PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Luka Groff (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Fedor Kuzmin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Groff
vs
Kuzmin

180 cm
23
182 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

186 cm
19
184 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good in bed

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Luka Groff!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Fedor Kuzmin!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kuzmin is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Groff.
A punch combination from Kuzmin misses.
Groff buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Kuzmin tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Groff scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Kuzmin takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Kuzmin has a takedown stuffed.

Kuzmin has closed the distance and engaged Groff in a clinch.
Groff wants to break free but Kuzmin has control.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kuzmin.
Kuzmin can't find room to land a body shot as Groff controls the action.
Kuzmin is trying to stall.

Kuzmin breaks from the clinch.

Groff moves into the clinch successfully.
Kuzmin is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Groff pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Groff can't get the takedown.

Groff pulls guard successfully.
Kuzmin loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Groff looking for a sweep. Not yet Groff, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuzmin trying to control the position from guard on top but Groff is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kuzmin pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Groff is keeping the position for now.
Groff controls Kuzmin momentarily but Kuzmin frees himself.
Kuzmin lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Kuzmin with a flurry of punches that miss.
Kuzmin looking to pass the guard.
Kuzmin trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Groff utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Kuzmin is looking to advance position but Groff has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!
Groff looking to control but Kuzmin is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
BOOM! Groff connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Kuzmin looks gassed!
Groff throwing strikes here but Kuzmin is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Groff sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Groff with a couple of short strikes.
Kuzmin is in a horrible position here. Groff smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Groff postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Kuzmin looks a forlorn figure.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Groff cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Groff lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Kuzmin hang on?
Kuzmin really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Groff. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Groff trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Groff lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Kuzmin hang on?
Groff breaks from Kuzmin's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Groff trying to control but Kuzmin is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Groff lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Kuzmin hang on?
Groff pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Kuzmin tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Groff looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Groff lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Groff controlling his opponent.
Groff raining down hammerfists from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luka Groff 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.

Kuzmin shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Kuzmin misses with a two punch combination.
Groff avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Groff misses with a jab, cross combination.

Groff shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Kuzmin's guard.
Groff pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kuzmin is keeping the position for now.
Groff throws a big right hand that misses.

Kuzmin is working an open guard so Groff takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Kuzmin wants to clinch.
Groff looks for a takedown but Kuzmin sprawls well.
Groff throws a series of punches but Kuzmin avoids them all with ease.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuzmin tries to clinch but Groff is having none of it.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Groff clinches with his opponent.

Kuzmin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Kuzmin wants to clinch

and Groff counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Kuzmin's guard now.
Kuzmin keeping full guard, as Groff tries to pass.
Groff trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

Groff decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Kuzmin, up you get!
Kuzmin fails with the takedown

and Groff holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Groff unloads a knee to the mid-section.

Groff pulls guard.
Groff is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuzmin wanted to stand there but Groff had control of the position.
Kuzmin missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Kuzmin must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Kuzmin postures up in Groff's guard and throws a big left but Groff blocks it.
Groff bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kuzmin's guard.
Groff passes into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Groff takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Kuzmin is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Groff scores with a couple of nice shots.
Groff trying to mount his opponent but Kuzmin defends it.

Groff decides to return to a standing position.
Kuzmin misses with a takedown
and Groff counters with an outside leg kick.

Groff darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Kuzmin is looking to escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuzmin trying to control here.
Groff has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Groff controlling from the full mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Groff tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kuzmin manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kuzmin slips a jab and a cross from Groff.
Kuzmin with a lazy takedown attempt

and Groff counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Groff postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Kuzmin to stand up.
Nice takedown defense from Groff. No joy for Kuzmin on that attempt.

Groff looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Groff slips nicely into half guard.
Kuzmin is refusing to be controlled, as Groff sits in half guard.
Groff trying to pass the guard but Kuzmin defending well.
Luka Groff overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Groff is working hard here to advance position.
Groff thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Kuzmin's head.
Kuzmin looks like he's trying to stand up.
Groff is thwarting Kuzmin's attempts to control the position.
Kuzmin blocking the ground and pound attempt from Groff.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Groff throwing shots but Kuzmin is blocking nicely.
Groff moves nicely into side control.
Groff has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Groff has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Luka Groff is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sloppy strikes from Kuzmin. Those never looked like landing.

Groff closes the distance and clinches.
Groff drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Kuzmin breaks from the clinch.
Groff misses with a wild combination.
Groff misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuzmin closes the distance and clinches up with Groff, looking for a takedown. Kuzmin pushes Groff against the cage but Groff circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Luka Groff has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Fedor Kuzmin.
Groff throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Kuzmin counters with a nice double leg into side control. Groff won't be happy with that.
Kuzmin scores with punches from side control.
Kuzmin in side control lands a decent elbow.
Kuzmin wants to stand but Groff has him controlled and pulls him back into his guard.
Kuzmin tries to free his leg and advance position but Groff is retaining full guard.
Kuzmin trying to stand up but can't free himself from Groff's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuzmin is looking to work some ground and pound but Groff has wrist control.
Kuzmin pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Groff is keeping the position for now.
Groff seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Groff manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Kuzmin manages to get himself to full guard.
Fedor Kuzmin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kuzmin tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Luka Groff is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Groff trying to control but Kuzmin is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Luka Groff showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Groff has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Sergei Dronov scores the fight 30:27
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Luka Groff!