PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Boeuf Bonders (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gorlan Karelin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bonders's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, To Be Loved. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Bonders
vs
Karelin

168 cm
18
131 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

198 cm
20
130 lbs
2 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Self confident

Good wrestler
Brawler
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Boeuf Bonders!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Gorlan Karelin!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Valeri Chadov and Aleksei Zolotukhin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bonders closes this distance looking for a takedown but Karelin circles away.
Nice body kick from Bonders.
Nice takedown defense from Karelin. No joy for Bonders on that attempt.
Bonders throws the left hand but Karelin avoids the punch easily.

Karelin changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Bonders looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Karelin looks up at the clock and then as Bonders takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Karelin smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Karelin is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Bonders is not content to let Karelin control the position.
Bonders sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Karelin is figuring out what he wants to do next.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Gorlan Karelin.
Karelin shoots in for a takedown but Bonders shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

Karelin scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Bonders is trying to control Karelin's posture but Karelin avoids it.
Bonders is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Karelin off and has taken his back!
Bonders is throwing strikes by Karelin counters by rolling into a better position. After a scramble, Karelin regains half guard.
Karelin has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Bonders is working away from the top position though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bonders wants to control but Karelin is keeping him busy.

Karelin is defending against the submission attempts here by Bonders.
Bonders wants to control but Karelin is keeping him busy.
Bonders is breathing heavily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bonders is stalling here. Karelin is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Bonders seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Karelin has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Karelin happy to just control the position for now.
Bonders tries to bench press Karelin off him but Karelin keeps the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Karelin is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Karelin closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Bonders to the mat! Bonders manages to get full guard.
Karelin stays in close to Bonders's body and controls the position.
Karelin really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Bonders. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bonders wants to stand up but Karelin is controlling him.
Karelin is stalling in the full guard.
Karelin stands and throws Bonders's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Bonders tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Karelin wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Karelin scores with a couple of short elbows.
Karelin wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bonders keeps working.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gorlan Karelin dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Bonders stuffs the takedown.
Bonders lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Karelin is defended easily by Bonders.
Bonders wants to clinch up but Karelin keeps it at a distance.
Bonders fails with the takedown

and Karelin counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Karelin not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Karelin wants to take a breather but Bonders is having none of it.
Bonders works his way to full guard. Good work.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bonders keeping full guard, as Karelin tries to pass.
Bonders manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Karelin manages to get himself to full guard.
Bonders wants to control from the top but Karelin keeps moving.
Bonders is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Karelin is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Karelin wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Bonders trying to control the position from guard on top but Karelin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Karelin has Bonders pulled in close to control his posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bonders stands and throws Karelin's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Karelin parries the strikes from Bonders easily there. Bonders is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Karelin to escape.
Karelin holding on.
Karelin stops Bonders from passing to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

Bonders is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Karelin has escaped the position, nice work there.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Karelin can do anything to dispel that myth.
Bonders scoring with punches and elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gorlan Karelin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Karelin shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Karelin seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Bonders does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Karelin looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Karelin trying to control from Bonders's half guard. Bonders has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Karelin must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Bonders trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Karelin lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Karelin trying to control but Bonders is working from the bottom.
Bonders might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Gorlan Karelin.
Bonders stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Bonders wants it to stay on the feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Horrible takedown by Karelin or perhaps it was just good defense by Bonders which made him look bad.
Bonders doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Karelin counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

Bonders escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Karelin gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Karelin stays in close to Bonders's body and controls the position.
Bonders keeping moving, preventing Karelin from controlling successfully.

Bonders is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Karelin defends well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Karelin controlling from the top position.

Bonders is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Karelin defends well.
Karelin with a nice head shot there.

Bonders is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Karelin looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Gorlan Karelin.
Karelin avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bonders gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Karelin counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Karelin is pressing down on Bonders's thigh, looking to free his foot. Bonders is holding on for now.
Still in half guard, Karelin seems content to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Karelin wants to pass the guard but Bonders is defending well.
Karelin sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Bonders wants to improve his position but Karelin is controlling well.
Still in half guard, Karelin seems content to control.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Bonders wants to improve his position but Karelin is controlling well.
Boeuf Bonders has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gorlan Karelin is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Well, if Karelin is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gorlan 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 Valeri Chadov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30

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