PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mirko Filipovic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marco Criss (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Filipovic comes into the arena with Duran Duran - Wild boys blaring out of the sound system. Both fighters look pumped up here. Let's hope this is a good fight!

Filipovic
vs
Criss

188 cm
23
235 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

196 cm
24
265 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
KO power

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Granite chin

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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Mirko Filipovic!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Marco Criss!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Yamamoto, Taro Takaoka and Ren Mimura.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Filipovic lands a head kick!
Filipovic throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Criss sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Filipovic pushes Criss away with a front kick.

Criss changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Filipovic looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Filipovic is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Criss cracks Filipovic with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Criss scores with punches from side control.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Filipovic prevents Criss from moving into mount.
Criss looks up at the clock and then as Filipovic takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Criss smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!

Criss decides to stand up, so the ref orders Filipovic to his feet.
Filipovic fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Filipovic misses with a head kick.
Filipovic keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Criss shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Filipovic as he avoids it easily.
Filipovic uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Criss.

Criss shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Filipovic is trying to defend but Criss finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Criss thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Filipovic to regain full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Criss is looking to work some ground and pound but Filipovic has wrist control.
Criss forces his way into half guard.
Criss throwing shots but Filipovic is blocking nicely.
Criss lands with a punch from half guard.
Criss working the head and body with strikes.
Criss throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Criss throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Criss drops an elbow to the side of Filipovic's head.
Criss trying to mount his opponent but Filipovic defends it.
Criss seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Criss is nestled in close to Filipovic, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Criss thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Filipovic to regain full guard.
Filipovic is breathing heavily.
Criss forces his way into half guard.
Criss seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Criss not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Nice strikes from Criss there.
Criss missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

Criss decides to stand up.
Criss shoots in looking for a takedown but Filipovic manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Criss's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Mirko Filipovic has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marco Criss.
Filipovic keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Criss.
Criss looks to land a combination but Filipovic avoids it well.

Filipovic gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Filipovic wants to stand but Criss is controlling the position.
Filipovic could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Criss trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Criss tries to free his leg and advance position but Filipovic is retaining full guard.
Criss throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Filipovic works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Criss prevents Filipovic from getting back to his feet.
Criss cracks Filipovic with a solid left hand.
Criss pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Filipovic is keeping the position for now.
Criss is looking to work some ground and pound but Filipovic has wrist control.
Criss lands a couple of elbows.
Criss with a flurry of punches that miss.
Criss keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Filipovic's head.
Criss in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Criss throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Criss lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Filipovic preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Criss loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Criss passes Filipovic's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Filipovic is trying to stand up here but Criss is controlling him well.
Criss is pressing down on Filipovic's thigh, looking to free his foot. Filipovic is holding on for now.
Ground and pound from Criss.
Filipovic on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Filipovic tries to get out of the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Filipovic taking some punishment here, with Criss in his half guard.
Ground and pound from Criss.
Criss drops an elbow to the side of Filipovic's head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Criss 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.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Filipovic enables Criss to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Filipovic manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Criss lands a couple of digs.
Filipovic is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Criss is controlling him.
Marco Criss has got the better of the ground game so far.
Criss thows a big elbow that misses.
Criss won't allow Filipovic to get back to his feet.
Criss looking to pass the guard.
Criss is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Criss distracts Filipovic with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Criss thows a big elbow that misses.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Criss decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Criss will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Filipovic stuffs the takedown.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Criss shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown 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. Criss connects with a nice short shot to Filipovic's temple.
Criss sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Filipovic defending well though.
Criss has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Criss sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Filipovic defending well though.
Criss working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Criss lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Criss sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Filipovic defending well though.
Filipovic is looking to escape.
Nice strikes from Criss there.
Criss working Filipovic over with strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Criss seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Criss has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Criss sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Filipovic defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Criss thows a huge punch but Filipovic dodges it nicely.
Criss lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Filipovic is trying to stand.
Nice strikes from Criss there.
Criss slips a nice elbow through Filipovic's hands, connecting with Filipovic's forehead.
Criss missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Criss winds up and cracks Filipovic with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

Criss postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Filipovic to stand up.
Criss cracks Filipovic with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Criss will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

Criss shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Filipovic's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Criss stops Filipovic from standing up.
Criss connects with a couple of short punches.
Criss works over Filipovic with some ground and pound from guard.
Criss looking to pass the guard.
Criss postures up and lands a big shot to Filipovic's brow.
Filipovic is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Criss throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Filipovic wants to stand but Criss is controlling the position.
Criss content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Criss stops Filipovic from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Criss keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Filipovic's head.
Criss throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Filipovic works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Criss with a nice head shot there.
Criss landing with the ground and pound.
Criss trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Criss working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Filipovic's head.
Criss makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Criss connects with a couple of short punches.
Criss is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Criss stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Filipovic swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Criss working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Criss lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Criss showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Criss drives through with a takedown into guard.
Criss passes Filipovic's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Criss missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Criss sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Filipovic defending well though.

Criss escapes and gets back to his feet.
Criss comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.

Criss bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Filipovic is trying to buck Criss off.
An elbow from Criss crashes against the mat.
Criss tries to score with some ground and pound. Filipovic controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Criss cracks Filipovic with a big right hand but Filipovic just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Criss scoring with punches and elbows.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Filipovic is pushing Criss's head away, looking to escape. Criss manages to hold on to the position though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Criss creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Filipovic is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Criss asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Criss advances to mount.
Criss with shots to the head and body - Filipovic looks very uncomfortable down there.
Criss lands a big shot there that rocks Filipovic but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Criss is landing with some decent strikes but Filipovic is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
The referee warns Filipovic that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Criss lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Filipovic squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Criss raining down shots from the mount!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Criss with a couple of short strikes.
Criss punishing his opponent with strikes.
Criss looking to finish Filipovic with some ground and pound. This is bad for Filipovic!
Criss is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Criss breaks from Filipovic's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Filipovic really wants to buck Criss off and get back to his feet.
Criss landing punches.
Criss fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
The referee warns Filipovic that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Filipovic wants to try and get back to his feet.
Criss working away from the top, dropping strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Filipovic taking shots to the head.
Criss won't let Filipovic get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
A nice elbow there by Criss.
Filipovic is trying to stand up.
Criss lands a heavy elbow.
BOOM! Criss connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Criss raining down hammerfists from mount.
Filipovic's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Criss with good strikes from the mount here!
Filipovic is trying to stand.
Criss postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Filipovic looks a forlorn figure.
Criss with the ground and pound from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Filipovic is in a horrible position here. Criss smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Criss unloading with bombs!
Criss landing shots from mount.
Criss is landing with some decent strikes but Filipovic is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Criss working the ground and pound effectively.
Criss lands a nice shot to the head.
Filipovic is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Criss with shots to the head and body - Filipovic looks very uncomfortable down there.
Mirko Filipovic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Criss with good strikes from the mount here!
Marco Criss is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The referee warns Filipovic that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marco Criss comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Criss 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 Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 25:30
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 25:30
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marco Criss!