PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Sirium Dante (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Aleksander Emelianenko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Emelianenko comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Soviet March kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! I can't wait for this one - let's get the fighter introductions out of the way and get this one started!

Dante
vs
Emelianenko

210 cm
20
235 lbs
6 - 8 - 0

199 cm
25
253 lbs
4 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Experienced

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Powerful

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 6 - 8 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Sirium Dante!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Aleksander Emelianenko!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Fedor Mirinova and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Emelianenko avoids the head kick by Dante.
A punch combination from Dante misses.
Emelianenko showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Dante.

Emelianenko lands a left and a right that send Dante crashing to the mat, dazed. Emelianenko thinks about following him to the mat but decides to wave him back up to his feet!

It looks like Sirium Dante has been cut.
Emelianenko showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Dante.
Emelianenko shoots in for a takedown but Dante shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

Emelianenko closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Emelianenko is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Emelianenko trying to control from half guard but Dante is working away.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Emelianenko looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Dante is trying to stand back up but Emelianenko is controlling him
Emelianenko controlling the pace.
Emelianenko is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.

Dante manages to escape and get back to his feet!

Emelianenko shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Emelianenko was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Emelianenko can't control as he wanted to and Dante manages to get the fight back to his half guard.
Well, if Emelianenko 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.
Dante looks like he's trying to stand up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dante tries to kick Emelianenko off in order to stand up. Emelianenko Avoids the leg push though and dives into side control.
Dante pushes Emelianenko away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Emelianenko gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Emelianenko in side control, just content to control the action for now.
Dante is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Emelianenko wants to control but Dante is keeping him busy.

That's four 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.

Emelianenko decides to stand up, so the ref orders Dante to his feet.
Aleksander Emelianenko seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Dante has closed the distance and engaged Emelianenko in a clinch.
Emelianenko changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Dante fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Emelianenko tries to clinch up.
Dante throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Emelianenko counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Dante's guard now.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Emelianenko looking to sit in guard and control but Dante gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aleksander Emelianenko dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Sirium Dante's cut.
That's time! Dante's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Emelianenko shoots for a double leg takedown but Dante sprawls well. He's pushed Emelianenko's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Dante misses with a jab, cross combination.
Emelianenko throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Dante stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Dante throws a right and a left that Emelianenko avoids nicely.
Emelianenko tries to clinch there but Dante circles away.
Dante waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Emelianenko.
Dante circles away from the clinch attempt
and Dante counters with a left to the body.
Emelianenko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Dante counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dante misses with a few strikes there.
Emelianenko will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Sirium Dante has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Aleksander Emelianenko.
Emelianenko avoids a punch combination nicely.
Dante swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Emelianenko counters with a single leg into guard. Dante didn't expect that.
Emelianenko landing with the ground and pound.
Dante is looking to stand up but Emelianenko isn't so interested in that idea.
Emelianenko controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Emelianenko's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Dante pushes Emelianenko off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Emelianenko staying out of range there.
Emelianenko moves out of range of the body kick.
Dante throws a right hand that Emelianenko ducks under and follows up with a left that Emelianenko also avoids with ease.

Emelianenko scores with a takedown into Dante's guard.

Emelianenko drops back looking for a leg! Dante is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Dante manages to kick Emelianenko off! Emelianenko jumps back into Dante's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dante is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Emelianenko is controlling him.
Emelianenko trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Emelianenko stops Dante from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Emelianenko controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Emelianenko won't allow Dante to get back to his feet.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Emelianenko lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Dante circles away quickly and effectively.
Dante misses with a double jab

and Emelianenko counters with a single leg into guard. Dante didn't expect that.
Emelianenko stays in close to Dante's body and controls the position.
Dante wants to stand but Emelianenko is controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aleksander Emelianenko showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Sirium Dante's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Emelianenko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Dante counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Emelianenko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Dante counters with a three punch combo that has Emelianenko backing up. Emelianenko nods at Dante to acknowledge the strikes.
Emelianenko wants to clinch.
Emelianenko tries for a takedown but Dante circles away easily
and Dante counters with a left and a right that stings Emelianenko.
Sirium Dante has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Aleksander Emelianenko.
Emelianenko fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Dante avoids it really well and circles away.
Dante rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Emelianenko moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Emelianenko takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Emelianenko looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Dante is fending him off so far but Emelianenko persists. Nope, Dante circles away and we're back to standing.
Dante moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dante throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Dante throws a head kick that misses.
Emelianenko throws a lazy head kick

and Dante holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Emelianenko.
Emelianenko tries to pull guard but Dante won't allow it.
Emelianenko tries for a takedown. No joy.
Dante tries to break the clinch but Emelianenko is controlling the position.
Emelianenko fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Emelianenko keeps control of Dante as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Emelianenko can't get the takedown.
Dante is trying to break the clinch but Emelianenko is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dante is trying to break free.
A frustrated look appears on Dante's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Dante's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Emelianenko avoids the head kick by Dante.
Emelianenko wants to clinch but Dante slips to the side
and Dante counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

Emelianenko moves into the clinch.
Dante prevents a takedown attempt there.

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

Emelianenko fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Dante sprawls well initially but Emelianenko persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Dante is looking to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko wants to lay and pray for a moment but Dante keeps working.
Emelianenko trying to control the pace.

Emelianenko decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.

Emelianenko decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Dante is refusing to be controlled, as Emelianenko sits in half guard.

Emelianenko decides to stand and escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dante fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Dante misses with a jab, cross combination.
Emelianenko fails in his attempt to clinch.
Danga de danga de dang - Dante scores with a four punch combination!
Sirium Dante has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Emelianenko closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Dante to the mat! Dante manages to get full guard.
Emelianenko would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Aleksander Emelianenko is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Emelianenko stops Dante from standing up.

And that's the end of the fight!
Aleksander Emelianenko comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Emelianenko 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 27:30
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Aleksander Emelianenko!