PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Mario Sena (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sergi Olympiev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sergi Olympiev told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Sena
vs
Olympiev

180 cm
19
130 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

160 cm
19
140 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Mario Sena!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Sergi Olympiev!
The judges for this bout are Aleksandr Martynov, Igor Prikhodko and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Sena changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Olympiev looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Sena is looking to take a break and control but Olympiev is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Olympiev struggling a bit here.
Olympiev tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Sena wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Olympiev can't do much from the bottom here.
Olympiev on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Olympiev tries to control the position but he's not in luck - Sena easily slips into full mount!
Olympiev is wriggling around trying to escape.
Olympiev wants to try and get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sena with the ground and pound from mount.
Olympiev tries to lock up and control but Sena gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Olympiev is looking to get to half guard.
Sena tries to control but Olympiev wriggling away.

Sena working for a guillotine from mount but Olympiev is in no mood to give up.
Olympiev tries to improve his position but instead Sena has taken his back!
Olympiev is keeping busy.
Sena avoiding Olympiev 's attempts to control his hands.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Olympiev takes a big shot to the side of the head.
Olympiev tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
Sena really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Olympiev can't escape the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sena looking to control and managing it successfully.
Sena looking to control but Olympiev is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Olympiev is in all sorts of trouble here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sena landing strikes from the mount and Olympiev is in trouble!
Olympiev is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Sena sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Sena is breathing heavily.

Olympiev bucks Sena off and manages to get back to his feet!

Sena has closed the distance and engaged Olympiev in a clinch.
Olympiev lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Sena jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Olympiev walks away with a smile on his face. Sena gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Sena throws a shot from downtown. Olympiev moves away and avoids it.

Olympiev shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Olympiev seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Olympiev winds up and cracks Sena with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

Olympiev is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Olympiev scoring with strikes to the body and head.

Olympiev gets to his feet - back to striking we go!

Olympiev closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Sena to the mat! Sena manages to get full guard.
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!
Sena is trying to control the position but Olympiev postures up.
Sena keeping moving, preventing Olympiev from controlling successfully.

Olympiev decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sergi Olympiev dominated that round.
That's time! Sena's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Olympiev misses with a wild body shot.
A combination from Olympiev does no damage.
Olympiev lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Olympiev gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Sena counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Olympiev escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Sena gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Olympiev throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.

Sena gets to his feet - Olympiev follows without any prompting.

Sena darts in and clinches Olympiev up against the cage.

Olympiev manages to break the clinch.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Olympiev closes the distance looking to clinch

and Sena counters by moving into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Olympiev has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Sena is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Sena stops a takedown attempt from Olympiev.
Mario Sena has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sergi Olympiev.
Olympiev is pressed up against the cage. Sena has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Olympiev down to the mat. Olympiev avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

Olympiev shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Olympiev avoids the attempt from Sena to control.

Olympiev gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!
No luck for Olympiev with that takedown attempt.
Olympiev tries to clinch

and Sena counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Olympiev!
Olympiev is working to get back to half guard.
Sena landing strikes from the mount and Olympiev is in trouble!
Sena will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Olympiev sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
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!
Olympiev is looking to improve his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Olympiev is not content to let Sena control the position.

Olympiev looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Olympiev is not content to let Sena control the position.
Sergi Olympiev has got the better of the ground game so far.
Olympiev won't allow Sena to pass to mount.
Olympiev trying to control from the bottom.
Olympiev is trying to stand back up but Sena is controlling him
Olympiev is staying active underneath Sena, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Sena gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Olympiev tries to free his leg and advance position but Sena is retaining full guard.

Olympiev stands up and waves to Sena to follow him.

Olympiev gets the takedown into side control.

Olympiev swings around for an armbar but Sena sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Olympiev's guard.

Olympiev has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Sena can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Olympiev controls Sena momentarily but Sena frees himself.
Sena trying to control the position from guard on top but Olympiev is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Olympiev is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Sena is trying to stand back up but Olympiev is controlling him

Olympiev is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Sena has managed to free his arm - good work.

Olympiev is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.

Sena looking for submissions off his back.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Olympiev wants to free his trapped foot but Sena is holding on for dear life with his legs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Sergi Olympiev will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Olympiev feints and then cracks Sena's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Sena down.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Olympiev.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Sena.
Sena shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Olympiev but Olympiev pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Olympiev shoots for a double leg takedown but Sena sprawls well. He's pushed Olympiev's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Olympiev clinches but Sena breaks the clinch

and Sena counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Sena.

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

Olympiev feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Sena has control of Olympiev's left arm, preventing Olympiev from doing any damage.

Olympiev stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Olympiev circles away from the clinch attempt.
Olympiev throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Sena.
Olympiev closes this distance looking for a takedown but Sena circles away.
Mario Sena has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sergi Olympiev.
Olympiev misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Olympiev will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Olympiev tries to clinch up

and Sena counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Sena.

Olympiev drags the fight down to the ground.
Sena controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Sena avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Olympiev is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Sena would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

Olympiev uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Sena is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Olympiev closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Sena wants to control but Olympiev is keeping busy.
It looks like Olympiev is going to stand back up.
Sergi Olympiev is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sena wants to control but Olympiev is keeping busy.

Sena looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Olympiev controlling the action here.
Sena trying to control here.
Olympiev looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Olympiev wants to pass the guard but Sena is defending well.
Olympiev controlling the pace.
Sena is looking to escape.
Mario Sena has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The referee calls for the fighters to work.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sergi Olympiev comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Olympiev 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 Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sergi Olympiev!