PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Alexandrei Renzo Shirov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Arcturus Stormrage (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Renzo Shirov
vs
Stormrage

191 cm
20
205 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

188 cm
23
204 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Very strong

BJJ White Belt
Dangerous knees
Powerful

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 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alexandrei Renzo Shirov!
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, Arcturus Stormrage!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Stormrage has closed the distance and engaged Shirov in a clinch.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Shirov drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Stormrage lands a knee to the body.
Stormrage utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stormrage scores a nice knee to the body.
Shirov is breathing heavily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shirov changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Stormrage fights it off and pushes away nicely.

Shirov tries to keep at a distance but Stormrage has taken the fight into the clinch.
A bit of stalling here from Stormrage.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Shirov is working for takedown but Stormrage is calmly controlling the position for now.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexandrei Renzo Shirov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stormrage is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Stormrage.
Stormrage unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Stormrage working Shirov over with knees to the body.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
A knee to the head by Stormrage.
Stormrage connects with a nasty looking knee right to Shirov's face.
Stormrage stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stormrage lands a nice knee to the body.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage landing knees to the head.
Shirov takes a knee to the side of the body.
Stormrage landing knees to the head.
Stormrage working Shirov over with knees to the body.
Stormrage lands a knee to the body.
Stormrage lands a knee to the body.
Shirov changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Stormrage fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Stormrage tries to clinch but Shirov is having none of it.
Shirov misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

Stormrage rushes Shirov and presses him up against the cage.
Stormrage crunches a lovely knee into Shirov's ribcage.
Stormrage lands a good knee to the midsection. Shirov won't want to take too many of those.
Stormrage slows down the pace here.
Stormrage connects with a nasty looking knee right to Shirov's face.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Stormrage utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Stormrage is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Shirov goes for a takedown in the clinch but Stormrage prevents it.
Shirov changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Stormrage fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Shirov shoots in but no luck this time.

Shirov tries to keep at a distance but Stormrage has taken the fight into the clinch.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Stormrage lands a knee to the head.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stormrage landing knees to the body.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stormrage scores a nice knee to the body.
Shirov wants a takedown but no success here.
Stormrage using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Stormrage landing knees to the head.
Shirov goes for a takedown attempt but Stormrage pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Stormrage stuffs the takedown attempt from Shirov. Shirov gets slowly back to his feet.
Stormrage fails with an attempt to clinch.
Stormrage is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Stormrage tries to clinch up but Shirov circles away and keeps his distance.
Stormrage wants to clinch up but Shirov keeps it at a distance.
Shirov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Stormrage fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Shirov keeps the fight on the outside.
Stormrage is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Stormrage stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Stormrage wants it to stay on the feet.
Shirov closes this distance looking for a takedown but Stormrage circles away.
Shirov looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Stormrage is fending him off so far but Shirov persists. Nope, Stormrage circles away and we're back to standing.
Shirov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Stormrage wants to clinch.
Horrible takedown by Shirov or perhaps it was just good defense by Stormrage which made him look bad.
Stormrage fails with an attempt to clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
The fight stays on the outside here - Stormrage looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Arcturus Stormrage is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Shirov shoots in but Stormrage avoids the takedown attempt easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Arcturus Stormrage dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Shirov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Shirov swats away the attempt to clinch by Stormrage.
Stormrage fails with an attempt to clinch.
Stormrage tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Shirov shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Shirov sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Shirov is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Stormrage!

Shirov has hold of Stormrage's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Stormrage manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shirov takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

Shirov is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Stormrage is surviving well by controlling Shirov's body position as best he can.
Shirov looking to control but Stormrage is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Shirov is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Stormrage to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Stormrage shrugs it off.

Shirov with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Shirov is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Stormrage is surviving well by controlling Shirov's body position as best he can.
Stormrage is wriggling around here but as he tries to escape, Shirov has taken his back.

Shirov is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Stormrage knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Stormrage for a finish.
Stormrage really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Shirov. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Shirov has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Stormrage's body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Stormrage defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.

Shirov looking for the choke but no joy.
Shirov wants to control but Stormrage is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Shirov working for the choke.
Stormrage controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Shirov is working hard for the rear naked choke here.
Stormrage is trying to stand back up.

Shirov looking to break Stormrage's wrist control so he can sink in the choke. Stormrage remaining controlled and patient though - he really has to keep calm otherwise Shirov will wrap this one up with the rear naked choke!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alexandrei Renzo Shirov dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Stormrage tries to clinch but Shirov moves out of range.
Shirov shoots for a takedown but Stormrage saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Shirov shoots for a takedown but Stormrage saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Stormrage tries to clinch up but Shirov circles away and keeps his distance.

Stormrage clinches up with Shirov and pushes him back against the cage.
Stormrage unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Stormrage landing knees to the body.
Arcturus Stormrage seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
Stormrage lands a nice knee to the body.
Stormrage is struggling to control the position.
Stormrage working Shirov over with knees to the body.
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!
Stormrage working Shirov over with knees to the body.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
A knee to the head by Stormrage.
Stormrage with a knee to the head.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A knee to the head by Stormrage.
Stormrage scores a nice knee to the body.
Stormrage scores with a knee to the head.
Shirov is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Stormrage gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexandrei Renzo Shirov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stormrage connects with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knees in the clinch landing for Stormrage.
Shirov drops down looking for an ankle pick but Stormrage pulls his leg out and moves away.
Shirov swats away the attempt to clinch by Stormrage.
Shirov tries to score a power double leg takedown but Stormrage sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Shirov somewhat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Stormrage looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Shirov shoots in looking for a takedown. Stormrage tries to sprawl out of it but Shirov keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Stormrage manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Shirov shoots for a takedown but Stormrage saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

Stormrage drives through and clinches with Shirov against the cage.
A knee to the head by Stormrage.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stormrage utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Stormrage is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Shirov wants a takedown.
Stormrage is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Stormrage lands a knee to the body.
Stormrage putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Shirov in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Shirov goes for a takedown attempt but Stormrage pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Shirov tries to keep at a distance but Stormrage has taken the fight into the clinch.
Shirov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stormrage lands a knee to the body.
Stormrage stops a takedown attempt from Shirov.
Stormrage utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stormrage wants to stall.
Stormrage is pressed up against the cage. Shirov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Stormrage down to the mat. Stormrage avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Stormrage fails in his attempt to clinch.
Shirov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Stormrage fails with an attempt to clinch.
Stormrage fails with an attempt to clinch.
Shirov shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Stormrage tries to clinch up but Shirov circles away and keeps his distance.
Stormrage fails in his attempt to clinch.
Shirov shoots in for a takedown but Stormrage shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Stormrage wants to clinch up but Shirov keeps it at a distance.
Stormrage is looking to clinch.

Stormrage drives through and clinches with Shirov against the cage.
Stormrage landing knees to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Stormrage misses with a knee strike.
Shirov has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Stormrage is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Stormrage landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Stormrage utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Stormrage with a knee to the head.
Shirov takes a knee to the side of the body.
Stormrage gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Shirov.
Stormrage lands a knee to the head.
Stormrage gets underhooks to prevent Shirov's takedown attempt.
Stormrage is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Stormrage unloads a knee to the mid-section. Shirov lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Stormrage with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Shirov goes for a takedown attempt but Stormrage pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Stormrage tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Stormrage is looking to clinch.
Shirov keeps the fight on the outside.

And that's the end of the fight!
Arcturus Stormrage comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Stormrage has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 26:28
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 26:28
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 26:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Arcturus Stormrage!