PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mohammed Ruslanov (ranked 6833 p4p, 582 weight class) and Sal Sizzaro (ranked 6306 p4p, 562 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Ruslanov
vs
Sizzaro

188 cm
18
235 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

176 cm
18
270 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Determined

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Mohammed Ruslanov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Sal Sizzaro!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Jack Bonds and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ruslanov ducks under a wild hook from Sizzaro.
A shot to the body from Sizzaro misses

and Ruslanov counters with a shoot takedown. Sizzaro fights it but they end up in guard.
Ruslanov could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Ruslanov trying to control the position from guard on top but Sizzaro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Ruslanov postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Ruslanov working some strikes from top position.
Ruslanov postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Ruslanov trying to control but Sizzaro is working from the bottom.
Ruslanov controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Sizzaro had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Ruslanov defends it easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ruslanov trying to control but Sizzaro is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sizzaro is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Ruslanov defends well.
Ruslanov works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Ruslanov wants to control but Sizzaro is keeping him busy.
Ruslanov is really struggling to control Sizzaro but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Ruslanov lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Sizzaro is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Ruslanov scores with a couple of nice shots.
Ruslanov seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Sizzaro is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Ruslanov 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.
Ruslanov is nestled in close to Sizzaro, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Ruslanov landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Sizzaro taking some punishment here, with Ruslanov in his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Ruslanov keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Ruslanov drops an elbow to the side of Sizzaro's head.
Sizzaro has hold of Ruslanov's hands but Ruslanov slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Ruslanov lands with a punch from half guard.
Ruslanov looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Ruslanov working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Ruslanov scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Ruslanov lands with a punch from half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ground and pound from Ruslanov.
Sizzaro is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Ruslanov scores with a couple of nice shots.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Ruslanov connects with a nice short shot to Sizzaro's temple.
Sizzaro is looking to control Ruslanov's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Sizzaro avoid being mounted?
Ruslanov is nestled in close to Sizzaro, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Ruslanov lands a nice short elbow.
Sizzaro has hold of Ruslanov's hands but Ruslanov slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Ruslanov looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Sizzaro with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Ruslanov winds up and cracks Sizzaro with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Ruslanov trying to control from half guard but Sizzaro is working away.
Ruslanov is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Sizzaro is trying to get back to full guard.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Ruslanov lands a nice short elbow.
Ruslanov wants to lay and pray for a moment but Sizzaro keeps working.
Ruslanov stalling away here and it's allowed Sizzaro to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Ruslanov keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Sizzaro's head.
Ruslanov preventing the sweep.
Ruslanov works over Sizzaro with some ground and pound from guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sizzaro looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Ruslanov will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Ruslanov lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sizzaro keeping moving, preventing Ruslanov from controlling successfully.
Ruslanov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ruslanov landing with the ground and pound.
Sizzaro keeping moving, preventing Ruslanov from controlling successfully.
Ruslanov is working Sizzaro over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sizzaro looking for a sweep. Not yet Sizzaro, not yet.
Ruslanov with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Ruslanov is working Sizzaro over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Sizzaro really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Ruslanov. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Ruslanov seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mohammed Ruslanov dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Sizzaro pivots, looking for a leg kick but Ruslanov is out of range and Sizzaro settles back down.
Ruslanov is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Sizzaro can do to turn this around?
Sizzaro swings for the body but Ruslanov moves out of range.
Nice takedown defense from Sizzaro. No joy for Ruslanov on that attempt.
Sizzaro throws a leg kick that is checked

and Ruslanov counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Sizzaro!
Sizzaro is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Ruslanov wants to control but Sizzaro is keeping him busy.
Sizzaro taking punishment in the form of punches.
Ruslanov lands some shots froms side control.
Ruslanov slows the pace down.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ruslanov seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Sizzaro for as long as he can get away with.
Ruslanov cracks Sizzaro with a big right hand but Sizzaro just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Sizzaro can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ruslanov in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Ruslanov trying to control the position but Sizzaro is working away.
Ruslanov is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Sizzaro is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Ruslanov is chipping away with strikes.
Sizzaro takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Ruslanov looks up at the clock and then as Sizzaro takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Ruslanov smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Ruslanov landing strikes.
Sizzaro can't do much from the bottom here.
Ruslanov working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Sizzaro taking punishment in the form of punches.
Sizzaro taking punishment in the form of punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov is chipping away with strikes.
Sizzaro can't do much from the bottom here.
Ruslanov is looking to take a break and control but Sizzaro is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sizzaro takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Sizzaro is looking for a sweep.
Sizzaro takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Ruslanov working the body and head with strikes.
Sizzaro seems a little lost for a moment, as Ruslanov dominates the positioning.
Ruslanov is looking to take a break and control but Sizzaro is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Ruslanov controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov in side control lands a decent elbow.
Sizzaro is looking for a sweep.
Ruslanov works to advance to full mount. Sizzaro defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Ruslanov lands a big elbow.
Ruslanov lands with some strikes.
Ruslanov lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Sizzaro hang on?
Sizzaro manages to regain half guard. Good work.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Ruslanov connects with a nice short shot to Sizzaro's temple.
Ruslanov wants to lay and pray for a moment but Sizzaro keeps working.
Ruslanov lands strikes from half guard.
Ruslanov lands strikes from half guard.
Ruslanov winds up and cracks Sizzaro with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Ruslanov looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Sizzaro with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Ruslanov working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Ruslanov working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sizzaro is looking to improve his position.
Sizzaro is refusing to be controlled, as Ruslanov sits in half guard.
Ruslanov working Sizzaro over with strikes.
Ruslanov lands strikes from half guard.
Ruslanov is stalling here. Sizzaro is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Ruslanov seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Sizzaro has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Sizzaro working away.
The referee asks Sizzaro politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Sizzaro prefers to stall for the moment though.
Ruslanov manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mohammed Ruslanov dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Sizzaro looks to score with a jab to the body but Ruslanov is just out of range.
Ruslanov changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Sizzaro looks to score with a jab to the body but Ruslanov is just out of range.
Ruslanov shoots in looking for a takedown but Sizzaro manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Ruslanov's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
A little jabbing left from Sizzaro on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Sizzaro throws a body shot but no joy.
Ruslanov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Sizzaro swings for the body but Ruslanov moves out of range.
Ruslanov half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Ruslanov here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Ruslanov tries to score a power double leg takedown but Sizzaro sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Ruslanov somewhat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mohammed Ruslanov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sizzaro walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Ruslanov checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Sizzaro misses the shot to the body.
Ruslanov attempts a counter takedown but Sizzaro avoids it well and moves away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sizzaro will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Ruslanov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sizzaro.
Sizzaro looks to land a left hand but Ruslanov moved out of range nicely.
Sizzaro missing with a left hand there. Ruslanov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Sizzaro throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Ruslanov changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Sizzaro stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sizzaro wants it to stay on the feet.
Sizzaro keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Sizzaro misses with a body shot.
Sizzaro is looking to land body kicks.
Ruslanov feinted with a counter takedown.
Sizzaro throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov shoots in but no luck this time.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Ruslanov.
Sizzaro is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.

Sizzaro throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Ruslanov tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Sizzaro is in Ruslanov's guard.
Ruslanov is pulling down on Sizzaro's head to control his posture.
Ruslanov bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Sizzaro's guard.

Ruslanov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

Sizzaro working for a triangle but Ruslanov defends it easily.
Ruslanov trying to control the position from guard on top but Sizzaro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mohammed Ruslanov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov postures up and lands a big shot to Sizzaro's brow.
Ruslanov trying to control but Sizzaro is working from the bottom.
Ruslanov makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Ruslanov content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Ruslanov is in close to Sizzaro's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Ruslanov landing with the ground and pound.
Sizzaro looking to control.
Ruslanov is stalling in the full guard.
Ruslanov cracks Sizzaro with a solid left hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ruslanov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Ruslanov's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

Ruslanov avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Ruslanov wants to control from the top but Sizzaro keeps moving.
Ruslanov is working Sizzaro over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Ruslanov landing some decent shots from guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Ruslanov's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Ruslanov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ruslanov landing with the ground and pound.
Sal Sizzaro has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mohammed Ruslanov is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ruslanov content to stall in guard here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sal Sizzaro comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Ruslanov 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:27
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mohammed Ruslanov!