PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Roberto Fabinho (ranked 1256 p4p, 1479 weight class) and Ilya Kushnirov (ranked 171 p4p, 198 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Fabinho might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Glowed Up - Kaytranada. Ilya Kushnirov is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Fabinho
vs
Kushnirov

193 cm
21
200
2 - 1 - 0

175 cm
21
195
3 - 2 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Roberto Fabinho!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ilya Kushnirov!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Percy O'Donnell and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kushnirov misses with an uppercut. Fabinho saw that one coming.
Kushnirov throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Fabinho changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kushnirov tries to avoid it but Fabinho manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kushnirov to the ground. Kushnirov escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Kushnirov misses with a looping left.
Fabinho uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kushnirov.
Fabinho feinted with a counter takedown.
Kushnirov misses with an uppercut. Fabinho saw that one coming.
Fabinho tries to counter with a takedown but Kushnirov is quick to defend against it.
Kushnirov looks to land a left hand but Fabinho moved out of range nicely.
Kushnirov dips to his left and cracks Fabinho with an uppercut!
Kushnirov slips a straight right by Fabinho.
Fabinho tries to bum rush Kushnirov with a series of wild strikes but Kushnirov uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Kushnirov missing with a left hand there. Fabinho was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Kushnirov misses with a wild body shot.
Fabinho defending well as Kushnirov loads up on a big left hand.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kushnirov moves out of range of the strikes.
Fabinho throws a lazy right hand but Kushnirov sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Kushnirov throws a jab but it's blocked by Fabinho.
Jab, jab by Kushnirov - just one landing.
Fabinho slips a straight right by Kushnirov.
Ilya Kushnirov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Fabinho throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kushnirov missing with a left hand there. Fabinho was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fabinho fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kushnirov manages to avoid it.
Kushnirov might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Kushnirov avoids the body shot from Fabinho.
Nice uppercut there from Kushnirov.
Fabinho looks to land a right hand but Kushnirov moved out of range.
Fabinho moves out of range as Kushnirov strikes.
A big left from Kushnirov misses.
Kushnirov punishes Fabinho's body with a nice straight punch.
Kushnirov misses the jab.
Fabinho slips a jab from Kushnirov.
Nice jab there from Kushnirov.
Fabinho shoots for a double leg takedown but Kushnirov sprawls well. He's pushed Fabinho's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Kushnirov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Fabinho.
Fabinho swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A jab from Kushnirov misses.
Kushnirov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Fabinho moves away.
Some wild striking there from Fabinho.
Kushnirov misses with the combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kushnirov throws a looping overhand right but Fabinho ducks down to avoid it.
Ilya Kushnirov is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Fabinho keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov with a nice cross.
Kushnirov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Fabinho slips a jab from Kushnirov.
Fabinho feinted with a counter takedown.
Fabinho fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Roberto Fabinho. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Fabinho uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Fabinho.
Kushnirov closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Fabinho throws a hook to the side of Kushnirov's head but Kushnirov sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Fabinho shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Kushnirov defends it nicely.
Kushnirov digs a good body shot into Fabinho's ribs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fabinho misses with a looping right.
Fabinho shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Kushnirov as he avoids it easily.
Kushnirov takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Kushnirov throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kushnirov cracks a nice hook into Fabinho's ribs.
Kushnirov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Fabinho.
Kushnirov throws an overhand right that lands on Fabinho's shoulder, as Fabinho tries to avoid the shot.
Fabinho missing with a left hand there. Kushnirov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Fabinho moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
A big right from Fabinho misses.
Fabinho connects with a right hand. Kushnirov shakes it off.
Kushnirov throws out a loose jab but Fabinho uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kushnirov missing with a left hand there. Fabinho was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Fabinho scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Kushnirov closes the distance and lands a one-two.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Some wild striking there from Kushnirov.
Fabinho drops down looking for a counter takedown but Kushnirov sprawls and moves away.
Fabinho misses with a right hand
and Kushnirov counters with a stiff right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kushnirov scores with a three punch combo!
Kushnirov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Fabinho.
Fabinho defending well as Kushnirov loads up on a big left hand.
Kushnirov lands a glancing blow to the side of Fabinho's head.
Kushnirov misses with an uppercut. Fabinho saw that one coming.
A slow jab from Kushnirov misses its intended target.
Kushnirov looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Fabinho moves out of range of the strikes.
Fabinho slips under a jab from Kushnirov.
Fabinho looks to score with a jab to the body but Kushnirov is just out of range.

Fabinho gets the takedown into side control.
Fabinho controlling the position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ilya Kushnirov dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Fabinho connects with a single shot there.
Fabinho connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Fabinho ducks under a wild hook from Kushnirov.
Fabinho feinted with a counter takedown.

Fabinho decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.

Kushnirov makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Nice defenses there by Fabinho.
Fabinho scores with a crisp jab that stopped Kushnirov in his tracks.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Fabinho fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Kushnirov avoids it really well and circles away.
Kushnirov let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
A swing and a miss from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov scores with a nice right hand.
A telegraphed right hand from Kushnirov misses the target.
Kushnirov looks to land a right hand but Fabinho moved out of range.
Fabinho shoots in and drives through. Kushnirov sprawls well.
Fabinho takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
The fighters circling - Kushnirov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kushnirov staying out of range there.
Kushnirov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Fabinho.
Kushnirov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Fabinho sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Good shot there by Kushnirov.
Fabinho throws a jab but it's blocked by Kushnirov.
Fabinho slips a jab from Kushnirov.
Kushnirov avoids the body shot from Fabinho.
Kushnirov scores with the left hand. Fabinho knows he should have avoided that one.
Kushnirov misses with a wild combination.
Kushnirov tests Fabinho's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Kushnirov uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Fabinho has time to react.
Fabinho throws a jab when Kushnirov was well out of range.
Kushnirov moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Kushnirov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A big left from Kushnirov misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kushnirov scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Kushnirov lands a jab.
Fabinho avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kushnirov with a hook.
Kushnirov misses with a two punch combination.
Fabinho attempts a counter takedown but Kushnirov avoids it well and moves away.
Kushnirov throws a big shot that misses.
Fabinho appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Kushnirov misses the jab.
Fabinho looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Kushnirov is fending him off so far but Fabinho persists. Nope, Kushnirov circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Roberto Fabinho. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Fabinho throws the left hand but Kushnirov avoids the punch easily.
Fabinho shoots for a takedown but Kushnirov saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Fabinho takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Kushnirov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Kushnirov missing with a left hand there. Fabinho was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Fabinho bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Kushnirov lands with a right hand.
Kushnirov swinging wildly here.
Fabinho half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A slow jab from Kushnirov misses its intended target.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Fabinho, as that shot connected.
Kushnirov throws a big shot that misses.
Kushnirov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Fabinho throws out the jab.
Fabinho will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Kushnirov fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Kushnirov misses with a straight left.
Fabinho keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Fabinho avoids the body shot from Kushnirov.
Fabinho rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kushnirov moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Fabinho fails to land the takedown.
Kushnirov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Kushnirov lands a jab to Fabinho's midsection.
Fabinho fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Kushnirov avoids it really well and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fabinho throws a jab but it's blocked by Kushnirov.
Kushnirov throws out a powerful jab.
Fabinho staying out of range there.
Fabinho throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Fabinho punishes Kushnirov's body with a nice straight punch.
Fabinho throws a right hand that Kushnirov ducks under and follows up with a left that Kushnirov also avoids with ease.
Fabinho looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Kushnirov throws a hook but Fabinho blocks it.
Kushnirov misses the shot to the body.
Fabinho avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kushnirov misses the shot to the body.
Fabinho takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Kushnirov cracks Fabinho with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Kushnirov fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kushnirov lands a right hook to the body.
Kushnirov lands a jab to Fabinho's midsection.
Kushnirov sizes up Fabinho with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
A jab from Kushnirov does it's job there.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ilya Kushnirov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Fabinho moves out of range of the strikes.
Kushnirov throws a jab but it's blocked by Fabinho.
Kushnirov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Fabinho.
Kushnirov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Kushnirov misses with a looping right.
Fabinho misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kushnirov.
Fabinho closes this distance looking for a takedown but Kushnirov circles away.
Kushnirov swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Fabinho slips under a jab from Kushnirov.
Fabinho drops down looking for a counter takedown but Kushnirov sprawls and moves away.
Kushnirov misses with a straight left.
Kushnirov throws a body shot but no joy.
Fabinho appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Nice shot lands for Kushnirov.
Kushnirov lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kushnirov throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Fabinho stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Kushnirov misses with a looping right.
Kushnirov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Kushnirov throws a jab when Fabinho was well out of range.
A telegraphed right hand from Kushnirov misses the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fabinho shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Kushnirov as he jumps to the side.
Fabinho uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kushnirov.
Fabinho attempts a counter takedown but Kushnirov avoids it well and moves away.
Fabinho moves forwards but Kushnirov connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Fabinho throws a jab when Kushnirov was well out of range.
A big left from Kushnirov misses.
A jab from Kushnirov misses.
Fabinho misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Kushnirov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Fabinho moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kushnirov just misses with a punch to the body.
Fabinho fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Kushnirov avoids it really well and circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Roberto Fabinho. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Fabinho blocks a jab.
Nice defenses there by Fabinho.

Fabinho closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Fabinho is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Kushnirov!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kushnirov is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Kushnirov is trying to escape the mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kushnirov is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Kushnirov tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Fabinho is working for a guillotine from mount but Kushnirov frees his head quite easily.

Fabinho jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Kushnirov is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Kushnirov and Fabinho has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
Kushnirov is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Fabinho asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Ilya Kushnirov is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Roberto Fabinho has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Fabinho scoring with punches from side control.
Kushnirov is trying to improve his position.

Fabinho goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Kushnirov rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Fabinho's guard! Nice work there by Kushnirov!
Kushnirov trying to control but Fabinho is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fabinho is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Fabinho lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Fabinho in particular looking to stall.
Fabinho lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

Fabinho is looking for a kimura here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ilya Kushnirov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Kushnirov winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ilya Kushnirov!
Ilya Kushnirov seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.
The defeated Roberto Fabinho had this to say: 'Man that was a tough fight. I didnï¿½t take my opponent very seriously leading up to this fight but Iï¿½ll keep going. I know Iï¿½m the most dangerous in this division and will get that gold eventually'.