PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Uga Buga (ranked 4111 p4p, 5595 weight class) and Timur Vasiliev (ranked 462 p4p, 528 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Buga
vs
Vasiliev

201 cm
30
265
6 - 6 - 0

185 cm
31
289
13 - 10 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

Highland Clothing

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 6 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Uga Buga!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 10 - 0, fighting out of London, Timur Vasiliev!
The judges for this bout are Paul Tew, Richard Clark and William Gold.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Buga's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Buga duly obliges.

It looks like Timur Vasiliev has been cut.
Buga fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Vasiliev tries to close the distance and clinch up but Buga swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Buga lands with a shot to the body.
Vasiliev takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Buga jabs at Vasiliev's body.
Buga scores with a jab. Vasiliev acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Vasiliev takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Vasiliev clinches up with Buga and pushes him back against the cage.
Buga has Vasiliev pressed against the cage.
Buga working hard to break the clinch.
Vasiliev's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Buga tries a body shot but Vasiliev blocks it.
Buga has had enough of the clinch but Vasiliev keeps him there for the moment.
Vasiliev jumps guard but Buga turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Buga makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Vasiliev changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Buga fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Buga connects with the punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vasiliev moves into range and clinches up with Buga.
Buga doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Buga definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Vasiliev is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.

Vasiliev breaks the clinch.

Vasiliev closes the distance and clinches.
Buga working hard to break the clinch.

Buga breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up but Buga circles away and keeps his distance.

Vasiliev forces Buga back against the cage and clinches.
Buga swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Vasiliev keeps control of Buga as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Vasiliev blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Buga fails to land.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Vasiliev.

Buga breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Vasiliev clinches up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Buga misses with a punch to the body.
Vasiliev blocking some punches.
Vasiliev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Vasiliev blocking some punches.

Buga breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Timur Vasiliev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Buga manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Vasiliev rushes Buga and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A bit of stalling here from Vasiliev.
The referee is keeping an eye on Buga - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Buga wants to stall.
Vasiliev blocks a body shot from Buga.
Vasiliev is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Buga pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Uga Buga has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Timur Vasiliev.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Vasiliev has Buga pushed against the cage.
Buga working hard to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Vasiliev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Vasiliev clinches with his opponent.
Buga lands a body shot.
Buga misses with a hook from the clinch.
Vasiliev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Buga working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Buga tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Buga tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Vasiliev's elbow.
Buga lands a body shot.

Buga pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Vasiliev is looking to clinch.

Vasiliev moves into range and clinches up with Buga.
Buga taking a breather.
Buga misses with some punches.
Vasiliev fails to pull guard.
Buga misses with a punch on the inside.

Buga breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buga lands with a straight right. Vasiliev didn't see that one coming.
The fight stays on the outside here - Vasiliev looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Vasiliev fails with an attempt to clinch.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Buga manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Buga throws a series of punches but Vasiliev avoids them all with ease.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Buga misses with a body shot.
Vasiliev feints a counter leg kick.
Buga throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Buga lands with a shot to the body.
Buga throws a body shot but no joy.
Vasiliev is looking to clinch.
A little feinted left hand from Buga on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up
and Buga counters with a series of strikes. Vasiliev will be more careful next time no doubt.
Buga uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Vasiliev has time to react.

That has opened up Timur Vasiliev's cut even more.
Buga lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Uga Buga dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Timur Vasiliev'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.

Vasiliev on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Vasiliev moves in looking to clinch but Buga pushes him off.
Buga fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Vasiliev on the side of the head.
Buga misses with a wild body shot.
Buga fails to land with a series of punches.
Buga keeps the fight on the outside.

Vasiliev closes the distance and clinches.
Uga Buga has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Buga working hard to break the clinch.
Buga stops a takedown attempt from Vasiliev.
Buga trying to stall but Vasiliev improves his position.
Buga is working Vasiliev over against the cage.

Vasiliev breaks the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Buga jabs Vasiliev to the body, keeping him at a distance.

Vasiliev moves into the clinch.
Buga works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Buga is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Vasiliev displaying some good clinch control by pressing Buga up against the cage.
Buga taking a breather.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vasiliev manages to pull guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Vasiliev can do anything to dispel that myth.
Vasiliev is trying to control the position but Buga postures up.
Vasiliev looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Vasiliev trying to keep a closed guard but Buga is proving a slippery customer.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Vasiliev working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Buga doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Buga manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

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.
Buga working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Vasiliev wants to sweep here but Buga controlling him for the moment.
Buga will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Buga is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Vasiliev tries to close the distance and clinch but Buga swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Vasiliev fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Buga, pushing him back against the cage.
Buga tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Vasiliev jumps guard but Buga stands there with Vasiliev around his waist. Vasiliev gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Buga.
Buga working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Buga is trying to break free.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Buga goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Vasiliev is trying to pull guard but Buga turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Uga Buga has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Timur Vasiliev.
Buga softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Buga.
Buga stops a takedown attempt from Vasiliev.
Buga tries to break free but Vasiliev pushes him back against the cage.
Buga taking a breather.
Vasiliev takes a shot to the head.

Vasiliev has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Buga uses from the top position.
Vasiliev is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Vasiliev looking to hit a scissor sweep but Buga is one step ahead there.
Buga showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vasiliev controls Buga momentarily but Buga frees himself.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Vasiliev wants to stand up but Buga is controlling him.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Uga Buga dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Timur Vasiliev'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!

Buga misses with a two punch combination.

Vasiliev clinches with his opponent.
Buga is looking to control Vasiliev's arms but Vasiliev gets an underhook and turns him. Now Buga has his back to the cage.
Buga is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vasiliev can do to turn this around?
Buga misses with a punch on the inside.

Vasiliev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Uga Buga is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Buga scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Vasiliev moves into the clinch.
Buga pushes Vasiliev back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Buga misses with a hook to the ribs.

Buga pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Vasiliev tries to close the distance and clinch but Buga swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Buga appears to be looking for a big counter.
Buga throws a right hand that Vasiliev ducks under and follows up with a left that Vasiliev also avoids with ease.
Vasiliev is looking to clinch but Buga is avoiding it.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Buga manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Buga throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Vasiliev clinches with his opponent.

Vasiliev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A punch combination from Buga misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vasiliev closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Buga wants to break free but Vasiliev has control.
Buga fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Vasiliev pulls Buga into guard.

Vasiliev is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Buga is aware though and is defending well.
Vasiliev is trying to keep Buga in close.

Vasiliev throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Buga throwing strikes from guard but Vasiliev blocks nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vasiliev seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Vasiliev being controlled here, momentarily.
Vasiliev is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Vasiliev moves in looking to clinch but Buga pushes him off.
Buga tries to bum rush Vasiliev with a series of wild strikes but Vasiliev uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Buga lands a jab to the nose.
Vasiliev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Buga manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Vasiliev moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Buga tries to throw a body punch but Vasiliev avoids it by throwing Buga back against the cage.

Vasiliev's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Vasiliev pushes Buga up against the cage in a clinch.

Buga's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Vasiliev rushes Buga and presses him up against the cage.
Buga is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Vasiliev is working for takedown but Buga is calmly controlling the position for now.
Buga is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Vasiliev tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Buga smiles and moves away.
Uga Buga has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Timur Vasiliev.

Vasiliev rushes Buga and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Vasiliev wants a takedown but no success here.
Buga tries to throw a body punch but Vasiliev avoids it by throwing Buga back against the cage.

Vasiliev pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vasiliev wants to clinch.
It looked like Buga wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Buga throws a right and a left that Vasiliev avoids nicely.

Vasiliev gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Vasiliev stalling in the clinch.
Buga is trying to break the clinch but Vasiliev has him pressed against the cage.

Buga pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Buga avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Vasiliev moves into range and clinches up with Buga.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Buga tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Buga tries to circle away but Vasiliev has him pinned against the cage.
Buga holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Vasiliev with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Vasiliev prevents a body shot from Buga.
Timur Vasiliev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Buga tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Vasiliev's elbow.

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 Uga Buga.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Buga, 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 Paul Tew scores the fight 30:27
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:27
Judge William Gold scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Uga Buga!
After winning the bout, Uga Buga thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.