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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Neculai Costel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Because I Can (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Costel might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Ain't No Sunshine. Because I Can has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Neculai Costel's chin.
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| 165 cm
26
140 lbs
18 - 6 - 0 |
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155 cm
24
145 lbs
12 - 8 - 0 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
Lethal high kicks
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
18 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Neculai Costel!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
12 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Because I Can!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Marco Blurström and Ben Zyskovitsi.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
I Can gets tackled into the cage by Costel. Costel maintains the clinch.
I Can swings wildly with an uppercut but Costel uses good head movement to avoid it.
Costel is trying to drag I Can to the mat but I Can just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Costel is looking for a takedown up against the cage. I Can gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Costel wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Neculai Costel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Costel has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics I Can uses from the top position.
Costel is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Costel is looking to take this one to the mat.
I Can is trying to pull guard but Costel has him pressed against the cage.
Costel blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
That's one minute gone in the round.
I Can misses with a hook to the ribs.
Costel pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
I Can swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Costel throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. I Can was covering up waiting for the punch and Costel finishes the takedown easily into guard.
I Can is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
I Can being controlled here, momentarily.
Costel lands a couple of decent looking shots.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Costel works over I Can with some ground and pound from guard.
I Can throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Costel is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Costel has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Costel wants to stand but I Can has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Costel landing some decent shots from guard.
I Can throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Costel has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of I Can is proving hard to escape from.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Costel connects with a couple of short punches.
I Can trying to control the position.
Costel looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Costel gets to his feet. I Can looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
A punch combination from Costel misses.
I Can has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Costel is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Costel tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but I Can paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Costel pushes I Can up against the cage in a clinch.
Costel lands with a short punch from the clinch.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Costel escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Costel darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
I Can is looking to improve his position.
Costel is thwarting I Can's attempts to control the position.
We've been hearing that Costel has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
I Can tries to roll over but Costel keeps him under control.
Costel sitting and controlling from the half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
I Can is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Neculai Costel dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
I Can looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Costel fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with I Can, pushing him back against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Costel.
Costel gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Costel controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Costel has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of I Can is proving hard to escape from.
I Can looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
I Can wants to control but Costel passes easily into half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Costel is thwarting I Can's attempts to control the position.
I Can on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Costel works his way into full mount!
That's one minute gone in the round.
Costel controlling from mount.
Costel breaks from I Can's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Costel punishing his opponent with strikes.
Costel controlling from mount.
Costel avoids the attempt from I Can to control.
Costel tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
I Can really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Costel takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Costel is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that I Can can do to turn this around?
That's two minutes gone in the round.
I Can working to try and regain half guard.
The referee warns I Can that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Costel content just to control the position here.
I Can is looking to improve his position but Costel isn't that keen on the idea.
Costel is working for a guillotine from mount but I Can frees his head quite easily.
I Can takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Costel looking to control and managing it successfully.
Costel pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
BOOM! Costel connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Costel looking to control and managing it successfully.
Costel breaks from I Can's wrist control and lands an elbow.
I Can tries to hold on but Costel pushes him away.
Costel scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Costel controlling the pace for now.
Costel unloading with bombs!
I Can gets back to half guard.
Costel stalling.
Costel lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
I Can works his way to full guard. Good work.
Costel works over I Can with some ground and pound from guard.
I Can is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Costel is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Costel working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of I Can's head.
Costel not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Costel trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
I Can looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Costel showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Neculai Costel dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action!
Costel has managed to clinch.
Costel working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Costel is looking to take this one to the mat.
A short right from Costel on the inside.
Costel has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by I Can after a bit of a struggle.
I Can fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Costel breaks the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Costel has taken the fight to the clinch.
Costel working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Costel fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Costel pulls guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Costel is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
I Can prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Neculai Costel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Costel can't find room to land a body shot as I Can controls the action.
Costel is looking for a takedown up against the cage. I Can gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Costel wants to break free but I Can has control.
Costel blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Costel's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
I Can is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A shot to the body from I Can misses
and Costel counters with a nice uppercut.
Neculai Costel is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
I Can jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Costel with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling I Can to score with a decent uppercut.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Costel clinches up with I Can and pushes him back against the cage.
Costel escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A telegraphed right hand from I Can misses the target.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
I Can misses with a looping left.
Costel feints and then cracks I Can's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow I Can down.
Costel gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Costel is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but I Can is defending well.
I Can goes for a takedown in the clinch but Costel prevents it.
Costel has I Can pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. I Can manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Costel is working for takedown but I Can is calmly controlling the position for now.
Costel goes for a takedown in the clinch but I Can prevents it.
Neculai Costel has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Costel changes levels and goes for a takedown here. I Can fights it off and pushes away nicely.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Costel gets a clinch.
Costel is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. I Can can't fight it off and eventually Costel manages to take the fight to the floor. I Can looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
I Can is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Costel engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Costel passes I Can's left leg - he's now in half guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
I Can tries to regain full guard. Instead though, Costel has advanced to mount. Uh oh.
Neculai Costel overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Costel controlling from mount.
I Can is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Costel tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Neculai Costel clearly takes that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!
Costel is trying hard to land a takedown here. I Can sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Costel drives through and clinches with I Can against the cage.
Costel goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
I Can misses with a punch on the inside.
Costel working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Costel manages to break the clinch.
I Can misses with a combination
and Costel counters by moving into the clinch.
Costel's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
I Can jabbing away but nothing is landing.
I Can throws a lazy uppercut
and Costel counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Costel avoids a punch combination nicely.
I Can pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
That's one minute gone in the round.
I Can lands a really nice looking cross but Costel seems unphased.
I Can feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
I Can is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
I Can stops Costel from standing up.
Costel keeping moving, preventing I Can from controlling successfully.
I Can prevents Costel from getting back to his feet.
Costel pushes I Can off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Costel drives through and clinches with I Can against the cage.
I Can is fighting off a takedown attempt but Costel is just too persistent for him and manages to trip I Can to the mat. I Can regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Costel's corner is telling him to maintain position.
I Can is looking to sweep but instead, Costel has passed into half guard.
I Can tries to get to full guard but Costel has control of the leg.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
I Can wants to get back to full guard but Costel has mounted him!
Costel controlling from the full mount.
I Can tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Costel takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
I Can can't escape the position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Costel working the ground and pound effectively.
I Can sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
I Can is looking to improve his position.
It looks like Costel is going to stand back up.
Costel is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Costel landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Costel tries to pass to full mount but I Can defends it.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Still in half guard, Costel seems content to control.
Costel has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
I Can slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Costel is pushing down on I Can's leg trying to pass to half guard. I Can is fighting to maintain full guard but Costel has managed to sneak the leg through.
I Can is looking to improve his position.
Costel working the head and body with strikes.
Costel is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
I Can trying to hold on to Costel's head to control him but Costel postures up.
Costel decides to return to a standing position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Neculai Costel had his way with Because I Can in that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!
Costel drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Costel is staying tight to I Can's torso, preventing him from escaping.
I Can wants to control but Costel postures up.
Costel is working I Can over with some ground and pound from side control.
Costel lands a few punches from side control.
Costel taking a breather here.
Costel trying to control the action but I Can is working from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A lull in the action here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Costel landing a few strikes.
Costel has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Costel dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Neculai Costel is winning the standup battle so far.
I Can throws a poor cross that misses
and Costel makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
I Can lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
I Can is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Costel digs a good body shot into I Can's ribs.
Costel scoring well with a low kick there.
I Can on the wrong end of a nice hook.
I Can fails with a takedown attempt.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Costel tries to close the distance and clinch up but I Can swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Costel connects with a looping right hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Costel slips a jab and a cross from I Can.
I Can shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Costel counters with a lovely straight right hand!
I Can is rocked!
Costel dives in and gets a big takedown. He lands in full mount and immediately unloads a series of heavy strikes! I Can has had enough and taps out.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:31 of round 5, we have a winner by way of Submission (Strikes). Neculai Costel!
A very excited looking Neculai Costel made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.
Because I Can spoke after the fight, saying 'I'm so handsome i'm not surprised this guy was all over me the way he was!'.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
52% |
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