PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Clint Rivers (ranked 584 p4p, 699 weight class) and Zabit Magomedov (ranked 89 p4p, 98 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Rivers
vs
Magomedov

172 cm
31
170
23 - 13 - 1

179 cm
36
175
20 - 16 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Pulling Guard
Conviction

Shadow Realm Apparel
Conviction

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 23 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Clint Rivers!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 16 - 1, fighting out of London, Zabit Magomedov!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Percy O'Donnell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Magomedov throws a head kick that misses.
Magomedov throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Rivers.
Magomedov connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Rivers's hands.
Rivers misses the jab.
Magomedov lands with a good body shot.
Rivers takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Rivers ducks under a wild hook from Magomedov.
A jab from Rivers misses.
Rivers misses with a double jab.
Rivers slips a straight right by Magomedov.
Rivers avoids the head kick by Magomedov.
Rivers connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.

It looks like Zabit Magomedov has been cut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rivers misses with a lunging right hand
and Magomedov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rivers tries to clinch
enabling Magomedov to counter with a crisp jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Magomedov misses with a wild body shot.
Magomedov throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Rivers counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rivers with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Magomedov takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Rivers throws a looping overhand right but Magomedov ducks down to avoid it.

Rivers moves into the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Magomedov.
Magomedov struggles to land a body shot inside as Rivers controls his hands.
Magomedov misses with a body punch.
Rivers missing with knees to the body.
Rivers tries a body shot but Magomedov blocks it.
Magomedov works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Rivers lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Rivers drops down looking for an ankle pick but Magomedov pulls his leg out and moves away.
Magomedov throws a right hand that Rivers ducks under and follows up with a left that Rivers also avoids with ease.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivers has his takedown stuffed
and Magomedov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rivers avoids the head kick by Magomedov.
Rivers rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Magomedov counters with a low kick, right behind Rivers 's knee.
Rivers ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Magomedov walks into a stiff left hand from Rivers.
Rivers digs a good hook to Magomedov's body.
Rivers thows a left - swing and a miss!
A countering left hand to the body from Magomedov misses.
Magomedov wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Rivers cracks a nice hook into Magomedov's ribs.
Magomedov keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Magomedov takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Magomedov's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Rivers connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Magomedov scrambles back to his feet.
Rivers uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Magomedov misses with a body kick.
Rivers throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Magomedov.
Magomedov lands a nice looking body kick.
Rivers misses with a combination
and Magomedov counters with a thumping low kick.
Rivers looks to land a left hand but Magomedov moved out of range nicely.
Rivers moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromMagomedov.
Magomedov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Rivers moves out of range of the body kick.
Rivers lands with a nice combination. Magomedov backs away looking to recover.
Rivers is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Magomedov takes a swing at Rivers's ribcage but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rivers rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Magomedov counters with a nice uppercut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rivers slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

That has opened up Zabit Magomedov's cut even more.
Magomedov avoids a punch combination nicely.
Rivers moves out of range of the strikes.
Rivers has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Magomedov finds it's way round the side to connect with Rivers's head.
Rivers takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Rivers wants to clinch
letting Magomedov counter with a right hand.
Magomedov blocks a leg kick.
Rivers scores with a punch to the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rivers misses with a right hand
and Magomedov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Zabit Magomedov will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Zabit Magomedov's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Rivers closes the distance and pushes Magomedov back into the cage.
Nice body punch from Rivers - that landed with a thud.
Magomedov lands a hook that snaps the head of Rivers backwards.

Rivers turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Rivers manages to end up in side control.
Rivers wants to lay and pray for a moment but Magomedov keeps working.
Rivers in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Rivers throws an elbow but Magomedov slips to the side and avoids it well.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Magomedov can do anything to dispel that myth.
Magomedov is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Magomedov tries to bench press Rivers off him but Rivers keeps the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rivers misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Rivers working the body and head with strikes.
Rivers throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rivers scores with punches from side control.
You can see the frustration on Magomedov's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivers connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Magomedov some visible discomfort.

Rivers wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Magomedov, who protects the arm well.
Rivers lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Magomedov down.
Magomedov is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Rivers scoring with punches and elbows.
Rivers works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Rivers is chipping away with strikes.
Rivers tries to advance to mount but can't.
Magomedov tries to improve position but can't.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivers looks up at the clock and then as Magomedov takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Rivers smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Rivers lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Rivers is putting a hurting on Magomedov here, landing some big shots from side control.
Magomedov takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Rivers working the head with strikes.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rivers working the ground and pound from side control.
Rivers cracks Magomedov with a big right hand but Magomedov just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Rivers controls the position from side control.
Rivers in side control lands a decent elbow.
Rivers 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.
Rivers cracks Magomedov with a big right hand but Magomedov just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Rivers is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Magomedov can do to turn this around?
Rivers is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Magomedov will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Rivers prevents Magomedov from escaping the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivers landing strikes.
Rivers trying to control the action but Magomedov is working from the bottom.
Rivers scoring with punches from side control.
Magomedov really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Rivers. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Rivers is chipping away with strikes.
Rivers scoring with punches and elbows.
Rivers working the ground and pound.
Magomedov holds on tight, trying to prevent any damage.
Rivers connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Magomedov some visible discomfort.
Rivers trying to control the action but Magomedov is working from the bottom.
Magomedov wants to control but Rivers postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Rivers is trying to get an arm triangle but Magomedov is defending well.
Rivers lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Magomedov down.
Rivers advances nicely into full mount.
Rivers trying to control but he's not successful this time.
BOOM! Rivers connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rivers is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Rivers with the ground and pound from mount.
Rivers working Magomedov over with strikes here.
BOOM! Rivers connects with a massive shot to the dome!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rivers lands a big shot there that rocks Magomedov but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Rivers is landing with some decent strikes but Magomedov is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Clint Rivers dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Zabit Magomedov's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Rivers sends Magomedov crashing to the mat with a devastating uppercut! Rivers is motioning to the referee to let Magomedov up. He wants to try and finish this one on the feet!

Magomedov is rocked!
Magomedov has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Rivers misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Magomedov.
Magomedov is still on wobbly legs! Can Rivers finish him?
Rivers pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Magomedov seems to have recovered his senses.
Magomedov throws a lazy right hand but Rivers sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Magomedov throws a poor cross that misses
and Rivers counters with a stiff right hand.

The cut above Zabit Magomedov's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Rivers just misses with a punch to the body.
Magomedov lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Rivers fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Magomedov to the ground. Rivers is now in Magomedov's guard.
Rivers cracks Magomedov with a solid left hand.
Rivers scoring with punches to the head and body.
Rivers is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Magomedov is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rivers scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivers wants to pass the guard but Magomedov is keeping the position.
Rivers won't allow Magomedov to sweep him here.
Clint Rivers overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rivers working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Magomedov working a defensive guard here.
Magomedov avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Rivers is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Rivers working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Rivers stands up over Magomedov, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Magomedov keeping moving, preventing Rivers from controlling successfully.
Rivers lands a couple of elbows.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivers works over Magomedov with some ground and pound from guard.
Rivers is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Rivers connects with a couple of short punches.
Rivers throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Magomedov works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Magomedov is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Rivers with a flurry of punches that miss.
Rivers postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Rivers preventing the sweep.
Rivers is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Rivers connects with a couple of short punches.
Rivers is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Rivers makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Rivers working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivers trying to control the position from guard on top but Magomedov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Rivers looking to pass the guard.
Rivers looking to sit in guard and control but Magomedov gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Magomedov sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Rivers has his hands on Magomedov's head, controlling the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Rivers looking to hit a scissor sweep but Magomedov is one step ahead there.
Rivers is working hard here to advance position.
Magomedov tries to free his leg and advance position but Rivers is retaining full guard.
Magomedov trying to control but Rivers is working from the bottom.
Rivers is adopting a defensive guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Clint Rivers showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rivers 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Clint Rivers!
Clint Rivers managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Pulling Guard, into his post fight interview.