PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Mike Riddell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yuri Yelsin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mike Riddell has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Riddell
vs
Yelsin

185 cm
18
178 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

172 cm
18
173 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Mike Riddell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Yuri Yelsin!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Fedor Mirinova and Konstantin Menshow.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Riddell looks to land a combination but Yelsin avoids it well.
Yelsin dodges the punch combination from Riddell.
Riddell shoots for a double leg takedown but Yelsin sprawls well. He's pushed Riddell's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Riddell connects with a jab.
Yelsin dodges the punch combination from Riddell.
Yelsin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Riddell paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Riddell moves out of range of the body kick.
Yelsin tries to close the distance and clinch but Riddell swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Yelsin wants to clinch.
Yelsin scores with a jab to the head.
Riddell closes this distance looking for a takedown but Yelsin circles away.
Yelsin rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Riddell moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Riddell misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Riddell avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Yelsin takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yelsin is looking to clinch but Riddell is avoiding it.
Riddell misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yelsin.
Yelsin swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Riddell thows a left - swing and a miss!
Yelsin thows a left - swing and a miss!
Riddell connects with a good right hand that stumbles Yelsin. Yelsin circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

It looks like Yuri Yelsin has been cut.
Yelsin throws a sloppy head kick
and Riddell counters with a head kick.
Yelsin drops his hands momentarily and Riddell takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Yelsin misses with the combination.
Riddell tries a low kick but Yelsin avoids it.
Yelsin lands a jab to the head.
Yelsin is looking to clinch but Riddell is avoiding it.
Riddell shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mike Riddell. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Riddell is breathing heavily.
Yelsin misses with a jab, cross combination.
Riddell shoots in for a takedown but Yelsin shows good takedown defense.

Riddell decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Riddell stops Yelsin from getting back to his feet.
Yelsin pushes Riddell off but Riddell dives into side control.
Yelsin tries to escape but Riddell is in control.

Riddell decides to take the fight back to the feet.

Yelsin moves into the clinch successfully.

Yelsin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Riddell throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Yelsin counters with a lovely shot to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yelsin tries to clinch up
and Riddell counters with a left to the body.

Yelsin gets a clinch.
Riddell goes for a takedown attempt but Yelsin pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Riddell looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Riddell swats away the attempt to clinch by Yelsin.

Yelsin gets a clinch.
Yelsin drops down looking for an ankle pick but Riddell pulls his leg out and moves away.
Yelsin goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Yelsin avoids the body shot from Riddell.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yelsin displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Riddell throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Yelsin forces Riddell back against the cage and clinches.
Yelsin misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Riddell.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

Riddell gets control of Yelsin's arms and successfully pulls guard. Riddell will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Riddell pushes Yelsin off and scrambles back to his feet.
Yelsin lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Yelsin misses with a hook.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nice sprawl there from Yelsin as Riddell shoots in.
Yelsin throws a nice inside leg kick.
A left and a right from Yelsin both land. Nice combination.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Riddell chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Yelsin can pounce on him.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Mike Riddell will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Yuri Yelsin's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Yelsin tries to close the distance and clinch but Riddell swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Riddell throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Yelsin lands with a nice body kick.

Yelsin clinches with his opponent.
Yelsin fails to pull the fight into his guard.

Yelsin breaks from the clinch.
Riddell misses with a hook to the body
and Yelsin makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Horrible takedown by Riddell or perhaps it was just good defense by Yelsin which made him look bad.
Yelsin swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Yelsin stalks Riddell and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Riddell's face. Riddell staggers backwards, shaken.

Yelsin takes the fight into the clinch.
Riddell stops a takedown attempt from Yelsin.
Yelsin tries to pull guard but Riddell holds him up against the cage and eventually Yelsin drops back down to his feet.
Mike Riddell has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yuri Yelsin.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Yelsin trying to land knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yelsin tries a knee to the head but Riddell blocks it.

Yelsin manages to break the clinch.
Yelsin tries to clinch but Riddell is having none of it.
Yelsin checks a low kick from Riddell.
No joy there for Yelsin, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Riddell crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Yelsin - the referee stops the clock and Riddell gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Yelsin. Riddell manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Riddell misses with a wild combination.
Yelsin throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Riddell.
Riddell shoots in for a double leg but Yelsin sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Yelsin lands a jab-cross combination.
Yelsin thuds his shin into the meat of Riddell's side.
Yelsin fails in his attempt to clinch.
Yelsin tries to clinch but Riddell moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Riddell avoids the head kick by Yelsin.
Yelsin misses with a jab, cross combination.
Yelsin lands the left hand.
Riddell swats away the attempt to clinch by Yelsin.
Yuri Yelsin seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Riddell circles away from the clinch attempt.
A solid body kick from Yelsin.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Yelsin misses with a knee strike.

Yelsin drags the fight down to the ground.

Riddell stands and steps away. Yelsin gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Yelsin throws a series of strikes that have Riddell backpedaling.
Riddell has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Riddell thows a body shot but no joy.
Yelsin takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Riddell on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Yelsin. Yelsin obviously looking to wear him down.
Yelsin pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Yelsin tries to clinch but Riddell is having none of it.
Yuri Yelsin is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Yelsin pulls Riddell into guard.

Riddell gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Yelsin doesn't manage to clinch there - Riddell circles away.
Yelsin will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Riddell misses with a two punch combination.
Riddell circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Riddell keeps the fight on the outside.
Riddell steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Yelsin. That one must have hurt.
The fight stays on the outside here - Yelsin looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Yelsin is looking to clinch.
Riddell is looking to wear down Yelsin with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Yelsin fails in his attempt to clinch.
Yelsin stalks Riddell and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Riddell's face. Riddell staggers backwards, shaken.
Riddell misses with a series of wild punches.
Yelsin has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Danga de danga de dang - Yelsin scores with a four punch combination!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Yelsin scores with a leg kick.
Yelsin lands with a thumping leg kick.
Riddell circles away from the clinch attempt.
Yelsin bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yuri Yelsin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Yuri Yelsin's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Riddell takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Riddell swings for the body but Yelsin moves out of range.
Yelsin tries to clinch but Riddell moves out of range.
Yelsin misses with a double jab.
Yelsin throws a right hand that Riddell ducks under and follows up with a left that Riddell also avoids with ease.
Riddell fails to land the takedown.
Yelsin is looking to clinch.
Yelsin doesn't manage to clinch there - Riddell circles away.
Yelsin is looking to clinch but Riddell is avoiding it.

Riddell gets a takedown into half guard.
Riddell sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Yelsin defending well though.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yelsin pushes Riddell off looking to stand but Riddell dives back in and keeps control.
Riddell will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Riddell wants to stand up but Yelsin manages to regain full guard.
Riddell wants to control from the top but Yelsin keeps moving.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Yelsin wants to get back to his feet but Riddell is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Riddell wants to stand but Yelsin is controlling his posture from full guard.
Riddell prevents Yelsin from getting back to his feet.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Yelsin moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yelsin unloads a knee to the mid-section. Riddell lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Yelsin drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Yelsin fails to pull guard.
Yelsin tries to stall but Riddell uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Riddell gets underhooks to prevent Yelsin's takedown attempt.
Mike Riddell has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yuri Yelsin.

Riddell breaks the clinch.
Riddell scores with a three punch combo!
Riddell connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Riddell shoots in but no luck this time.
Riddell circles away from the clinch attempt.
Riddell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Yelsin fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Riddell takes a kick to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yelsin tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yelsin scores with a nice body kick.
Good leg kick by Yelsin there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Yelsin falls off balance throwing a combination
and Riddell counters with a one-two to the body.
Yelsin looks for the body kick but Riddell saw that one coming.
Yelsin throws a wild body kick that Riddell sees coming a mile off.
Mike Riddell is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Riddell walks into a stiff left hand from Yelsin.
Yelsin throws a right hand that Riddell ducks under and follows up with a left that Riddell also avoids with ease.
Yelsin uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Riddell.
Yelsin misses with a double jab.
Yelsin tries to close the distance and clinch but Riddell swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Yelsin tries a head kick but it misses.
Riddell circles away from the clinch attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Mike Riddell.
I think Riddell has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 29:28
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mike Riddell!