PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Psycho Ship (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jehoel Pope (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Ship
vs
Pope

200 cm
19
300 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

225 cm
25
300 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Granite chin

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
Solid chin

The Knot

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Psycho Ship !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Jehoel Pope!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Viktor Lagutenko and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pope throws a body punch but Ship moves out of range.

Ship shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Pope's guard.
Pope pulls Ship in to control the position.
Ship has improved his flexibility recently so we will have to see if he can use that to his advantage.
Ship trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Ship got a little sloppy there for a moment and Pope has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Ship has managed to get both his arms back between Pope's legs - danger averted.
Ship throwing strikes but missing.
Ship trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pope utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Ship lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Ship in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Pope looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ship pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Pope is keeping the position for now.
Ship has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Ship keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Pope's head.

Ship keeping moving, preventing Pope from controlling successfully.
Ship tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Pope trying to control but Ship is working from the bottom.
Ship wants to sweep but no luck.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pope trying to control the position from guard on top but Ship is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Pope controlling from the top position.
Ship trying to control the position here.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Ship continues to stall.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Ship lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ship tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Pope was well out of range. Poor timing from Ship .
Pope is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Ship jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Pope fails with an attempt to clinch.
A big left from Ship misses.
Pope bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Ship avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Ship connects with a good right hand that stumbles Pope. Pope circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Pope slips a jab from Ship .
Ship throws a hook but Pope avoids it easily.

Ship shoots in and gets a takedown into Pope's guard.
Ship tries to free his leg and advance position but Pope is retaining full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ship with a flurry of punches that miss.
Ship cracks Pope with a solid left hand.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Ship trying to control but Pope is working from the bottom.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Ship accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Ship wants to control from the top but Pope keeps moving.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Ship 's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pope controls Ship momentarily but Ship frees himself.
Ship lands a couple of elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Psycho Ship dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Ship scores with a takedown into Pope's guard.
Pope keeping full guard, as Ship tries to pass.
Ship in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Pope manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Ship manages to get himself to full guard.

Ship tries to land a sweep but no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pope trying to control but Ship is working from the bottom.
Ship on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Ship tries to get out of the position.
Ship is adopting a defensive guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pope trying to control but Ship is working from the bottom.
Pope might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Ship haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Ship seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Ship wants to sweep here but Pope controlling him for the moment.
Pope trying to control but Ship is working from the bottom.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Ship has Pope pulled in close to control his posture.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Pope avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Nice straight punches there by Ship . You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Ship .
Ship throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Ship misses with a hook. Pope ducked under it nicely.
Ship fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Pope manages to avoid it.
Psycho Ship seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The fighters circling - Ship throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ship scores with a jab to the jaw.
Pope takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Ship uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Pope.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ship misses with an uppercut.
The fighters circling - Ship throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Nice uppercut lands for Ship . That snapped Pope's head back.
Ship is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.

Pope gets caught napping as Ship dives in and scores a takedown. Pope manages to retain guard.
Ship content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Ship trying to control but Pope is working from the bottom.
Pope is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Pope lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Ship looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Pope drops back looking for a leg! Ship is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Ship manages to kick Pope off! Pope jumps back into Ship 's guard.
Pope wants to control from the top but Ship keeps moving.
Ship tries to land a sweep but no joy.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pope wants to control from the top but Ship keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Psycho Ship dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Ship misses with a straight left.
Ship missing with a left hand there. Pope was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A little jabbing left from Pope on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Ship fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Pope on the side of the head.
Ship is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Pope can do to turn this around?
Pope moves away from the strike by Ship .

Pope rushes Ship and presses him up against the ropes.

Ship escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A telegraphed right hand from Ship misses the target.
Pope swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Ship swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pope wants to clinch but Ship slips to the side

so Ship counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Psycho Ship overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Ship in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Pope is on top in guard.

Ship is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ship keeping moving, preventing Pope from controlling successfully.
Ship might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Ship looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Ship 's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Ship tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Pope trying to control the position from guard on top but Ship is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Ship trying to control the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Ship works Pope's body with a nice hook.
Pope misses the shot to the body.
Ship appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

Pope gets a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pope is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Ship is keeping busy.

Ship has clasped his hands together around Pope's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
Ship postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Ship in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Pope is trying to control Ship 's posture but Ship avoids it.
Pope is looking for a sweep.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ship tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Ship controlling from side mount.
Ship wants to control but Pope is keeping him busy.
Pope managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Ship .
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ship scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Pope to see if he's OK.
Ship scores with punches from side control.
Pope takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ship creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

Pope is rocked!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Psycho Ship clearly takes that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Pope slips a jab from Ship .
Pope tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Pope slips under a jab.
Pope walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Ship misses with a straight left.
Pope takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Ship throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Pope tries to clinch but Ship moves away

and Ship counters with a takedown into side control.
Ship is chipping away with strikes.
Pope can't do much from the bottom here.
Ship scoring with punches and elbows.
Ship is looking to take a break and control but Pope is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pope takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
You can see the frustration on Pope's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Pope stops Ship from passing to mount.
Ship creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Ship tries to score with some ground and pound. Pope controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Pope taking a bit of punishment here - Ship scoring with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ship tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Ship is putting a hurting on Pope here, landing some big shots from side control.
Ship lands a decent elbow from side control.
Pope is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Ship wants to lay and pray for a moment but Pope keeps working.
Pope wants to get back to his feet.
Ship scoring with punches from side control.
Ship is looking to take a break and control but Pope is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ship landing a few strikes.
Ship cracks Pope with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Pope prevents Ship from improving position.
Ship working the strikes but Pope uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Ship scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Ship thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Pope's head.
Ship is looking to take a break and control but Pope is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ship working the head and body with strikes.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Ship lands a nice short elbow.
Pope keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Ship with the ground and pound but Pope uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Ship trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Ship chips away with some ground and pound.
Pope utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ship loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Ship lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Psycho Ship had his way with Jehoel Pope in that round.
That's time! Back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Ship comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Ship connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Ship throws a body punch but Pope moves out of range.
Pope ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ship moves away.
Ship misses with an uppercut. Pope saw that one coming.
Ship misses with a hook.
Pope ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

Ship closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Pope quickly recovers to half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pope has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Ship is working away from the top position though.
Pope is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Pope tries to roll over but Ship keeps him under control.
Ship lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ship lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Ship seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Pope does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Pope won't allow Ship to pass to mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Ship landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Ship trying to control from half guard but Pope is working away.
Ship misses with a head shot. Pope uses the momentum to regain guard.
Ship lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Pope wants to sweep here but Ship controlling him for the moment.

Pope working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Ship doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Ship manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ship trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Ship looking to sit in guard and control but Pope gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Ship keeping moving, preventing Pope from controlling successfully.
Ship wants to sweep but no luck.
Pope trying to control the position from guard on top but Ship is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Ship has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Psycho Ship is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Ship dives in and scores a takedown into Pope's guard.
Ship is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Ship passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Ship throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Jehoel Pope has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Ship looks up at the clock and then as Pope takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Ship smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!

And that's the end of the fight!
Psycho Ship showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Ship , winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 50:44
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 50:44
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 50:44

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Psycho Ship !
Psycho Ship decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.