PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pavel Burov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Neil deGrasse Tyson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Burov comes into the arena with Russian Rocket blaring out of the sound system. I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Neil deGrasse Tyson was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

Burov
vs
deGrasse Tyson

171 cm
32
157 lbs
27 - 13 - 0

175 cm
25
178 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

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 27 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Pavel Burov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Neil deGrasse Tyson!
The judges for this bout are Patrick Alders, Daniel Blasius and Albert Achterberg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Burov looks to score with a jab to the body but deGrasse Tyson is just out of range.
Burov keeps the fight on the outside.
deGrasse Tyson tries to clinch there but Burov circles away.
Burov lands with a nice combination. deGrasse Tyson backs away looking to recover.
Burov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

deGrasse Tyson has managed to clinch.

deGrasse Tyson breaks from the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson shoots in for a double leg but Burov sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Danga de danga de dang - Burov scores with a four punch combination!
Burov is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
deGrasse Tyson throws a sloppy head kick and Burov moves out of range easily.

Burov drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Burov is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but deGrasse Tyson is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Burov controls the position from side control.
deGrasse Tyson is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Burov off and has taken his back!

That's one minute gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson is working for the rear naked choke. He has one arm under the chin but Burov has hold of the other arm. A bit of a stalemate here.

Burov fending off the submission attempt from deGrasse Tyson.

deGrasse Tyson tightening his grip on Burov, looking for the choke.

Burov preventing the rear naked choke attempt from deGrasse Tyson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson is not going to allow Burov to sit and survive in this position.

Burov defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to stick to Burov's back but Burov is turning into deGrasse Tyson. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in deGrasse Tyson's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Burov.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

deGrasse Tyson looking for a guillotine here but Burov defends easily.
Burov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. deGrasse Tyson is keeping the position for now.

deGrasse Tyson looking for a guillotine here but Burov defends easily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Burov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. deGrasse Tyson is keeping the position for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burov pushing down on deGrasse Tyson's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Burov wants to free his trapped foot but deGrasse Tyson is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Burov trying to control from half guard but deGrasse Tyson is working away.
deGrasse Tyson wants to improve his position but Burov is controlling well.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to stand up here but Burov is controlling him well.
deGrasse Tyson manages to get to full guard.

deGrasse Tyson is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Burov is aware though and is defending well.

deGrasse Tyson working for a triangle but Burov defends it easily.

deGrasse Tyson is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Burov is aware though and is defending well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Burov escapes and throws deGrasse Tyson's legs to the side, diving into side control!
deGrasse Tyson tries to bench press Burov off him but Burov keeps the position.

Burov tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Burov wants to stand but deGrasse Tyson has his arm trapped.
deGrasse Tyson is not content to let Burov control the position.
deGrasse Tyson is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Burov winds up and cracks deGrasse Tyson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

deGrasse Tyson looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Neil deGrasse Tyson will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Burov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but deGrasse Tyson was well out of range. Poor timing from Burov.
Horrible takedown by Burov or perhaps it was just good defense by deGrasse Tyson which made him look bad.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Burov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
deGrasse Tyson will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
deGrasse Tyson takes a shot right to the bread basket.
deGrasse Tyson wants to clinch.

Burov gets tackled into the cage by deGrasse Tyson. deGrasse Tyson maintains the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson lands an elbow just above Burov 's eye.

It looks like Pavel Burov has been cut.
deGrasse Tyson tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a knee strike.
deGrasse Tyson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Burov has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
deGrasse Tyson with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Burov is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but deGrasse Tyson is keeping busy.
deGrasse Tyson with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson trying to land knees to the body.
deGrasse Tyson using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Burov gets underhooks to prevent deGrasse Tyson's takedown attempt.
deGrasse Tyson is breathing heavily.
deGrasse Tyson crunches a lovely knee into Burov's ribcage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Burov tries to break the clinch but deGrasse Tyson is controlling the position.
A knee to the head by deGrasse Tyson.
Burov tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Burov has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
deGrasse Tyson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Burov's face.
deGrasse Tyson lands a damaging elbow.
deGrasse Tyson trying to land knees to the body.
Burov taking a breather.

deGrasse Tyson breaks from the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a takedown attempt - Burov sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Pavel Burov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Neil deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
deGrasse Tyson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Burov lands an overhand right.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Burov fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Burov throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
deGrasse Tyson on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.

deGrasse Tyson has taken the fight to the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Burov blocks it with crossed arms.
deGrasse Tyson lands a good knee to the midsection. Burov won't want to take too many of those.
deGrasse Tyson keeps control of Burov as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Burov has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Burov gets underhooks to prevent deGrasse Tyson's takedown attempt.
deGrasse Tyson slowing the pace effectively.
Burov takes a knee right on the jaw!
Burov tries to circle away but deGrasse Tyson has him pinned against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson scores a nice knee to the body.
deGrasse Tyson tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
deGrasse Tyson stalling in the clinch but Burov improves position.
deGrasse Tyson tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
deGrasse Tyson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Burov has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Burov has had enough of the clinch but deGrasse Tyson keeps him there for the moment.
Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Burov tries to stall but deGrasse Tyson uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a knee to the head.
Burov is trying to maintain a safe position but deGrasse Tyson gets an underhook and turns Burov into the cage.
Burov blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Burov wants to break the clinch but can't.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a knee strike.
deGrasse Tyson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
deGrasse Tyson keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Burov's efforts to push away.

deGrasse Tyson escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
deGrasse Tyson pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - deGrasse Tyson looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A punch combination from Burov misses.
Burov misses with a jab, cross combination.
deGrasse Tyson avoids a punch combination nicely.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Burov paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Burov misses with a wild body shot.
deGrasse Tyson wants to clinch.

deGrasse Tyson closes the distance and clinches.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
deGrasse Tyson with a knee 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!

deGrasse Tyson breaks from the clinch.

deGrasse Tyson clinches up with Burov and pushes him back against the cage.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Neil deGrasse Tyson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Pavel Burov's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Burov blocks a head kick by deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson tries to clinch up but Burov circles away and keeps his distance.

deGrasse Tyson gets in close and instigates a clinch.
deGrasse Tyson landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A knee to the head by deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a knee strike.
Burov wants to break the clinch but can't.

deGrasse Tyson manages to break the clinch.
Burov lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

deGrasse Tyson darts in and clinches Burov up against the cage.
deGrasse Tyson crunches a lovely knee into Burov's ribcage.
deGrasse Tyson crunches a lovely knee into Burov's ribcage.
Burov misses with a punch on the inside.

deGrasse Tyson breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Burov stuffs the takedown.
Burov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but deGrasse Tyson moves away.
Burov with a body punch. A glancing blow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Burov dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
deGrasse Tyson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
deGrasse Tyson tries to clinch up but Burov circles away and keeps his distance.
Burov throws a series of punches but deGrasse Tyson avoids them all with ease.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Burov.
Burov's jab looks to have found its range, popping deGrasse Tyson under the eye.
Burov throws a good cross that connects.
Pavel Burov is winning the standup battle so far.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Burov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Burov connects with a looping right hand.
deGrasse Tyson fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Burov avoids it really well and circles away.
Burov keeps the fight on the outside.
Burov jabs at deGrasse Tyson's body.
Burov swats away the attempt to clinch by deGrasse Tyson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Burov trying to control but deGrasse Tyson is working from the bottom.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

deGrasse Tyson throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Burov with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Burov trying to control but deGrasse Tyson is working from the bottom.

Burov stands up from deGrasse Tyson's guard - Burov perhaps looking for a knockout.
deGrasse Tyson throws a head kick that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch but Burov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Burov lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Burov swats away the attempt to clinch by deGrasse Tyson.
Burov thuds a left hand into deGrasse Tyson's body.
Burov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Burov misses with a body shot.
Burov connects with a body shot that sends deGrasse Tyson's belly button to the back.
Burov fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from deGrasse Tyson is defended easily by Burov.
Pavel Burov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Neil deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Burov pinned against the cage. Burov gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Burov ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burov tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but deGrasse Tyson swivels and escapes.
deGrasse Tyson shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Burov as he avoids it easily.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a head kick.
Nice uppercut lands for Burov. That snapped deGrasse Tyson's head back.
Burov lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Burov scores with a hook to the body. deGrasse Tyson takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
This has been an exciting period of action!
No joy there for Burov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Burov thuds a left hand into deGrasse Tyson's body.

deGrasse Tyson closes the distance and clinches.
deGrasse Tyson is trying desperately to land a takedown but Burov is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for deGrasse Tyson.
Burov is trying to break the clinch but deGrasse Tyson has him pressed against the cage.
Burov wants to stall.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
deGrasse Tyson lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Pavel Burov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Burov can't find room to land a body shot as deGrasse Tyson controls the action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pavel Burov showed his dominance in that final round.
I think deGrasse Tyson 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 Patrick Alders scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 28:29
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Neil deGrasse Tyson!
Neil deGrasse Tyson was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.