PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Pavel Burov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Michael Matthews (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Burov might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Russian Rocket. Pavel Burov could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Michael Matthews's chin.

Burov
vs
Matthews

171 cm
22
145 lbs
10 - 2 - 0

175 cm
22
140 lbs
9 - 1 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
World class boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Pavel Burov!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Michael Matthews!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Matthews misses with a series of wild punches.
Burov throws a hook to the side of Matthews's head but Matthews sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

Matthews clinches with his opponent.
Burov tries for a takedown. No joy.
Matthews blocks an uppercut.
Burov misses with a punch on the inside.
Burov misses with the head strike.
Burov leaning his opponent against the cage.
Burov has a couple of punches blocked by Matthews.

Matthews manages to break the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Burov throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Matthews counters with a left and a right that stings Burov.
Matthews misses with a low kick.
Matthews scores with a jab to the jaw.
Michael Matthews seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Matthews throws a right and a left that both miss.
A punch combination from Matthews misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews fails to land with a series of punches.
Matthews fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Burov on the side of the head.
Burov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Matthews.
Burov keeps the fight on the outside.
Matthews doesn't manage to clinch there - Burov circles away.
Matthews looks to land a left hand but Burov moved out of range nicely.
Matthews swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Burov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Burov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Burov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Matthews.
Matthews misses with a double jab.
Matthews lands a really nice looking cross but Burov seems unphased.
Matthews throws an off balance right hand
and Burov counters with a stiff right hand.
Matthews looks to land a left hand but Burov moved out of range nicely.
The crowd cheers as Matthews lands an impressive looking overhand right. Burov doesn't seem phased though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Burov counters with a left and a right that stings Matthews.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Matthews misses with a straight right.
The fighters circling - Burov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Burov ducks under a wild hook from Matthews.
Matthews connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Matthews throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Burov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Jab from Matthews.
Matthews throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Burov counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Matthews looks gassed!
Matthews throws a jab but it's blocked by Burov.
Matthews misses the shot to the body.
Burov lands with a shot to the body.
A slow jab from Burov misses its intended target.
Burov misses with a jab to the body
and Matthews counters with a series of strikes. Burov will be more careful next time no doubt.
Burov on the wrong end of a nice hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matthews avoids the body shot from Burov.
Burov catches Matthews with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Burov slips a jab and a cross from Matthews.
Matthews throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Burov counters with a nice uppercut.
Matthews moves out of range as Burov strikes.
Matthews 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.
Burov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Matthews.
Burov circles away from the clinch attempt
and Burov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Matthews tries to clinch but Burov moves out of range.
Burov slips a jab and a cross from Matthews.
Burov missing with a left hand there. Matthews was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Matthews misses with the combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matthews ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Burov moves away.
Matthews tries to grapple but his opponent circles
letting Burov counter with a right hand.
Matthews misses with a right hand
and Burov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Matthews throws a jab but it's blocked by Burov.
Matthews swings away with a body shot that misses
letting Burov counter with a right hand.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Burov.
Matthews is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Burov asserts his dominance and retains side control.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Matthews is trying to control Burov's posture but Burov avoids it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pavel Burov dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Burov checks a leg kick.
Matthews throws a combination that misses
and Burov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Pavel Burov is winning the standup battle so far.
Burov shoots in looking for a takedown but Matthews manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Burov's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Burov scores with a jab. Matthews acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Burov moves out of range of the strikes.
Matthews misses with a left hand
and Burov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Burov misses with an uppercut. Matthews saw that one coming.
Burov shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Matthews counters with a right hand to the body.
No luck for Burov with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pavel Burov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Matthews throws a combination that misses
and Burov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Matthews thows a left - swing and a miss!
Michael Matthews is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Burov.
Matthews tries to clinch but Burov moves away
and Burov counters with a left to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Burov misses with a takedown attempt - Matthews sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Matthews. Burov does a little dance to reset his feet.

Burov gets tackled into the cage by Matthews. Matthews maintains the clinch.
Burov tries a body shot but Matthews blocks it.
Burov is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.

Burov breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Michael Matthews is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A jab lands there for Matthews.
Matthews looks to throw the jab but Burov is out of range.
Burov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Matthews.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Burov misses with a hook
and Matthews counters with a left and a right that stings Burov.
Matthews tries to clinch there but Burov circles away.
Matthews throws a lazy uppercut

and Burov counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Matthews's guard now.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Burov prevents Matthews from getting back to his feet.
Matthews looking to control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Burov sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Matthews's guard.
Matthews tries to get to full guard but Burov has control of the leg.
Burov works his way into full mount!
Burov trying to control but he's not successful this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burov prevents Matthews from getting the reversal.
Matthews tries to improve his position but instead Burov has taken his back!

Burov working for a choke but Matthews is defending well.

Burov goes for a risky armbar from back mount and it's not paid off. Matthews escapes and is now in half guard on top.
Well, if Matthews is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Burov wants to control but Matthews is keeping busy.
Matthews controlling the action here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Burov is trying to get back to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pavel Burov dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Burov shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Matthews as he avoids it easily.
Burov goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
A swing and a miss from Burov.
Matthews takes a body punch but keeps moving.
A punch combination from Matthews misses.
Matthews throws an overhand right that lands on Burov's shoulder, as Burov tries to avoid the shot.
Matthews throws a poor cross that misses
and Burov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Burov misses with a jab to the body
and Matthews counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Matthews throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Burov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Matthews slips a jab and a cross from Burov.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Burov lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Matthews at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Burov.
Burov shoots in and drives through. Matthews sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pavel Burov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Matthews misses with a combination
enabling Burov to counter with a crisp jab.
Matthews lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Burov circles away quickly and effectively.
Matthews catches Burov with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Matthews stalks Burov and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Burov's face. Burov staggers backwards, shaken.
Matthews connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Matthews throws a body punch but Burov moves out of range.
Matthews looks to throw the jab but Burov is out of range.
Burov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Some wild striking there from Matthews.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Burov throws a hook but Matthews avoids it easily.
Burov misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Matthews to counter with a crisp jab.
Matthews misses with a combination
and Matthews takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Matthews lands with a nice body punch.
Burov throws a looping overhand right but Matthews ducks down to avoid it.
Matthews misses with a few strikes there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Burov. Matthews does a little dance to reset his feet.
Matthews throws an overhand right that lands on Burov's shoulder, as Burov tries to avoid the shot.
Matthews darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
A big left from Matthews misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice shot lands for Burov.
The fight stays on the outside here - Matthews looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Matthews keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Matthews throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Burov counters with a nice body shot.
Burov changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Matthews tries to avoid it but Burov manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Matthews to the ground. Matthews escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Matthews thows a left - swing and a miss!
Matthews wants to clinch up but Burov keeps it at a distance.
Matthews scores with a nice strike.
Matthews feints a jab promting Burov to slip. Matthews then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Burov slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Burov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Matthews.
Matthews throws a hook but Burov avoids it easily.
Matthews swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Matthews takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Matthews lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Matthews throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Matthews swinging wildly here.
Matthews doesn't manage to clinch there - Burov circles away.
Burov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Matthews manages to avoid it.
Matthews tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Burov counters with a single leg into guard. Matthews didn't expect that.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Burov sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Matthews is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Pavel Burov did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Matthews throws the left hand but Burov avoids the punch easily.
Burov's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Matthews connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Burov scrambles back to his feet.
Burov throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Matthews's waist but Matthews gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Burov off to one side.
Matthews uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Burov.

Matthews gets a clinch.
Matthews misses with an elbow over the top.
A body shot lands from Burov.
Burov has had enough of the clinch but Matthews keeps him there for the moment.

Burov manages to break the clinch.
Burov tries to move into range but Matthews moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Matthews is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Matthews misses with a series of wild punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Burov paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Matthews rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Burov counters with a shoot takedown. Matthews fights it but they end up in guard.
Burov trying to control the position from guard on top but Matthews is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Matthews controls Burov momentarily but Burov frees himself.
Burov throws and elbow that misses. Matthews uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Burov's guard. Nice move by Matthews!
Burov wants to sweep here but Matthews controlling him for the moment.
Pavel Burov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Matthews stands up and waves to Burov to follow him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews misses with a low kick.
Burov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
No joy there for Matthews, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Matthews swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Burov shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Matthews napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Burov is putting a hurting on Matthews here, landing some big shots from side control.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
You can see the frustration on Matthews's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Burov tries for a kimura but Matthews is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Burov thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Matthews is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Burov has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Burov advances to mount.
Matthews tries to lock up and control but Burov gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

Burov is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Matthews has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Burov prevents Matthews from getting the reversal.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Burov trying to control but Matthews is having none of it.

Burov has hold of Matthews's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Matthews manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Burov moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Matthews has worked his arm free - good work by Matthews!
Matthews gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pavel Burov had his way with Michael Matthews in that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Burov takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Burov throws a predictable looking body shot
and Matthews counters with a one-two to the body.
Matthews looks to land a combination. Burov sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

It looks like Pavel Burov has been cut.
Matthews works Burov's body with a nice hook.
Burov misses with a right hand
and Matthews counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Matthews throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Burov.
A slow jab from Burov misses its intended target.
Burov misses with an uppercut.
Burov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Matthews is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Burov.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Matthews swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Burov counters with a single leg into guard. Matthews didn't expect that.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Burov wants to control from the top but Matthews keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Burov prevents Matthews from getting back to his feet.

Burov drops back, looking for a kneebar! Matthews looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Matthews looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Matthews!

Matthews decides to stand back up.
Matthews digs a good body shot into Burov's ribs.
Matthews connects with a body shot.
Matthews looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Matthews moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Matthews misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Burov dodges the punch combination from Matthews.
The fighters circling - Matthews throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Matthews throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Burov looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Burov tries to move into range but Matthews moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Matthews misses with a hook

and Burov counters with a single leg into guard. Matthews didn't expect that.
Matthews looking to hit a scissor sweep but Burov is one step ahead there.
Matthews working a defensive guard here.
Burov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matthews is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Burov trying to control but Matthews is working from the bottom.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Burov swings widly with a right hand
and Matthews cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Burov on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Matthews throws a poor cross that misses

and Burov counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Matthews!
Burov looking to control but Matthews is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Burov is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Matthews has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Michael Matthews has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burov wants to take Matthews's back here but Matthews is holding on to an arm, himself looking to escape.
Matthews is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Matthews is trying to escape the mount.
Matthews is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Burov moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Matthews has worked his arm free - good work by Matthews!
Matthews is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Burov is controlling him well.

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 Pavel Burov.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Burov, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Andi Peters scores the fight 50:45
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 50:45
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Pavel Burov!
Pavel Burov retains his bantamweight title!