PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Steven Rutherford (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jerry Kokane (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kokane is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Escape From the Madness . Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Rutherford
vs
Kokane

183 cm
30
186 lbs
26 - 4 - 1

185 cm
33
185 lbs
31 - 9 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Reaper Combatwear

Urban Fighter
Hellbent

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 26 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Steven Rutherford!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jerry Kokane!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Steven Brown and Richard Clark.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kokane jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Nice uppercut there from Rutherford.
Steven Rutherford seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rutherford thumps Kokane with a low kick.
A big left from Rutherford misses.
Rutherford moves out of range of the strikes.
A left lands for Rutherford.
Kokane has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rutherford finds it's way round the side to connect with Kokane's head.
Kokane has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Kokane defending well as Rutherford loads up on a big left hand.
Kokane blocks a low kick nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rutherford misses with a series of wild punches.
Rutherford punishes Kokane's body with a nice straight punch.
Rutherford fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kokane manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kokane misses the body punch
and Rutherford counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rutherford takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Kokane tries a head kick but it misses.
Kokane throws a jab when Rutherford was well out of range.
Rutherford cracks Kokane with a right hand to the side of the head.
Kokane stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Good standup being displayed there by Rutherford as he connects with a hook.
It looks like Rutherford has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Kokane scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Kokane scores with a jab. Rutherford acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Kokane throws the left hand but Rutherford avoids the punch easily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rutherford scores with a hook.
Kokane misses with a wild body shot.
Rutherford appears to be looking for a big counter.
Kokane looks for the body kick but Rutherford saw that one coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheers as Rutherford lands an impressive looking overhand right. Kokane doesn't seem phased though.
Kokane scores with a leg kick.
Rutherford moves out of range as Kokane strikes.
Kokane swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kokane on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Kokane misses with an uppercut.
A solid body kick from Rutherford.
Kokane misses with a hook. Rutherford ducked under it nicely.
Kokane pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Rutherford scores with a nice body kick.
Rutherford scores with the left hand. Kokane knows he should have avoided that one.

It looks like Jerry Kokane has been cut.
Rutherford thows a leg kick but Kokane checks it
and Kokane counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rutherford takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Rutherford misses with a left hand
and Kokane counters with a nice body kick.
Rutherford lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Rutherford swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rutherford throws a leg kick that is checked
and Kokane counters with a head kick. That will keep Rutherford thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
A clash of legs there as Kokane blocks the low kick.
Rutherford misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Rutherford digs a good hook to Kokane's body.
Rutherford ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Kokane cracks Rutherford with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Kokane blocks a leg kick.
Kokane throws out a counter right but Rutherford avoids it with no problem.
Rutherford connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Rutherford tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kokane paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kokane appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Rutherford throws a nice inside leg kick.
Rutherford takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Rutherford slips under a jab from Kokane.
Rutherford looks for the body kick but Kokane saw that one coming.
Kokane clobbers Rutherford with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Kokane bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Rutherford throws an overhand right that lands on Kokane's shoulder, as Kokane tries to avoid the shot.
Rutherford gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Kokane.
Kokane slips a jab from Rutherford.
It seemed like Kokane was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Kokane moves out of range as Rutherford strikes.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Rutherford lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Kokane has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Kokane and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Kokane follows through with a counter body kick but it doesn't land.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Steven Rutherford dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Jerry Kokane's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Rutherford lands a leg kick that knocks Kokane off balance momentarily.
Steven Rutherford is winning the standup battle so far.
A nice inside leg kick there by Rutherford. That's going to slow Kokane down.
Rutherford throws the left hand but Kokane avoids the punch easily.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kokane.
Kokane misses with a series of wild punches.
Kokane thuds his right hand into Rutherford's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Rutherford drops his hands momentarily and Kokane takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kokane misses with a low kick.
Rutherford seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Rutherford throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Kokane takes one on the button.
Kokane misses with a looping left.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutherford scores with a kick to the body.
Rutherford misses with a left hand
and Kokane counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Good leg kick by Rutherford there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Rutherford dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kokane. That did some damage!
Rutherford swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Kokane counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Rutherford misses with a left hand
and Kokane connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kokane.
Rutherford misses with a low kick.
Kokane throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rutherford cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Kokane misses with a looping right.
Rutherford throws a lazy uppercut
and Kokane makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Rutherford blocks a low kick nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rutherford will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Rutherford misses with a straight left.
Kokane's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Kokane displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rutherford throws out the jab.
Rutherford misses with a jab to the body
and Kokane counters with a leg kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Rutherford, right into the meat.
Rutherford throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Kokane stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Rutherford lets loose with a powerful body kick. Kokane will feel that in the morning.
Rutherford misses with a low kick.
Despite the aggression on Kokane's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
A big right from Rutherford misses.
Kokane pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kokane misses with a straight left.
Kokane throws a lazy right hand but Rutherford sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kokane throws a big shot that misses.
Some bone on bone action there as Kokane checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Rutherford misses with a leg kick
and Kokane cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Rutherford has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Kokane.
Rutherford looks to score with a jab to the body but Kokane is just out of range.
Kokane misses with a lunging right hand
and Rutherford counters with a nice uppercut.
Rutherford misses with a jab, cross combination.
Kokane smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

It looks like Steven Rutherford has been cut.
Kokane uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Rutherford.
Rutherford throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Rutherford scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Kokane is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kokane rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Rutherford counters with a good low kick that Kokane was not able to check.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kokane swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rutherford fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kokane manages to avoid it.
Rutherford throws a push kick but Kokane slaps the foot to one side.
Rutherford wants to slow Kokane down by chopping away at his legs.
Rutherford keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kokane.
Rutherford lands with a cross.
Kokane takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Rutherford throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Kokane counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Rutherford thinking.
Kokane on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Kokane gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Rutherford throws a shot from downtown. Kokane moves away and avoids it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Steven Rutherford will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Rutherford misses with a leg kick
enabling Kokane to counter with a crisp jab.
Rutherford stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Rutherford throws a hook to the side of Kokane's head but Kokane sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kokane appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Rutherford cracks Kokane with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Rutherford misses with an uppercut.
Rutherford closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Rutherford throws a low kick but Kokane avoids it.
A jab from Rutherford misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rutherford thows a left - swing and a miss!
Rutherford throws the kick towards the body but Kokane avoids it.
Rutherford scores with a decent looking hook.
Rutherford goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutherford swings widly with a right hand
and Kokane connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Kokane displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rutherford throws out the jab.
Kokane swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Kokane cracks the inside of Rutherford's front leg.
Kokane lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Rutherford takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Rutherford swings for the body but Kokane moves out of range.
Kokane throws a half hearted mid kick.
A jab from Kokane misses.
Rutherford swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Kokane.
Rutherford pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Rutherford lands a nice looking kick to the body. Kokane takes a step back to recover.
Rutherford throws a right hand that misses
and Kokane counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rutherford on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Jab by Kokane.
Kokane ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Kokane was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Rutherford misses with the body kick
and Kokane counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rutherford ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kokane moves away.
Rutherford throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rutherford tries to land a front kick but Kokane steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Rutherford lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Rutherford throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Kokane counters with a slapping leg kick.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Rutherford throws a predictable looking body shot
and Kokane counters with a straight right hand.
Kokane goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Kokane avoids the body shot from Rutherford.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good standup being displayed there by Rutherford as he connects with a hook.
Kokane paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Kokane throws a leg kick which misses Rutherford's front leg but catches the back leg as Rutherford tries to avoid it.
Rutherford throws out a leg kick but Kokane moves out of range and Rutherford only half commits.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Rutherford checks a leg kick.
It looked like Rutherford was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Kokane.

Oooooh!!! Kokane has knocked Rutherford down with a huge combo! Kokane steps away and waves a wobbly Rutherford back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!
Rutherford closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.

Rutherford is rocked!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice body punch from Rutherford.
Oh Rutherford is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Rutherford lands with a hook. Kokane tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Rutherford seems to have got his legs back now.
Rutherford throws a shot to the body.
Rutherford throws a body shot but no joy.
Kokane is looking for the big counter here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A slapping leg kick lands for Rutherford.
Rutherford misses with an uppercut
and Kokane counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rutherford lands a two punch combo.
Kokane throws a body kick that misses.
Kokane displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rutherford throws out the jab.
Kokane takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Nice shot by Kokane.
Kokane will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Rutherford misses with a right hand
and Kokane counters with a slapping leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A left and a right from Kokane both land. Nice combination.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jerry Kokane really dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Kokane stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Rutherford.
Rutherford throws a hook but Kokane avoids it easily.
Kokane with a nice cross.
Kokane takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Rutherford blocks a head kick by Kokane.
Rutherford throws a poor cross that misses
and Kokane counters with a nice low kick that buckles Rutherford's knee momentarily.
Rutherford misses the jab.
It seemed like Kokane was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Rutherford lands with a straight right. Kokane didn't see that one coming.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kokane fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Rutherford has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Kokane misses with a head kick.
Rutherford moves out of range of the strikes.
Kokane moves out of range as Rutherford throws a body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kokane dodges the punch combination from Rutherford.
Kokane throws a big shot that misses.
Kokane clobbers Rutherford with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Rutherford misses with a hook. Kokane ducked under it nicely.
Rutherford misses with a low kick.
Kokane throws a looping overhand right but Rutherford ducks down to avoid it.
Rutherford swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Rutherford walks into a jab.
Kokane has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Rutherford misses with a hook. Kokane ducked under it nicely.
Kokane slips under a jab.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Rutherford, right into the meat.
Kokane has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Rutherford.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kokane throws a big shot that misses.
Rutherford swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Kokane is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A slow jab from Rutherford misses its intended target.
Rutherford misses with an uppercut. Kokane saw that one coming.
Kokane misses with a hook.
Rutherford checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Rutherford blocks a head kick by Kokane.
A little feinted left hand from Rutherford on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Rutherford lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rutherford bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Kokane pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Rutherford misses with a two punch combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kokane lets loose with a powerful body kick. Rutherford will feel that in the morning.
Rutherford lands a glancing blow to the side of Kokane's head.
A punch lands to the side of Kokane 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Rutherford looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Rutherford lands a nice shot to the body.
Rutherford moves into range and connects with a jab.
Kokane avoids a kick to the body.
Kokane throws a body punch but Rutherford moves out of range.
Kokane keeps the fight on the outside.
Rutherford is looking to chop away at Kokane's legs.
Rutherford is looking to slow Kokane down with leg kicks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rutherford takes a swing at Kokane's ribcage but misses.
Kokane looks to throw the jab but Rutherford is out of range.
Rutherford throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Kokane.
Kokane keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Rutherford.
Kokane looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Kokane misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Rutherford misses with a straight left.
Rutherford throws a series of punches but Kokane avoids them all with ease.
Kokane throws a body shot but no joy.
Rutherford misses with a leg kick
and Kokane counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Kokane is looking to score with low kicks.
Rutherford uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kokane.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Steven Rutherford will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Rutherford misses with an attempted mid kick.
Kokane keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

Rutherford pushes Kokane up against the cage in a clinch.
Kokane misses with a short punch on the inside.
Rutherford throws a punch but it's blocked by Kokane.
Rutherford doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Rutherford lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Kokane or not.
A right hook to the body lands for Rutherford.
Rutherford swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Kokane jumps guard but Rutherford stands there with Kokane around his waist. Kokane gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Rutherford blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kokane is trying to break the clinch but Rutherford is controlling him.
Kokane working aggressively here.
Rutherford has a couple of punches blocked by Kokane.
Kokane tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Rutherford just stands there and leans against the cage.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Rutherford creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutherford scores with a nice hook to the head.
Kokane tries to break the clinch but Rutherford is controlling the position.
Rutherford tries a body shot but Kokane blocks it.
Kokane blocks an uppercut.
Kokane misses with a punch to the body.
Rutherford swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Rutherford misses with a short punch on the inside.
Kokane can't find room to land a body shot as Rutherford controls the action.
Kokane working hard to break the clinch.

Kokane manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kokane controls Rutherford momentarily but Rutherford frees himself.
Rutherford stays in close to Kokane's body and controls the position.

Kokane looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Rutherford passes into half guard.
Jerry Kokane has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kokane looking for submissions off his back.

Kokane looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Steven Rutherford is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rutherford stalling.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Kokane wants to improve his position but Rutherford is controlling well.
Rutherford not landing any meaningful shots this time.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Kokane looks to throw the jab but Rutherford is out of range.
Rutherford checks a low kick from Kokane.
Rutherford scores with a jab to the jaw.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Rutherford, right into the meat.
Rutherford sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Kokane blocks a jab.
Rutherford turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Rutherford looks to clinch
and Kokane cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Kokane keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kokane throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Rutherford sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Kokane moves out of range as Rutherford strikes.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Kokane! But no joy.

And that's the end of the fight!
Steven Rutherford showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Rutherford 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 49:46
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 49:46
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 49:46

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Steven Rutherford!
Steven Rutherford retains his middleweight title!
Steven Rutherford seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.