PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Aleksandar Nikolic (ranked 3602 p4p, 3732 weight class) and Rhett Colett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Nikolic
vs
Colett

194 cm
25
208
1 - 1 - 0

188 cm
22
213
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Tends to cut

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Aleksandar Nikolic!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Rhett Colett!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Sergei Dronov and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nikolic takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Nikolic looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Nikolic moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Nikolic has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nikolic.

Nikolic tries to keep at a distance but Colett has taken the fight into the clinch.
Colett pushes Nikolic back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
A head punch on the inside from Colett fails to land.
Colett has a couple of punches blocked by Nikolic.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Colett.
Nikolic wants to take the fight to the mat but Colett manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Colett lands a nice uppercut.
Nikolic tries to break free but Colett pushes him back against the cage.
Colett lands a shot to the body.
Colett cracks Nikolic with a nice body shot.

Colett breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Colett tries to clinch up.
Nikolic fires out a quick counter leg kick but Colett just manages to avoid it.
Colett lands with a right hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Nikolic gets tackled into the cage by Colett. Colett maintains the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Colett working aggressively here.
Colett misses with some punches.
Colett scores with a shot to the side of Nikolic's head.
Colett cracks Nikolic with a nice body shot.
Colett fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Colett lands a body punch.
Colett misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nikolic wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Colett has him pressed against the cage.
Colett swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Colett working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Colett scores with a shoulder strike.
A short right from Colett.
Nikolic blocks an uppercut.
Colett is leaning against Nikolic and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Colett lands a left hand.
Colett lands a nice uppercut.

Colett breaks from the clinch.
Colett is looking to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Colett clinches with his opponent.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice body punch from Colett.
Colett lands a left hand that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A short right from Colett on the inside.
Colett throws a punch but it's blocked by Nikolic.
Colett lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Colett lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Nikolics head.
Colett tries to throw a body punch but Nikolic avoids it by throwing Colett back against the cage.
Still in the clinch, Colett scores with a nice short uppercut.
Colett misses with some punches.
Colett lands a shoulder strike.
Colett is working Nikolic over against the cage.
Colett throws a head punch that misses.
Nikolic blocks a punch to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Colett softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A right handed body shot lands from Colett.
Colett misses with a hook from the clinch.
Nikolic tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Colett tries to throw a body punch but Nikolic avoids it by throwing Colett back against the cage.
Nikolic's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Colett lands with a right to the head.
Colett scores with a hook to the body.
Nikolic misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nikolic misses with a body punch.
Colett lands with a light punch inside.
Colett scores with a shoulder strike.
Colett misses with a punch to the body.
Colett lands a hook that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
A short uppercut from Colett.
Colett lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett pushes Nikolic back against the cage and 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!

Colett breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Colett has closed the distance and engaged Nikolic in a clinch.
A shot in the inside from Colett.
A head punch on the inside from Colett fails to land.
Colett makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Colett pushes Nikolic back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Colett lands a right hand that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett lands a right hand that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Colett fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nikolic drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Aleksandar Nikolic. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A short left from Colett.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Colett lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Nikolic blocking some punches.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rhett Colett dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Colett moves into the clinch.
Colett lands with a right to the head.
Nikolic is trying to push Colett away but Colett has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Nikolic stalling in the clinch but Colett improves position.
Colett lands with a right to the head.
Nikolic looking to stall.
Colett lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Colett scores with a shoulder strike.
Colett works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
A left hand lands to the body for Colett.
Colett goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Colett working aggressively here.
A nice right hand lands inside from Colett.
Colett wants a takedown.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Colett has a couple of punches blocked by Nikolic.
Colett lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Colett scores with a nice hook to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Colett lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Nikolic working aggressively here.
A short left from Colett.
A right hook to the body lands for Colett.
Colett lands a hook that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Rhett Colett seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Nikolic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Colett tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Colett tries to throw a body punch but Nikolic avoids it by throwing Colett back against the cage.
Colett throws a punch but it's blocked by Nikolic.
Nikolic blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Colett misses with the head strike.
Nikolic blocking some punches.
A left hand lands to the body for Colett.
Colett working aggressively here.
Colett scores with a shot to the side of Nikolic's head.
Colett lands with a short shot to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Colett has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Nikolic after a bit of a struggle.
Colett tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Colett creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Colett cracks Nikolic with a nice body shot.
Colett throws a head punch that misses.
Nikolic lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nikolic lands a left hand that snaps the head of Colett backwards.
A head punch on the inside from Colett fails to land.
Nikolic goes for a takedown attempt but Colett pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Nikolic misses with a shot to the body
and Colett counters with a nice uppercut.
The fight stays on the outside here - Colett looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Colett tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nikolic paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Aleksandar Nikolic is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nikolic will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Colett moves in looking to clinch but Nikolic pushes him off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Colett instigates a clinch.
Colett lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Nikolic pushes Colett back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Colett misses with a punch on the inside.
Nikolic makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Nikolic working hard to break the clinch.
Nikolic's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Colett gets through Nikolic's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Nikolic is trying to push Colett away but Colett has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Colett keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Nikolic's efforts to push away.
Colett scores with a shoulder strike.
Colett gets through Nikolic's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Nikolic wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Colett lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Colett swings wildly with an uppercut but Nikolic uses good head movement to avoid it.
Colett lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Nikolic.
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!
Colett lands a body punch.

Nikolic's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Colett paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Nice shot lands for Colett.
Colett throws a predictable looking body shot
and Nikolic counters with a series of strikes. Colett will be more careful next time no doubt.
Nikolic looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Colett tries to clinch up.
Nikolic misses with the combination.
Nikolic cracks Colett with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Colett moves in looking to clinch but Nikolic pushes him off.
Nikolic seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rhett Colett showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Nikolic's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Colett tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Nikolic circles away from the clinch attempt.

Nikolic dives in and scores a takedown into Colett's guard.

Colett kicks Nikolic off and gets to his feet.

Colett moves into the clinch successfully.
A short right from Colett.
Nikolic's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A right handed body shot lands from Colett.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nikolic is trying to break the clinch but Colett has him pressed against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Colett fails to land.
Colett has Nikolic pressed against the cage, preventing Nikolic from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Colett lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A short left from Colett.
Colett misses with the head strike.
Colett has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Nikolic goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Colett misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Nikolic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Colett lands with a light punch inside.
Colett lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett swings wildly with an uppercut but Nikolic uses good head movement to avoid it.
Colett misses with a hook from the clinch.
Colett lands a body shot in the clinch.
Nikolic is looking to break free of the clinch but Colett has double underhooks.
Nikolic blocking some punches.
Nikolic tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Colett misses with a punch on the inside.
A shot in the inside from Colett.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Colett.
Nikolic is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Nikolic looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nikolic blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Colett struggles to land a body shot inside as Nikolic controls his hands.
A nice left hand lands by Colett.
A hook to the body from Colett.
Colett lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Nikolic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Nikolic trying to control the position but instead, Colett has worked for underhooks and has pushed Nikolic into the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Colett working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Nikolic wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nikolic misses with a knee to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Colett lands with a short shot to the head.
Colett lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A right handed body shot lands from Colett.
The referee is keeping an eye on Colett - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Nikolic blocking some punches.
Nikolic is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Colett presses Nikolic against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Rhett Colett is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Colett throws a head punch that misses.
Colett keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Nikolic's efforts to push away.
Nikolic is trying to break the clinch but Colett has him pressed against the cage.
Nikolic blocking some punches.
Aleksandar Nikolic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nikolic fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Colett swings wildly with an uppercut but Nikolic uses good head movement to avoid it.
Colett lands with a left to the head.
Colett lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Nikolic wants to break free but Colett has control.
Colett lands a hook that snaps the head of Nikolic backwards.
Colett lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Nikolic takes a shot to the head.
Nikolic misses with a punch to the body.
Colett scores with an uppercut up the middle.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rhett Colett comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Colett 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 26:30
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 26:30
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rhett Colett!
A relieved looking Rhett Colett thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.