PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Demo Man (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dariusz Ruslan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Man comes to the cage accompanied by THE PRODIGY - voodoo people. Ruslan has chosen Hester Prynne as his entrance music. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Man
vs
Ruslan

182 cm
25
197 lbs
14 - 2 - 0

198 cm
25
219 lbs
13 - 6 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Springfield HW Nutrition
Springfield HW Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Demo Man!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Dariusz Ruslan!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Illya Tyunina and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Man throws a poor cross that misses
and Man takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Nice body punch from Man.
Ruslan lands with a shot to the body.
Ruslan throws a lazy uppercut
and Man connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

It looks like Dariusz Ruslan has been cut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Man misses with a left hand

and Ruslan counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Man's guard now.
Ruslan won't allow Man to sweep him here.
Man trying to control the position.
Man wants to stand and escape but Ruslan is having none of it.
Man keeping moving, preventing Ruslan from controlling successfully.
Man wants to get back to his feet but Ruslan is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Ruslan throws a big right hand that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Man looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ruslan throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Man might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Ruslan pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Man is keeping the position for now.
Ruslan throwing strikes from guard but Man blocks nicely.
Man utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Ruslan wants to control from the top but Man keeps moving.
Man is trying to keep Ruslan in close.

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.
Man preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Man looking for a sweep. Not yet Man, not yet.
Ruslan slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Ruslan throws a body punch but Man moves out of range.
Man takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Ruslan slips a jab from Man.
Ruslan lands a head shot.
Man keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Man throws a combination that misses

and Ruslan counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Ruslan missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Man is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Ruslan scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ruslan is trying to control. Man wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Man keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Ruslan sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Nice strikes from Ruslan there.
Ruslan trying to control the pace.
Ruslan misses with a head shot. Man uses the momentum to regain guard.
Man looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ruslan is stalling in the full guard.
Ruslan throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Man works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Ruslan trying to control the position from guard on top but Man is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Ruslan is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ruslan trying to control the position from guard on top but Man is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ruslan missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Ruslan wants to pass the guard but Man is keeping the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Dariusz Ruslan will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Dariusz Ruslan's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Danga de danga de dang - Man scores with a four punch combination!
A shot to the body from Man misses
and Ruslan counters with a right hand to the body.
Ruslan connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Demo Man is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Ruslan misses with a combination
and Man counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Man misses with a right hand
and Ruslan counters with an inside leg kick.
Man takes a swing at Ruslan's ribcage but misses.
Man misses with a double jab
and Ruslan counters with a nice uppercut.
Ruslan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Man moves away.
Ruslan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Man connects with a body shot.
Ruslan misses with a shot to the body
and Man counters with a nice uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Man looks to land a right hand but Ruslan moved out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Man stuffs the takedown.
Man tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ruslan was well out of range. Poor timing from Man.
Ruslan misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Man connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
No joy there for Man, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Man throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Ruslan counters with a right hand to the body.
Jab from Ruslan.
Man misses with an uppercut

and Ruslan counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Man's guard now.
Man wants to hit a switch here but Ruslan passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Man there!
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Man here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Ruslan tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Ruslan can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Man is looking to escape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Man 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.
Man wants to control but Ruslan is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Ruslan seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Man does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Man blocking the ground and pound attempt from Ruslan.
Ruslan is trying to control. Man wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Ruslan is figuring out what he wants to do next.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Dariusz Ruslan hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Man misses with a double jab
and Ruslan counters with a stiff right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Man looks to land a combination. Ruslan sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Ruslan has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Man throws an off balance right hand
and Ruslan counters with a left to the body.
Nice takedown defense from Man. No joy for Ruslan on that attempt.
Dariusz Ruslan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Man takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Man throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Ruslan is breathing heavily.
Man swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Man swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Man misses with a jab to the body
and Ruslan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ruslan on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Man thuds a left hand into Ruslan's body.
Demo Man is winning the standup battle so far.
Man misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ruslan.
Man connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Man swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Ruslan. Those never looked like landing.
Ruslan staying out of range there.
Ruslan lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
A slow jab from Ruslan misses its intended target.
Ruslan drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Ruslan moves out of range of the strikes.
Ruslan is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Man.

Ruslan is rocked!
Man throws a looping overhand right but Ruslan ducks down to avoid it.
Ruslan is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Ruslan misses with a series of wild punches.
Ruslan blocks a head kick by Man.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Man misses with a shot to the body
and Ruslan makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Man throws a left and a right that both miss
and Ruslan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Demo Man dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Dariusz Ruslan's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Man throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Man takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Man throws a predictable looking body shot
enabling Ruslan to counter with a crisp jab.
Man does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Man looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Nice uppercut lands for Ruslan. That snapped Man's head back.
A shot to the body from Man misses
and Ruslan counters with a straight right hand.
Ruslan connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Ruslan just misses with a punch to the body.
Man takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Man throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Ruslan counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Ruslan thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ruslan is keen to just control but Man is a slippery customer.
Man is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Ruslan scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ruslan seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Man does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Ruslan prevents Man from standing back up.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Man is trying to get back to full guard.
Ruslan wants to lay and pray for a moment but Man keeps working.
Ruslan has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Ruslan thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Man to regain full guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Ruslan accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Ruslan wants to control from the top but Man keeps moving.

That's two 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.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Ruslan accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Ruslan trying to control but Man is working from the bottom.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Dariusz Ruslan wasn't active enough on the ground.
A swing and a miss from Ruslan.
Ruslan throws a poor cross that misses
enabling Man to counter with a crisp jab.
Ruslan shoots in but no luck this time.
Ruslan comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Man misses with a body shot

and Ruslan counters with a takedown into side control.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
Man is looking for a sweep.
Sloppy strikes there by Ruslan.
Ruslan trying to control the action but Man is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Man sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Ruslan trying to control the pace.
Man manages to get to full guard.
Ruslan working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

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.
Ruslan throws a big right hand that misses.
Man preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ruslan postures up in Man's guard and throws a big left but Man blocks it.
Ruslan looking to sit in guard and control but Man gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Man stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ruslan swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Man missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dariusz Ruslan really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dariusz Ruslan's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Ruslan connects with the punch.
Ruslan throws a right hand that misses
enabling Man to counter with a crisp jab.
Man throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Man takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Man drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Ruslan dodges the punch combination from Man.
Ruslan tries for a takedown but Man circles away easily
enabling Man to counter with a crisp jab.
Man throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Ruslan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ruslan misses with a body shot.
Man takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Man misses with the combination.
Man throws a lazy uppercut
and Ruslan counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Ruslan scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Man gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Man's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Ruslan connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Man scrambles back to his feet.
Man walks into a left hand.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Ruslan.
Man looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Ruslan throws the kick towards the body but Man avoids it.
Ruslan cracks Man with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Ruslan fails with a takedown attempt.
Ruslan lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Man circles away quickly and effectively.
Man throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Man takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Ruslan swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Man.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Man takes one on the button.
Ruslan scores with a hook to the body. Man takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Ruslan walks into a jab.
Ruslan lands with a right hand.
A telegraphed right hand from Man misses the target.
Ruslan ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Man fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ruslan manages to avoid it.
Ruslan swings for the body but Man moves out of range.
Ruslan misses with a straight left.
Ruslan fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Man looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Man lands a right hook to the body.
Ruslan is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Man looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Ruslan shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Man pinned against the cage. Man gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Demo Man has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dariusz Ruslan.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ruslan. Man does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ruslan misses with a right hand
enabling Man to counter with a crisp jab.
Man lands with a good body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Man. Ruslan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ruslan throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Man throws an off balance right hand
and Ruslan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ruslan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Man looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Man throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Ruslan tests Man's chin there with a solid looking shot.
A swing and a miss from Ruslan.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ruslan digs a good hook to Man's body.
Man ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Man throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Man misses with a combination
and Ruslan counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Horrible takedown by Ruslan or perhaps it was just good defense by Man which made him look bad.
Ruslan misses with an uppercut
and Man counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Man looks to throw the jab but Ruslan is out of range.
Man throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Man tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ruslan was well out of range. Poor timing from Man.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ruslan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Man.
Ruslan shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Man but Man pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Ruslan throws an off balance right hand
and Man makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Demo Man had his way with Dariusz Ruslan in that round.
The cut man is working on Dariusz Ruslan's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Man throws a hook to the side of Ruslan's head but Ruslan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Man throws a nice looking combination but Ruslan bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
A jab lands there for Ruslan.
Man throws a nice looking combination but Ruslan bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Ruslan dives in and grabs Man's left leg, looking for a takedown. Man pushes down on Ruslan's head and hops out.
Man throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Man misses with a lunging right hand
and Ruslan counters with a stiff right hand.
Man fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ruslan manages to avoid it.
Man swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Man on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Man is looking to wear down Ruslan with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Ruslan lands with a nice body punch.
Man ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Ruslan misses with a head kick.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Man takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Ruslan throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ruslan uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Man.
Ruslan shoots in for a takedown but Man shows good takedown defense.
Man bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Ruslan misses with a wild body shot.
Nice body punch from Ruslan.
Ruslan misses with a body shot.
Man ducks right into an uppercut from Ruslan.
Demo Man is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Man misses with a jab to the body

and Ruslan counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Ruslan missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Ruslan wants to lay and pray for a moment but Man keeps working.
Ruslan controlling the action here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ruslan thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Man's head.
Ruslan trying to pass the guard but Man defending well.
Ruslan is looking to take a break and control but Man is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Man moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Man keeping moving, preventing Ruslan from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ruslan pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Man is keeping the position for now.
Man utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Man is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Dariusz Ruslan has got the better of the ground game so far.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Man throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Ruslan lands a nice hook to Man's body. Man takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

That's four 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.
Man takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Man lands a really nice looking cross but Ruslan seems unphased.
Ruslan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Man.
Ruslan scores with a nice right hand.
Ruslan avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ruslan lands with a shot to the body.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Man enables Ruslan to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Man manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Ruslan looking to sit in guard and control but Man gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Ruslan manages to escape and get back to his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dariusz Ruslan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Ruslan has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 47:48
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight 47:48
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dariusz Ruslan!
Dariusz Ruslan is the new light heavyweight champion!