PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight kickboxing rules bout between Renato Gracie (ranked 2853 p4p, 333 weight class) and Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev (ranked 1015 p4p, 151 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Gracie
vs
Shamkhalaev

175 cm
33
165 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

181 cm
36
162 lbs
27 - 19 - 2

World class boxer
Insanely flexible

World class MT
Granite chin

Freebok (85% Laundry)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Renato Gracie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 27 - 19 - 2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Emerson Jorge and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shamkhalaev misses with a straight left.
A big left from Shamkhalaev misses.
Shamkhalaev swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Gracie has been working on his boxing with his coaches at The Essence of Epicity in the buildup to the fight.
Gracie ducks under a wild hook from Shamkhalaev.
Shamkhalaev throws a hook but Gracie blocks it.
Shamkhalaev has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Gracie is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Shamkhalaev thuds his right hand into Gracie's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Gracie throws a series of punches but Shamkhalaev moves out of range.
Shamkhalaev takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Gracie lands a jab-cross combination.
Gracie connects with a jab.
Shamkhalaev doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Gracie throws a wild body kick that Shamkhalaev sees coming a mile off.
A leg kick checked by Gracie.
Shamkhalaev throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shamkhalaev misses with a looping left.
Gracie seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Jab by Gracie.
Shamkhalaev moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Shamkhalaev throws a body punch but Gracie moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shamkhalaev moves out of range of the body kick.
Shamkhalaev swinging wildly here.
Gracie ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Shamkhalaev throws out a loose jab but Gracie uses good head movement to avoid it.
Shamkhalaev tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Gracie was well out of range. Poor timing from Shamkhalaev.
Shamkhalaev throws a body punch but Gracie moves out of range.
Gracie avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Shamkhalaev punishes Gracie's body with a nice straight punch.
Gracie throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gracie misses with a head kick.
Shamkhalaev lands a front kick.
Shamkhalaev lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Nice defenses there by Gracie.
Gracie throws a push kick but Shamkhalaev slaps the foot to one side.
Shamkhalaev uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Gracie fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Shamkhalaev on the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie scores with a nice right hand.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gracie lands a two punch combo.
Gracie displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Shamkhalaev throws out the jab.
Gracie scores with a crisp jab that stopped Shamkhalaev in his tracks.
Gracie throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Shamkhalaev now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
An inside leg kick lands from Gracie.
Gracie throws a lazy right hand but Shamkhalaev sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Gracie lands a head shot.
Gracie throws a hook but Shamkhalaev blocks it.
Gracie punishes Shamkhalaev's body with a nice straight punch.
Jab, jab by Shamkhalaev - just one landing.
Shamkhalaev loads up on a big right hand but Gracie slips the punch.
Shamkhalaev scores with a shot to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A big right from Gracie misses.
Shamkhalaev throws a hook to the side of Gracie's head but Gracie sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Shamkhalaev lands with a hook. Gracie tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Gracie throws a half hearted mid kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Renato Gracie will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Shamkhalaev keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Shamkhalaev chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Gracie can pounce on him.
Shamkhalaev throws a hook but Gracie avoids it easily.
Gracie works Shamkhalaev's body with a nice hook.
Shamkhalaev misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gracie.
Shamkhalaev fails to land with a series of punches.
A looping hook to the body misses from Shamkhalaev. Gracie does a little dance to reset his feet.
Shamkhalaev on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Shamkhalaev checks a low kick from Gracie.
A big left from Shamkhalaev misses.
Shamkhalaev connects with the punch.
Shamkhalaev throws a hook but Gracie blocks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gracie displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Shamkhalaev throws out the jab.
Shamkhalaev uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gracie.
Gracie paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Gracie cracks Shamkhalaev with a right hand to the side of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Shamkhalaev tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie lands a slapping body shot.
Shamkhalaev looks to score with a jab to the body but Gracie is just out of range.
Gracie throws a shot from downtown. Shamkhalaev moves away and avoids it.
A good leg kick by Shamkhalaev.
Gracie lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Shamkhalaev steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Gracie. That one must have hurt.
Gracie defending well as Shamkhalaev loads up on a big left hand.
Shamkhalaev takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.
Shamkhalaev misses with a hook. Gracie ducked under it nicely.
Gracie throws a series of punches but Shamkhalaev avoids them all with ease.
Shamkhalaev throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Shamkhalaev defending well as Gracie loads up on a big left hand.
Shamkhalaev throws a sloppy body shot
and Gracie counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Gracie just misses with a punch to the body.
Gracie throws an off balance right hand
and Shamkhalaev counters with an inside leg kick.
Shamkhalaev throws a head kick that misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gracie uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Shamkhalaev.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shamkhalaev displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gracie throws out the jab.
Gracie misses with an uppercut. Shamkhalaev saw that one coming.
Shamkhalaev swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Shamkhalaev throws a jab when Gracie was well out of range.
Gracie throws a right hand that Shamkhalaev ducks under and follows up with a left that Shamkhalaev also avoids with ease.
Gracie throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Shamkhalaev counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Shamkhalaev. Gracie does a little dance to reset his feet.
Gracie takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
A slapping leg kick lands for Gracie.
Gracie connects with a good right hand that stumbles Shamkhalaev. Shamkhalaev circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Shamkhalaev tries a head kick but it misses.
Shamkhalaev misses with a hook
and Gracie counters with a thumping low kick.
Shamkhalaev fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Gracie looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Shamkhalaev takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.
Shamkhalaev misses with a straight right.
Nice uppercut lands for Gracie. That snapped Shamkhalaev's head back.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
The crowd cheers as Gracie lands an impressive looking overhand right. Shamkhalaev doesn't seem phased though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Renato Gracie dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Gracie swings away with a body shot that misses
and Shamkhalaev counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gracie misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Shamkhalaev.
Shamkhalaev throws out a counter right but Gracie avoids it with no problem.
Gracie lands a jab to the head.
Shamkhalaev misses with a looping left.
Shamkhalaev takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.
Gracie scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Gracie jabs Shamkhalaev to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Shamkhalaev connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Gracie moves out of range as Shamkhalaev strikes.
Gracie jinks towards his opponent looking like he wants to counter with a mid kick but doesn't commit.
Gracie uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Shamkhalaev.
Renato Gracie is winning the standup battle so far.
Shamkhalaev scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Shamkhalaev swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Shamkhalaev throws a body shot but no joy.
Gracie appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Shamkhalaev swings for the body but Gracie moves out of range.
Shamkhalaev misses with a right hand
and Gracie counters with a good low kick that Shamkhalaev was not able to check.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Gracie comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Gracie dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shamkhalaev walks forward, straight into a front kick from Gracie.
Gracie explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Shamkhalaev takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.
Shamkhalaev rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Gracie connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Gracie blocks a jab.
Gracie slips under a jab.
Jab, jab by Shamkhalaev - just one landing.
Gracie misses the shot to the body.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Gracie, right into the meat.
Gracie uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Shamkhalaev.
A counter left hand to the body from Gracie misses its target.
Shamkhalaev just misses with a punch to the body.
Gracie ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Gracie throws a leg kick which misses Shamkhalaev's front leg but catches the back leg as Shamkhalaev tries to avoid it.
Shamkhalaev misses the jab.
An attempted straight right counter from Gracie misses the target.
A left lands for Gracie.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Gracie.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie throws out a powerful jab.
Gracie looks to land a combination. Shamkhalaev sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Gracie scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Shamkhalaev doesn't seem bothered though.
Gracie scores with a body shot.
Gracie scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Shamkhalaev doesn't seem bothered though.
Gracie misses the shot to the body.
Gracie ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Gracie connects with a good right hand that stumbles Shamkhalaev. Shamkhalaev circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Shamkhalaev ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gracie moves away.
Shamkhalaev rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Gracie counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Gracie is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Shamkhalaev.
A punch combination from Gracie misses.
Shamkhalaev has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Good standup being displayed there by Gracie as he connects with a hook.
Donk. Gracie catches Shamkhalaev right on the button with a cross.
Shamkhalaev walks into a left hand.
Renato Gracie is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Gracie tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Shamkhalaev was well out of range. Poor timing from Gracie.

And that's the end of the fight!
Renato Gracie showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Gracie has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:27
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 30:27
Judge Luis Engracia scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Renato Gracie!
Renato Gracie decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.