PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ghazala Hussein (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Salmon Chase (ranked 0 p4p, 0 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.

Hussein
vs
Chase

179 cm
24
159 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

180 cm
23
162 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

Convicted
Convicted

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 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ghazala Hussein!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Salmon Chase!
The judges for this bout are Valeri Chadov, Konstantin Menshow and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Chase misses with a straight left.
Hussein jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Hussein fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Hussein showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Chase.
Chase takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Nice body punch from Hussein.
Hussein cracks Chase with a good jab.
Hussein uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Chase.
Chase throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Chase takes a swing at Hussein's ribcage but misses.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Hussein struggles to land a body shot inside as Chase controls his hands.
Hussein working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Hussein lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A right hook to the body lands for Hussein.
Hussein is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Chase gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Hussein misses with a punch on the inside.

Hussein pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Hussein keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Chase.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice defenses there by Hussein.
Decent striking displayed by Hussein there.
Chase throws a hook but Hussein blocks it.
Hussein avoids a punch combination nicely.

Hussein closes the distance and clinches.
Hussein cracks Chase with a nice body shot.
Hussein keeps control of Chase as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Hussein breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
A big right from Hussein misses.
Chase misses with a hook to the body
and Hussein counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Hussein avoids the body shot from Chase.
Hussein bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Chase's head.
Chase throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hussein.
Hussein takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Hussein throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Chase lands a glancing blow to the side of Hussein's head.
Hussein avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Hussein throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
A decent looking cross lands there for Chase.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hussein cracks Chase with a good jab.
Hussein lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Hussein ducks under a wild hook from Chase.
A jab from Hussein finds it's way through Chase's defenses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hussein uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Chase.
Hussein with a nice cross.
Hussein ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Chase rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hussein moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Chase throws a hook but Hussein blocks it.

Hussein has taken the fight to the clinch.

Hussein breaks from the clinch.
Hussein scores with a sloppy right hand. Chase should have avoided that one.
Hussein is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Chase swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hussein counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Hussein scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Chase loads up on a big right hand but Hussein slips the punch.
Chase missing with a left hand there. Hussein was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Hussein thuds a left hand into Chase's body.
Chase keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Hussein.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hussein staying out of range there.
Hussein tests Chase's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Chase looks to throw the jab but Hussein is out of range.
Chase looks to land a right hand but Hussein moved out of range.
Chase throws a series of punches but Hussein moves out of range.
Chase misses the body punch
and Hussein counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Chase looks gassed!
Hussein lands a jab.
Chase takes one to the chin there.
Chase takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Chase swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Hussein swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Chase.

Hussein gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Hussein breaks the clinch.
Hussein scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Chase takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Hussein works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Chase takes a swing at Hussein's ribcage but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hussein cracks a nice hook into Chase's ribs.
Chase tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hussein was well out of range. Poor timing from Chase.
Chase misses with a series of wild punches.
Chase misses the body punch
letting Hussein counter with a right hand.
Chase throws a jab but it's blocked by Hussein.
Hussein changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Chase is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Hussein.
Hussein cracks Chase with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Chase takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Hussein connects with a good right hand that stumbles Chase. Chase circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Hussein fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hussein cracks Chase with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Hussein jabs Chase right on the nose. Chase blinks but takes it well.
Chase has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hussein throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Hussein will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Hussein lands with a nice body punch.
Chase ducks right into an uppercut from Hussein.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ghazala Hussein dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Hussein slips a jab and a cross from Chase.
Chase missing with a left hand there. Hussein was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Hussein slips a straight right by Chase.
Chase misses with a shot to the body
letting Hussein counter with a right hand.
Hussein scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Hussein lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Chase misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Hussein counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Chase tries to keep at a distance but Hussein has taken the fight into the clinch.
Hussein lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

Hussein's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The crowd cheers as Hussein lands an impressive looking overhand right. Chase doesn't seem phased though.
Hussein lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Chase backs up against the cage.
Hussein's corner calls for a 1-2. Hussein obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Hussein lands a nice shot that snaps Chase's head back.
Chase throws a big shot that misses.
Hussein connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Chase's hands.
A combination from Chase does no damage.
Chase is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hussein scores with a hook to the body. Chase takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Salmon Chase is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hussein connects with a body shot.
Ghazala Hussein is winning the standup battle so far.
Chase swings for the body but Hussein moves out of range.
Hussein scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Nice sprawl there from Chase as Hussein shoots in.
Chase uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Hussein.
Hussein fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Chase takes a shot right to the bread basket.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Hussein.
Hussein throws a looping overhand right but Chase ducks down to avoid it.
A swing and a miss from Hussein.
Chase scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Nice body punch from Chase.

Hussein instigates a clinch.
A short right from Hussein.
Hussein has Chase pressed against the cage, preventing Chase from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Hussein takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.

Hussein breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Chase throws a one two combo.
Hussein misses with a jab, cross combination.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Chase, as that shot connected.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hussein dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Hussein fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Chase looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Hussein just misses with a punch to the body.
Chase ducks under a wild hook from Hussein.
Chase looks to land a right hand but Hussein moved out of range.
Chase takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Chase swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hussein counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Chase thinking.
Chase waving his hands out infront of him, looking to distract Hussein.
Hussein jabs Chase right on the nose. Chase blinks but takes it well.
Chase ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Hussein moves away from the strike by Chase.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hussein moves out of range of the strikes.
Chase misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hussein.
Hussein scores with a three punch combo!
Hussein lands a glancing blow to the side of Chase's head.
Chase takes a swing at Hussein's ribcage but misses.
Hussein fails to land with a series of punches.
A jab lands there for Hussein.
Chase misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hussein.
Chase waving his hands out infront of him, looking to distract Hussein.
Hussein uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Hussein lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.

Hussein drives through with a takedown into guard.

Chase throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Hussein sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Hussein working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Chase's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hussein trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Chase wants to stand up but Hussein is controlling him.

Hussein drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Hussein jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

Hussein avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Hussein stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Chase swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Hussein throwing strikes from guard but Chase blocks nicely.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Chase looking to hit a scissor sweep but Hussein is one step ahead there.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Hussein uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Chase.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ghazala Hussein dominated that second round.
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!

Hussein lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Hussein ducks under a wild hook from Chase.
Hussein swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Hussein throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Chase wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Chase ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Hussein ducks under a wild hook from Chase.
Chase throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Chase looks to land a right hand but Hussein moved out of range.
Chase avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Chase slips under a jab.
Chase slips a jab from Hussein.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Jab from Hussein.
Hussein comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Chase throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Good shot there by Chase.
Hussein throws a lazy right hand but Chase sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Chase throws a shot from downtown. Hussein moves away and avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Chase throws a hook but Hussein blocks it.
Chase throws a left and a right that both miss
and Hussein counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Nice jab there from Hussein.
Hussein misses with a double jab
and Chase counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Chase looks to land a right hand but Hussein moved out of range.
Hussein cracks Chase with a right hand to the side of the head.
Chase takes one to the side of the head.
A shot to the body from Chase misses
and Chase takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Chase throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hussein ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
A jab from Hussein misses.

Hussein scores with a takedown into Chase's guard.

Chase is looking for a triangle but Hussein pushes his legs off easily.
Chase tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Salmon Chase has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hussein is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

Hussein thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

Chase manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Hussein displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Chase throws out the jab.
Chase cracks Hussein with a good jab.
Chase missing with a left hand there. Hussein was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Hussein takes a swing at Chase's ribcage but misses.
Hussein lands a nice hook to Chase's body. Chase takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Chase falls off balance throwing a combination
and Hussein counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Chase thinking.
Chase tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hussein was well out of range. Poor timing from Chase.
Hussein getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Chase misses with a looping right.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hussein throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Hussein swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Chase counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Chase throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Chase throws a nice looking combination but Hussein bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
A lazy left from Hussein finds it's target.
Hussein shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Chase sprawls well. Chase wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Hussein gets slowly back to his feet.
A shot to the body from Chase misses
and Hussein counters with a series of strikes. Chase will be more careful next time no doubt.
Chase bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Hussein misses with a two punch combination.
Hussein uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Chase.
Chase stuffs the takedown attempt from Hussein. Hussein gets slowly back to his feet.
Chase's corner calls for a 1-2. Chase obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
A big right from Hussein misses.
Hussein moves out of range of the strikes.
Hussein looks to throw the jab but Chase is out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hussein connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Hussein bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A big left from Chase misses.
A big left from Hussein misses.
Hussein ducks under a wild hook from Chase.
Chase misses with a double jab.
Hussein looks to score with a jab to the body but Chase is just out of range.
Hussein throws a combination. Chase tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Hussein jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Nice body punch from Hussein.
Hussein scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Chase lands a right hook to the body.
Chase misses the jab.
Hussein throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Chase on the side of the head.
Chase misses with a hook. Hussein ducked under it nicely.
Ghazala Hussein is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Chase misses with a looping right.
Hussein misses with a double jab.

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 Ghazala Hussein.
Well Hussein has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Valeri Chadov scores the fight 30:27
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 30:27
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ghazala Hussein!