PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Oleksandr Usyk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thiago Meida (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Usyk
vs
Meida

190 cm
31
250 lbs
14 - 6 - 0

210 cm
27
285 lbs
14 - 5 - 1

Good wrestling
Great elbows
Insanely flexible

BJJ Purple Belt
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Aspire Clothing
MayheM sportswear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Oleksandr Usyk!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 5 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Thiago Meida!
The judges for this bout are Alec Ball, Elvis Blanc and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Usyk with a jab.
A slow jab from Meida misses its intended target.
A little feinted left hand from Usyk on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Usyk swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Meida counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Meida looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
A big right from Usyk misses.
Meida swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Usyk misses with a right hand
and Meida counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Usyk tries to clinch but Meida moves out of range.
A little jabbing left from Meida on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Usyk tries to clinch
and Meida connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Meida looks to throw the jab but Usyk is out of range.
Usyk closes the distance looking to clinch
and Meida counters with a straight right hand.
Usyk's jab looks to have found its range, popping Meida under the eye.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Usyk swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Usyk misses with a double jab
and Meida counters with a stiff right hand.
Meida has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

Usyk catches Meida napping and connects with a big right hand that sends Meida to the canvas!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Meida manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Usyk lands a nice shot to the body.
Usyk lands an elbow inside that Meida shrugs off.

It looks like Thiago Meida has been cut.
Our sources have told us that Usyk has been working on his elbows in the gym.
Usyk lands an elbow inside.

Meida is rocked!
Usyk pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Usyk lands a body shot.
Meida misses with a hook to the ribs.
Meida lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Meida misses with a punch to the body.
Meida avoids a wild elbow strike from Usyk.
Meida avoids a wild elbow strike from Usyk.
Usyk throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Meida blocks it with crossed arms.

Usyk breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Usyk misses with an uppercut.
Usyk lands a right hook to the body.
Usyk waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Meida.

Usyk lands a big shot that drops Meida! Can he finish him?
Meida is still in real trouble! Can Usyk finish him?

Meida is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Meida seems to have recovered his senses.
Meida pushes Usyk back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Usyk misses with a hook from the clinch.
Meida takes an elbow to the temple.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Usyk tries to work over Meida's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Usyk misses with a hook from the clinch.
A short left from Meida.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Usyk lands a damaging elbow.
Meida misses with a punch on the inside.
Meida lands a hook that snaps the head of Usyk backwards.

Usyk pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Usyk misses with a looping right.
A nice side step and Meida releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Oleksandr Usyk seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Meida uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Usyk.
A low kick from Usyk misses
and Meida connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Usyk misses with a straight right.
Meida checks the leg kick.

Meida drops Usyk with a hook right on the temple. He thinks about going to the ground but Usyk looks back up at him and smiles so Meida waves him back to his feet - he obviously thinks he can knock him out after that shot landed.

Usyk is rocked!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Meida keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Oh Usyk is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Usyk throws a shot to the body.
Usyk seems to have got his legs back now.
Usyk wants to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Meida steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Usyk.

Usyk has taken the fight to the clinch.
Meida misses with a hook from the clinch.
Usyk lands an elbow that stopped Meida in his tracks for a moment.
Meida dodges an elbow strike from Usyk.
Meida misses with some punches.
Meida throws a punch but it's blocked by Usyk.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Usyk just misses with a elbow thrown towards Meida's brow.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Meida fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Meida throws a head punch that misses.
Usyk's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Usyk lands an elbow inside.
Usyk lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Oleksandr Usyk dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Thiago Meida's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Meida uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Usyk.
Meida looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Meida misses with a lunging right hand
and Usyk counters with a monster hook and another for good measure! Meida falls to the ground, out cold! Stick some heavy metal music over the top of that clip and it's one for the highlight makers!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:12 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Oleksandr Usyk!