PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Cormac Mac Airt (ranked 2901 p4p, 3142 weight class) and Eugeniy Degrave (ranked 381 p4p, 410 weight class). Cormac Mac Airt had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Mac Airt
vs
Degrave

178 cm
20
160
2 - 0 - 0

175 cm
20
180
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Cormac Mac Airt!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Eugeniy Degrave!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Johanna Lukiainen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Degrave throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Mac Airt.
Degrave just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromMac Airt.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
A big left from Degrave misses.
Mac Airt is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Degrave.

It looks like Cormac Mac Airt has been cut.
Mac Airt throws a head kick but Degrave moves out of range.
Degrave throws out a counter right but Mac Airt avoids it with no problem.
Degrave slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Degrave throws a lazy uppercut
and Mac Airt counters with a head kick. That will keep Degrave thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Mac Airt lands with a hook. Degrave tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
A head kick from Mac Airt lands but Degrave takes it in his stride.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Mac Airt closes the distance and clinches.
Degrave swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Mac Airt tries a body shot but Degrave blocks it.
I was talking to Mac Airt's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Degrave working aggressively here.
Mac Airt lands a body shot in the clinch.

Degrave breaks from the clinch.
Degrave looks to land a right hand but Mac Airt moved out of range.
An inside leg kick lands from Mac Airt.
Degrave pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Mac Airt throws a counter high kick but Degrave was just alert enough to avoid it.
Degrave gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mac Airt misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Degrave throws a hook but Mac Airt avoids it easily.
Mac Airt misses with a looping right.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Degrave! But no joy.
Degrave scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
A swing and a miss from Degrave.
Degrave blocks a head kick by Mac Airt.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses.
Degrave looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Degrave throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Mac Airt was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Degrave loads up on a big right hand but Mac Airt slips the punch.
Mac Airt tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Mac Airt moves away from the strike by Degrave.
Mac Airt takes a body punch but keeps moving.
A big right from Degrave misses.
Mac Airt walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Degrave throws a series of punches but Mac Airt avoids them all with ease.
Mac Airt uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Degrave.
Degrave throws a hook but Mac Airt avoids it easily.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Eugeniy Degrave seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Degrave waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mac Airt.
Mac Airt fires out a quick counter leg kick but Degrave just manages to avoid it.
Degrave misses with a lunging right hand
letting Mac Airt counter with a right hand.
Mac Airt moves in looking to clinch but Degrave pushes him off.
Degrave swings widly with a right hand
enabling Mac Airt to counter with a crisp jab.
Mac Airt tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A head kick by Mac Airt misses
enabling Degrave to counter with a crisp jab.
Degrave uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Mac Airt.
Mac Airt on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Mac Airt tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Mac Airt looks to throw the jab but Degrave is out of range.
Mac Airt throws a head kick but Degrave moves out of range.
Degrave displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Mac Airt throws out the jab.
Degrave throws a hook to the side of Mac Airt's head but Mac Airt sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Degrave misses with an uppercut. Mac Airt saw that one coming.
Degrave throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Mac Airt displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Degrave throws out the jab.
A punch combination from Degrave misses.
Mac Airt throws a sloppy head kick and Degrave moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mac Airt avoids a punch combination nicely.
Mac Airt avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Degrave falls off balance throwing a combination
and Mac Airt counters with a head kick.
Mac Airt works over Degrave's head and body with a nice combination.
Degrave throws a hook but Mac Airt blocks it.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses.
Mac Airt takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Mac Airt throws a sloppy head kick and Degrave moves out of range easily.
Mac Airt throws a body shot but no joy.
Mac Airt dodges the punch combination from Degrave.
Donk. Degrave catches Mac Airt right on the button with a cross.
Degrave throws a looping overhand right but Mac Airt ducks down to avoid it.
Degrave misses the jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mac Airt misses with a head kick.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Degrave! But no joy.
Mac Airt misses with a head kick.
Degrave throws out a loose jab but Mac Airt uses good head movement to avoid it.
Degrave misses with a looping left.
Degrave works over Mac Airt's head and body with a nice combination.
Degrave swinging wildly here.
The fighters circling - Degrave throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Mac Airt thinks about countering with a head kick.
Degrave throws a nice looking combination but Mac Airt bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Mac Airt swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Degrave on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Degrave lands a nice shot that snaps Mac Airt's head back.
Mac Airt slips a straight right by Degrave.
Degrave missing with a left hand there. Mac Airt was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Degrave fails to land with a series of punches.
Mac Airt lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Mac Airt tries a head kick but it misses.
Mac Airt misses with a wild combination.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Eugeniy Degrave will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Cormac Mac Airt's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

A big right from Degrave misses.
Mac Airt on the wrong end of a nice hook.
A solid leg kick lands there for Mac Airt.
A combination from Degrave does no damage.
Mac Airt lifts his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.

Mac Airt has taken the fight to the clinch.
Degrave wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Degrave misses with the head strike.
Degrave tries to throw a body punch but Mac Airt avoids it by throwing Degrave back against the cage.
Mac Airt struggles to land a body shot inside as Degrave controls his hands.
A short right from Degrave on the inside.
Mac Airt doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Mac Airt stalling.
Mac Airt stalling.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Degrave can't find room to land a body shot as Mac Airt controls the action.
Mac Airt lands a hook that snaps the head of Degrave backwards.

Mac Airt jumps guard and drags Degrave to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Mac Airt holds on and takes a little breather.
Mac Airt keeping moving, preventing Degrave from controlling successfully.
Degrave wants to stand but Mac Airt has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Mac Airt has his foot on Degrave's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Degrave works his way back into a safe position though.

Degrave gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Degrave misses with an uppercut
and Mac Airt counters with a big head kick but Degrave shrugs it off.
Mac Airt throws a sloppy head kick and Degrave moves out of range easily.
Mac Airt displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Degrave throws out the jab.
Degrave throws a right and a left that Mac Airt avoids nicely.
Degrave lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Mac Airt scores with the left hand. Degrave knows he should have avoided that one.
Eugeniy Degrave seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Degrave blocks a head kick by Mac Airt.
Mac Airt takes a swing at Degrave's ribcage but misses.
Degrave lands a glancing blow to the side of Mac Airt's head.
Degrave jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Degrave throws a looping overhand right but Mac Airt ducks down to avoid it.
A head kick misses from Mac Airt.
Degrave thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Mac Airt takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Mac Airt avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A combination from Degrave does no damage.
Mac Airt tries to clinch up but Degrave circles away and keeps his distance.
Mac Airt misses with a head kick.
Degrave looks like he wants to counter punch here.
A looping hook to the body misses from Degrave. Mac Airt does a little dance to reset his feet.
Mac Airt throws a counter high kick but Degrave was just alert enough to avoid it.
A big right from Degrave misses.
Degrave keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Mac Airt.
Degrave swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Degrave misses with an uppercut. Mac Airt saw that one coming.
Mac Airt misses with a wild body shot.
Degrave connects with a crisp jab.
Degrave gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Mac Airt thumps Degrave with a low kick.
A left and a right from Degrave both land. Nice combination.
Degrave throws a right and a left that Mac Airt avoids nicely.
It looked like Mac Airt wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Mac Airt dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Degrave misses with a series of wild punches.
As Degrave looks to move away, Mac Airt throws a big counter combo but Degrave just gets out of the way.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mac Airt connects with the punch.
Mac Airt goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Degrave swinging wildly here.
Mac Airt moves out of range as Degrave strikes.
Degrave ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Mac Airt moves away.
Degrave lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Mac Airt circles away quickly and effectively.
Mac Airt misses with the combination.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mac Airt. Degrave does a little dance to reset his feet.
Mac Airt scores with a sloppy right hand. Degrave should have avoided that one.
Degrave misses with the combination.
A big left from Degrave misses.
Mac Airt is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mac Airt throws a sloppy head kick and Degrave moves out of range easily.
Mac Airt uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Degrave.
Degrave drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Mac Airt scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Good shot there by Degrave.
Degrave loads up on a big right hand but Mac Airt slips the punch.
Degrave connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Degrave throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses.
Mac Airt throws a lazy head kick
and Degrave cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Mac Airt misses with a head kick.
A big right from Degrave misses.
Degrave takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Mac Airt lands a high kick!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Degrave waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mac Airt.
Mac Airt tries a head kick but it misses.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Eugeniy Degrave will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Cormac Mac Airt's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses.
Degrave throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Mac Airt sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Mac Airt lands a body shot.
Mac Airt pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Mac Airt fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Degrave, pushing him back against the cage.
Mac Airt misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Degrave lands with a short head shot on the inside.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Mac Airt creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Degrave prevents a body shot from Mac Airt.
A short body shot lands from Mac Airt as the two fighters clinch.
A short uppercut from Mac Airt.
Mac Airt tries to throw a body punch but Degrave avoids it by throwing Mac Airt back against the cage.
Mac Airt scores with a nice hook to the head.
Mac Airt misses with some punches.
Degrave blocking some punches.
Degrave prevents a body shot from Mac Airt.
Mac Airt tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Mac Airt lands a left hand that snaps the head of Degrave backwards.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Mac Airt lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mac Airt goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

Mac Airt jumps guard.
Mac Airt keeping full guard, as Degrave tries to pass.

Mac Airt has his foot on Degrave's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Degrave works his way back into a safe position though.

Mac Airt looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Mac Airt here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.

Degrave stands and steps away. Mac Airt gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
A head kick by Mac Airt misses
and Degrave connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Mac Airt is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Degrave.
Degrave lands a nice shot to the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Degrave misses the target.
Degrave paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Degrave cracks Mac Airt with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Mac Airt thows a left - swing and a miss!
Degrave misses with a looping right.
Degrave throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Degrave just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromMac Airt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Degrave lands with a nice combination. Mac Airt backs away looking to recover.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Degrave misses the jab.
Mac Airt misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Degrave is looking for the big counter here.
Degrave throws a big shot that misses.
Degrave misses the jab.
Degrave lands with a hook. Mac Airt tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Degrave misses with a straight left.
Degrave might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Degrave throws a jab but it's blocked by Mac Airt.
Degrave misses with a lunging right hand
and Mac Airt counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Degrave's corner calls for a 1-2. Degrave obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Degrave fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Danga de danga de dang - Degrave scores with a four punch combination!
Mac Airt scores with a head kick. Degrave tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Mac Airt lands with a slapping head kick.
A head kick misses from Mac Airt.
Mac Airt lands a head kick. Degrave smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Cormac Mac Airt has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Degrave lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Mac Airt bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Degrave blocks a head kick by Mac Airt.
Eugeniy Degrave is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Mac Airt slips under a jab from Degrave.
Mac Airt tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Mac Airt misses with a straight left.
A punch lands to the side of Mac Airt 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Mac Airt tries a head kick but it misses.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Degrave! But no joy.
Mac Airt throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Mac Airt gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Mac Airt pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Degrave fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Mac Airt on the side of the head.
Degrave thuds his right hand into Mac Airt's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Degrave throws a right and a left that both miss.
Degrave throws an overhand right that lands on Mac Airt's shoulder, as Mac Airt tries to avoid the shot.
Degrave moves into range and connects with a jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Mac Airt bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A big right from Mac Airt misses.
Mac Airt takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.

Mac Airt has Degrave up against the cage in a clinch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Degrave creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Cormac Mac Airt has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Mac Airt lands a left hand that snaps the head of Degrave backwards.
Mac Airt throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Degraves head.
Degrave is trying to push Mac Airt away but Mac Airt has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Mac Airt makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.

Mac Airt successfully pulls guard.
Degrave trying to control but Mac Airt is working from the bottom.

Mac Airt is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Degrave trying to control but Mac Airt is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Cormac Mac Airt.
I think Degrave has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Marco Blurström scores the fight 29:29
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 28:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a majority draw!