PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Gay Bear (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Igor Kronin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kronin has chosen Rocking from Riga as his entrance music. The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Bear
vs
Kronin

178 cm
26
144 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

167 cm
19
142 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Sully's Bar & Grill
AnonymouS

Sully's Bar & Grill
Lion Fightwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Gay Bear!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Igor Kronin!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Sergei Dronov and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kronin looks to land a combination. Bear sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Bear does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.

Kronin clinches with his opponent.
Bear jumps guard but Kronin turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Kronin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Kronin gets tackled into the cage by Bear. Bear maintains the clinch.
Bear tries a body shot but Kronin blocks it.
Kronin doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Kronin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Bear gets in close and instigates a clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bear tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kronin's elbow.
Kronin being controlled against the cage.
Kronin is leaning against Bear and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kronin's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Bear missing with a left hand there. Kronin was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

Bear darts in and clinches Kronin up against the cage.
Kronin lands a hook that snaps the head of Bear backwards.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Bear.

Kronin breaks the clinch.
Bear tries to clinch up.
Kronin leaves Bear with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Bear looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bear misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Bear taking a breather.

Kronin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bear ducks under a wild hook from Kronin.
Bear looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Gay Bear seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bear closes the distance but Kronin moves to the side
and Kronin counters with a series of strikes. Bear will be more careful next time no doubt.
Bear tries to clinch there but Kronin circles away.
Bear shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gay Bear. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kronin swinging wildly here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bear takes the fight into the clinch.
Bear tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Kronin misses with a punch to the body.
Bear is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Bear wants a takedown.
Kronin has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Bear seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Kronin can turn it around.
Bear will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Kronin up against the cage.
Bear stalls.

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.
Kronin avoiding damage as Bear throws knees to the body.
Kronin misses with a punch on the inside.
Kronin throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Bears head.
Kronin gets underhooks to prevent Bear's takedown attempt.
Bear fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Bear is trying to pull guard but Kronin turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Kronin lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Bear or not.
Kronin blocks a body shot from Bear.
Bear doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Bear struggles to land a body shot inside as Kronin controls his hands.
Kronin being controlled against the cage.

Bear pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Kronin dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Kronin circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kronin throws out a counter right but Bear avoids it with no problem.
Bear tries to close the distance and clinch but Kronin swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Kronin changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Bear takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Igor Kronin is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bear is trying hard to land a takedown here. Kronin sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Kronin looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Kronin fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Bear swings for the body but Kronin moves out of range.
Kronin is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Bear with a body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kronin drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.

Bear rushes Kronin and presses him up against the cage.
Kronin throws a head punch that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kronin looking to stall.
Bear drops down looking for an ankle pick but Kronin pulls his leg out and moves away.
Kronin rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Bear moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Bear fails with an attempt to clinch.
Despite the aggression on Kronin's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Kronin fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Bear is out of range.
Bear tries to clinch but Kronin moves out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Kronin misses.

Bear clinches up against the cage.
Bear tries to throw a body punch but Kronin avoids it by throwing Bear back against the cage.
A short left from Kronin.
Kronin has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Kronin stalling the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kronin lands a left hand.

Kronin pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Bear throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bear tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Kronin manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Bear moves into the clinch.
Kronin prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gay Bear. That's going to take a lot out of him.
With the fighters up against the cage, Bear throws an elbow but misses.

Kronin pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Bear tries to clinch but Kronin moves out of range.
Bear walks into a left hand.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bear doesn't manage to clinch there - Kronin circles away.
It seemed like Kronin was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kronin throws an overhand right that lands on Bear's shoulder, as Bear tries to avoid the shot.

Bear moves into the clinch successfully.

Kronin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bear misses with a hook
and Kronin counters with a series of strikes. Bear will be more careful next time no doubt.
Bear tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kronin paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Bear dives in and scores a takedown into Kronin's guard.
Bear trying to control but Kronin is working from the bottom.
Bear cracks Kronin with a solid left hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bear trying to control the position from guard on top but Kronin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kronin wants to sweep here but Bear controlling him for the moment.
Bear postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bear wants to control from the top but Kronin keeps moving.
Bear trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Bear trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Bear with a flurry of punches that miss.
Bear postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bear lands a couple of elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Kronin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Bear's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Bear closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
You can see the frustration on Kronin's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Bear wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kronin keeps working.
Bear creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Kronin sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kronin taking punishment in the form of punches.
The strikes coming from Bear are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kronin dodges the ground and pound from Bear.
Bear throws a strike aimed at the side of Kronin's head but Kronin avoids it well.
Bear in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bear postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bear misses with the ground and pound.
Sloppy strikes there by Bear.
Bear misses with the ground and pound.
Bear trying to control the position but Kronin is working away.
Bear creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Kronin sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.

Bear looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
The ground and pound from Bear seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Kronin's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Bear controls the position.
The ground and pound from Bear seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Bear will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Bear working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Bear misses with the ground and pound.
Gay Bear overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Bear is trying to get an arm triangle but Kronin is defending well.
Kronin can't do much from the bottom here.

Bear is trying to get an arm triangle but Kronin is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bear fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Bear lands some shots froms side control.
Kronin is looking for a sweep.
Bear trying to control the action but Kronin is working from the bottom.
Kronin stops Bear from passing to mount.
Bear scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Kronin to see if he's OK.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bear sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Kronin is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Bear tries to score with some ground and pound. Kronin controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Kronin avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Bear.
Bear working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Kronin is looking to reverse the position.
Bear in side control, throwing shots but Kronin defends.
Bear sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Kronin is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Bear working the ground and pound but Kronin is defending the strikes.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
An elbow from Bear crashes against the mat.
Bear working the head with strikes.
Bear working the ground and pound but Kronin is defending the strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gay Bear clearly takes that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Kronin scores with a nice head shot.
Kronin thows a left - swing and a miss!
A jab from Kronin misses.
Bear tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kronin swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Kronin looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.

Bear clinches up against the cage.
Bear doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Bear is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Kronin is defending well for now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Kronin breaks from the clinch.
Bear tries to clinch but Kronin is having none of it.
Kronin doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Kronin is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kronin throws a leg kick but Bear moved away.

Bear clinches with his opponent.
Bear misses with some punches.
Bear trying to stall but Kronin improves his position.
A bit of stalling here from Kronin.
Bear tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.

Kronin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bear throws a lazy right hand but Kronin sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Igor Kronin is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kronin swinging wildly here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kronin swats away the attempt to clinch by Bear.
Kronin is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Bear with a body shot.
Nice sprawl there from Kronin as Bear shoots in.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Kronin! But no joy.
Bear tries to clinch there but Kronin circles away.
Kronin looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Bear walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Bear is looking to clinch but Kronin is avoiding it.
Bear shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Kronin sprawls well. Kronin wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Bear gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gay Bear. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bear tries to clinch but Kronin is having none of it.
A punch combination from Kronin misses.
Bear wants to clinch.
Kronin throws out a counter right but Bear avoids it with no problem.
Bear doesn't manage to clinch there - Kronin circles away.
Kronin lands with an overhand left.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bear shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Kronin as he avoids it easily.
Bear gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Kronin counters with a nice low kick that buckles Bear's knee momentarily.

Bear moves into the clinch.
Bear stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Kronin's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bear looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Decent striking displayed by Kronin there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Kronin dominated that fourth 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. This is the final round!

Bear tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kronin paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bear closes the distance looking to clinch
enabling Kronin to counter with a crisp jab.
Nice takedown defense from Kronin. No joy for Bear on that attempt.
Bear moves in looking to clinch but Kronin pushes him off.
It seemed like Kronin was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bear is looking to clinch.
Despite the aggression on Kronin's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Igor Kronin seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bear tries to clinch up but Kronin circles away and keeps his distance.
Kronin let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Bear fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kronin moves out of range of the strikes.
Kronin only half commits to the counter leg kick.

Bear pushes Kronin up against the cage in a clinch.

Kronin manages to break the clinch.
Bear doesn't manage to clinch there - Kronin circles away.
Bear tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Kronin swivels and escapes.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gay Bear. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bear avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Bear is looking to clinch but Kronin is avoiding it.

Bear drives through and clinches with Kronin against the cage.
Bear tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Kronin avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A nice right hand lands inside from Kronin.
Bear is looking to take this one to the mat.
Bear has Kronin pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Kronin manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Kronin makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Kronin is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A short left from Kronin.
Kronin stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

Kronin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
A lazy left from Kronin finds it's target.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kronin throws a shot from downtown. Bear moves away and avoids it.
Kronin stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kronin lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Bear fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bear tries to clinch up.
Kronin swats away the attempt to clinch by Bear.

Bear shoots in and gets a takedown into Kronin's guard.

Kronin is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kronin blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Kronin breaks from the clinch.
Bear is looking to clinch.
Kronin swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Bear tries to clinch
and Kronin counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bear is looking to clinch.
Kronin now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Kronin looks to score with a jab to the body but Bear is just out of range.
Bear is looking to clinch but Kronin is avoiding it.
Bear fails in his attempt to clinch.
Gay Bear has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Igor Kronin is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
A looping hook to the body misses from Bear. Kronin does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kronin looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Igor Kronin comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Kronin has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 46:49
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 46:49
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 46:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Igor Kronin!
Igor Kronin is the new bantamweight champion!
An out of breath and clearly excited Igor Kronin thanked Lion Fightwear for their help and support (and free stuff they sent him).