PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Mikhail Golovkin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Country Grace (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Golovkin
vs
Grace

165 cm
28
135 lbs
13 - 6 - 0

169 cm
19
146 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Experienced

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Mikhail Golovkin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Country Grace!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Jorge Garcia and Joseph Jones.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Grace clinches.
Golovkin holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Golovkin breaks the clinch.
Grace cracks Golovkin with an open hand slap.
Golovkin misses with a takedown attempt
and Grace counters with a nice body shot.
Grace throws a nice head kick!

Golovkin closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Grace did well to prevent Golovkin getting side control.
Grace looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Golovkin prevents Grace from improving his position.
Golovkin is thwarting Grace's attempts to control the position.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Grace tries to roll over but Golovkin keeps him under control.

Grace looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Golovkin thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Golovkin looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Golovkin is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Golovkin is nestled in close to Grace, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Grace is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Golovkin scores with a couple of nice shots.
Grace is looking for a sweep. Golovkin is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Grace works his way to full guard. Good work.
Golovkin scoring with some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grace manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Golovkin manages to get himself to full guard.

Grace thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Golovkin wants to sweep but no luck.

Grace avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Grace got a little sloppy there for a moment and Golovkin has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Grace has managed to get both his arms back between Golovkin's legs - danger averted.
Grace works over Golovkin with some ground and pound from guard.
Golovkin being controlled here, momentarily.
Grace scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Golovkin looking for a guillotine here but Grace defends easily.
Grace stands up over Golovkin, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.

Golovkin has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Grace is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Golovkin.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Golovkin is being controlled here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Grace in side control lands a decent elbow.

Grace tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Grace has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Grace landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Grace tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grace trying to control the position but Golovkin is working away.
Grace cracks Golovkin with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Golovkin gets back to half guard.
Golovkin is trying to control but can't.
Golovkin is in trouble now - Grace has advanced to mount!
Grace working the ground and pound effectively.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Grace looking to secure an arm triangle but Golovkin defends it well.
Grace has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
The referee warns Golovkin that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Country Grace dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Grace lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Country Grace seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Golovkin has his takedown stuffed
and Grace counters with a straight right hand.
Mikhail Golovkin is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A head kick from Grace lands but Golovkin takes it in his stride.

Golovkin is rocked!
A chopping leg kick lands by Grace.
Oh Golovkin is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Grace comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Golovkin seems to have got his legs back now.
Grace lands a really nice looking cross but Golovkin seems unphased.
Good leg kick by Grace there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Golovkin fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Golovkin moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromGrace.
Grace fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Golovkin looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Golovkin takes one to the chin there.
Grace scoring well with a low kick there.
Grace lands with a kick to the temple. Golovkin shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"

That's one minute gone in the round.
Golovkin with a poor takedown
and Grace counters with a right hand to the body.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mikhail Golovkin. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Grace clinches up with Golovkin and pushes him back against the cage.
Grace lands an elbow inside.
Grace stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Golovkin tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Grace avoiding damage.
Grace is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Golovkin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Golovkin is looking to take this one to the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grace has Golovkin pressed against the cage.
Golovkin stalling in the clinch.
Grace leaning against his opponent.

Golovkin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Golovkin takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Grace fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

Grace drives through and clinches with Golovkin against the cage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Golovkin taking a breather.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Grace pushes Golovkin back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grace slowing the pace effectively.
Grace lands a knee to the head.
Grace prevents the takedown attempt.
Golovkin avoiding damage.
Grace gets underhooks to prevent Golovkin's takedown attempt.
Golovkin tries to throw a body punch but Grace avoids it by throwing Golovkin back against the cage.
Grace content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Golovkin's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Grace has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Knees in the clinch landing for Grace.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grace is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Golovkin is working for takedown but Grace is calmly controlling the position for now.
Golovkin looking to stall.
Golovkin misses with the head strike.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Mikhail Golovkin.
Grace stuffs the takedown.
Good leg kick by Grace there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.

Grace rushes Golovkin and presses him up against the cage.
Golovkin is looking to take this one to the mat.
Grace's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Country Grace 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! 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.

A solid leg kick lands there for Grace.
Grace delivers a nice body kick.
Golovkin takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

Grace rushes Golovkin and presses him up against the cage.
Golovkin taking a breather.

Golovkin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Grace clinches.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A nice right hand lands inside from Grace.
Grace unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Grace stalling against the cage.
Grace lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Golovkin trying to control the position but instead, Grace has worked for underhooks and has pushed Golovkin into the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Golovkin is trying to maintain a safe position but Grace gets an underhook and turns Golovkin into the cage.
Maybe Golovkin would be better served going for some more strikes rather than trying to control so much.
Grace content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Grace blocks an uppercut.
Grace digs a right hand into Golovkin's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Golovkin's gas tank.
Knees to the body from Grace.
With the fighters up against the cage, Golovkin throws an elbow but misses.
Golovkin tries to stall but Grace uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Grace lands on the inside with an uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Golovkin can't get the takedown.
Golovkin is trying to maintain a safe position but Grace gets an underhook and turns Golovkin into the cage.
Grace pressing his opponent against the cage.
Country Grace seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

Golovkin breaks from the clinch.

Golovkin gets tackled into the cage by Grace. Grace maintains the clinch.
Golovkin stalling in the clinch but Grace improves position.
Grace is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Golovkin stalling in the clinch but Grace improves position.

Golovkin pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grace turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

Grace closes the distance and pushes Golovkin back into the cage.
Golovkin stalling in the clinch but Grace improves position.
Golovkin is trying to stall.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Mikhail Golovkin.
Crunch! Grace slams his shin into Golovkin's torso.
Country Grace seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nice shot by Grace.

Grace knocks Golovkin to the floor with a head kick! Can he finish him!?
This has been an exciting period of action!
Grace landing strikes.

Grace is working for what looks like an arm triangle here. Golovkin is trying to escape and Grace transitions quickly into an armbar! He's slapped it on tight and Golovkin is forced to tap! Nice work there by Grace! Very nice indeed!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Country Grace!