PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Michael Michaels (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dmitri Ruslanas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ruslanas is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Hymn of the Soviet Union. Dmitri Ruslanas struggled to make weight for this fight. He only made it down to 156.7lbs at the first attempt and had to take the additional two hours to make the official bout weight. Let's see how much it's taken out of him. Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Michaels
vs
Ruslanas

170 cm
18
160 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

175 cm
21
163 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Tends to cut

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Michael Michaels!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Dmitri Ruslanas!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Illya Tyunina and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Ruslanas has taken the fight to the clinch.

Ruslanas jumps guard.
Ruslanas trying to keep a closed guard but Michaels is proving a slippery customer.
Ruslanas will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Ruslanas looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Michaels slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Michaels wants to control from the top but Ruslanas keeps moving.
Ruslanas trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Michaels throws a big right hand that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Michaels looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Michaels lands with a shot to the body.
Ruslanas avoids the head kick by Michaels.

Ruslanas clinches up with Michaels and pushes him back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ruslanas is looking to control Michaels's arms but Michaels gets an underhook and turns him. Now Ruslanas has his back to the cage.
Ruslanas is stalling here.
Ruslanas tries to pull guard but Michaels holds him up against the cage and eventually Ruslanas drops back down to his feet.
Ruslanas has Michaels pushed against the cage.
Ruslanas looks gassed!
Michaels drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Michaels wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Michaels prevents a takedown attempt there.

Ruslanas escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Michaels darts in and clinches Ruslanas up against the cage.
Ruslanas drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Michael Michaels has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dmitri Ruslanas.
Michaels wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Ruslanas has him pressed against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Michaels tries to break the clinch but Ruslanas is controlling the position.
Ruslanas wants to break free but Michaels has control.
Michaels stops a takedown attempt from Ruslanas.
Michaels misses with a shot to the kidneys.

Michaels breaks the clinch.

Ruslanas gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Ruslanas is trying to stall.
Michaels works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Ruslanas tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Ruslanas is looking to control Michaels's arms but Michaels gets an underhook and turns him. Now Ruslanas has his back to the cage.
Ruslanas seems frustrated at his inability to get double underhooks.
Ruslanas goes for a takedown attempt but Michaels pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Ruslanas shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Michaels's guard.
Ruslanas won't allow Michaels to sweep him here.
Michaels keeping full guard, as Ruslanas tries to pass.
Michaels has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Ruslanas has passed into side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The ground and pound from Ruslanas seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Michaels tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Ruslanas wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Ruslanas looks up at the clock and then as Michaels takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Ruslanas smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Michaels can't do much from the bottom here.
Michaels stops Ruslanas from passing to mount.
Michaels tries to buck Ruslanas off but Ruslanas is having none of it.
Ruslanas scores with a couple of short elbows.
Ruslanas working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Michaels taking punishment in the form of punches.
Michaels keeps Ruslanas under control for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Michaels is looking to reverse the position.
Michaels is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Ruslanas's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Ruslanas lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

Ruslanas is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Michaels defends it well.
Michaels is trying to control but can't.
It looks like Ruslanas is going to stand back up.
Michaels wants to control but Ruslanas is keeping busy.
Ruslanas throwing shots but Michaels is blocking nicely.
Ruslanas works his way into side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dmitri Ruslanas dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Michaels scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Michaels wants to lay and pray for a moment but Ruslanas keeps working.
Michaels prevents Ruslanas from improving his position.

Michaels is working for a kimura but Ruslanas is defending it quite comfortably.
Ruslanas tries to get to full guard but Michaels has control of the leg.
Ruslanas trying to control from the bottom.

Michaels is trying for a kimura here. Ruslanas looks like he's in a lot of pain... and he's tapping out! Michaels wins by kimura!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:05 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Michael Michaels!