PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ilya Kushnevich (ranked 24419 p4p, 2892 weight class) and Islam Nurmagomedov (ranked 612 p4p, 354 weight class). Ilya Kushnevich had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Kushnevich
vs
Nurmagomedov

179 cm
19
160
0 - 2 - 0

175 cm
25
155
1 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Prefers standup

Conquer

The Dirty Needle Project

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 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ilya Kushnevich!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Islam Nurmagomedov!
The judges for this bout are Franklyn Lucas, Anthony Taglia and Jonathan Paton.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nurmagomedov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kushnevich drops down looking for a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov sprawls and moves away.
Nurmagomedov has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Kushnevich is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Kushnevich throws a head kick that misses.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Nurmagomedov! But no joy.
We've been hearing reports that Kushnevich has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Nurmagomedov takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Kushnevich on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Nurmagomedov lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kushnevich circles away quickly and effectively.
Nurmagomedov keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nurmagomedov staying out of range there.
Nurmagomedov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kushnevich looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Nurmagomedov is fending him off so far but Kushnevich persists. Nope, Nurmagomedov circles away and we're back to standing.
As Kushnevich backs off Nurmagomedov throws a huge counter combo but Kushnevich manages to avoid it all.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kushnevich showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nurmagomedov.
Kushnevich tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Nurmagomedov manages to circle out of the way.
Kushnevich shoots for a takedown but Nurmagomedov saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ilya Kushnevich. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A chopping leg kick lands by Kushnevich.
Nurmagomedov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nurmagomedov works over Kushnevich's head and body with a nice combination.
Nurmagomedov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nurmagomedov will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kushnevich feinted with a counter takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kushnevich gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Kushnevich moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Kushnevich avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kushnevich catches Nurmagomedov with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from Nurmagomedov misses.
Nurmagomedov takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
A low kick lands for Kushnevich.
Kushnevich moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Nurmagomedov scores with a decent looking hook.
Kushnevich slips a jab and a cross from Nurmagomedov.
Kushnevich drops down looking for a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov sprawls and moves away.
Nurmagomedov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Kushnevich feinted with a counter takedown.
Nurmagomedov bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Kushnevich's head backwards.
A punch combination from Nurmagomedov misses.
Kushnevich appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kushnevich thumps Nurmagomedov with a low kick.
Nurmagomedov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Left hook, right uppercut from Nurmagomedov.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nurmagomedov misses with a hook. Kushnevich ducked under it nicely.
Nurmagomedov leaves Kushnevich with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Kushnevich with a poor takedown
enabling Nurmagomedov to counter with a crisp jab.
Kushnevich fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Nurmagomedov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Islam Nurmagomedov dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

A punch combination from Nurmagomedov misses.
Nurmagomedov misses with a series of wild punches.
Kushnevich attempts a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov avoids it well and moves away.
Kushnevich closes this distance looking for a takedown but Nurmagomedov circles away.
Nurmagomedov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Some wild striking there from Nurmagomedov.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kushnevich scores with a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kushnevich gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
enabling Nurmagomedov to counter with a crisp jab.
Kushnevich looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Nurmagomedov is fending him off so far but Kushnevich persists. Nope, Nurmagomedov circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ilya Kushnevich. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kushnevich tries a head kick but it misses.
Islam Nurmagomedov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nurmagomedov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Some wild striking there from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov jabs at Kushnevich's body.
Nurmagomedov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kushnevich jabs Nurmagomedov right on the nose. Nurmagomedov blinks but takes it well.
Nurmagomedov throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Kushnevich half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Nurmagomedov lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
A jab from Nurmagomedov misses.
Islam Nurmagomedov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kushnevich misses with a leg kick
and Nurmagomedov counters with a left to the body.
Nurmagomedov chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Kushnevich can pounce on him.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nurmagomedov moves out of range as Kushnevich strikes.
Nurmagomedov lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Kushnevich throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Nurmagomedov gets caught flat footed, as Kushnevich shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Kushnevich engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Nurmagomedov really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Kushnevich. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Kushnevich throws a big right hand that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Kushnevich controls the pace.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kushnevich wants to pass the guard but Nurmagomedov is keeping the position.
Kushnevich seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Kushnevich has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kushnevich slips a jab and a cross from Nurmagomedov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Islam Nurmagomedov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Nurmagomedov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kushnevich moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kushnevich cracks Nurmagomedov with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Nurmagomedov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Nurmagomedov swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Kushnevich counters with a nice double leg into side control. Nurmagomedov won't be happy with that.
Kushnevich misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
A lull in the action here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kushnevich is looking to take a break and control but Nurmagomedov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kushnevich taking a breather here.
Kushnevich is looking to take a break and control but Nurmagomedov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Kushnevich controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Kushnevich lands a leg kick that knocks Nurmagomedov off balance momentarily.
Kushnevich showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Kushnevich.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kushnevich fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Nurmagomedov is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Nurmagomedov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Kushnevich drops down looking for a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov sprawls and moves away.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kushnevich lands a nice looking kick to the body. Nurmagomedov takes a step back to recover.
Nurmagomedov throws a hook to the side of Kushnevich's head but Kushnevich sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kushnevich wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Nurmagomedov leaves Kushnevich with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Nurmagomedov appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
A thudding body kick lands there by Kushnevich!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kushnevich shoots and misses
and Nurmagomedov counters with a nice uppercut.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ilya Kushnevich. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kushnevich connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Nurmagomedov throws a right hand that Kushnevich ducks under and follows up with a left that Kushnevich also avoids with ease.
Kushnevich seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Ilya Kushnevich has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nurmagomedov moves out of range of the body kick from Kushnevich.
Kushnevich explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Nurmagomedov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Islam Nurmagomedov is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Nurmagomedov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Ilya Kushnevich.
I think Nurmagomedov 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Islam Nurmagomedov!