PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dave Hester (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Grigori Rasputin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hester comes to the cage accompanied by George Clinton-Atomic Dog. Rasputin has chosen Bas Beats as his entrance music. Grigori Rasputin is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Hester
vs
Rasputin

195 cm
21
215 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

196 cm
21
215 lbs
3 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Prefers standup

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dave Hester!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Grigori Rasputin!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hester gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Rasputin lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Rasputin pushes off an throws an elbow but Hester leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Rasputin holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Hester managing to block the knees to the body from Rasputin.
Rasputin has Hester pushed against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Hester's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rasputin lands with a left to the head.
Hester wants to break free but Rasputin has control.
Hester on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hester wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Rasputin has him pressed against the cage.
Rasputin is pushing Hester up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Hester tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Rasputin smiles and moves away.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hester closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hester.
Rasputin trying to land knees to the body.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Hester blocks an elbow strike from Rasputin.
Rasputin lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Hester working aggressively here.
Rasputin gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
With the fighters up against the cage, Rasputin throws an elbow but misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hester.
A shot in the inside from Hester.
Rasputin has a couple of punches blocked by Hester.
Rasputin keeps control of Hester as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Hester throws a head punch that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hester being controlled against the cage.
Hester throws a punch but it's blocked by Rasputin.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Rasputin misses with a hook from the clinch.
Rasputin throws an elbow that misses.
Hester tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rasputin's elbow.
Rasputin tries to throw a body punch but Hester avoids it by throwing Rasputin back against the cage.
Hester avoids the elbow strike from Rasputin, against the cage.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but Hester blocks with his arms.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hester jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Rasputin walks away with a smile on his face. Hester gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Hester gets a clinch.
Rasputin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hester tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rasputin's elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin missing with knees to the body.
Rasputin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Rasputin misses with a knee to the head.
Hester avoiding damage as Rasputin throws knees to the body.
Hester doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Rasputin using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Hester has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Rasputin misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hester lands a nice shot to the body.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but Hester blocks with his arms.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hester avoids it.
Hester swings wildly with an uppercut but Rasputin uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rasputin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Rasputin just misses with a elbow thrown towards Hester's brow.
Hester trying to control the position but instead, Rasputin has worked for underhooks and has pushed Hester into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hester tries to throw a body punch but Rasputin avoids it by throwing Hester back against the cage.
Hester taking a breather.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin blocks an uppercut.
Rasputin's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Rasputin missing with knees to the body.
Hester jumps guard but Rasputin stands there with Hester around his waist. Hester gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dave Hester. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head punch on the inside from Hester fails to land.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rasputin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hester.
Hester lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Hester blocks an elbow strike from Rasputin.
Hester tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rasputin's elbow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Grigori Rasputin will probably get the nod.
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.

Rasputin throws a sloppy head kick and Hester moves out of range easily.

Hester has taken the fight to the clinch.
Rasputin with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Hester blocks an elbow strike from Rasputin.
Rasputin throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Hester blocks the elbow strike.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Hester tries to break the clinch but Rasputin is controlling the position.
Rasputin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hester.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Hester managing to block the knees to the body from Rasputin.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Rasputin just misses with a elbow thrown towards Hester's brow.
Hester fails to pull the fight into his guard.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Rasputin just misses with a elbow thrown towards Hester's brow.
Rasputin throws an elbow that misses.
Rasputin connects with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hester misses with a short punch on the inside.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Hester blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Rasputin misses with a short punch on the inside.
A frustrated look appears on Hester's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Hester avoids a wild elbow strike from Rasputin.
Rasputin prevents Hester from breaking the clinch.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin throws an elbow but it misses.
Rasputin misses with an elbow strike.
Rasputin pushes off an throws an elbow but Hester leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Hester working aggressively here.
Hester fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin stalling against the cage.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but Hester blocks with his arms.
Hester on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Rasputin prevents a body shot from Hester.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hester.
Hester managing to block the knees to the body from Rasputin.
Rasputin stalls.
Hester blocks an elbow strike from Rasputin.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hester.
Grigori Rasputin seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Rasputin throws an elbow but it misses.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Hester creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rasputin will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Hester up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hester.
Hester tries to pull guard but Rasputin holds him up against the cage and eventually Hester drops back down to his feet.
Hester is trying to break the clinch but Rasputin has him pressed against the cage.
Hester throws a punch but it's blocked by Rasputin.
Hester avoids the elbow strike from Rasputin, against the cage.
Hester is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Rasputin misses with a knee strike.
Hester has a couple of punches blocked by Rasputin.
Rasputin tries a knee to the head but Hester blocks it.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but Hester blocks with his arms.
Hester wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Rasputin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hester.
Rasputin manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rasputin looking to throw knees to the head but Hester is blocking nicely.
Rasputin doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Rasputin as Hester tries to tie him up.
Hester fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dave Hester. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hester lands a shot to the body.
Hester is trying to maintain a safe position but Rasputin gets an underhook and turns Hester into the cage.
Hester tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Rasputin creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Hester fails to pull the fight into his guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hester avoids it.
Rasputin has a couple of punches blocked by Hester.
This has been an exciting period of action!
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Rasputin just misses with a elbow thrown towards Hester's brow.
Hester jumps guard but Rasputin stands there with Hester around his waist. Hester gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Grigori Rasputin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Hester closes the distance and pushes Rasputin back into the cage.
Hester blocks an elbow strike.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin throws an elbow but it misses.
Rasputin connects with a knee to the head.

It looks like Dave Hester has been cut.
Rasputin throws an elbow that misses.
Rasputin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Hester blocks the elbow strike.
Hester works on Rasputin's body with a couple of short punches.
Hester misses with some punches.

Hester's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rasputin misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A leg kick checked by Hester.
Rasputin misses with a head kick.

Hester fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Rasputin, pushing him back against the cage.
Rasputin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Rasputin takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hester misses with a short punch on the inside.
Rasputin scores with a hook to the body.
Hester tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Rasputin smiles and moves away.
Rasputin tries a head kick but it misses.
Hester throws a series of punches but Rasputin avoids them all with ease.
Rasputin avoids a punch combination nicely.
A head kick from Rasputin lands but Hester takes it in his stride.
Hester throws a right and a left that Rasputin avoids nicely.
Rasputin takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Hester, as that shot connected.

Hester rushes Rasputin and presses him up against the cage.
Rasputin fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hester slowing the pace effectively.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hester avoids the elbow strike from Rasputin, against the cage.
Hester on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hester working hard to break the clinch.
Hester swings wildly with an uppercut but Rasputin uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rasputin leaning his opponent against the cage.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the head but Hester blocks with his arms.
Hester avoiding damage as Rasputin throws knees to the body.
Hester misses with a short punch on the inside.
Hester avoids a wild elbow strike from Rasputin.
Rasputin is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hester is defending well for now.
Rasputin with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hester misses with a punch on the inside.
Hester goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Hester is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Hester lands a right hand.
Hester is trying to break the clinch but Rasputin has him pressed against the cage.
Hester looking to stall.
Rasputin misses with a knee to the head.
Rasputin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Rasputin using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Hester has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Hester tries to break the clinch but Rasputin is controlling the position.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Rasputin.
Hester looking to stall.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Rasputin just misses with a elbow thrown towards Hester's brow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hester is trying to break free.
Hester blocks an elbow strike from Rasputin.
Hester struggles to land a body shot inside as Rasputin controls his hands.
Hester avoiding damage as Rasputin throws knees to the body.
Rasputin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hester on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rasputin tries to land knees in the clinch but Hester avoids the damage to the body.
Rasputin blocks an uppercut.
Rasputin throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Hester blocks it with crossed arms.
Hester avoiding damage as Rasputin throws knees to the body.
Hester blocks an elbow strike.
Rasputin takes a shot to the head.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hester tries to circle away but Rasputin has him pinned against the cage.
Rasputin tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hester avoids it.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

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 Dave Hester.
I think Rasputin 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight for Grigori Rasputin!
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight for Grigori Rasputin!
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight for Grigori Rasputin!

Grigori Rasputin wins by unanimous decision!