PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Alexei Chernokov (ranked 271 p4p, 38 weight class) and Eric Draven (ranked 370 p4p, 53 weight class). Chernokov kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Disaster strikes - Mushroom cloud. Draven is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: For Heavy Metal we will die!. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Chernokov
vs
Draven

174 cm
34
165 lbs
25 - 16 - 2

175 cm
30
158 lbs
17 - 7 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Urban Fighter
Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 25 - 16 - 2, fighting out of Helsinki, Alexei Chernokov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Eric Draven!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Bishop, William Gold and Richard Clark.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Chernokov lands a nice shot to the body.
Draven looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Chernokov connects with a right hand. Draven shakes it off.
Draven on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Chernokov misses with a looping left.
Draven uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Chernokov.
Chernokov lands a slapping body shot.
Draven doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Chernokov misses with a wild body shot.
Draven takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Draven scores with a nice right hand.
Draven throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Chernokov lands with an overhand left.
Chernokov staying out of range there.
Draven thows a body kick. Chernokov tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Chernokov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Draven stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Draven wants it to stay on the feet.
Draven fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Chernokov.
Draven goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Chernokov misses with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Horrible takedown attempt by Chernokov or perhaps it was just good defense by Draven, which made it look bad.
Draven cracks Chernokov with a good jab.
Eric Draven is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Draven keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Chernokov ducks under a wild hook from Draven.
Chernokov swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Eric Draven seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Draven is looking to score with low kicks.
Chernokov slips a jab and a cross from Draven.
Chernokov is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Draven.
A combination from Draven does no damage.
Draven lands with a right hand.
Nice shot lands for Draven.
Draven swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Chernokov on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Chernokov slips a straight right by Draven.
Chernokov slips under a jab from Draven.
Chernokov misses with an uppercut.
Draven cracks Chernokov with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Chernokov throws a nice looking combination but Draven bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Draven misses with a head kick.
Left hook, right uppercut from Chernokov.
Draven tries a low kick but Chernokov avoids it.
Draven misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Chernokov tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Draven paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Draven is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Draven's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Chernokov connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Draven scrambles back to his feet.
Chernokov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Draven was well out of range. Poor timing from Chernokov.
Chernokov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Draven.
Chernokov tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Draven thows a left - swing and a miss!
Chernokov goes for a double leg but Draven avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Draven continues to drive forward.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexei Chernokov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Draven fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Chernokov on the side of the head.
Chernokov digs a good body shot into Draven's ribs.
Chernokov throws an overhand right that lands on Draven's shoulder, as Draven tries to avoid the shot.
Draven moves out of range of the strikes.
Draven only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Draven lands with a thumping leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Draven tries to work over Chernokov's front leg with a kick but Chernokov checks it.
Draven fails to land with a series of punches.
Draven closes the distance but Chernokov moves to the side
and Chernokov counters with a stiff right hand.
Draven connects with a nice looking jab.
Chernokov throws a jab when Draven was well out of range.

Chernokov darts in and clinches Draven up against the cage.
Draven jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Chernokov walks away with a smile on his face. Draven gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
A combination from Draven does no damage.
Chernokov attempts a counter takedown but Draven avoids it well and moves away.

Chernokov closes the distance and pushes Draven back into the cage.
Chernokov digs a right hand underneath Draven's ribcage. Draven let out a lung full of air as it connected.
A head punch on the inside from Draven fails to land.
A head punch on the inside from Chernokov fails to land.
Chernokov misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Chernokov misses with the head strike.
A body shot lands from Draven.
Chernokov drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Draven lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Draven breaks from the clinch.
Draven throws a half hearted mid kick.
Chernokov throws a combination that misses
and Draven counters with a straight right hand.
Draven connects with a right hand. Chernokov shakes it off.
Draven thows a left - swing and a miss!
Draven gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Draven throws a lazy uppercut
and Chernokov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Chernokov swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Jab from Draven.
Chernokov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Draven sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Good exchange - Draven coming out on top.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Chernokov checks a leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Chernokov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Draven moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Draven steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Chernokov.
Draven throws a leg kick that misses.
Chernokov closes this distance looking for a takedown but Draven circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Eric Draven will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Chernokov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Draven on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.

Chernokov shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Draven's guard.
Chernokov throws a big elbow that misses.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Draven bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Chernokov's guard.

Draven pushes down on Chernokov's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Draven is looking to advance position but Chernokov won't allow it.
Draven sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Chernokov wants to control but Draven is keeping busy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Chernokov wants to get back to full guard.
Well, if Draven is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Draven wants to stand but Chernokov has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Chernokov actively working from the bottom here.
Chernokov tries to roll over but Draven keeps him under control.

Draven decides to stand up.
Chernokov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A big left from Chernokov misses.
Good work by Chernokov as he checks the leg kick.
Draven chopping away at his opponent's legs.
A slow jab from Chernokov misses its intended target.
Draven throws a jab when Chernokov was well out of range.
Chernokov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Draven throws out the jab.
Chernokov throws a right and a left that Draven avoids nicely.
Draven slips under a jab.
Draven throws a sloppy head kick

and Chernokov moves into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Draven scores with a shoulder strike.
Draven wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Chernokov jumps into guard, dragging Draven to the mat.
Chernokov tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Chernokov is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Draven on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

Chernokov is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Draven sees it coming and defends easily.
Draven is trying is best to control the position here.
Chernokov 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.
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. Chernokov connects with a nice short shot to Draven's temple.

Draven makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Chernokov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Eric Draven seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Draven lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Chernokov circles away quickly and effectively.
An attempted straight right counter from Chernokov misses the target.
Draven ducks under a wild hook from Chernokov.
Draven only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Draven wants to land a leg kick but Chernokov is out of range.
Draven fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Chernokov.
Chernokov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chernokov missing with a left hand there. Draven was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Draven lands with a thumping leg kick.
Draven throws a series of punches but Chernokov avoids them all with ease.
Chernokov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Draven throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Chernokov on the side of the head.
Chernokov throws a predictable looking body shot
and Draven counters with a nice uppercut.
Draven throws a body shot but no joy.
Draven loads up on a big right hand but Chernokov slips the punch.
Chernokov slips a straight right by Draven.
Draven lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Draven throws a hook but Chernokov blocks it.
Draven throws a sloppy head kick
and Chernokov counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Chernokov takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Draven throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Chernokov's head.
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!
A head kick by Draven misses
and Chernokov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Chernokov checks a low kick from Draven.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Draven looks to score with a jab to the body but Chernokov is just out of range.
Chernokov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Draven displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Chernokov throws out the jab.

Chernokov decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Draven has hold of Chernokov's hands but Chernokov slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Draven is looking to improve his position.
Draven trying to control here.

Draven looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Ground and pound from Chernokov.

Chernokov is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Draven has managed to free his arm - good work.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Chernokov working over Draven with some ground and pound. Draven looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Eric Draven will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Draven misses with a low kick.
The fighters circling - Draven throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Draven takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Chernokov misses with a hook. Draven ducked under it nicely.
Draven throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Draven connects with a solid leg kick.
Draven wants to clinch.
Draven on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Draven throws an overhand right that lands on Chernokov's shoulder, as Chernokov tries to avoid the shot.
Draven looks for the body kick but Chernokov saw that one coming.
Chernokov gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Draven.
Chernokov changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Draven tries to avoid it but Chernokov manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Draven to the ground. Draven escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Draven is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Chernokov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Draven avoids the body shot from Chernokov.
Chernokov is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Chernokov keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Chernokov tries to counter by clinching up but Draven breaks away and moves out of range.
Good leg kick by Draven there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Draven works Chernokov's body with a nice hook.
Chernokov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Chernokov misses with a shot to the body
and Draven cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Chernokov misses with a hook. Draven ducked under it nicely.
Nice straight punches there by Draven. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Draven.
Chernokov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Draven.
Chernokov takes a body punch but keeps moving.
A bone on bone clash there as Chernokov blocks the leg kick.
Chernokov throws a big shot that misses.
Draven looks to land a right hand but Chernokov moved out of range.
Draven throws a good cross that connects.

Chernokov has Draven up against the cage in a clinch.
Draven is defending well against a takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Chernokov digs a right hand into Draven's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Draven's gas tank.
Still in the clinch, Chernokov scores with a nice short uppercut.
Draven scores with a hook to the body.
Draven misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Chernokov blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Draven throws a head punch that misses.
Chernokov drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alexei Chernokov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head punch on the inside from Draven fails to land.
Alexei Chernokov has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Chernokov tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Chernokov fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Draven manages to break the clinch.
Chernokov throws a hook to the side of Draven's head but Draven sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Draven throws a body shot but no joy.
Chernokov needs to keep his hands up - Draven had a free shot at his head there.
Draven jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chernokov has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Draven.
Alexei Chernokov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Draven misses with an uppercut
and Chernokov counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Draven lands with a thumping leg kick.
Draven lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Draven.

Chernokov takes the fight into the clinch.
Draven can't break the clinch.
Draven stops a takedown attempt from Chernokov.

Draven breaks the clinch.
Chernokov connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Draven's hands.
Draven stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Chernokov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Chernokov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Draven.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Chernokov connects with a jab.
Chernokov has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Draven.
Chernokov ducks under a wild hook from Draven.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Chernokov uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Chernokov moves out of range as Draven strikes.
Chernokov throws a lazy uppercut
and Draven counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Draven throws a nice inside leg kick.
Draven lunges at Chernokov with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Chernokov's hand.
Chernokov avoids the head kick by Draven.
Chernokov looks to score with a jab to the body but Draven is just out of range.
Chernokov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Draven connects with a leg kick. Chernokov looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Chernokov misses with a few strikes there.
Chernokov misses with an uppercut
and Draven cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Draven fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Draven throws a body kick that misses.

Chernokov shoots in and bounces Draven off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Draven not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eric Draven comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Draven winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Daniel Bishop scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Gold scores the fight 27:30
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eric Draven!
After the fight, Eric Draven was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.