PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rocky Balboa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Richard Head (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Head is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by I'm an Asshole - Dennis Leary. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Balboa
vs
Head

185 cm
25
217 lbs
7 - 4 - 1

190 cm
26
215 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Rocky Balboa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Richard Head!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Konstantin Menshow and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Balboa misses with a series of wild punches.
Balboa misses with a looping right.
Balboa throws a nice looking combination but Head bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

Head moves into the clinch.
Balboa lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Head backwards.
Head dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

Head gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Head not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Head is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Balboa is staying active underneath Head, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Head prevents Balboa from standing back up.
Head missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Balboa blocking the ground and pound attempt from Head.
Balboa is trying to stand back up but Head is controlling him
Head is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Head throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Head throws the kick towards the body but Balboa avoids it.
Head lands with a slapping head kick.

It looks like Rocky Balboa has been cut.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Head.
Balboa looks to land a combination but Head avoids it well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Head moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Decent striking displayed by Balboa there.
Balboa misses with a wild combination.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Balboa!

It looks like Richard Head has been cut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nice sprawl there from Balboa as Head shoots in.

Head rushes Balboa and presses him up against the cage.
With the fighters up against the cage, Head throws an elbow but misses.
Head lands an uppercut.
Head stalling in the clinch but Balboa improves position.
Balboa lands a right hand.

Head pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Balboa tries to clinch but Head moves away
and Head cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Head looks gassed!

Balboa moves into the clinch.
Balboa scores with a shoulder strike.
Balboa misses with a hook from the clinch.
A shot in the inside from Balboa.
Head has a couple of punches blocked by Balboa.

Head gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Balboa regains guard.
Head trying to control the position from guard on top but Balboa is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Balboa working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balboa wants to stand up but Head is controlling him.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Head accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Balboa is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Head is controlling him.
Head works over Balboa with some ground and pound from guard.
Head stops Balboa from standing up.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Head rushes Balboa and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Head lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Balboa stops a takedown attempt from Head.
Rocky Balboa has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Richard Head.
Balboa blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Head lands a damaging elbow.
Head landing knees to the body.
Head lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Head has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Balboa clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
Balboa is trying to get back to his feet but Head has full control of the position and if anything, Balboa has just worked his way into a worse spot.

Head patiently working for the choke. Which fighter will keep their nerve here?
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Balboa looking very determined here, making life difficult for Head.
Head gets his hooks in and is throwing strikes.
Balboa is trying to stand back up.
Head throwing wild punches that miss their target.

Head is working really hard to secure the rear naked choke. Balboa defends successfully for a significant amount of time. Both fighters are looking very determined.
Balboa controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Head has Balboa flattened out and is raining down punches.
Head has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Head connects with a series of strikes and the referee is calling for Balboa to escape the position.
Head throws a big right hand but he misses and hits the mat. Ouch.
Balboa holding both Head 's hands and preventing any damage.
Balboa grimaces as he takes a shot to the body.
Balboa looking to stop the rear naked choke attempt by controlling the hands.
Watch the back of the head! Comes the shout from the referee towards Head.
Balboa looking to stop the rear naked choke attempt by controlling the hands.

Head patiently working for the choke. Which fighter will keep their nerve here?
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balboa is trying to get back to his feet but Head has full control of the position and if anything, Balboa has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Balboa is covering up but some of the strikes from Head are getting through and doing damage.
Balboa trying to get back to his feet but Head is in full control for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Richard Head dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Head throws a sloppy head kick and Balboa moves out of range easily.

Head gets a clinch.
Head lands a nice elbow.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Balboa.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Balboa.

Head breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Balboa is looking to clinch but Head is avoiding it.
Richard Head seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Balboa swats away the attempt to clinch by Head.
Head lands a nice leg kick that just misses Balboa's sensitive parts.

Head has closed the distance and engaged Balboa in a clinch.
Head is trying to drag Balboa to the mat but Balboa just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Balboa throws a punch but it's blocked by Head.
Balboa misses with a hook from the clinch.
Balboa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Balboa misses with the head strike.
Head connects with a knee to the head.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Balboa lands a body punch.

Head breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Balboa drives through and clinches with Head against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Head breaks the clinch.
Balboa closes the distance but Head moves to the side

and Head counters with a nice double leg into guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Head accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Head won't allow Balboa to get back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Head working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Head throwing strikes but missing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Head accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Head prevents Balboa from getting back to his feet.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
A nice inside leg kick there by Head. That's going to slow Balboa down.
Head digs a good hook to Balboa's body.
A lazy left from Head finds it's target.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balboa takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Head darts in and clinches Balboa up against the cage.
Head is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

Head breaks from the clinch.
Head cracks Balboa with a right hand to the side of the head.

Head gets a clinch.
Head lands a good knee to the midsection. Balboa won't want to take too many of those.
Head dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Balboa takes an elbow to the temple.
Head tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Balboa takes a knee to the side of the body.
Head lands a shot to the body.
Head will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Balboa up against the cage.
Balboa misses with some punches.
Head lands a damaging elbow.
Head pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Balboa.
Head scores with a shot to the side of Balboa's head.
Head lands a good knee to the midsection. Balboa won't want to take too many of those.

Head manages to break the clinch.
Head tries to clinch up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Head throws a body punch but Balboa moves out of range.
Balboa waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Head.
Head throws out a powerful jab.
Head misses with a straight left.
Head is looking to slow Balboa down with leg kicks.
Rocky Balboa is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Balboa takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Head uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Balboa.
Balboa chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Head can pounce on him.
Balboa tries to clinch up.

Head has Balboa up against the cage in a clinch.
A knee to the head by Head.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Head lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Head has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Balboa is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Richard Head seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Balboa.
Head lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Balboa misses with a punch on the inside.
Balboa takes a knee to the side of the body.
Head landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Head lands a nice knee to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Head tries for a takedown but Balboa manages to get underhooks.
Rocky Balboa has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Richard Head.
Head drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
A head punch on the inside from Balboa fails to land.
Head scores with a shoulder strike.
Balboa lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Head backwards.
Head lands an uppercut.
Head utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Head wants a takedown but no success here.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Balboa.
Head lands an elbow inside.
Head tries to circle away but Balboa has him pinned against the cage.
Balboa misses with the head strike.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Head misses with an elbow over the top.

Head breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
A punch combination from Balboa misses.
Richard Head seems to be getting the better of the standup.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Balboa looks to score with a jab to the body but Head is just out of range.
Head scores with a jab. Balboa acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Rocky Balboa is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Balboa darts in trying to clinch
and Head counters with a nice low kick that buckles Balboa's knee momentarily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Richard Head showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Balboa walks into a left hand.
Head looks to land a combination. Balboa sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Head is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Balboa.
Head lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Balboa misses with a looping left.
Head connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Head moves in looking to clinch but Balboa pushes him off.
Head fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Balboa swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Balboa doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Head has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Head listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Head missing with a left hand there. Balboa was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Balboa lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Head at a distance.
Head misses the jab.
Head circles away from the clinch attempt.
Head shoots in but no luck this time.
Balboa throws a left and a right that both miss
and Head counters with a straight right hand.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Balboa misses with a jab, cross combination.
A shot to the liver by Head. Beautiful body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Head avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Head moves into the clinch.
Balboa lands with a short shot to the head.
Head unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Balboa goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short uppercut from Head.
Head lands a damaging elbow.
Balboa can't find room to land a body shot as Head controls the action.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Head.
A nice right hand lands inside from Head.
Head is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Rocky Balboa has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Richard Head.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Balboa misses with some punches.
Balboa scores with a shot to the side of Head's head.
Head wants to stall.
Balboa stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Nice body punch from Balboa - that landed with a thud.
Head throws an elbow but it misses.
A body shot lands from Balboa.
Balboa throws a punch but it's blocked by Head.
Still in the clinch, Head scores with a nice short uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balboa lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Balboa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Balboa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Balboa fails to land.
Head tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Balboa avoids it.
Balboa lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Balboa misses with a punch on the inside.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Head just misses with a elbow thrown towards Balboa's brow.
Balboa swings wildly with an uppercut but Head uses good head movement to avoid it.
Balboa swings wildly with an uppercut but Head uses good head movement to avoid it.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Head pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Head lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A bit of stalling here from Head.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Head pushes off an throws an elbow but Balboa leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Balboa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Balboa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Head is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Balboa is defending well for now.
Balboa has a couple of punches blocked by Head.
Balboa lands a right hand that snaps the head of Head backwards.
Head is trying to break the clinch but Balboa has him pressed against the cage.
Balboa lands a hook that snaps the head of Head backwards.
Richard Head is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Head tries for a takedown but Balboa manages to get underhooks.
Balboa throws a head punch that misses.
Balboa throws a head punch that misses.
Balboa tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Head's elbow.
Head leaning his opponent against the cage.
Balboa tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Head's elbow.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Head misses with a knee strike.
Balboa lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Head drops down looking for an ankle pick but Balboa pulls his leg out and moves away.
Balboa doesn't manage to clinch there - Head circles away.
Head avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A left and a right from Balboa both land. Nice combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balboa swinging wildly here.
Balboa misses with a straight right.
Balboa just misses with a punch to the body.
Head moves into range and connects with a jab.
Balboa lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Balboa tries to clinch but Head is having none of it.
Head feints and then cracks Balboa's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Balboa down.
Head fails in his attempt to clinch.

Head closes the distance and clinches.
Head blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Balboa can't find room to land a body shot as Head controls the action.
Rocky Balboa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Balboa swings away with an uppercut that misses.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Balboa throws a head punch that misses.
Head pushes off an throws an elbow but Balboa leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Balboa tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Head blocks an uppercut.

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 Rocky Balboa.
Well Head has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Richard Head!