PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Alex Novaks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ricky Shopionus (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Shopionus has chosen Truck stop - Baja maja as his entrance music. Alex Novaks has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Novaks
vs
Shopionus

192 cm
21
221 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

186 cm
28
215 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Bad Man Clothing (Nothing Over $40)

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Alex Novaks!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Ricky Shopionus!
The judges for this bout are Russell Pearce, Chad Campbell and Joseph Jones.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Novaks lands a right hook to the body.
Novaks fails in his attempt to clinch.

Novaks moves into the clinch successfully.
Shopionus lands with a short shot to the head.
Shopionus managing to block the knees to the body from Novaks.
Our sources have told us that Novaks has been working on his knees in the buildup to the fight.
Shopionus tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Shopionus lands a nice uppercut.
Novaks misses with a knee to the head.
Still in the clinch, Novaks scores with a nice short uppercut.
Novaks has Shopionus pushed against the cage.
Novaks looking to stall.
Novaks using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Shopionus has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Novaks with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Shopionus scores with a shoulder strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shopionus looking to stall.
With the fighters up against the cage, Shopionus throws an elbow but misses.
Shopionus struggles to land a body shot inside as Novaks controls his hands.
Shopionus scores with a shot to the side of Novaks's head.
Shopionus misses with a hook from the clinch.
Shopionus lands an uppercut.
A short body shot lands from Shopionus as the two fighters clinch.
Novaks tries a knee to the head but Shopionus blocks it.
Novaks stalling in the clinch but Shopionus improves position.
Novaks tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Novaks misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Shopionus.
Novaks with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Shopionus lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Novaks scores with a shot to the side of Shopionus's head.
Shopionus misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
A short right from Novaks on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shopionus tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Shopionus tries to work over Novaks's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Novaks tries to land a knee to the head but Shopionus blocks with his arms.
Shopionus content to slow the pace in the clinch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Shopionus blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Shopionus managing to block the knees to the body from Novaks.
Novaks throws a knee to the head but misses.
Shopionus tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Novaks blocking some punches.
Novaks with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Shopionus can't find room to land a body shot as Novaks controls the action.
Novaks misses with a knee strike.
Shopionus can't find room to land a body shot as Novaks controls the action.
Shopionus doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Novaks wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Novaks misses with a knee strike.
A head punch on the inside from Novaks fails to land.
Novaks with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shopionus swings wildly with an uppercut but Novaks uses good head movement to avoid it.
Shopionus tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Shopionus lands a left hand.
Novaks misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Shopionus tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Shopionus tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Novaks's elbow.
Shopionus swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Novaks throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Shopionuss head.
Shopionus misses with a body punch.
Novaks blocking some punches.
Novaks with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Novaks.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Shopionus.
A left hand lands to the body for Shopionus.
Novaks tries a knee to the head but Shopionus blocks it.
Novaks misses with a punch on the inside.
Novaks with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Novaks with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Novaks is breathing heavily.
Novaks lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Shopionus backwards.
Shopionus lands with a short head shot on the inside.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Novaks's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Shopionus lands with a left to the head.

Novaks is rocked!
Still in the clinch, Shopionus scores with a nice short uppercut.
Oh Novaks is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Shopionus creates some distance for himself and unleashes a massive uppercut that sends Novaks's eyes rolling into the back of his head! Novaks drops to his knees and Shopionus pours it on with more strikes until the referee steps in to end the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:28 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Ricky Shopionus!
Ricky Shopionus decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.