PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ivan Savchuk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Smith (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Savchuk kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is This is Not the END. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Savchuk
vs
Smith

179 cm
22
184 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

185 cm
22
185 lbs
5 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter striker
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Ivan Savchuk!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Matt Smith!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Seu Braga and Thiago Cunha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Savchuk smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Smith steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Savchuk.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch but Savchuk swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Savchuk ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Smith moves away.
Smith wants to clinch.
Savchuk misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Smith.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk moves away
and Savchuk counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk is having none of it.
Savchuk throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Smith keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Savchuk swats away the attempt to clinch by Smith.
The fight stays on the outside here - Smith looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Savchuk fails to land with a series of punches.
Savchuk throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Smith.
Smith doesn't manage to clinch there - Savchuk circles away.
Smith tries to clinch up.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Savchuk swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Smith tries to clinch up.
Savchuk misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Smith moves to clinch but Savchuk breaks away
and Savchuk counters with a nice uppercut.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Savchuk paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Smith looks to clinch
and Savchuk counters with a left to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Smith fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Savchuk, pushing him back against the cage.
Smith tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Smith tries to land a knee to the head but Savchuk blocks with his arms.
Savchuk is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Smith gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Smith tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Savchuk avoids it.
Savchuk has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Smith after a bit of a struggle.
Savchuk drops down looking for an ankle pick but Smith pulls his leg out and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Savchuk. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Savchuk throws out a loose jab but Smith uses good head movement to avoid it.
Smith wants to clinch.
Savchuk throws a body punch but Smith moves out of range.
Matt Smith seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Savchuk thows a left - swing and a miss!
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk is having none of it.
Smith fails with an attempt to clinch.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch but Savchuk swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Savchuk thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Smith tries to clinch there but Savchuk circles away.
Savchuk throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Smith darts in and clinches Savchuk up against the cage.
Smith taking a breather.
Savchuk drops down looking for an ankle pick but Smith pulls his leg out and moves away.
Savchuk throws a shot from downtown. Smith moves away and avoids it.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Smith doesn't manage to clinch there - Savchuk circles away.
Smith steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Savchuk.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Matt Smith will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Savchuk keeps the fight on the outside.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Savchuk throws out a loose jab but Smith uses good head movement to avoid it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Smith looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Smith fails with an attempt to clinch.
Savchuk misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk moves out of range.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Savchuk paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Smith tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Savchuk manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Smith wants to clinch up but Savchuk keeps it at a distance.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Savchuk paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Savchuk ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Smith moves away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Savchuk swats away the attempt to clinch by Smith.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk is having none of it.
Smith is looking to clinch but Savchuk is avoiding it.
Smith moves in looking to clinch but Savchuk pushes him off.
Savchuk thows a body shot but no joy.
Smith looks to clinch
and Savchuk counters with a stiff right hand.
Savchuk throws a big shot that misses.
Smith tries to close the distance and clinch up but Savchuk swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Savchuk digs a good body shot into Smith's ribs.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Smith slips under a jab from Savchuk.
Smith tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Savchuk manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk moves out of range.
Smith tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Savchuk manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Smith tries to clinch there but Savchuk circles away.
Smith tries to clinch but Savchuk moves away
enabling Savchuk to counter with a crisp jab.
Smith wants to clinch up but Savchuk keeps it at a distance.
Smith fails in his attempt to clinch.
Savchuk fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Smith manages to avoid it.
Savchuk tests Smith's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Smith tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Savchuk avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Savchuk tries for a takedown but Smith sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Smith is looking to clinch.
Matt Smith is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Smith moves into the clinch.
Smith with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Smith dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Smith.
Smith taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Smith throws an elbow but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Savchuk avoids the damage to the body.
Smith scores a nice knee to the body.
Savchuk looking for a takedown.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Savchuk has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Smith after a bit of a struggle.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Savchuk. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Smith obliges.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Smith showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Smith tries to close the distance and clinch but Savchuk swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Savchuk decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Savchuk controlling the action here.

Savchuk stands up out of the half guard.
Savchuk swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Smith.
Savchuk throws a right and a left that both miss.
Savchuk avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Smith doesn't manage to clinch there - Savchuk circles away.
Smith moves in looking to clinch but Savchuk pushes him off.

Savchuk gets tackled into the cage by Smith. Smith maintains the clinch.
Savchuk tries for a takedown. No joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Savchuk takes a knee to the side of the body.
Smith unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Savchuk drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Smith gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Smith tries to land a knee to the head but Savchuk blocks with his arms.
Savchuk managing to block the knees to the body from Smith.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Smith stops a takedown attempt from Savchuk.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Savchuk. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Smith unloads a knee to the mid-section. Savchuk lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Savchuk goes for a takedown in the clinch but Smith prevents it.
Savchuk tries for a takedown. No joy.
Savchuk has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Smith avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Come on Smith - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Savchuk tries for a takedown. No joy.
Savchuk is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Smith gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Smith with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Smith lands a knee to the head.
Smith using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Savchuk has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Smith with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Ivan Savchuk has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee is keeping an eye on Smith - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Smith continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.
Matt Smith seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Smith landing knees to the head.
Savchuk tries to pull guard but Smith won't allow it.
Matt Smith is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Savchuk is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Smith is defending well.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Matt Smith.
I've got Smith winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 27:30
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight 28:30
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight 28:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Smith!