PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Nikolai Kaspersky (ranked 689 p4p, 2250 weight class) and Horghain Yan Spentliche (ranked 75 p4p, 242 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Kaspersky
vs
Yan Spentliche

180 cm
27
188
14 - 6 - 0

185 cm
28
190
13 - 7 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Shadow Realm Apparel

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 14 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Nikolai Kaspersky!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Horghain Yan Spentliche!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Richard Clark and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yan Spentliche moves out of range as Kaspersky strikes.
The fighters circling - Yan Spentliche throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Kaspersky fails with the takedown.
Yan Spentliche feints a counter leg kick.
Yan Spentliche throws out a loose jab but Kaspersky uses good head movement to avoid it.
Yan Spentliche misses with a looping right.
Yan Spentliche misses with an uppercut. Kaspersky saw that one coming.
Kaspersky connects with a right hand. Yan Spentliche shakes it off.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yan Spentliche walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Yan Spentliche misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Yan Spentliche looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kaspersky takes one on the chin but seems OK.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaspersky misses with a jab, cross combination.
Yan Spentliche misses with a body shot.
Kaspersky throws the left hand but Yan Spentliche avoids the punch easily.
Yan Spentliche tries to bum rush Kaspersky with a series of wild strikes but Kaspersky uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Yan Spentliche swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Horghain Yan Spentliche seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kaspersky lands with an uppercut that bounces Yan Spentliche off the cage and back into range.
Yan Spentliche swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A clash of legs there as Kaspersky blocks the low kick.
Nice takedown defense from Yan Spentliche. No joy for Kaspersky on that attempt.
Yan Spentliche misses with a lunging right hand
and Kaspersky counters with a straight right hand.
Kaspersky lands a head shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kaspersky shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Kaspersky was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
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!
Yan Spentliche is pushing Kaspersky's head away, looking to escape. Kaspersky manages to hold on to the position though.
Kaspersky tries to score with some ground and pound. Yan Spentliche controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Yan Spentliche taking a bit of punishment here - Kaspersky scoring with strikes.
Kaspersky prevents Yan Spentliche from escaping the position.
Both fighters have adopted an aggressive gameplan on the ground!
Kaspersky is looking to take a break and control but Yan Spentliche is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Yan Spentliche is letting Kaspersky control him for a moment.
Yan Spentliche felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Yan Spentliche wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kaspersky cracks Yan Spentliche with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Kaspersky working the ground and pound.
Kaspersky works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Kaspersky has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Kaspersky trying to control the action but Yan Spentliche is working from the bottom.
Kaspersky scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Yan Spentliche to see if he's OK.
Yan Spentliche takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Yan Spentliche is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Kaspersky has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Kaspersky controlling the position from side mount.
Kaspersky scores with punches from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Yan Spentliche's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Yan Spentliche takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Kaspersky landing a few strikes.
Kaspersky is looking to take a break and control but Yan Spentliche is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Kaspersky is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Yan Spentliche's shoulder. That is not cool.
Kaspersky cracks Yan Spentliche with a big right hand but Yan Spentliche just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Kaspersky slows the pace down.
Kaspersky is chipping away with strikes.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Kaspersky dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Yan Spentliche looks to throw the jab but Kaspersky is out of range.

Kaspersky scores with a takedown into Yan Spentliche's guard.
Kaspersky is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Kaspersky not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Kaspersky landing some decent shots from guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kaspersky missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kaspersky throws a big right hand that misses.
Kaspersky stops Yan Spentliche from standing up.
Kaspersky lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Kaspersky's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

Yan Spentliche escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Kaspersky gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaspersky's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Kaspersky working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Yan Spentliche's head.
Kaspersky is pushing down on Yan Spentliche's leg trying to pass to half guard. Yan Spentliche is fighting to maintain full guard but Kaspersky has managed to sneak the leg through.
Yan Spentliche tries to kick Kaspersky off but Kaspersky keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Kaspersky controlling the action here.
Yan Spentliche trying to hold on to Kaspersky's head to control him but Kaspersky postures up.
Yan Spentliche won't allow Kaspersky to pass to mount.
Kaspersky scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Kaspersky trying to control the pace.
Kaspersky is looking to advance position but Yan Spentliche won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kaspersky perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Nikolai Kaspersky overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Yan Spentliche is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Kaspersky scores with a couple of nice shots.
Kaspersky seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Yan Spentliche does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Yan Spentliche has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Kaspersky is working away from the top position though.
Kaspersky looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Yan Spentliche with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Yan Spentliche is trying to stand.
Kaspersky landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Kaspersky lands a nice short elbow.
Kaspersky is nestled in close to Yan Spentliche, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kaspersky prevents Yan Spentliche from standing back up.
Kaspersky is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Yan Spentliche can do to turn this around?
Yan Spentliche is trying to escape back to his feet but Kaspersky uses the scramble to pass into side control.
Yan Spentliche tries to escape but Kaspersky is in control.
Kaspersky working the body and head with strikes.
Yan Spentliche takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Yan Spentliche wants to control but Kaspersky postures up.
Yan Spentliche tries to escape but Kaspersky is in control.
Kaspersky scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Yan Spentliche to see if he's OK.
Yan Spentliche tries to escape but Kaspersky is in control.
Kaspersky trying to control the position but Yan Spentliche is working away.
Kaspersky in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Kaspersky taking a breather here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kaspersky cracks Yan Spentliche with a big right hand but Yan Spentliche just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
We've been hearing that Kaspersky has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Kaspersky working away.
Kaspersky lands a decent elbow from side control.
Kaspersky landing strikes.
Kaspersky is looking to take a break and control but Yan Spentliche is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Kaspersky working away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Yan Spentliche is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Kaspersky has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Kaspersky is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Kaspersky's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Kaspersky dominated that second round.
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!

Yan Spentliche just misses with a punch to the body.
Yan Spentliche misses with a straight right.
Kaspersky listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.

Kaspersky shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Kaspersky wants to control from the top but Yan Spentliche keeps moving.
Kaspersky showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Kaspersky won't allow Yan Spentliche to get back to his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kaspersky lands a couple of elbows.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yan Spentliche is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Kaspersky is controlling him.
Kaspersky landing some decent shots from guard.

Yan Spentliche looking for a guillotine here but Kaspersky defends easily.
Kaspersky is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Kaspersky stands up over Yan Spentliche, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Yan Spentliche has momentary wrist control but Kaspersky slips an elbow through the middle.
Kaspersky 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.
Kaspersky stops Yan Spentliche from standing up.
Nikolai Kaspersky is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Kaspersky's corner is telling him to maintain position.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Kaspersky sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Yan Spentliche's guard.
Kaspersky keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Kaspersky has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Horghain Yan Spentliche seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kaspersky closes the distance and clinches up with Yan Spentliche, looking for a takedown. Kaspersky pushes Yan Spentliche against the cage but Yan Spentliche circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Yan Spentliche is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
Kaspersky tries to score a power double leg takedown but Yan Spentliche sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Kaspersky somewhat.
Kaspersky slips a straight right by Yan Spentliche.
Some wild striking there from Yan Spentliche.
Yan Spentliche throws a jab but it's blocked by Kaspersky.
Kaspersky tries to counter with a takedown but Yan Spentliche is quick to defend against it.
Horghain Yan Spentliche is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Yan Spentliche throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Yan Spentliche misses with an uppercut

and Kaspersky counters with a nice double leg into guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yan Spentliche wants to stand up but Kaspersky is controlling him.
Kaspersky sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Yan Spentliche is looking to stand up but Kaspersky isn't so interested in that idea.
Kaspersky looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Yan Spentliche throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nikolai Kaspersky showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Kaspersky, 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 Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 30:26
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:26
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nikolai Kaspersky!
A relieved looking Nikolai Kaspersky thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.