PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Axel Drago (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Joaquim Maria (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Drago's entrance music is Megadeth - Crush 'Em. A fine choice. Maria has chosen Kronos - Bloodtower as his entrance music. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Drago
vs
Maria

199 cm
24
270 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

193 cm
25
237 lbs
19 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

♠ Red Madness Clothing ♠
♠ Red Madness Clothing ♠

****160Q Reduce Energy****

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Axel Drago!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 19 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Joaquim Maria!
The judges for this bout are Igor Prikhodko, Aleksandr Martynov and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Maria looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Drago blocks a head kick by Maria.
Drago looks to land a left hand but Maria moved out of range nicely.
Drago tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Maria paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Drago connects with a looping right hand.
Drago's corner calls for a 1-2. Drago obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Drago throws a body punch but Maria moves out of range.
Nice uppercut lands for Maria. That snapped Drago's head back.
Drago cracks Maria with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
A big right from Drago misses.
Maria scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Maria takes a shot right to the bread basket.

Drago darts in and clinches Maria up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Maria manages to break the clinch.
Drago misses with a looping left.
Drago fails with an attempt to clinch.
Maria goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Drago throws a lazy right hand but Maria sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A right-left combo lands from Drago.
Drago lands a lovely overhand right.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Maria scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Maria swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Drago fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maria tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Maria finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Maria misses with a body kick.
Drago looks to land a left hand but Maria moved out of range nicely.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Drago fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Maria manages to avoid it.
Maria slips under a jab from Drago.
Drago tries to clinch but Maria moves out of range.
Maria moves out of range of the strikes.
Maria lands a head kick. Drago smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Maria misses with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drago connects with a crisp jab.
Maria thumps Drago with a low kick.

Drago lands a big right hand that sends Maria crashing to the mat! Drago stays standing though and waves Maria back to his feet!

It looks like Joaquim Maria has been cut.
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!
Drago tries to clinch
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.
Maria throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Drago tries to clinch but Maria moves away
and Maria counters with a thumping low kick.
Maria looks to land a right hand but Drago moved out of range.
Drago misses with a straight left.
Maria throws a head kick but Drago moves out of range.
Maria moves out of range of the strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Drago clinches up against the cage.

Drago pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Drago jabs Maria right on the nose. Maria blinks but takes it well.
A head kick misses from Maria.
Drago misses with a series of wild punches.
Maria circles away from the clinch attempt
and Maria counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Drago is lucky that one didn't land flush.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maria throws a sloppy head kick and Drago moves out of range easily.
Drago is looking to clinch but Maria is avoiding it.
Drago lands with a straight right. Maria didn't see that one coming.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Axel Drago dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Joaquim Maria's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Maria scores with a nice body kick.
Maria lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Drago connects with a single shot there.
Maria wants to slow Drago down by chopping away at his legs.
Drago lands an overhand right.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Maria avoids the body shot from Drago.
An inside leg kick lands from Maria.
Maria uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Drago has time to react.
Drago throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Drago, as that shot connected.
Drago rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Maria counters with a low kick, right behind Drago 's knee.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drago lands a head shot.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Drago moves out of range of the body kick.
Drago wants to clinch
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.
A head kick misses from Maria.
Drago slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Drago throws a hook but Maria avoids it easily.
A swing and a miss from Drago.
A head kick misses from Maria.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maria scores with a nice body kick.
Drago blocks a head kick by Maria.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Drago checks a leg kick.

Drago drops Maria with a beautiful combination! Maria stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Drago is looking for the KO!
Drago tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Maria manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Drago looks to land a left hand but Maria moved out of range nicely.
Drago lands a nice shot that snaps Maria's head back.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Decent striking displayed by Drago there.
Drago is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Maria can do to turn this around?
Maria is looking to score with low kicks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drago misses with a hook
and Maria counters with a leg kick.
Drago fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Drago takes a jab right on the kisser.
Drago tries to clinch but Maria is having none of it.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Drago fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Drago tries to work over Maria's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Drago.
Drago scores with a shot to the side of Maria's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drago tries to break free but Maria pushes him back against the cage.
Drago doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Drago keeps control of Maria as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Maria has Drago pressed against the cage.
Drago tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Drago trying to control the position but instead, Maria has worked for underhooks and has pushed Drago into the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Drago lands a hook to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Axel Drago dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Joaquim Maria's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A jab lands there for Drago.
Drago throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Axel Drago is winning the standup battle so far.
Maria lands with a kick to the ribs.
A big right from Drago misses.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Drago.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Maria tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Drago wants to clinch up but Maria keeps it at a distance.
Drago's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Maria connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Drago scrambles back to his feet.
Drago moves out of range as Maria throws a body kick.
A head kick misses from Maria.
Maria showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Drago.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Drago lands a big uppercut and Maria crumbles to the floor! The ref thinks about stopping the fight but Maria looks OK. Drago waves Maria back to his feet!
This has been an exciting period of action!

Drago instigates a clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Drago misses with the head strike.
Maria blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Drago misses with the head strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drago misses with a hook to the ribs.
Drago working aggressively here.
Drago working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

Drago's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Maria pivots, looking for a leg kick but Drago is out of range and Maria settles back down.
Maria throws a body kick that misses.
Maria takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Drago misses with a lunging right hand
and Maria makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Maria keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Drago.
Maria uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Drago.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drago checks a low kick from Maria.
Maria misses with a body kick.
Maria buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Maria uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Drago.
Maria thows a body kick. Drago tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Maria feints and then cracks Drago's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Drago down.
Drago misses the shot to the body.
Drago throws a combination that misses
and Maria counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Drago is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Drago tries to clinch up.
Drago throws a jab but it's blocked by Maria.
Drago is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drago has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Maria.
The crowd cheers as Drago lands an impressive looking overhand right. Maria doesn't seem phased though.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Drago looks to throw the jab but Maria is out of range.
Drago fails with an attempt to clinch.
Maria keeps the fight on the outside.
Maria uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Drago.
Maria moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maria lands with a nice body kick.
Drago is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Maria swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Drago.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Axel Drago clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Joaquim Maria's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Maria lands with a kick to the temple. Drago shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Drago takes a swing at Maria's ribcage but misses.
Drago is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Drago cracks a nice hook into Maria's ribs.
A leg kick checked by Drago.
Drago loads up on a big right hand but Maria slips the punch.
Drago thows a left - swing and a miss!
Maria blocks a jab.
Drago misses with an uppercut. Maria saw that one coming.
Maria avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Maria attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Drago will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maria scores with a spinning back kick!
The fighters circle momentarily. Maria darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Drago tries to clinch up.
Maria moves away from the strike by Drago.
A jab from Drago finds it's way through Maria's defenses.

Drago gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Drago breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Drago tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Drago showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Maria.
Drago misses with a lunging right hand
and Maria counters with a nice kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Drago tries to close the distance and clinch but Maria swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Maria lands with a kick to the ribs.
Maria scores with a push kick.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Maria keeps the fight on the outside.
Maria scores with a sloppy right hand. Drago should have avoided that one.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Maria lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Drago has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Drago and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Maria misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Maria slips under a jab from Drago.
Maria throws a leg kick which misses Drago's front leg but catches the back leg as Drago tries to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drago misses the jab.
Maria slips a jab from Drago.
Good leg kick by Maria there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Drago throws an overhand right that lands on Maria's shoulder, as Maria tries to avoid the shot.
Drago scores with a hook to the body. Maria takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Maria smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Maria connects with a single shot there.
Maria throws the kick towards the body but Drago avoids it.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Maria throws a leg kick but Drago moved away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maria ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Drago fails in his attempt to clinch.
Drago slips a jab from Maria.
Drago thows a body shot but no joy.
Maria slips a jab from Drago.
Drago tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Maria was well out of range. Poor timing from Drago.
Drago tries to clinch up but Maria circles away and keeps his distance.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Drago throws a looping overhand right but Maria ducks down to avoid it.
Maria throws a looping overhand right but Drago ducks down to avoid it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Joaquim Maria will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Joaquim Maria's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Maria pivots, looking for a leg kick but Drago is out of range and Maria settles back down.
Maria tried to score with a low kick but Drago checks it.
Drago throws a lazy uppercut
and Maria counters with a two punch combo.
Maria tries a head kick but it misses.
Drago on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Maria. Maria obviously looking to wear him down.
Drago goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Maria has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Drago wants to clinch.
Drago ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drago bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Drago moves out of range as Maria throws a body kick.
Drago throws a right hand that misses
and Maria counters with an inside leg kick.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Drago catches Maria with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Drago looks to land a combination but Maria avoids it well.
Maria misses with a low kick as Drago jumps back.

Drago cracks Maria with a big right hand that sends him crashing to the floor. Drago has the opportunity to follow him to the ground but instead he's beckoning Maria to stand back up!

Maria is rocked!
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!
Drago throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Maria counters with a slapping leg kick.
Maria is still on wobbly legs! Can Drago finish him?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maria gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Drago.
Maria circles away from the clinch attempt.
A solid leg kick lands there for Maria.
Maria misses with a head kick.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
Drago dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Maria seems to have recovered his senses.
Maria is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Maria misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Drago rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Maria connects with a solid leg kick.
Drago digs a good hook to Maria's body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maria lands a nice leg kick that just misses Drago's sensitive parts.
Drago is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Maria.
Drago waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Maria.
Drago throws a right hand that misses
and Maria counters with a nice low kick that buckles Drago's knee momentarily.
Drago keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Maria.
Maria fakes the leg kick and cracks Drago in the body.
Drago tries to clinch up but Maria circles away and keeps his distance.
Maria throws a head kick that misses.
A nice leg kick lands there from Maria.
Joaquim Maria has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Axel Drago is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maria uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Drago.
Maria with a hook.
Maria pushes Drago away with a front kick.
Maria misses with a head kick.
Drago tries to clinch up but Maria circles away and keeps his distance.
Drago connects with a single shot there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Drago moves away from the strike by Maria.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Drago swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Drago gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Axel Drago showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Drago has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 49:46
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 49:46
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 49:46

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Axel Drago!
Axel Drago is the new heavyweight champion!
A relieved looking Axel Drago thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.