PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Frankie Edgar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Leonid Cheburtsow (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Edgar
vs
Cheburtsow

168 cm
25
165 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
KO power

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight 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, Frankie Edgar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Leonid Cheburtsow!
The judges for this bout are Fedor Mirinova, Aleksandr Martynov and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cheburtsow tries for a takedown but Edgar circles away easily

and Edgar decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Cheburtsow's guard.
Cheburtsow wants to stand and escape but Edgar is having none of it.
Edgar scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Edgar stands up over Cheburtsow, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Edgar chips away with some ground and pound.
Edgar working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Edgar is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Cheburtsow can't keep his opponent in guard - Edgar advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Edgar working over Cheburtsow with some ground and pound. Cheburtsow looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Edgar drops an elbow to the side of Cheburtsow's head.

Cheburtsow looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
Cheburtsow moves into full guard.
Edgar could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Edgar working some strikes from top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Edgar is in close to Cheburtsow's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Edgar landing with the ground and pound.
Cheburtsow is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Edgar is trying to stand.
Edgar preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Cheburtsow blocks the strikes from Edgar.
Edgar keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Edgar trying to hold on to Cheburtsow's head to control him but Cheburtsow postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cheburtsow thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Cheburtsow blocks the strikes from Edgar.

Cheburtsow is looking for a kimura but Edgar is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Cheburtsow to get the leverage.
Edgar wants to control but Cheburtsow is keeping busy.

Edgar looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Edgar is trying to maintain the position but Cheburtsow is very close to passing his half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cheburtsow wants to stand but Edgar has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.

Cheburtsow is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Cheburtsow blocks the strikes from Edgar.
Edgar is trying to stand.
Edgar is doing well to control the position and prevent Cheburtsow from advancing to side control.
Edgar knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Cheburtsow on the ground.

That's four 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.
Cheburtsow missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Edgar is looking to get back to is feet but Cheburtsow passes into side control.
Cheburtsow wants to stand but Edgar has his arm trapped.

Cheburtsow swings around for an armbar but Edgar sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Cheburtsow's guard.
Edgar lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Edgar scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Edgar with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Edgar landing with the ground and pound.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Cheburtsow has his foot on Edgar's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Edgar works his way back into a safe position though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frankie Edgar dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Edgar decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Edgar working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
Edgar is nestled in close to Cheburtsow, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Edgar is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Edgar stops Cheburtsow from getting back to his feet.

Cheburtsow is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Edgar pulls his head out easily.
Edgar scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Edgar lands strikes from half guard.
Cheburtsow has hold of Edgar's hands but Edgar slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Cheburtsow taking some punishment here, with Edgar in his half guard.
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Edgar working the head and body with strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.

Cheburtsow is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Edgar pulls his head out easily.
Cheburtsow is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Edgar is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

Cheburtsow looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Cheburtsow has hold of Edgar's hands but Edgar slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Edgar working Cheburtsow over with strikes.
Edgar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Cheburtsow trying to control from the bottom.
Edgar lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Edgar working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Cheburtsow is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Edgar scores with a couple of nice shots.
Edgar landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Cheburtsow on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Edgar working the head and body with strikes.

Cheburtsow is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Edgar pulls his head out easily.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cheburtsow has hold of Edgar's hands but Edgar slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Ground and pound from Edgar.

Cheburtsow looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Nice strikes from Edgar there.
Edgar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Edgar landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Edgar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Edgar working Cheburtsow over with strikes.
Edgar lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Edgar looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Cheburtsow with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Cheburtsow on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Edgar connects with a nice short shot to Cheburtsow's temple.
Edgar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Edgar lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Edgar working Cheburtsow over with strikes.
The fighters are battling for position here. Cheburtsow manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

Cheburtsow throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Edgar is in close to Cheburtsow's body, working some short punches and elbows.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Edgar landing some decent shots from guard.
Cheburtsow trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Edgar postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

Cheburtsow looking for a guillotine here but Edgar defends easily.
Edgar pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Cheburtsow is keeping the position for now.
Edgar keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Cheburtsow's head.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Cheburtsow is trying to keep Edgar in close.
Edgar postures up and lands a big shot to Cheburtsow's brow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frankie Edgar dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Cheburtsow tries for a takedown but Edgar circles away easily

and Edgar counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Cheburtsow's guard now.
Cheburtsow is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Edgar connects with a couple of short punches.
Edgar is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Edgar is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Edgar lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Edgar working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Edgar with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Frankie Edgar overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Edgar connects with a couple of short punches.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Cheburtsow has his foot on Edgar's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Edgar works his way back into a safe position though.
Edgar is working Cheburtsow over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Edgar working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Cheburtsow looking to hit a scissor sweep but Edgar is one step ahead there.
Edgar is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Edgar makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Edgar passes into half guard.
Edgar slips a nice elbow through Cheburtsow's hands, connecting with Cheburtsow's forehead.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.
Edgar looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Cheburtsow with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Edgar winds up and cracks Cheburtsow with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Cheburtsow landing a few short strikes.
Cheburtsow tries to get to full guard but Edgar has control of the leg.
Edgar looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Cheburtsow with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cheburtsow is trying to stand.
Edgar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Cheburtsow on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Ground and pound from Edgar.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Edgar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Edgar winds up and cracks Cheburtsow with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

Cheburtsow looking for submissions off his back.
Edgar drops an elbow to the side of Cheburtsow's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Edgar lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Edgar lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

Cheburtsow looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Edgar scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Edgar lands with a punch from half guard.
Edgar lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Edgar winds up and cracks Cheburtsow with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Edgar working over Cheburtsow with some ground and pound. Cheburtsow looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Cheburtsow punching from the bottom.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Edgar lands a nice short elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Edgar takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Cheburtsow taking some punishment here, with Edgar in his half guard.

Cheburtsow looking for submissions off his back.
Ground and pound from Edgar.
Leonid Cheburtsow has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Edgar is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Edgar landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Edgar working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Cheburtsow taking some punishment here, with Edgar in his half guard.
Cheburtsow missing with punches from the bottom.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Cheburtsow looking for submissions off his back.
Frankie Edgar is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Edgar stalling.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frankie Edgar showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Edgar 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 Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 30:27
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 30:27
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frankie Edgar!