PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Stephen Griffiths (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Vasiliy Khrapov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Khrapov has chosen Rocky road to Dublin (RUS) as his entrance music. Vasiliy Khrapov has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Griffiths
vs
Khrapov

170 cm
22
175 lbs
9 - 2 - 1

178 cm
30
170 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
Good kicks
Powerful

Perkele!

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Stephen Griffiths!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Vasiliy Khrapov!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Konstantin Menshow.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Griffiths throws the kick towards the body but Khrapov avoids it.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
Griffiths slips under a jab from Khrapov.
Khrapov looks to score with a jab to the body but Griffiths is just out of range.
Griffiths ducks under a wild hook from Khrapov.
Khrapov takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Khrapov misses with a body shot.
Griffiths misses with a leg kick.
Khrapov throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Khrapov has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Khrapov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Vasiliy Khrapov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Khrapov avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Khrapov ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Khrapov looks to land a right hand but Griffiths moved out of range.
Griffiths has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Zero Tolerance in the buildup to the fight.
Good exchange - Khrapov coming out on top.
Khrapov throws a jab but it's blocked by Griffiths.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Griffiths takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Khrapov throws a poor cross that misses
and Griffiths counters with a thumping low kick.
Griffiths fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Khrapov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Griffiths tries a head kick but it misses.
A clash of legs there as Khrapov blocks the low kick.
Khrapov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Griffiths was well out of range. Poor timing from Khrapov.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov loads up on a big right hand but Griffiths slips the punch.
Khrapov takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Khrapov throws a shot from downtown. Griffiths moves away and avoids it.
Khrapov thows a body shot but no joy.
Griffiths avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Khrapov connects with a good right hand that stumbles Griffiths. Griffiths circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Khrapov misses.
Griffiths throws a leg kick which misses Khrapov's front leg but catches the back leg as Khrapov tries to avoid it.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Griffiths fakes the leg kick and cracks Khrapov in the body.
Khrapov missing with a left hand there. Griffiths was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Griffiths throws a head kick but Khrapov moves out of range.
Nice defenses there by Griffiths.
Khrapov throws an overhand right that lands on Griffiths's shoulder, as Griffiths tries to avoid the shot.
Khrapov dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Griffiths. That did some damage!
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Griffiths fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Khrapov throws a jab when Griffiths was well out of range.
Khrapov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Griffiths manages to avoid it.
Griffiths on the wrong end of a nice hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Khrapov.
A nice leg kick lands there from Griffiths.
Griffiths scores with a leg kick.
Griffiths takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Griffiths uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Khrapov.
Khrapov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Griffiths moves away.
Khrapov checks a low kick from Griffiths.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
The fighters circling - Khrapov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Khrapov missing with a left hand there. Griffiths was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Khrapov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Griffiths was well out of range. Poor timing from Khrapov.
Khrapov throws a right hand that misses
and Griffiths counters with a nice low kick that buckles Khrapov's knee momentarily.
Khrapov missing with a left hand there. Griffiths was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths walks into a jab.
Khrapov swings widly with a right hand
and Griffiths counters with a low kick, right behind Khrapov 's knee.
Khrapov checks a leg kick.
Khrapov connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Khrapov takes a swing at Griffiths's ribcage but misses.
Griffiths moves out of range of the strikes.
Khrapov misses with a looping right.
Khrapov's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Khrapov avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Griffiths avoids the head kick by Khrapov.
Khrapov checks the leg kick nicely there.
Griffiths pulls out of a head kick attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vasiliy Khrapov dominated that round.
That's time! Griffiths's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Khrapov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Griffiths counters with a nice leg kick.
Khrapov moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Griffiths needs to keep his hands up - Khrapov had a free shot at his head there.
Khrapov throws a shot to the body.
Griffiths looks for the body kick but Khrapov saw that one coming.
A head kick misses from Griffiths.
Khrapov scores with a shot to the body.
Khrapov throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Khrapov stalks Griffiths and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Griffiths's face. Griffiths staggers backwards, shaken.
Khrapov throws a right and a left that Griffiths avoids nicely.
Griffiths slips under a jab.
Khrapov throws the left hand but Griffiths avoids the punch easily.
Khrapov throws a hook to the side of Griffiths's head but Griffiths sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Griffiths tries a head kick but it misses.
Khrapov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Griffiths sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Khrapov misses the jab.
Griffiths motions for Khrapov to come forward. Griffiths throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Khrapov misses with a hook
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Griffiths ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nice defenses there by Griffiths.
Griffiths lands a leg kick that knocks Khrapov off balance momentarily.
Khrapov misses with an uppercut.
Khrapov takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Stephen Griffiths is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Khrapov throws a hook but Griffiths blocks it.
Khrapov throws a big shot that misses.
Griffiths scores with a nice body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths slips under a jab from Khrapov.
Khrapov swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Khrapov lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Khrapov.
A swing and a miss from Khrapov.
Griffiths throws a chopping leg kick but Khrapov manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khrapov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Griffiths.
Khrapov thows a left - swing and a miss!
A clash of legs there as Griffiths blocks the low kick.
Khrapov misses with a shot to the body
and Griffiths counters with an outside leg kick.
Griffiths throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Griffiths throws a sloppy head kick and Khrapov moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov throws a combination that misses
and Griffiths counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Khrapov is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
A bone on bone clash there as Khrapov blocks the leg kick.
Griffiths defending well as Khrapov loads up on a big left hand.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Griffiths throws a low kick but it's checked well by Khrapov.
Khrapov throws a jab when Griffiths was well out of range.
Khrapov misses with a straight right.
Khrapov misses with a straight right.
Khrapov throws a jab but it's blocked by Griffiths.
Khrapov scores with a shot to the body.
Griffiths connects with an inside leg kick.
A big right from Khrapov misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov lands a nice shot that snaps Griffiths's head back.
Griffiths has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Khrapov takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Griffiths keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Griffiths avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Griffiths blocks a jab.
Griffiths blocks a jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Khrapov scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Griffiths checks a low kick from Khrapov.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Griffiths feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Khrapovs jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Khrapov misses with a body punch
and Griffiths counters with a nice body kick.
Griffiths uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Khrapov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vasiliy Khrapov 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.

Sloppy strikes from Khrapov. Those never looked like landing.
Griffiths turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Khrapov misses with a body shot.
Griffiths tries a head kick but it misses.
Khrapov fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
Griffiths on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Griffiths uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Khrapov.
Khrapov motions for Griffiths to come forward. Khrapov throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Khrapov throws the left hand but Griffiths avoids the punch easily.
Khrapov digs a good hook to Griffiths's body.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Khrapov scores with a nice right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Khrapov misses with an uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khrapov. Griffiths does a little dance to reset his feet.
Griffiths throws a head kick but Khrapov moves out of range.
An inside leg kick lands from Griffiths.
Griffiths misses with a kick to the body.
Khrapov fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Griffiths on the side of the head.
The fighters circling - Khrapov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Khrapov takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Griffiths misses with a low kick.
Griffiths connects with a solid leg kick.
Griffiths scores with a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths throws a sloppy head kick and Khrapov moves out of range easily.
Khrapov misses with an uppercut. Griffiths saw that one coming.
Griffiths throws a nice inside leg kick.
Griffiths pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Griffiths lands a nice looking body kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khrapov lets loose with a powerful body kick. Griffiths will feel that in the morning.
Khrapov lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Khrapov fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Khrapov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov misses with a hook to the body
and Griffiths counters with a big head kick but Khrapov shrugs it off.
Griffiths attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Griffiths uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Khrapov.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov misses with a left hand
and Griffiths counters with a nice body kick.
Khrapov lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Nice uppercut there from Khrapov.
Khrapov takes a swing at Griffiths's ribcage but misses.
A slow jab from Khrapov misses its intended target.
Khrapov scores with a jab to the head.
Griffiths connects with an inside leg kick.
A big right from Khrapov misses.
Khrapov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Griffiths manages to avoid it.
A chopping leg kick lands by Griffiths.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths moves out of range of the strikes.
Khrapov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Griffiths throws a head kick that misses.
Khrapov works Griffiths's body with a nice hook.
Khrapov misses with a hook
and Griffiths counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Khrapov throws a sloppy body shot
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Khrapov misses with the combination.
Khrapov throws a looping overhand right but Griffiths ducks down to avoid it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Khrapov throws a lazy uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Khrapov throws a poor cross that misses
and Griffiths counters with a good low kick that Khrapov was not able to check.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vasiliy Khrapov really dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Griffiths tries a head kick but it misses.
Khrapov misses with a body shot.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Khrapov misses with a right hand
and Griffiths counters with a leg kick.
Khrapov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Griffiths manages to avoid it.
Khrapov connects with a jab.
A chopping leg kick lands by Griffiths.
Griffiths lands a nice leg kick that just misses Khrapov's sensitive parts.
Khrapov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Griffiths moves away.
Griffiths bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Khrapov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Khrapov has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Griffiths.
Griffiths with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Vasiliy Khrapov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Griffiths takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khrapov misses with a hook to the body
and Griffiths counters with an inside leg kick.
An inside leg kick lands from Griffiths.
The fighters circling - Khrapov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Khrapov throws a lazy right hand but Griffiths sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Khrapov takes a swing at Griffiths's ribcage but misses.
Griffiths lands a high kick!
Sloppy strikes from Khrapov. Those never looked like landing.
Khrapov is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Griffiths tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Griffiths looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Griffiths walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khrapov. Griffiths does a little dance to reset his feet.
Griffiths uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Khrapov.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov looks to land a left hand but Griffiths moved out of range nicely.
Khrapov throws a good cross that connects.
Griffiths staying out of range there.
Griffiths ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Griffiths displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Khrapov throws out the jab.
Crunch! Griffiths slams his shin into Khrapov's torso.
Griffiths avoids a punch combination nicely.
A slow jab from Khrapov misses its intended target.
Khrapov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Khrapov misses the jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Khrapov misses with an uppercut
and Griffiths makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by Griffiths.
Griffiths lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Griffiths throws a nice inside leg kick.
Khrapov misses with a right hand
and Griffiths counters with a nice kick to the body.
Khrapov takes a kick to the side of the head.
Khrapov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Griffiths manages to avoid it.
Khrapov misses with an uppercut. Griffiths saw that one coming.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Griffiths fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Khrapov swings for the body but Griffiths moves out of range.
Griffiths misses with a head kick.
Griffiths keeps Khrapov at a distance using the push kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov looks to land a left hand but Griffiths moved out of range nicely.
Khrapov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Griffiths counters with a leg kick.
Khrapov lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
No joy there for Khrapov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Nice defenses there by Griffiths.
Griffiths throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Khrapov misses with a hook. Griffiths ducked under it nicely.
Khrapov throws an overhand right that lands on Griffiths's shoulder, as Griffiths tries to avoid the shot.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Khrapov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Vasiliy Khrapov will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Khrapov missing with a left hand there. Griffiths was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Griffiths throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Griffiths moves out of range as Khrapov strikes.
Some bone on bone action there as Khrapov checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Khrapov blocks a head kick by Griffiths.
Khrapov misses the shot to the body.
Griffiths moves forwards but Khrapov connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Griffiths keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Khrapov throws a hook but Griffiths blocks it.
Khrapov loads up on a big right hand but Griffiths slips the punch.
Khrapov with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Khrapov stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Griffiths.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khrapov takes a swing at Griffiths's ribcage but misses.
Khrapov pivots, looking for a leg kick but Griffiths is out of range and Khrapov settles back down.
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Griffiths.
Khrapov misses with a looping right.
Griffiths moves out of range of the strikes.
Griffiths keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Khrapov.
Griffiths on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Khrapov checks a leg kick.
Griffiths pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Griffiths tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Khrapov looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Griffiths walks into a jab.
Griffiths tries to work over Khrapov's front leg with a kick but Khrapov checks it.
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Khrapov wants to slow Griffiths down by chopping away at his legs.
Griffiths moves out of range of the strikes.
Khrapov takes a swing at Griffiths's ribcage but misses.
Griffiths slips under a jab from Khrapov.
A solid leg kick lands there for Griffiths.
Khrapov cracks Griffiths with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A cross from Khrapov lands.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Griffiths might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khrapov moves out of range of the body kick.
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Khrapov stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Griffiths.
Khrapov throws a good cross that connects.
Khrapov connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Griffiths's hands.
Griffiths blocks a jab.
Khrapov misses with a wild body shot.
Khrapov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Khrapov bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Griffiths's head backwards.
Khrapov throws a leg kick
and Griffiths makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Khrapov really felt that one!
Khrapov scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Griffiths steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Khrapov.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Griffiths throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Khrapov misses with a shot to the body
and Griffiths counters with a nice body kick.
Khrapov fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Griffiths looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Khrapov is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Griffiths avoids the body shot from Khrapov.
Griffiths misses with a body kick.
Khrapov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Griffiths.
Vasiliy Khrapov is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Khrapov just misses with a punch to the body.
Khrapov throws a body punch but Griffiths moves out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Khrapov swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Griffiths counters with a slapping leg kick.
A head kick misses from Griffiths.
Stephen Griffiths has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Griffiths misses with a leg kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Vasiliy Khrapov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Khrapov 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 45:50
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 45:50
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vasiliy Khrapov!
Vasiliy Khrapov is the new welterweight champion!