Dangle slips a straight right by Rasputin.
Rasputin throws a left and a right that both miss
and Dangle counters with a stiff right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dangle misses with the body kick
and Rasputin counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Dangle displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rasputin throws out the jab.
Rasputin lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Nice defenses there by Dangle.
A slow jab from Rasputin misses its intended target.
Dangle fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Rasputin is out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin misses with a looping right.
Rasputin misses with a body shot.
Piotr Rasputin is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rasputin jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Dangle slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Rasputin misses with a hook to the body

and Dangle counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Rasputin is trying to maintain the position but Dangle is very close to passing his half guard.
Dangle is trying to control. Rasputin wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dangle throws a strike but Rasputin avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Dangle missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Dangle looking to pass the guard.
Rasputin pulls Dangle in close to his closed guard and prevents Dangle from doing any damage or advancing position.
Rasputin avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Dangle loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Dangle throwing strikes from guard but Rasputin blocks nicely.
Dangle preventing the sweep.
Dangle working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Dangle wants to control from the top but Rasputin keeps moving.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Rasputin misses with a body shot
and Dangle counters with a slapping leg kick.
Rasputin jabbing away but nothing is landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Piotr Rasputin clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Jim Dangle's cut.
That's time! Rasputin's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Rasputin misses with a wild body shot.
Dangle lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Rasputin falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Dangle counter with a right hand.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Dangle.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dangle throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Rasputin sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dangle lands a nice hook to Rasputin's body. Rasputin takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Dangle has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rasputin finds it's way round the side to connect with Dangle's head.
A combination from Rasputin does no damage.
Rasputin misses with a shot to the body

and Dangle counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Dangle.
Rasputin is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rasputin is figuring out what he wants to do next.

Dangle is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Rasputin pulls his head out easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dangle has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Rasputin is working away from the top position though.
Rasputin is keen to just control but Dangle is a slippery customer.

Dangle is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Rasputin pulls his head out easily.
Dangle wants to improve his position but Rasputin is controlling well.
Rasputin is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Dangle is trying to control but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Piotr Rasputin.
Rasputin swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Rasputin takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Rasputin swings for the body but Dangle moves out of range.
Rasputin throws a sloppy body shot

and Dangle counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Rasputin is staying active underneath Dangle, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Rasputin wants to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Dangle in particular looking to stall.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Dangle missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

Rasputin is defending against the submission attempts here by Dangle.
Rasputin keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Dangle tries to pass to full mount but Rasputin defends it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rasputin is pressing down on Dangle's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Jim Dangle will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Jim Dangle'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. This is the final round!

Rasputin misses the jab.
Dangle displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rasputin throws out the jab.
Rasputin throws a body punch but Dangle moves out of range.
Dangle fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
A big left from Rasputin misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rasputin lands with a thumping leg kick.
Rasputin throws a body punch but Dangle moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rasputin thows a left - swing and a miss!
A low kick from Rasputin misses

and Dangle counters with a shoot takedown. Rasputin fights it but they end up in guard.
Rasputin is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Dangle dives into side control.
Dangle looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Rasputin is avoiding damage well.
You can see the frustration on Rasputin's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Dangle tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin wants to control but Dangle postures up.

Dangle tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Rasputin gets back to half guard.
Rasputin keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Piotr Rasputin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dangle thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Dangle is looking for a kimura here.
Dangle wants to lay and pray for a moment but Rasputin keeps working.
Dangle missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Rasputin is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Dangle jumps into side control!

Dangle is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Rasputin is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Rasputin takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Dangle wants to control but Rasputin is keeping him busy.
Rasputin taking punishment in the form of punches.
Dangle in side control, throwing shots but Rasputin defends.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jim Dangle comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Dangle has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 47:49
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 46:49
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 47:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jim Dangle! Jim Dangle retains his heavyweight title!