PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rusty Cook (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ricardo Oliveira (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Cook
vs
Oliveira

156 cm
18
177 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

183 cm
18
180 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Rusty Cook!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ricardo Oliveira!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Igor Prikhodko and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Oliveira on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.

Oliveira shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Cook napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Oliveira wants to stand but Cook is controlling his arm.
Oliveira is chipping away with strikes.

Oliveira is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Cook is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Cook really is a fat lump.
Cook is trying to control Oliveira's posture but Oliveira avoids it.
Oliveira scores with a couple of short elbows.
Oliveira has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cook wants to control but Oliveira postures up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Oliveira remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oliveira landing a few strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Oliveira in side control, just content to control the action for now.

Oliveira tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Cook gets back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Oliveira takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Cook wants to get back to full guard.
Cook moves into full guard.
Oliveira working some strikes from top position.
Cook throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Cook wants to stand but Oliveira is controlling the position.
Cook is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Oliveira slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Cook wants to control the position but Oliveira says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Cook wants to control the action here but instead Oliveira manages to pass to full mount!
Oliveira cracks Cook with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Oliveira sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Oliveira lands with some strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cook tries to reverse the position but Oliveira maintains control.
Oliveira looking to control and managing it successfully.
Cook takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Oliveira controlling the position easily from mount.

Oliveira looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
BOOM! Oliveira connects with a massive shot to the dome!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ricardo Oliveira dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Oliveira tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Cook half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Oliveira shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Cook pinned against the cage. Cook gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Cook shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Oliveira but Oliveira pushes him off and we're back to square one.

Oliveira moves into range and clinches up with Cook.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Oliveira.

Oliveira pulls guard effortlessly.
Oliveira has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

Oliveira looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cook wants to stand and escape but instead Oliveira has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.

Oliveira landing with the ground and pound.
Cook is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Oliveira is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Oliveira trying to stand up but can't free himself from Cook's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Oliveira controlling from the top position.
Oliveira wants to get up but he can't break Cook's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Cook has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Oliveira has passed into side control.
Cook tries to buck Oliveira off but Oliveira is having none of it.

Oliveira working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
You can see the frustration on Cook's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cook tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Ricardo Oliveira has got the better of the ground game so far.
Cook tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Oliveira presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Oliveira has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Cook's face.

Oliveira is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Cook can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Oliveira takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Oliveira content just to control the position here.
Oliveira breaks from Cook's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Oliveira lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.

Oliveira has control of Cook's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Cook regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Oliveira trying to control but he's not successful this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ricardo Oliveira showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Cook lands a nice looking body shot.
Oliveira shoots for a takedown but Cook saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Cook drops down looking for a counter takedown but Oliveira sprawls and moves away.
Cook digs a good hook to Oliveira's body.

Oliveira moves into the clinch.

Oliveira pulls Cook into guard.
Cook wants to stand but Oliveira is controlling his posture from full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oliveira is adopting a defensive guard.
Cook tries to stand but Oliveira is controlling from the bottom.

Oliveira has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Cook can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Cook trying to stand up but can't free himself from Oliveira's guard.
Oliveira thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Oliveira clinches with his opponent.

Oliveira lands a takedown into guard.
Oliveira sitting in guard here, content to control.
Cook trying to keep a closed guard but Oliveira is proving a slippery customer.
Oliveira trying to control the position from guard on top but Cook is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Oliveira is stalling in the full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira trying to control the position from guard on top but Cook is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cook is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Oliveira is trying to stand up here but Cook is controlling him well.
Oliveira punching from the bottom.

Cook is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Oliveira is pressing down on Cook's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cook wants to stand and escape but instead Oliveira has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.

Oliveira preventing the sweep.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Oliveira slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Oliveira is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Cook will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Cook is trying to get back to half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
The referee asks Oliveira politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Oliveira prefers to stall for the moment though.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ricardo Oliveira comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Oliveira 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 Sergei Dronov scores the fight 26:30
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 26:30
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ricardo Oliveira!