PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Nikolai Zhukoff (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ignas Panavas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ignas Panavas will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Zhukoff
vs
Panavas

187 cm
22
240 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

183 cm
22
231 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Nikolai Zhukoff!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ignas Panavas!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Panavas misses with a double jab.
Panavas looks to score with a jab to the body but Zhukoff is just out of range.
Panavas misses with a two punch combination.

Zhukoff closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Zhukoff lands in his opponent's guard.
Zhukoff postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Zhukoff postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Zhukoff prevents Panavas from getting back to his feet.
Panavas is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Zhukoff postures up and lands a big shot to Panavas's brow.
Zhukoff landing some decent shots from guard.
Panavas should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Zhukoff with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Zhukoff has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Zhukoff is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Zhukoff slips nicely into half guard.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Zhukoff connects with a nice short shot to Panavas's temple.
The fighters are battling for position here. Panavas manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Zhukoff won't allow Panavas to sweep him here.
Panavas looks gassed!
Zhukoff pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Panavas is keeping the position for now.
Zhukoff distracts Panavas with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zhukoff postures up and lands a big shot to Panavas's brow.
Zhukoff with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Panavas looking to hit a scissor sweep but Zhukoff is one step ahead there.
Zhukoff working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Panavas can't keep his opponent in guard - Zhukoff advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Zhukoff scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Zhukoff seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Panavas tries to kick Zhukoff off but Zhukoff keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Panavas is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Zhukoff scores with a couple of nice shots.
Panavas is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Zhukoff scores with a couple of nice shots.
Zhukoff moves nicely into side control.
Zhukoff lands a nice forearm strike.
Zhukoff scoring with punches and elbows.
Zhukoff working away.
Zhukoff looks up at the clock and then as Panavas takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Zhukoff smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!

Zhukoff tries for a kimura but Panavas is defending well.
Panavas is working to avoid the ground and pound but Zhukoff connects with a decent elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Zhukoff wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Panavas, who protects the arm well.
Zhukoff working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Zhukoff lands a nice forearm strike.
Panavas takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.

Zhukoff is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Panavas has escaped the position, nice work there.

Zhukoff working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Zhukoff misses with a series of wild punches.
Panavas misses with a few strikes there.
Panavas swings for the body but Zhukoff moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Panavas gets caught flat footed, as Zhukoff shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Zhukoff passes Panavas's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Zhukoff lands strikes from half guard.
Zhukoff trying to mount his opponent but Panavas defends it.

Zhukoff is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Panavas is just riding it out for now. Zhukoff eventually gives up the hold.

Zhukoff seems to be looking for submissions.

Zhukoff is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Panavas defends it well.
Panavas keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Panavas moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Zhukoff wants to pass the guard but Panavas is keeping the position.
Zhukoff preventing the sweep.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Panavas looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Zhukoff!
The referee warns Zhukoff that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Panavas looking to control but Zhukoff is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Zhukoff is wriggling around trying to escape.
Panavas lands a big shot there that rocks Zhukoff but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Panavas takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Zhukoff regains half guard.
Panavas is nestled in close to Zhukoff, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Zhukoff on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Zhukoff tries to get out of the position.
Panavas passes to full mount!
Zhukoff is in all sorts of trouble here.
Zhukoff is working hard here to advance position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Zhukoff throwing hammer fists to the chest of Panavas. What's that going to do exactly?
Zhukoff is squirming around, avoiding Panavas's attempts to control the action.
Zhukoff can't escape the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Zhukoff dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Panavas looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Zhukoff avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

Zhukoff bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Zhukoff connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Panavas some visible discomfort.
Panavas is trying to control Zhukoff's posture but Zhukoff avoids it.
Zhukoff landing strikes.
Panavas sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Zhukoff lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Panavas tries to get to full guard but Zhukoff has control of the leg.
Zhukoff slips a nice elbow through Panavas's hands, connecting with Panavas's forehead.
Zhukoff looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Zhukoff lands strikes from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Panavas trying to control here.
Zhukoff lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Zhukoff is thwarting Panavas's attempts to control the position.
Zhukoff working Panavas over with strikes.
Panavas makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Panavas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Panavas looking for a sweep. Not yet Panavas, not yet.
Panavas is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Zhukoff throwing strikes but missing.

Zhukoff thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Panavas throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Panavas scores with a takedown into Zhukoff's guard.
Zhukoff keeping moving, preventing Panavas from controlling successfully.
Zhukoff has momentary wrist control but Panavas slips an elbow through the middle.
Panavas preventing the sweep.
Panavas passes into half guard.
Zhukoff is trying to get back to full guard.
Panavas throwing shots but Zhukoff is blocking nicely.
Zhukoff wants to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Panavas wants to take a breather but Zhukoff is having none of it.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Panavas misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Panavas comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Zhukoff fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Panavas swinging wilding here.
Panavas goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Panavas misses with a series of wild punches.

Zhukoff shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Zhukoff showed some decent athleticism there.

Panavas is defending against the submission attempts here by Zhukoff.
Panavas moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Zhukoff trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Nikolai Zhukoff overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zhukoff is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Panavas looking to hit a scissor sweep but Zhukoff is one step ahead there.
Zhukoff pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Panavas is keeping the position for now.
Zhukoff with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Zhukoff postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

Zhukoff thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Zhukoff cracks Panavas with a solid left hand.
Zhukoff landing some decent shots from guard.
Zhukoff wants to pass the guard but Panavas is keeping the position.

Panavas looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Zhukoff pushing down on Panavas's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Zhukoff connects with a nice short shot to Panavas's temple.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zhukoff moves into full mount! Panavas won't be happy about that!
Zhukoff scoring with strikes but Panavas is staying in there.
Zhukoff lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Panavas hang on?
Zhukoff cracks Panavas with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
A nice elbow there by Zhukoff.
Zhukoff looking to finish Panavas with some ground and pound. This is bad for Panavas!

Panavas is rocked!
Panavas throwing hammer fists to the chest of Zhukoff. What's that going to do exactly?
Zhukoff looking to finish Panavas with some ground and pound. This is bad for Panavas!
Zhukoff breaks from Panavas's wrist control and lands an elbow.

Zhukoff has control of Panavas's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Panavas regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Panavas throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Zhukoff has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Panavas's face.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Zhukoff is working for a guillotine from mount but Panavas frees his head quite easily.
Zhukoff connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Panavas is still in real trouble! Can Zhukoff finish him?
This has been an exciting period of action!
Zhukoff raining down shots from the mount!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Zhukoff dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Panavas throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Zhukoff throws a sloppy head kick and Panavas moves out of range easily.

Zhukoff fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Panavas sprawls well initially but Zhukoff persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Panavas has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Zhukoff is working away from the top position though.
Zhukoff thows a huge punch but Panavas dodges it nicely.
Panavas is looking for a sweep. Zhukoff is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Panavas seems to have recovered his senses.
Zhukoff takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Zhukoff blocks the strikes from Panavas.
Zhukoff lands with a punch from half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Panavas manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Zhukoff tries to free his leg and advance position but Panavas is retaining full guard.
Zhukoff cracks Panavas with a solid left hand.
Zhukoff scoring with punches to the head and body.
Panavas controls Zhukoff momentarily but Zhukoff frees himself.
Zhukoff postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Zhukoff scoring with some ground and pound.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Zhukoff looking to pass the guard.
Zhukoff lands a couple of elbows.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zhukoff working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Zhukoff preventing the sweep.
Zhukoff stops Panavas from standing up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Panavas gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Zhukoff counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Panavas trying to control the position.
Zhukoff working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Panavas's head.
Zhukoff trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Panavas working for a triangle but Zhukoff defends it easily.
Zhukoff prevents Panavas from getting back to his feet.
Panavas is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Zhukoff scoring with some ground and pound.
Panavas tries to strike from the bottom.
Zhukoff stops Panavas from standing up.
Panavas tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Panavas tries to strike from the bottom.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Zhukoff dodges the punch combination from Panavas.
Ignas Panavas seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Zhukoff slips a jab and a cross from Panavas.
Panavas lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Zhukoff at a distance.
Zhukoff fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Panavas closes the distance looking to clinch

and Zhukoff counters with a single leg into guard. Panavas didn't expect that.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Panavas is on top in guard.
Panavas pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Zhukoff is keeping the position for now.
Zhukoff tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Panavas trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Zhukoff is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Zhukoff is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zhukoff working Panavas over with strikes.
Zhukoff looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Panavas with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Zhukoff works his way into full mount!
Zhukoff lands a nice shot to the head.
Zhukoff working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Zhukoff is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Panavas can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
A nice elbow there by Zhukoff.
Zhukoff postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Panavas looks a forlorn figure.
Zhukoff lands a big shot there that rocks Panavas but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Panavas is in all sorts of trouble here.
Panavas is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Panavas slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.

Zhukoff is working for a submission of some sort.
Panavas trying to hold on to Zhukoff's head to control him but Zhukoff postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Zhukoff connects with a nice short shot to Panavas's temple.
Zhukoff moves nicely into side control.
Zhukoff working the head with strikes.
Panavas is trying to get back to half guard.
Zhukoff advances nicely into full mount.
Panavas in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Zhukoff is in full mount looking to finish with strikes. He lands a big shot, followed by another and Panavas goes limp! The ref jumps in to end the fight - a big win for Zhukoff!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:46 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Nikolai Zhukoff!