PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Olyas Pride (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Maxim Sobolev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Olyas Pride could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Maxim Sobolev's chin.

Pride
vs
Sobolev

180 cm
20
170 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

187 cm
21
178 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Good kicks
Experienced

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Olyas Pride!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Maxim Sobolev!
The judges for this bout are Konstantin Menshow, Dmitry Maklakov and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pride moves to clinch but Sobolev breaks away
and Pride takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

Sobolev closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Pride to the mat! Pride manages to get full guard.
Pride is looking to stand up but Sobolev isn't so interested in that idea.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Pride wants to stand and escape but Sobolev is having none of it.
Pride knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Sobolev on the ground.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Pride's brow.
Sobolev with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sobolev stops Pride from standing up.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Sobolev's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Sobolev with a nice head shot there.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev is working Pride over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Sobolev has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Sobolev with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.
Sobolev is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Sobolev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Sobolev keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.
Sobolev connects with a couple of short punches.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sobolev makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Pride has momentary wrist control but Sobolev slips an elbow through the middle.
Sobolev stops Pride from standing up.
Pride is breathing heavily.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Pride wants to stand up but Sobolev is controlling him.
Sobolev works over Pride with some ground and pound from guard.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev chips away with some ground and pound.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sobolev scoring with some ground and pound.
Sobolev won't allow Pride to get back to his feet.
Sobolev lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Sobolev works over Pride with some ground and pound from guard.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev working some strikes from top position.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Sobolev's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Sobolev landing with the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev stands up over Pride, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Sobolev stands up over Pride, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Pride's brow.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Sobolev keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Pride's brow.
Sobolev is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Sobolev working some strikes from top position.
Sobolev scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sobolev landing some decent shots from guard.
Sobolev works over Pride with some ground and pound from guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev prevents Pride from getting back to his feet.
Sobolev makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Sobolev scoring with some ground and pound.
Sobolev postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Sobolev landing with the ground and pound.
Sobolev working some strikes from top position.
Sobolev chips away with some ground and pound.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Pride wants to stand up but Sobolev is controlling him.
Sobolev makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pride wants to stand but Sobolev is controlling the position.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Sobolev's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sobolev fails with a takedown attempt.
Sobolev tries to score a power double leg takedown but Pride sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Sobolev somewhat.
Pride closes the distance looking to clinch

and Sobolev counters with a shoot takedown. Pride fights it but they end up in guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Sobolev prevents Pride from getting back to his feet.
Sobolev landing some decent shots from guard.
Pride is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev stops Pride from standing up.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sobolev scoring with some ground and pound.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Pride is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sobolev is controlling him.
Sobolev content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Pride has momentary wrist control but Sobolev slips an elbow through the middle.
Sobolev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.
Sobolev scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.
Sobolev connects with a couple of short punches.
Sobolev has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Pride is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sobolev is controlling him.
Sobolev landing with the ground and pound.
Sobolev stands up over Pride, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Sobolev lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Maxim Sobolev has got the better of the ground game so far.
Sobolev landing some decent shots from guard.

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.
Sobolev keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Pride's head.
Pride wants to stand but Sobolev is controlling the position.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.
Sobolev with a nice head shot there.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobolev landing some decent shots from guard.
Sobolev makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Pride wants to stand but Sobolev is controlling the position.
Sobolev working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Sobolev postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Sobolev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobolev working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Pride's brow.
Sobolev scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sobolev is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Sobolev lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Pride wants to stand and escape but Sobolev is having none of it.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Pride is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sobolev is controlling him.
Sobolev is working Pride over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sobolev landing some decent shots from guard.
Sobolev distracts Pride with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sobolev prevents Pride from getting back to his feet.
Sobolev is working Pride over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sobolev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Sobolev lands a couple of digs.

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.
Sobolev with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Sobolev chips away with some ground and pound.
Sobolev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev working some strikes from top position.
Pride wants to get back to his feet but Sobolev is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Sobolev scoring with some ground and pound.
Pride wants to stand and escape but Sobolev is having none of it.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Sobolev's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Sobolev landing with the ground and pound.
Sobolev lands a couple of elbows.
Sobolev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Pride's brow.
Sobolev is in close to Pride's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Sobolev makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Sobolev scoring with some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Maxim Sobolev showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Pride closes the distance looking to clinch

and Sobolev counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Sobolev lands with a punch from half guard.
Sobolev is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sobolev drops an elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Nice strikes from Sobolev there.
Sobolev is nestled in close to Pride, 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 Sobolev.
Sobolev prevents Pride from standing back up.
Sobolev landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Sobolev scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sobolev drops an elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Sobolev is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sobolev lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Pride is trying to stand.
Sobolev lands with a punch from half guard.

That's one minute 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. Sobolev connects with a nice short shot to Pride's temple.
Sobolev is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
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. Sobolev connects with a nice short shot to Pride's temple.
Sobolev takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Pride is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sobolev scores with a couple of nice shots.
Sobolev landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Sobolev drops an elbow to the side of Pride's head.
Pride wants to get back to his feet.
Sobolev is nestled in close to Pride, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Sobolev lands strikes from half guard.
Sobolev working Pride over with strikes.
Sobolev scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sobolev scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sobolev slips a nice elbow through Pride's hands, connecting with Pride's forehead.
Sobolev 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.
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. Sobolev connects with a nice short shot to Pride's temple.
Sobolev is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Pride!
Pride squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Sobolev cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Sobolev working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sobolev cracks Pride with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Pride is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Sobolev unloading with bombs!
Pride takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Pride'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.
Sobolev looking to finish Pride with some ground and pound. This is bad for Pride!
Sobolev breaks from Pride's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Pride is trying to stand up.
Sobolev is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Pride can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Sobolev lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev cracks Pride with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Pride is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Sobolev with the ground and pound from mount.
Sobolev pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Sobolev lands a heavy elbow.
Sobolev postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Pride looks a forlorn figure.
Pride squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Sobolev lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Pride is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Sobolev dominating with strikes here.
Sobolev raining down shots from the mount!
A nice elbow there by Sobolev.
Sobolev unloading with bombs!

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.
Sobolev with the ground and pound from mount.
Sobolev lands with some strikes.
You get the feeling that Pride really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Sobolev pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Pride really wants to buck Sobolev off and get back to his feet.
Sobolev landing punches.
Pride is trying to stand.
Sobolev is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Pride can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Sobolev lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Pride hang on?
Sobolev connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Sobolev breaks from Pride's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Sobolev scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Pride?
Sobolev working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sobolev landing shots from mount.
Sobolev scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Pride?
Olyas Pride has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Maxim Sobolev is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Sobolev lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Pride hang on?
Sobolev in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.

And that's the end of the fight!
Maxim Sobolev comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Sobolev 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 Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 25:30
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 25:30
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Maxim Sobolev!