PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Lyoto Rua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marko Kersikov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rua comes to the cage accompanied by AVANTASIA-Seven Angels. Kersikov has chosen Hollywood Undead - Undead as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Rua
vs
Kersikov

187 cm
36
274 lbs
32 - 9 - 0

188 cm
27
253 lbs
12 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Bloodlust Horde Fightwear
Heisenberg

Milwaukee's Best Nutrition
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 32 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Lyoto Rua!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Marko Kersikov!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Frank Antenori and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rua tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kersikov was well out of range. Poor timing from Rua.
Rua misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kersikov.
Kersikov misses with a head kick.
Kersikov ducks under a wild hook from Rua.
Rua seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Kersikov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Rua.
Rua throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Kersikov uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Rua.
Lyoto Rua seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rua with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Kersikov to score with a decent uppercut.

It looks like Lyoto Rua has been cut.
A swing and a miss from Rua.
Rua wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Rua misses with a right hand

and Kersikov counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Rua's guard now.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Kersikov stays in close to Rua's body and controls the position.
Rua looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kersikov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Rua controls Kersikov momentarily but Kersikov frees himself.
Kersikov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Rua works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Kersikov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Rua wants to sweep here but Kersikov controlling him for the moment.
Kersikov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Kersikov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Rua is keeping the position for now.
Kersikov is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Rua looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rua pulls Kersikov in close to prevent any damage.
Kersikov postures up in Rua's guard and throws a big left but Rua blocks it.
Rua keeping moving, preventing Kersikov from controlling successfully.
Kersikov content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kersikov throws a big right hand that misses.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kersikov trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Rua tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rua bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kersikov's guard.
Rua preventing the sweep.
Rua connects with a couple of short punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rua's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Rua is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Kersikov wants to sweep but no luck.
Kersikov looking to control.
Rua throws a big right hand that misses.
Kersikov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Rua is one step ahead there.
Rua trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Kersikov manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Rua manages to get himself to full guard.
Kersikov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Rua pulls Kersikov in to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Kersikov throws a strike but Rua rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Kersikov keeping full guard, as Rua tries to pass.
Kersikov looking for a sweep. Not yet Kersikov, not yet.
Kersikov looking to control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rua tries to free his leg and advance position but Kersikov is retaining full guard.
Kersikov keeping moving, preventing Rua from controlling successfully.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kersikov working a defensive guard here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marko Kersikov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Lyoto Rua's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Rua shoots in looking for a takedown but Kersikov manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Rua's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Rua throws a hook but Kersikov avoids it easily.
A slapping leg kick lands for Kersikov.
Rua tries a head kick but it misses.
Rua tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kersikov was well out of range. Poor timing from Rua.
Rua ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kersikov moves away.
Rua misses with a leg kick.
Rua with a hook.
Kersikov throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Kersikov misses with a kick to the body.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Rua.
Rua lands a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rua changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Kersikov looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Kersikov is looking for a sweep.
Rua wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kersikov keeps working.
Kersikov tries to bench press Rua off him but Rua keeps the position.
Kersikov is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Marko Kersikov has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kersikov is looking for a sweep.
Rua trying to control the action but Kersikov is working from the bottom.
Kersikov struggling a bit here.
A lull in the action here as Rua stalls from top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rua wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kersikov keeps working.
Rua grinds an elbow into Kersikov's temple.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rua connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Kersikov some visible discomfort.
Rua tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Kersikov regains half guard.
Rua thows a huge punch but Kersikov dodges it nicely.
Rua looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Kersikov moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

Kersikov looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rua stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Kersikov swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Rua is looking to work some ground and pound but Kersikov has wrist control.
Rua pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kersikov is keeping the position for now.
Kersikov is adopting a defensive guard.
Rua is in close to Kersikov's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Kersikov is trying to control the position but Rua postures up.
Rua wants to control from the top but Kersikov keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rua is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Kersikov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Rua is one step ahead there.
Kersikov trying to control the position.
Kersikov looking for a sweep. Not yet Kersikov, not yet.
Rua looking to pass the guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kersikov controls Rua momentarily but Rua frees himself.
Rua postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lyoto Rua dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Lyoto Rua's cut.
That's time! Rua's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Rua throws a half hearted mid kick.
Rua buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Rua moves out of range as Kersikov throws a body kick.
Kersikov has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rua finds it's way round the side to connect with Kersikov's head.

It looks like Marko Kersikov has been cut.
Nice shot by Kersikov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rua throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Rua shoots in and gets a takedown into Kersikov's guard.
Rua content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Rua pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kersikov is keeping the position for now.
Kersikov keeping moving, preventing Rua from controlling successfully.
Kersikov trying to keep a closed guard but Rua is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Rua throws a big elbow that misses.
Rua sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Kersikov's guard.
Kersikov makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Kersikov.
Kersikov wants to sweep but no luck.
Rua forces his way into half guard.
Rua takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Kersikov trying to control here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov is not content to let Rua control the position.
Kersikov is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rua with the ground and pound but Kersikov uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Rua with a flurry of punches that miss.
Kersikov is trying to keep Rua in close.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rua wants to control from the top but Kersikov keeps moving.
Kersikov working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Rua.
Rua preventing the sweep.
Kersikov keeping moving, preventing Rua from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rua tries to free his leg and advance position but Kersikov is retaining full guard.
Rua lands a couple of elbows.
Rua missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Kersikov is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Kersikov avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Rua working some strikes from top position.
Rua has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Rua trying to control the position from guard on top but Kersikov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kersikov seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rua trying to control the position from guard on top but Kersikov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Rua accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Rua postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Rua stopping the sweep attempt from Kersikov.
Rua trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rua trying to control but Kersikov is working from the bottom.
Rua postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lyoto Rua showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rua 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lyoto Rua!
Lyoto Rua seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.