PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Vasya Pupkin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Efrain Escudero (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Pupkin
vs
Escudero

183 cm
22
180 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
22
169 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Intelligent

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Vasya Pupkin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Efrain Escudero!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Aleksandr Martynov and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pupkin shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Escudero but Escudero pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Pupkin closes the distance and clinches up with Escudero, looking for a takedown. Pupkin pushes Escudero against the cage but Escudero circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

Escudero gets the takedown into side control.
Check out the look on Escudero's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Pupkin is looking for a sweep.
Pupkin struggling a bit here.
Pupkin manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Escudero is not content to let Pupkin control the position.
Escudero is trying to maintain the position but Pupkin is very close to passing his half guard.
Pupkin moves nicely into side control.
Pupkin wants to lay and pray for a moment but Escudero keeps working.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pupkin advances to full mount.
Escudero in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Escudero is squirming around, avoiding Pupkin's attempts to control the action.
Escudero wants to hold on but Pupkin pushes him away.
Escudero really wants to buck Pupkin off and get back to his feet.
Escudero looks gassed!
Pupkin unloading with bombs!
Pupkin content just to control the position here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Escudero taking shots to the head.
Pupkin lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Escudero hang on?
Escudero is looking to get to half guard.
Pupkin raining down shots from the mount!
Escudero is bucking up trying to escape but Pupkin cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Escudero working to try and regain half guard.
BOOM! Pupkin connects with a massive shot to the dome!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Escudero tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Pupkin has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Escudero's face.
Pupkin controlling from the full mount.
Escudero throwing hammer fists to the chest of Pupkin. What's that going to do exactly?
Escudero tries to reverse the position but Pupkin maintains control.
Escudero is trying to stand up.
Escudero tries to hold on but Pupkin postures up.
Pupkin lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Pupkin working the ground and pound effectively.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Pupkin is landing with some decent strikes but Escudero is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Pupkin landing strikes from the mount and Escudero is in trouble!
Pupkin scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Escudero?
Pupkin sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Escudero tries to hold on but Pupkin postures up.
Pupkin prevents Escudero from getting the reversal.
Pupkin lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Escudero hang on?
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vasya Pupkin dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Escudero shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Pupkin sprawls well. Pupkin wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Escudero gets slowly back to his feet.
Pupkin with a poor takedown
and Escudero counters with a stiff right hand.

Pupkin shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Escudero is trying to defend but Pupkin finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Pupkin sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Escudero trying to control but Pupkin postures up.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Escudero works his way to full guard. Good work.
Pupkin wants to control from the top but Escudero keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pupkin looking to pass the guard.
Escudero is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Pupkin is controlling him.
Pupkin chips away with some ground and pound.
Pupkin content to stall in guard here.
Pupkin trying to control the position from guard on top but Escudero is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Pupkin distracts Escudero with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Pupkin trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Escudero tries to clinch there but Pupkin circles away.

Escudero gets a takedown into half guard.

Escudero decides to stand and escape the position.
Pupkin fails with the takedown

so Escudero counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

Pupkin working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Escudero doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Escudero manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Pupkin has a closed guard, preventing Escudero from standing up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pupkin is trying to control the position but Escudero postures up.
Pupkin trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Pupkin working a defensive guard here.

Escudero avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Escudero gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Vasya Pupkin is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Pupkin blocks a head kick by Escudero.
Pupkin closes the distance but Escudero moves to the side
and Escudero counters with a good low kick that Pupkin was not able to check.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Pupkin tries for a takedown but Escudero circles away easily

and Escudero counters with a takedown into side control.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Vasya Pupkin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pupkin is trying to get back to half guard.
Pupkin is working hard here to advance position.
Pupkin is trying to control Escudero's posture but Escudero avoids it.
Efrain Escudero has got the better of the ground game so far.

Escudero stands up.
Pupkin shoots and misses
and Escudero counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Vasya Pupkin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
The fight stays on the outside here - Pupkin looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Escudero shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Pupkin napping and manages to drive through into side control!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Efrain Escudero showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Pupkin is looking to clinch but Escudero is avoiding it.
Escudero scores with a one two! Pupkin had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Pupkin tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Escudero decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Pupkin's guard.
Pupkin controls Escudero momentarily but Escudero frees himself.
Pupkin is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Pupkin is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Escudero tries to roll over but Pupkin keeps him under control.
Pupkin winds up and cracks Escudero with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Escudero has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Pupkin is working away from the top position though.
Escudero is trying to stand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pupkin slips a nice elbow through Escudero's hands, connecting with Escudero's forehead.
Pupkin prevents Escudero from standing back up.
Pupkin lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Escudero pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Escudero shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Pupkin manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

Pupkin had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Escudero defends it easily.

Escudero gets to his feet - Pupkin follows without any prompting.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pupkin doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Escudero counters with a nice low kick that buckles Pupkin's knee momentarily.
Escudero lands a head kick. Pupkin smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Pupkin fails in his attempt to clinch.
Escudero throws a sloppy head kick and Pupkin moves out of range easily.
Pupkin chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Escudero can pounce on him.
Escudero lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Escudero will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Pupkin with a lazy takedown attempt

and Escudero decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Pupkin's guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Pupkin has a closed guard, preventing Escudero from standing up.

Escudero stands and steps away. Pupkin gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pupkin shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Escudero manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Escudero wants to get back to his feet but Pupkin is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Escudero keeping full guard, as Pupkin tries to pass.
Escudero utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Pupkin passes Escudero's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Pupkin tries to pass the half guard into mount. Escudero knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Pupkin lands a nice short elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pupkin is thwarting Escudero's attempts to control the position.

Escudero is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Pupkin pulls his head out easily.
Pupkin is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Pupkin missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Pupkin seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Escudero does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Escudero on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Escudero looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Escudero is trying to control. Pupkin wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

And that's the end of the fight!
Efrain Escudero comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Escudero has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Efrain Escudero!