PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Ivan Vanko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Cain Dos Santos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Vanko's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Oh No by Gogol Bordello. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Vanko
vs
Dos Santos

175 cm
21
261 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

189 cm
22
260 lbs
6 - 4 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Ivan Vanko!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Cain Dos Santos!
The judges for this bout are Radbod Blank, Aafke Stam and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vanko fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Dos Santos avoids it really well and circles away.

Dos Santos rushes Vanko and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Dos Santos breaks from the clinch.

Dos Santos closes the distance and clinches.
Dos Santos taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Vanko misses with a punch on the inside.
Dos Santos blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Dos Santos tries to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling the position.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling him.
Dos Santos trying to stall but Vanko improves his position.
Dos Santos wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Vanko has him pressed against the cage.
Vanko tries to pull guard but Dos Santos holds him up against the cage and eventually Vanko drops back down to his feet.
Vanko keeps control of Dos Santos as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dos Santos wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Vanko lands with a right to the head.

It looks like Cain Dos Santos has been cut.
Vanko lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Vanko throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Vanko.
Dos Santos wants to break free but Vanko has control.

Dos Santos breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Dos Santos closes the distance and clinches.
Dos Santos is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Dos Santos tries to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling the position.
Dos Santos wants to get back to striking at distance but Vanko won't allow it.
Vanko avoiding damage as Dos Santos throws knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Dos Santos looking to slow down the pace here.
Dos Santos wants to break free but Vanko has control.

Vanko jumps guard.
Vanko has a closed guard, preventing Dos Santos from standing up.
Vanko wants to sweep but no luck.

Dos Santos stands and steps away. Vanko gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Dos Santos drives through and clinches with Vanko against the cage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Vanko tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Dos Santos smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Vanko. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Dos Santos moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos wants to get back to striking at distance but Vanko won't allow it.
Dos Santos prevents the takedown attempt.
Vanko has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Dos Santos is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Vanko tries to pull guard but Dos Santos forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Vanko tries to pull guard but Dos Santos forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling him.
Dos Santos gets underhooks to prevent Vanko's takedown attempt.
Dos Santos tries to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling the position.
Dos Santos swings wildly with an uppercut but Vanko uses good head movement to avoid it.

Dos Santos breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos tries a head kick but it misses.
Cain Dos Santos is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Dos Santos throws a series of punches but Vanko moves out of range.
Dos Santos misses with a jab, cross combination.
Dos Santos throws a right and a left that Vanko avoids nicely.
Vanko has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Dos Santos finds it's way round the side to connect with Vanko's head.
Dos Santos swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Vanko gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Dos Santos has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Vanko blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Vanko prevents Dos Santos from breaking the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Dos Santos's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Vanko blocks a punch to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cain Dos Santos dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Cain Dos Santos's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Dos Santos lands with an overhand left.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Vanko throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Vanko on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Dos Santos tries to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling the position.
Dos Santos controlling the action here for a moment.
Dos Santos wants to break free but Vanko has control.
Dos Santos misses with a hook to the ribs.
Vanko tries to score a body lock takedown but Dos Santos shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Dos Santos breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cain Dos Santos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Dos Santos gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Dos Santos wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Dos Santos working hard to break the clinch.
Vanko working aggressively here.
Vanko misses with a hook to the ribs.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Vanko has Dos Santos pressed against the cage, preventing Dos Santos from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Vanko tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Dos Santos smiles and moves away.
Dos Santos throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Dos Santos fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Vanko, pushing him back against the cage.
Vanko is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Dos Santos is defending well for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vanko jumps guard but Dos Santos turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Vanko. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

Dos Santos's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Dos Santos rushes Vanko and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Vanko fails to land.
Vanko is looking for a takedown.
Dos Santos is looking to break free of the clinch but Vanko has double underhooks.
Dos Santos tries to circle away but Vanko has him pinned against the cage.
Dos Santos wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Dos Santos swings wildly with an uppercut but Vanko uses good head movement to avoid it.
Dos Santos can't break the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Dos Santos misses with an elbow strike.
Dos Santos is trying to push Vanko away but Vanko has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling him.
Dos Santos tries to break free but Vanko pushes him back against the cage.
Vanko tries to break free but Dos Santos pushes him back against the cage.
Dos Santos is trying to push Vanko away but Vanko has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Dos Santos breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Vanko tries to clinch up but Dos Santos circles away and keeps his distance.

Dos Santos closes the distance and clinches.
Vanko drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Dos Santos gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Vanko has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Dos Santos tries to circle away but Vanko has him pinned against the cage.
Vanko keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Dos Santos's efforts to push away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling him.
Dos Santos tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Dos Santos misses with a punch on the inside.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Dos Santos tries to break free but Vanko pushes him back against the cage.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Dos Santos looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Dos Santos managing to block the knees to the body from Vanko.

Dos Santos pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Dos Santos moves into the clinch successfully.
Dos Santos working hard to break the clinch.
Dos Santos misses with a shot to the kidneys.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cain Dos Santos showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Cain Dos Santos's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

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

Dos Santos closes the distance and clinches.
Dos Santos tries to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling the position.
Dos Santos is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Vanko is keeping busy.
Vanko tries to pull guard but Dos Santos holds him up against the cage and eventually Vanko drops back down to his feet.
Cain Dos Santos seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Dos Santos working hard to break the clinch.
Vanko blocks the elbow strike.
Dos Santos is trying to force a seperation but Vanko has the dominant position.
Dos Santos is trying to push Vanko away but Vanko has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Dos Santos is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Vanko is defending well for now.
Dos Santos can't find room to land a body shot as Vanko controls the action.
Dos Santos prevents the takedown attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dos Santos wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Vanko wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Vanko. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Vanko pulls Dos Santos into guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Dos Santos tries to stand but Vanko is controlling from the bottom.
Vanko striking off his back but it's not causing Dos Santos any problems.
Vanko is trying to control the position but Dos Santos postures up.
Dos Santos wants to get up but he can't break Vanko's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Vanko looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Vanko is trying to hold Dos Santos in close to prevent damage but Dos Santos has managed to pass into half guard.

Dos Santos escapes and gets back to his feet.
Dos Santos goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

Dos Santos gets a clinch.
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!
Vanko misses with some punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vanko has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Dos Santos is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Vanko has Dos Santos pressed against the cage, preventing Dos Santos from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Dos Santos is pressed up against the cage. Vanko has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Dos Santos down to the mat. Dos Santos avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

Dos Santos moves into range and clinches up with Vanko.
Dos Santos taking a breather.

Dos Santos breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Dos Santos moves into the clinch.

Dos Santos manages to break the clinch.
Cain Dos Santos is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Dos Santos darts in and clinches Vanko up against the cage.
Dos Santos is trying to push Vanko away but Vanko has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Vanko pushes off an throws an elbow but Dos Santos leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Dos Santos is looking to break free of the clinch but Vanko has double underhooks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dos Santos wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Dos Santos wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Vanko is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Dos Santos gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko has him pressed against the cage.
Vanko jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Dos Santos walks away with a smile on his face. Vanko gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Dos Santos clinches.
Dos Santos is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vanko keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Dos Santos's efforts to push away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Dos Santos tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Vanko's elbow.
Ivan Vanko has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Cain Dos Santos is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Vanko drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Dos Santos is trying to break the clinch but Vanko is controlling him.

And that's the end of the fight!
Cain Dos Santos comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Dos Santos has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Radbod Blank scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 27:30
Judge Nard Betker scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cain Dos Santos!
Cain Dos Santos gave a mention to Brute in his post fight interview. That will please them (and hopefully generate some sales).