PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Vasiliy Sobolev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Grammur Natzee (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sobolev comes into the arena with Ya kuplu tebe dom blaring out of the sound system. Natzee has chosen Marillion - Garden Party as his entrance music. Vasiliy Sobolev has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Sobolev
vs
Natzee

201 cm
39
265 lbs
26 - 33 - 0

162 cm
35
148 lbs
32 - 15 - 4

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

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 26 - 33 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Vasiliy Sobolev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 32 - 15 - 4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Grammur Natzee!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Chris Downing and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Natzee shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Sobolev manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Natzee missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sobolev looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Natzee must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Natzee accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Natzee throwing strikes but missing.
Sobolev utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Natzee preventing the sweep.
Sobolev preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Natzee throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Sobolev is on top in guard.
Natzee is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobolev cracks Natzee with a solid left hand.
Sobolev throwing strikes from guard but Natzee blocks nicely.
Sobolev throwing strikes from guard but Natzee blocks nicely.
Sobolev is looking to work some ground and pound but Natzee has wrist control.
Natzee wants to sweep here but Sobolev controlling him for the moment.
Sobolev lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Sobolev will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Natzee looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sobolev is one step ahead there.
Natzee throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Natzee throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Natzee looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sobolev is one step ahead there.
Sobolev postures up and lands a big shot to Natzee's brow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev wants to control from the top but Natzee keeps moving.
Natzee is trying to keep Sobolev in close.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Natzee is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
We've been hearing that Sobolev has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Natzee trying to keep a closed guard but Sobolev is proving a slippery customer.
Sobolev keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Natzee's head.
Sobolev 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.
Sobolev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Sobolev trying to control the position from guard on top but Natzee is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sobolev loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Natzee is trying to keep Sobolev in close.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Natzee is on top in guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Natzee accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Natzee trying to control but Sobolev is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Sobolev has his hands on Natzee's head, controlling the position.
Sobolev has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Vasiliy Sobolev wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Sobolev shoots in and drives through. Natzee sprawls well.
Natzee scores with a decent looking hook.

It looks like Vasiliy Sobolev has been cut.
Natzee throws a body punch but Sobolev moves out of range.
Sobolev throws the left hand but Natzee avoids the punch easily.
Sobolev defending well as Natzee loads up on a big left hand.
Sobolev shoots in and drives through. Natzee sprawls well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev moves out of range as Natzee strikes.
Natzee thows a left - swing and a miss!
Natzee comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Sobolev misses with a few strikes there.
Sobolev misses with a jab, cross combination.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sobolev dives in for a single leg takedown but Natzee sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Vasiliy Sobolev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Natzee tries to work over Sobolev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Sobolev tries for a takedown. No joy.
Natzee prevents the takedown attempt.
A short uppercut from Natzee.
Sobolev tries for a takedown but Natzee manages to get underhooks.
Natzee throws a head punch that misses.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Still in the clinch, Natzee scores with a nice short uppercut.
Natzee fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Natzee lands with a short shot to the head.
Natzee lands with a short shot to the head.

Sobolev turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Grammur Natzee will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Vasiliy Sobolev's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Natzee thows a body shot but no joy.
Natzee ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sobolev moves away.
Natzee throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sobolev counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Natzee thows a left - swing and a miss!

Sobolev changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Natzee looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Sobolev scoring with punches from side control.
Natzee is trying to improve his position.
Sobolev scoring with punches from side control.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Natzee takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Natzee regains half guard.
Natzee wants to improve his position but Sobolev is controlling well.
Natzee is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobolev scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Natzee wants to control but Sobolev is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Natzee is looking to improve his position.
Sobolev looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Natzee with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Sobolev missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Natzee moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Natzee is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Sobolev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Natzee is trying to keep Sobolev in close.
Sobolev postures up in Natzee's guard and throws a big left but Natzee blocks it.
Natzee trying to control the position.
Natzee manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Natzee looking to ground and pound but Sobolev is blocking nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Natzee trying to control but Sobolev is having none of it.
Sobolev avoids a strike by Natzee and manages to complete a very nice reversal in the process, to end up in Natzee's guard! Fantastic escape!
Natzee is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Natzee is nestled in close to Sobolev, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Natzee missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Sobolev keeping hold of Natzee's head, controlling as best he can.
Sobolev blocking the ground and pound attempt from Natzee.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Natzee not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sobolev is pressing down on Natzee's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Sobolev is on top in guard.
Sobolev preventing the sweep.
Sobolev is working Natzee over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sobolev is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Sobolev is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Natzee is trying to keep Sobolev in close.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sobolev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Sobolev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Natzee manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Natzee landing shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natzee throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Sobolev tries to reverse the position but Natzee maintains control.
Natzee is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Natzee scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Sobolev?
Sobolev tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Sobolev in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Natzee thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Sobolev is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Sobolev holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Natzee tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Natzee lands a big shot there that rocks Sobolev but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
The referee warns Sobolev that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Grammur Natzee will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Vasiliy Sobolev'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!

Natzee ducks under a wild hook from Sobolev.
Horrible takedown by Natzee or perhaps it was just good defense by Sobolev which made him look bad.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Sobolev is defended easily by Natzee.
Vasiliy Sobolev is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Natzee connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Sobolev swings widly with a right hand
and Natzee counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Natzee feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Sobolevs jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Sobolev uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Natzee.
Sobolev fails with a takedown attempt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sobolev misses with a looping right.
Sloppy strikes from Natzee. Those never looked like landing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sobolev with a poor takedown
letting Natzee counter with a right hand.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Vasiliy Sobolev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Natzee changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Natzee pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Sobolev swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Natzee fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Sobolev shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Natzee but Natzee pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Grammur Natzee seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sobolev takes a shot to the body in his stride.
A swing and a miss from Natzee.
Natzee fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Sobolev avoids it really well and circles away.
Natzee scores with a jab. Sobolev acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

Sobolev shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Sobolev showed some decent athleticism there.
Grammur Natzee is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sobolev is thwarting Natzee's attempts to control the position.
Natzee moves into full guard.
Natzee avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Natzee is trying to keep Sobolev in close.
Natzee is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Sobolev throws a strike but Natzee rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Natzee is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Sobolev wants to sweep here but Natzee controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sobolev is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Sobolev looking to hit a scissor sweep but Natzee is one step ahead there.
Natzee not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Sobolev bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Natzee's guard.
Sobolev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Sobolev trying to control but Natzee is working from the bottom.

Natzee uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Natzee shoots for a takedown but Sobolev saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natzee throws a lazy right hand but Sobolev sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Sobolev bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

Natzee closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Sobolev to the mat! Sobolev manages to get full guard.
Vasiliy Sobolev overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Natzee trying to control the position from guard on top but Sobolev is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Natzee sitting in guard here, content to control.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sobolev looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Sobolev seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Natzee trying to control but Sobolev is working from the bottom.
Vasiliy Sobolev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

The ref stands the fighters back up. Grammur Natzee was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Natzee scores with a hook to the body. Sobolev takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.

And that's the end of the fight!
Grammur Natzee comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Natzee 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 Frank Dennis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 28:29
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Grammur Natzee!
Post fight, an emotional Grammur Natzee said 'i before e.'.