PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Junior Vilson (ranked 167 p4p, 26 weight class) and Nikolai Kuznetsov (ranked 723 p4p, 81 weight class). Vilson comes to the cage accompanied by Haiti Voodoo Music. Junior Vilson has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Vilson
vs
Kuznetsov

182 cm
25
157 lbs
13 - 2 - 0

178 cm
22
170 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Red Light Coffeeshop
Aspire Clothing

Dauntless

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 13 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Junior Vilson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Nikolai Kuznetsov!
The judges for this bout are Saam Ante, Wagner Zegers and Paulsen Ambrosius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vilson misses with a body shot.
Vilson takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Vilson takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Kuznetsov looks to land a left hand but Vilson moved out of range nicely.
Vilson has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Vilson throws a poor cross that misses
and Kuznetsov counters with an outside leg kick.
Vilson lands a leg kick that knocks Kuznetsov off balance momentarily.
Kuznetsov throws a quick inside leg kick.
A jab lands there for Vilson.
Vilson lands a nice looking kick to the body. Kuznetsov takes a step back to recover.
Vilson throws a looping overhand right but Kuznetsov ducks down to avoid it.
Vilson scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Vilson tries to score with a low kick but Kuznetsov moves his leg out of the way.
Kuznetsov turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kuznetsov shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Kuznetsov misses with a hook.
Vilson throws a leg kick which misses Kuznetsov's front leg but catches the back leg as Kuznetsov tries to avoid it.
Kuznetsov takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Vilson explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznetsov moves out of range as Vilson throws a body kick.
Vilson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov checks a leg kick.
Kuznetsov misses with a straight left.
Kuznetsov ducks under a wild hook from Vilson.
Vilson moves out of range of the body kick from Kuznetsov.
Vilson misses with a looping right.
Vilson throws a body shot but no joy.
And Kuznetsov responds with a good body kick, but Vilson manages to step out the way in time.
A head kick misses from Kuznetsov.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kuznetsov.
Vilson is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A slow jab from Vilson misses its intended target.
Kuznetsov looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Kuznetsov takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Vilson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Vilson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kuznetsov throws out the jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov misses with a straight left.
Vilson misses with a left hand
and Kuznetsov makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Vilson really felt that one!
Vilson misses with an uppercut. Kuznetsov saw that one coming.
Kuznetsov throws a head kick that half lands.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Vilson connects with a body shot that sends Kuznetsov's belly button to the back.
Kuznetsov moves out of range as Vilson throws a body kick.
Vilson scores with a kick to the body.
Vilson lands with a shot to the body.
Vilson cracks a nice hook into Kuznetsov's ribs.
A big right from Vilson misses.
Vilson looks to land a body kick but Kuznetsov moved away.
Vilson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kuznetsov.
Vilson has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov moves out of range as Vilson throws a body kick.
Kuznetsov wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Kuznetsov thuds his right hand into Vilson's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Kuznetsov darts in and clinches Vilson up against the cage.
A short body shot lands from Vilson as the two fighters clinch.
Kuznetsov blocks a body shot from Vilson.
Kuznetsov misses with a body punch.
Kuznetsov lands an uppercut.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Vilson.
Kuznetsov working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Vilson tries to throw a body punch but Kuznetsov avoids it by throwing Vilson back against the cage.
Kuznetsov misses with some punches.

Vilson's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kuznetsov connects with a looping right hand.
Vilson throws a wild body kick that Kuznetsov sees coming a mile off.
Kuznetsov misses with a straight left.
Kuznetsov looks to score with a jab to the body but Vilson is just out of range.
Vilson throws a quick counter kick to the body but Kuznetsov avoids it.
Kuznetsov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Vilson misses with a hook. Kuznetsov ducked under it nicely.

Kuznetsov has closed the distance and engaged Vilson in a clinch.
Vilson working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A head punch on the inside from Kuznetsov fails to land.
A short right from Kuznetsov.
Vilson makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Kuznetsov takes a shot to the head.
Vilson misses with a body punch.
Kuznetsov misses with a hook to the ribs.
Vilson softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Kuznetsov misses with a hook from the clinch.
Vilson working aggressively here.
A head punch on the inside from Kuznetsov fails to land.
Kuznetsov struggles to land a body shot inside as Vilson controls his hands.
Vilson working aggressively here.
Vilson prevents a body shot from Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov has a couple of punches blocked by Vilson.
Kuznetsov throws a punch but it's blocked by Vilson.
Vilson tries to throw a body punch but Kuznetsov avoids it by throwing Vilson back against the cage.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Vilson.
Kuznetsov tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Vilson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Vilson misses with a body punch.
Kuznetsov has a couple of punches blocked by Vilson.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Junior Vilson will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Kuznetsov throws a sloppy body shot
and Vilson counters with a right hand to the body.
Kuznetsov cracks the inside of Vilson's front leg.
Kuznetsov checks the leg kick nicely there.

Vilson closes the distance and clinches.
Kuznetsov lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Vilson.
Kuznetsov misses with a short punch on the inside.
Vilson tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kuznetsov has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Vilson seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Kuznetsov can turn it around.
Kuznetsov blocks a body shot from Vilson.
Vilson blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Kuznetsov lands a body punch.
Vilson lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Vilson lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Vilson struggles to land a body shot inside as Kuznetsov controls his hands.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kuznetsov lands a left hand.
Kuznetsov lands a right hand.
A body shot lands from Kuznetsov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Kuznetsov breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Vilson cracks Kuznetsov with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Vilson misses with a wild body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznetsov slips under a jab from Vilson.
Kuznetsov counters with a body kick.
Vilson closes the distance looking to clinch
and Kuznetsov counters with a good low kick that Vilson was not able to check.
Kuznetsov throws a hook but Vilson avoids it easily.
Kuznetsov tries to close the distance and clinch but Vilson swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Vilson on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Vilson throws a looping overhand right but Kuznetsov ducks down to avoid it.
Vilson throws a body punch but Kuznetsov moves out of range.
Kuznetsov checks the leg kick nicely there.
Vilson sets himself, and Kuznetsov steps forward looking for the clinch! Vilson avoids it this time.
Kuznetsov walks into a jab.
Kuznetsov throws a hook but Vilson avoids it easily.
Vilson chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Kuznetsov tries to clinch but Vilson is having none of it.
Kuznetsov looks to land a body kick but Vilson moved away.
Kuznetsov looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Vilson is able to avoid easily.
Vilson looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Vilson takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Kuznetsov misses with a left hand
and Vilson counters with a nice uppercut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vilson pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Kuznetsov back to the cage. Vilson follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Vilson throws a big shot that misses.
Vilson misses with a wild body shot.
Vilson misses with a hook
and Kuznetsov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vilson moves out of range of the strikes.
Vilson scoring well with a low kick there.
Kuznetsov misses with a straight left.
Vilson looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Kuznetsov throws a jab when Vilson was well out of range.
Vilson slips a straight right by Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Vilson throws a hook but Kuznetsov blocks it.
Kuznetsov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Vilson.
And Kuznetsov responds with a good body kick, but Vilson manages to step out the way in time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vilson lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

Vilson gets tackled into the cage by Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov maintains the clinch.

Kuznetsov's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Vilson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Vilson checks the leg kick nicely there.
Kuznetsov misses the shot to the body.
Kuznetsov drops his hands momentarily and Vilson takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Vilson misses the shot to the body.
A punch combination from Vilson misses.
A big right from Kuznetsov misses.
Kuznetsov throws the kick towards the body but Vilson avoids it.
Kuznetsov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Vilson has taken the fight to the clinch.
Vilson tries to throw a body punch but Kuznetsov avoids it by throwing Vilson back against the cage.
Kuznetsov looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Kuznetsov has a couple of punches blocked by Vilson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vilson lands with a short shot to the head.
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!
Kuznetsov working aggressively here.

Vilson breaks the clinch.
Kuznetsov lands with a cross.
Kuznetsov is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Kuznetsov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Vilson throws out the jab.
Vilson throws out a loose jab but Kuznetsov uses good head movement to avoid it.
It seemed like Kuznetsov was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Junior Vilson is winning the standup battle so far.
Kuznetsov throws a jab when Vilson was well out of range.
Kuznetsov sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Kuznetsov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Vilson.
Vilson throws a low kick but it's checked well by Kuznetsov.
An inside leg kick from Vilson misses.
Vilson misses with an uppercut
and Kuznetsov counters with a right hand to the body.
Vilson throws a wild body kick that Kuznetsov sees coming a mile off.
Vilson lands a jab to the head.
A jab from Kuznetsov misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Junior Vilson dominated that second round.
That's time! Vilson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Ouch! a nice leg kick from Kuznetsov, right into the meat.
Kuznetsov throws an off balance right hand
and Vilson counters with a straight right hand.
A big left from Kuznetsov misses.
The crowd cheers as Vilson lands an impressive looking overhand right. Kuznetsov doesn't seem phased though.
Vilson throws out a leg kick but Kuznetsov moves out of range and Vilson only half commits.
Kuznetsov lands with a nice body kick.
Vilson tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
A head kick misses from Kuznetsov.
Vilson avoids the head kick by Kuznetsov.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kuznetsov. Vilson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kuznetsov misses with a body kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kuznetsov moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Vilson is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Kuznetsov throws an ugly left hook that misses
letting Vilson counter with a right hand.
Vilson swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vilson throws a quick inside leg kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kuznetsov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vilson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Vilson finds it's way round the side to connect with Kuznetsov's head.
An inside leg kick from Vilson misses.
Kuznetsov wants to counter the offense by Vilson and move into the clinch position.
Kuznetsov tried to score with a low kick but Vilson checks it.
Vilson changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Kuznetsov misses with a right hand
and Vilson counters with a body kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Vilson misses the target.
Vilson plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Vilson jabs at Kuznetsov's body.
Kuznetsov loads up on a big right hand but Vilson slips the punch.
Kuznetsov throws a right hand that Vilson ducks under and follows up with a left that Vilson also avoids with ease.
Kuznetsov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Vilson on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Vilson throws a looping overhand right but Kuznetsov ducks down to avoid it.
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!
Kuznetsov tried to score with a low kick but Vilson checks it.
Nikolai Kuznetsov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kuznetsov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Vilson counters with a nice uppercut.
Vilson takes a swing at Kuznetsov's ribcage but misses.
Vilson staying out of range there.
Vilson throwing a counter right hand but Kuznetsov manages to avoid it.
Vilson jabs at Kuznetsov's body.
Kuznetsov closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Vilson keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Vilson cracks a nice hook into Kuznetsov's ribs.
Kuznetsov looks for the body kick but Vilson saw that one coming.
Kuznetsov staying out of range there.
Kuznetsov only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Kuznetsov throws a leg kick
and Vilson counters with a slapping leg kick.
Vilson scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Kuznetsov walks into a left hand.
Kuznetsov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Kuznetsov has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Kuznetsov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Vilson moves away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vilson moves out of range as Kuznetsov strikes.
Kuznetsov rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
letting Vilson counter with a right hand.
Vilson looks to land a right hand but Kuznetsov moved out of range.
Kuznetsov looks like he wanted to counter with a high kick but didn't throw it.
Vilson ducks under a wild hook from Kuznetsov.
Vilson uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kuznetsov.
Vilson tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kuznetsov was well out of range. Poor timing from Vilson.
An inside leg kick from Kuznetsov misses.
Kuznetsov on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Kuznetsov scores with a sloppy right hand. Vilson should have avoided that one.
Kuznetsov tries to clinch up.
Vilson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Vilson misses with a body shot.
Vilson scores with a jab to the body.
A clash of legs there as Vilson blocks the low kick.
Kuznetsov throws a sloppy body shot
and Vilson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut there from Kuznetsov.
Vilson tries to score with a low kick but Kuznetsov moves his leg out of the way.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A clash of legs there as Kuznetsov blocks the low kick.
Vilson throws a body shot but no joy.
Kuznetsov throws a hook to the side of Vilson's head but Vilson sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kuznetsov needs to keep his hands up - Vilson had a free shot at his head there.
Kuznetsov has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Vilson.
Kuznetsov takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Vilson throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kuznetsov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Kuznetsov on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Vilson throws a wild body kick that Kuznetsov sees coming a mile off.
Kuznetsov throws a jab but it's blocked by Vilson.

Vilson takes the fight into the clinch.
Kuznetsov misses with some punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
Junior Vilson showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Vilson, 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 30:27
Judge Wagner Zegers scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Junior Vilson!
A very excited looking Junior Vilson made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.