PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Sergei Khripunova (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rapha Mathis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mathis is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Metallica / Whiplash. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Khripunova
vs
Mathis

185 cm
36
210 lbs
21 - 12 - 0

190 cm
29
212 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 21 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Sergei Khripunova!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rapha Mathis!
The judges for this bout are Marco Blurström, Roosa Järviläinen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Khripunova thows a body shot but no joy.
Khripunova misses with a looping right.
Khripunova tries a head kick but it misses.
Khripunova goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Khripunova looks to land a combination. Mathis sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Mathis slips a straight right by Khripunova.
Sergei Khripunova seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A clash of legs there as Mathis blocks the low kick.
Khripunova throws a poor cross that misses
and Mathis counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Khripunova cracks the inside of Mathis's front leg.
Mathis throws a big shot that misses.
A big right from Khripunova misses.
Mathis ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Mathis throws a hook but Khripunova avoids it easily.
Khripunova throws a lazy right hand but Mathis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Khripunova scores with a jab.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Some wild striking there from Khripunova.
Khripunova throws a lazy uppercut
enabling Mathis to counter with a crisp jab.
Mathis misses with an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khripunova lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Mathis at a distance.
Khripunova throws a sloppy head kick and Mathis moves out of range easily.
Khripunova with a jab.
Khripunova pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Mathis scores with a body shot.
Mathis bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Khripunova throws a right hand that Mathis ducks under and follows up with a left that Mathis also avoids with ease.
A big left from Mathis misses.
Khripunova staying out of range there.
Khripunova pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Mathis throws a lazy right hand but Khripunova sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Khripunova is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Mathis.
Mathis slips a jab from Khripunova.
Mathis misses with a low kick.
Khripunova scores with a spinning back kick!
Khripunova fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mathis swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A combination from Khripunova does no damage.
A punch lands to the side of Mathis 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Khripunova throws out a powerful jab.
Khripunova ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Mathis moves away.
Mathis steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Khripunova. That one must have hurt.
Mathis lands a jab to the nose.
Mathis misses with a hook. Khripunova ducked under it nicely.
Khripunova throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Mathis ducks under a wild hook from Khripunova.
Khripunova throws a right and a left that Mathis avoids nicely.
Mathis throws a hook to the side of Khripunova's head but Khripunova sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Khripunova looks to land a combination but Mathis avoids it well.
Mathis lands a right hook to the body.
Khripunova tries to bum rush Mathis with a series of wild strikes but Mathis uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khripunova scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Khripunova lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Khripunova throws a hook but Mathis avoids it easily.
Khripunova ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Mathis looks to land a right hand but Khripunova moved out of range.
Khripunova misses with a jab to the body
and Mathis counters with a nice uppercut.
Khripunova looks to throw the jab but Mathis is out of range.
Khripunova misses with a wild body shot.
Khripunova fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mathis manages to avoid it.
Mathis defending well as Khripunova loads up on a big left hand.
Mathis showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Khripunova.
Khripunova misses with a looping left.
Khripunova misses with a few strikes there.
Khripunova throws a lazy right hand but Mathis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Khripunova fails to land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khripunova misses with a two punch combination.
Khripunova throws a jab but it's blocked by Mathis.
Khripunova gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Mathis.
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!
Khripunova falls off balance throwing a combination
and Mathis counters with a left to the body.
Mathis ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Mathis misses with an uppercut.
Mathis moves out of range of the strikes.
Khripunova scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Khripunova works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Mathis lands a nice shot that snaps Khripunova's head back.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Khripunova throws a poor cross that misses
and Mathis counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Mathis ducks under a wild hook from Khripunova.
Mathis lands with a nice body punch.
Khripunova is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sergei Khripunova dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Khripunova blocks a jab.
Khripunova ducks under a wild hook from Mathis.
Khripunova throws a left and a right that both miss
and Mathis finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Khripunova swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Khripunova misses with a body shot
and Mathis cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Mathis closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Khripunova throws an overhand right that lands on Mathis's shoulder, as Mathis tries to avoid the shot.
Khripunova lands with a good body shot.
Khripunova bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Mathis's head.
Mathis uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Khripunova.
Khripunova showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Mathis.
Khripunova throws a hook to the side of Mathis's head but Mathis sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Khripunova moves out of range as Mathis strikes.
Khripunova rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Mathis counters with a lovely straight right hand!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Khripunova throws a right hand that misses
and Mathis counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khripunova misses with a hook. Mathis ducked under it nicely.
Mathis misses with a looping right.
Khripunova has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Khripunova throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Khripunova, right into the meat.
Mathis throws a jab but it's blocked by Khripunova.
Mathis ducks under a wild hook from Khripunova.
Mathis misses with a looping left.
Khripunova throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mathis throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Sergei Khripunova is winning the standup battle so far.
Mathis dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Khripunova takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Khripunova throws a lazy right hand but Mathis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Khripunova throws a body kick that misses.
Khripunova lands a head shot.
Khripunova scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mathis throws a jab but it's blocked by Khripunova.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Khripunova keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Mathis uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Khripunova.
Khripunova throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Khripunova throws an overhand right that lands on Mathis's shoulder, as Mathis tries to avoid the shot.
Mathis checks a leg kick.
Mathis steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Khripunova.
Mathis moves out of range as Khripunova strikes.
Khripunova lands a head shot.
Mathis scores with a jab to the jaw.
Mathis steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Khripunova.
Khripunova throws a shot from downtown. Mathis moves away and avoids it.
Sergei Khripunova is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Khripunova jabs Mathis to the body, keeping him at a distance.
A bone on bone clash there as Khripunova blocks the leg kick.
Mathis throws a jab when Khripunova was well out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from Khripunova misses.
Mathis misses with a wild body shot.
Khripunova scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Khripunova misses with a looping right.
Khripunova misses with a looping left.
Khripunova throws a leg kick that misses.
Mathis misses with a body shot.
Mathis takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Some wild striking there from Khripunova.
Mathis keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Khripunova.
Mathis slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Khripunova throws a series of punches but Mathis moves out of range.
Mathis staying out of range there.
Khripunova misses with an uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khripunova waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mathis.
Khripunova swings widly with a right hand
and Mathis counters with a head kick. That will keep Khripunova thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khripunova waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mathis.
Khripunova looks to land a left hand but Mathis moved out of range nicely.
Khripunova on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Mathis moves out of range of the strikes.
Mathis walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Khripunova throws a left and a right that both miss
and Mathis counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Khripunova throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khripunova. Mathis does a little dance to reset his feet.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khripunova. Mathis does a little dance to reset his feet.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Some wild striking there from Khripunova.
Khripunova throws a series of punches but Mathis moves out of range.
Khripunova takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Rapha Mathis will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Khripunova on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Mathis tests Khripunova's chin there with a solid looking shot.
A slow jab from Mathis misses its intended target.
Mathis uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Sloppy strikes from Khripunova. Those never looked like landing.
A big left from Khripunova misses.
Khripunova throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Mathis counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Mathis misses with an uppercut.
A decent looking cross lands there for Mathis.

Khripunova is rocked!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khripunova swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Oh Khripunova is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Mathis lands a nice looking body shot.
Khripunova jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Mathis drops Khripunova with a big left hand! Khripunova is injured, injured bad! Mathis jumps in and finished him with strikes! The fight is over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:51 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Rapha Mathis!
After winning the bout, Rapha Mathis thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.