PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Krsto Frankopan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Shaquille Oneal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Krsto Frankopan has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Frankopan
vs
Oneal

208 cm
20
250 lbs
2 - 8 - 0

217 cm
26
280 lbs
2 - 5 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Dangerous GnP
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

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 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Krsto Frankopan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Shaquille Oneal!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Marco Blurström and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Frankopan fails with a takedown attempt.
Oneal tries to clinch

and Frankopan counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Oneal!
Frankopan thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Frankopan misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Frankopan blocks Oneal's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Frankopan controlling from mount.
Oneal tries to reverse the position but Frankopan maintains control.
Oneal is trying to stand up.
Frankopan trying to control but Oneal is having none of it.
Frankopan controlling from the full mount.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Oneal swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
Frankopan sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Frankopan wants to control the pace but Oneal is squirming around nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Frankopan thowing shots but they're missing.
Oneal is trying to escape the mount.
Oneal landing with some feeble shots from his back... He should probably try escaping the position instead.
Oneal slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Frankopan prevents Oneal from improving his position.
Frankopan is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
A nice elbow there by Frankopan.
Oneal is looking to improve his position but Frankopan isn't that keen on the idea.
Frankopan trying to control but Oneal is having none of it.
Oneal is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oneal is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Oneal punching to the body and holding on for dear life.
Oneal is wriggling around trying to escape.
Oneal throwing hammer fists to the chest of Frankopan. What's that going to do exactly?
Oneal can't escape the position.
Oneal swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
Oneal is in all sorts of trouble here.
Oneal throwing hammer fists to the chest of Frankopan. What's that going to do exactly?
Frankopan working Oneal over with strikes here.
Oneal is trying desperately to improve position.
Frankopan dominating with strikes here.
Frankopan punching from mount but Oneal doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Oneal swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Frankopan unloads with some shots from mount but Oneal bucks and avoids them well.
Frankopan is breathing heavily.
Oneal flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Frankopan tries to control but Oneal wriggling away.
Frankopan landing shots from mount.
Oneal is looking to improve his position but Frankopan isn't that keen on the idea.
Frankopan tries to control but Oneal wriggling away.
Oneal flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Oneal tries to reverse the position but Frankopan maintains control.
Oneal throwing hammer fists to the chest of Frankopan. What's that going to do exactly?
Oneal sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Oneal is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Frankopan's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Frankopan's back!
Oneal gets his hooks in and is throwing strikes.
Frankopan covers up after that shot from Oneal.
Oneal has his opponent trapped and is landing shots. Not a good position for Frankopan.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oooh a big shot gets through from Oneal. Many more shots like that and the referee will have to think about stepping in!
Oneal lands with a big left hand that may well have hurt his opponent. Can Frankopan hold on?!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Oneal is punishing Frankopan with strikes - can he finish him?!
Oneal lands shots from the back.
Frankopan rolls, trying to escape but Oneal keeps control of the position.
Oneal is throwing punches to the body, looking to soften Frankopan up.
Oneal scores with a nice shot to the head of his opponent. Frankopan is looking for a way out.
Oneal is working the ground and pound here and the referee is taking a close look at Frankopan. He must escape soon or this one will be stopped.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Oneal softening up his opponent with strikes here.
Oneal connects with a series of strikes and the referee is calling for Frankopan to escape the position.
Oneal is throwing punches to the body, looking to soften Frankopan up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shaquille Oneal dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Oneal drops Frankopan with a right and a left! Oneal comes rushing in but Frankopan regains his composure and manages to keep Oneal in guard.

It looks like Krsto Frankopan has been cut.
Oneal works over Frankopan with some ground and pound from guard.
Oneal makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Oneal postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Oneal accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Oneal missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Oneal cracks Frankopan with a solid left hand.
Oneal passes Frankopan's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Oneal landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Oneal takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Shaquille Oneal has got the better of the ground game so far.
Oneal seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Oneal lands strikes from half guard.
Oneal thows a huge punch but Frankopan dodges it nicely.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Frankopan taking some punishment here, with Oneal in his half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Frankopan is looking to improve his position.
Oneal looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Frankopan with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Oneal looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Oneal lands with a punch from half guard.
Oneal working over Frankopan with some ground and pound. Frankopan looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Oneal thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Oneal looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Frankopan with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Oneal is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Oneal is nestled in close to Frankopan, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Oneal looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Oneal working Frankopan over with strikes.
Oneal has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Frankopan taking some punishment here, with Oneal in his half guard.
Oneal lands strikes from half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Frankopan avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Oneal.
Nice strikes from Oneal there.
Oneal thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Frankopan's head.
Oneal throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Oneal thows a huge punch but Frankopan dodges it nicely.
Oneal takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Oneal is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Frankopan on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Frankopan tries to get out of the position.
Oneal seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Oneal looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Frankopan tries to get to full guard but Oneal has control of the leg.
Frankopan blocking the ground and pound attempt from Oneal.
Oneal thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oneal thows a huge punch but Frankopan dodges it nicely.
Frankopan wants to improve his position but Oneal is controlling well.
Ground and pound from Oneal.
Oneal landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Oneal is nestled in close to Frankopan, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Ground and pound from Oneal.
Oneal missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Oneal 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.
Oneal thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Frankopan's head.
Oneal lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Frankopan is looking for a sweep. Oneal is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Frankopan wants to control but Oneal is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oneal scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Frankopan on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Oneal lands strikes from half guard.
Oneal has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Oneal passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Frankopan!
Oneal working the ground and pound effectively.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Oneal in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Frankopan is bucking up trying to escape but Oneal cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Oneal raining down hammerfists from mount.
Oneal working away from the top, dropping strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shaquille Oneal showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Krsto Frankopan's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Oneal tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Frankopan paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Frankopan throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Oneal tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Frankopan is in Oneal's guard.
Oneal keeping moving, preventing Frankopan from controlling successfully.
Oneal trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Oneal lands a good elbow from the bottom.
Frankopan won't allow Oneal to sweep him here.
Frankopan trying to control the position from guard on top but Oneal is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Oneal looking for a sweep. Not yet Oneal, not yet.
Oneal wants to stand but Frankopan is controlling the position.
Frankopan postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Frankopan has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Oneal avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Oneal trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Oneal striking from his own guard.
Connects with an elbow from the bottom, proving to the judges that he's still active off his back.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oneal strikes from his own guard.
Oneal bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Frankopan's guard.
Oneal postures up in Frankopan's guard and throws a big left but Frankopan blocks it.
Oneal postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Frankopan avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Oneal is in close to Frankopan's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Oneal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Oneal distracts Frankopan with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Oneal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Oneal stands up over Frankopan, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Oneal's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Oneal works over Frankopan with some ground and pound from guard.
Oneal lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oneal is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Oneal accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Oneal throws a big right hand that misses.
Oneal throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Frankopan works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Oneal postures up and lands a big shot to Frankopan's brow.
Oneal lands a couple of digs.
Oneal with a flurry of punches that miss.
Frankopan trying to control the position.
Frankopan avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Oneal preventing the sweep.
Frankopan avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Oneal scoring with some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oneal working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Oneal working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Oneal is in close to Frankopan's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Oneal postures up in Frankopan's guard and throws a big left but Frankopan blocks it.
Oneal postures up in Frankopan's guard and throws a big left but Frankopan blocks it.
Oneal working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Frankopan's head.
Oneal postures up and lands a big shot to Frankopan's brow.
Frankopan looking to control.
Frankopan avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Frankopan utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Oneal scoring with some ground and pound.
Oneal scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oneal scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Oneal trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Oneal loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Oneal lands a couple of digs.
Krsto Frankopan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Oneal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Frankopan utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Oneal connects with a couple of short punches.
Frankopan trying to keep a closed guard but Oneal is proving a slippery customer.
Oneal loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Oneal preventing the sweep.
Oneal cracks Frankopan with a solid left hand.
Shaquille Oneal is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Oneal landing some decent shots from guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Shaquille Oneal comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Oneal has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 26:30
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 26:30
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Shaquille Oneal!