PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Shawn Ziribastow (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zica Brava (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ziribastow's entrance music is DEAD STARS. A fine choice. Brava has chosen Chimaira - Nothing Remains 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!

Ziribastow
vs
Brava

177 cm
23
155 lbs
12 - 3 - 0

168 cm
22
142 lbs
7 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

[WAO]MADE IN GERMANY
[WAO]MADE IN GERMANY

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Shawn Ziribastow!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Zica Brava!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Emerson Jorge and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ziribastow gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Brava makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Ziribastow shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Brava sprawls well. Brava wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Ziribastow gets slowly back to his feet.
Ziribastow displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Brava throws out the jab.
Ziribastow fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shawn Ziribastow. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ziribastow misses with a takedown
and Brava counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Brava takes a swing at Ziribastow's ribcage but misses.
Ziribastow fails to land the takedown.
Brava thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ziribastow checks a low kick from Brava.
Zica Brava is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ziribastow shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Brava sprawls well. Brava wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Ziribastow gets slowly back to his feet.
Ziribastow fails with the takedown
and Brava counters with a big head kick but Ziribastow shrugs it off.
Ziribastow has his takedown stuffed
and Brava counters with a stiff right hand.

It looks like Shawn Ziribastow has been cut.
Ziribastow closes the distance and clinches up with Brava, looking for a takedown. Ziribastow pushes Brava against the cage but Brava circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Brava looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Ziribastow misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Brava tries to clinch there but Ziribastow circles away.
Brava tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Ziribastow paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Good leg kick by Brava there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Nice uppercut lands for Brava. That snapped Ziribastow's head back.
Brava swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ziribastow shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Brava as he avoids it easily.
Brava throws a wild body kick that Ziribastow sees coming a mile off.
Ziribastow takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Brava rushes Ziribastow and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Brava presses Ziribastow against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Ziribastow is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Brava cracks Ziribastow with a nice body shot.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Ziribastow.
Ziribastow tries to score a body lock takedown but Brava shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Ziribastow blocks an uppercut.
Ziribastow blocking some punches.
Brava misses with the head strike.
Brava misses with some punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ziribastow jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Brava walks away with a smile on his face. Ziribastow gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Ziribastow misses with a takedown attempt
and Brava counters with a three punch combo that has Ziribastow backing up. Ziribastow nods at Brava to acknowledge the strikes.
The fight stays on the outside here - Brava looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Brava throws a head kick but Ziribastow moves out of range.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Ziribastow. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Brava tries to clinch up.
Brava throws a hook to the side of Ziribastow's head but Ziribastow sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Ziribastow misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Ziribastow swats away the attempt to clinch by Brava.
Brava stuffs the takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brava throws a head kick that misses.

Brava clinches with his opponent.
Brava throws a punch but it's blocked by Ziribastow.
Brava scores with a nice hook to the head.
Ziribastow takes a shot to the head.

Ziribastow is trying to trip Brava. He has hold of a leg but Brava is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Ziribastow persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Brava looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Brava working a defensive guard here.
Brava is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Ziribastow trying to control but Brava is working from the bottom.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ziribastow thows a big elbow that misses.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Ziribastow working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Ziribastow slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zica Brava dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Shawn Ziribastow's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Ziribastow closes the distance and clinches up with Brava, looking for a takedown. Ziribastow pushes Brava against the cage but Brava circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Ziribastow shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Brava but Brava pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Brava tries a head kick but it misses.
Brava pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.

Brava lands a big head kick that sends Ziribastow tumbling to the mat! Brava takes a step backwards and waves Ziribastow back to his feet - he wants the finish!

Ziribastow is rocked!

Ziribastow decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Brava tries to kick Ziribastow off but Ziribastow keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Ziribastow thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ziribastow sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Brava defending well though.
Ziribastow missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ziribastow thows a huge punch but Brava dodges it nicely.
Ziribastow not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Brava moves into full guard.
Ziribastow wants to pass the guard but Brava is keeping the position.
Ziribastow won't allow Brava to sweep him here.
Ziribastow loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Brava can do anything to dispel that myth.
Brava utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Brava preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ziribastow throwing strikes but missing.
Ziribastow looking to pass the guard.
Ziribastow throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Brava works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Brava. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Ziribastow looking to pass the guard.
Brava wants to stand up but Ziribastow is controlling him.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Brava is on top in guard.
Brava won't allow Ziribastow to sweep him here.
Ziribastow keeping moving, preventing Brava from controlling successfully.
Ziribastow tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Ziribastow manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Brava manages to get himself to full guard.
Ziribastow has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Ziribastow postures up.
Ziribastow trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Brava is on top in guard.
Brava wants to stand but Ziribastow has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Ziribastow wants to sweep but no luck.
Ziribastow pulls Brava in close to prevent any damage.
Brava wants to stand but Ziribastow is controlling his posture from full guard.
Ziribastow is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Brava stopping the sweep attempt from Ziribastow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Ziribastow seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Shawn Ziribastow.
Brava fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Ziribastow checks it well.
Sloppy strikes from Brava. Those never looked like landing.
Brava leaves Ziribastow with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shawn Ziribastow. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ziribastow needs to keep his hands up - Brava had a free shot at his head there.
Ziribastow shoots in but Brava avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Ziribastow fails to land the takedown.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zica Brava showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Shawn Ziribastow's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Brava leaves Ziribastow with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Ziribastow shoots in and drives through. Brava sprawls well.
Brava stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Brava wants it to stay on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shawn Ziribastow. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ziribastow displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Brava throws out the jab.
Brava lands with a kick to the temple. Ziribastow shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Ziribastow misses with a takedown attempt

and Brava counters by clinching up.
Brava lands a hook that snaps the head of Ziribastow backwards.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Ziribastow.
Ziribastow jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Brava walks away with a smile on his face. Ziribastow gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ziribastow. Brava does a little dance to reset his feet.
Brava shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ziribastow changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Brava tries to avoid it but Ziribastow manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Brava to the ground. Brava escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Brava wants to clinch.
Nice sprawl there from Brava as Ziribastow shoots in.
Brava looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Shawn Ziribastow is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Ziribastow is defended easily by Brava.
Ziribastow takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Brava misses with a hook to the body

and Ziribastow counters with a shoot takedown. Brava fights it but they end up in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brava wants to sweep here but Ziribastow controlling him for the moment.
Brava wants to stand up but Ziribastow is controlling him.
Ziribastow throws a big right hand that misses.
Brava bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Ziribastow's guard.
Zica Brava is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Brava being controlled here momentarily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ziribastow wants to sweep but no luck.
Ziribastow pulls Brava in close to prevent any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ziribastow wants to sweep but no luck.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Brava stays in close to Ziribastow's body and controls the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Shawn Ziribastow wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Ziribastow shoots in but no luck this time.
Brava is looking to clinch.

Ziribastow closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Brava did well to prevent Ziribastow getting side control.
Brava keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Brava wants to improve his position but Ziribastow is controlling well.
Brava works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ziribastow landing some decent shots from guard.
Brava wants to get back to his feet but Ziribastow is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Ziribastow throwing strikes from guard but Brava blocks nicely.
Ziribastow postures up in Brava's guard and throws a big left but Brava blocks it.
Ziribastow throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Brava works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Shawn Ziribastow has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Brava wants to get back to his feet but Ziribastow is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Brava preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ziribastow with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Ziribastow is in close to Brava's body, working some short punches and elbows.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Shawn Ziribastow.
I think Brava 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 28:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 28:30
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Zica Brava!