PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Gynther Gail (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alex Karelin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Karelin has chosen Russian National Anthem as his entrance music. Alex Karelin will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Gail
vs
Karelin

189 cm
24
265 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

205 cm
25
279 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

Good takedowns
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

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 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Gynther Gail!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alex Karelin!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Dmitry Maklakov and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Karelin connects with a crisp jab.
Gail ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Karelin moves away.
Gail is trying hard to land a takedown here. Karelin sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.

Karelin closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Karelin is thwarting Gail's attempts to control the position.
Gail is looking to get back to full guard here but Karelin has managed to pass to side control instead.
Gail avoids a series of strikes thrown by Karelin.
Gail might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Gail keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Gail regains half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karelin prevents Gail from improving his position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gail is working hard here to advance position.
Karelin wants to take a breather but Gail is having none of it.
Gail is holding on to half guard well.
Gail is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Karelin's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Karelin's back!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Gail misses with punches from the back.
Gail punches the canvas rather than the man.
Karelin wants to escape the position.
Gail lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Gail wants to control but Karelin is keeping busy.
Gail is really struggling to control Karelin but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Karelin manages to scramble and ends up in full guard, under a barage of strikes . Great composure from Karelin.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gail with a flurry of punches that miss.
Karelin wants to sweep here but Gail controlling him for the moment.
Gail tries to free his leg and advance position but Karelin is retaining full guard.
Karelin working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Gail.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Gail swinging wilding here.
Karelin shoots in and drives through. Gail sprawls well.
Gynther Gail seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gail shoots and misses
and Karelin counters with a nice uppercut.
A shot to the body from Gail misses
and Karelin makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Karelin misses with a hook to the body
and Gail counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Karelin thinking.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Gail.
Gail swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Gail fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Karelin avoids it really well and circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gynther Gail. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gail throws a big shot that misses.
Gail thuds a left hand into Karelin's body.
Gail misses with a takedown attempt
enabling Karelin to counter with a crisp jab.
A telegraphed right hand from Gail misses the target.
Karelin is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Karelin darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Gail swings and misses with a hook to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alex Karelin dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Karelin shoots and misses
and Gail counters with a stiff right hand.
Gail misses the shot to the body.
Karelin moves out of range of the strikes.
Karelin staying out of range there.
Karelin slips a straight right by Gail.
A slow jab from Gail misses its intended target.
Gail is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Karelin's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Gail misses with a body punch
and Karelin counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

Karelin closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Karelin thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Gail's head.
Gail makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Gail.
Gail wants to sweep here but Karelin controlling him for the moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gail not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Gail is on top in guard.
Gail loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Gail throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Karelin works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Gail trying to control the position from guard on top but Karelin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gail trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Karelin wants to sweep but no luck.
Gail trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Karelin keeping full guard, as Gail tries to pass.
Gail missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Gail misses with a looping right.
Gail gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Karelin counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Gail wants to stall.
Karelin leaning his opponent against the cage.
Gail tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Karelin just stands there and leans against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Karelin.
Gail fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gynther Gail. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gail tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Karelin just stands there and leans against the cage.
Gail fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Gail tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.

Gail breaks the clinch.
Nice cross by Gail.
Gail misses with a hook. Karelin ducked under it nicely.
Gail comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Karelin tries to clinch up.
Gail works over Karelin's head and body with a nice combination.

Karelin moves into the clinch successfully.
Gail fails to pull the fight into his guard.
A looping hook to the body misses from Karelin. Gail does a little dance to reset his feet.
Karelin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Gail paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Karelin uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Gail.
Gail pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Gail ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Karelin moves away.
Gail thows a left - swing and a miss!

Karelin clinches up with Gail and pushes him back against the cage.
Gail being controlled against the cage.
Karelin lands with a left to the head.
Gail tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Karelin smiles and moves away.
Gail just misses with a punch to the body.
Gail swings away with a body shot that misses

and Karelin counters by moving into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alex Karelin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Gail displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Karelin throws out the jab.
Karelin misses with a looping right.
Gail is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Karelin.
Gail misses with an uppercut. Karelin saw that one coming.
Karelin fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Gail manages to avoid it.
Gail stalks Karelin and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Karelin's face. Karelin staggers backwards, shaken.
Gail throws a lazy right hand but Karelin sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Gail looks to land a combination but Karelin avoids it well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gail swats away the attempt to clinch by Karelin.
Gail misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Karelin.
Gail lands with a nice body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karelin shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Gail defends it nicely.
Karelin showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Gail.
Karelin keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Gail tries to keep at a distance but Karelin has taken the fight into the clinch.
Karelin prevents a takedown attempt there.
Gail tries to pull guard but Karelin holds him up against the cage and eventually Gail drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gynther Gail. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Karelin pushes Gail back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Karelin landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Karelin content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Karelin scores with a shot to the side of Gail's head.
Gail jumps guard but Karelin stands there with Gail around his waist. Gail gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Karelin scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Karelin is stalling here.
Good body shot from Karelin.
Karelin prevents Gail from breaking the clinch.
Karelin presses Gail against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Karelin lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Karelin digs a right hand underneath Gail's ribcage. Gail let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Karelin has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Karelin lands a body shot in the clinch.

Karelin lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Karelin in particular looking to stall.
Karelin is thwarting Gail's attempts to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gail is trying to control but Karelin passes into side control!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Karelin controlling the position.
Gynther Gail has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Gail is looking to regain half guard here but Karelin keeps moving and retains side control.
Karelin 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 Gail's shoulder. That is not cool.
Gail struggling a bit here.
Karelin throws an elbow but Gail slips to the side and avoids it well.
Karelin trying to control the action but Gail is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Alex Karelin comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Karelin 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 Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alex Karelin!