PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Khalabib Nurmy (ranked 2119 p4p, 253 weight class) and Nikolai Kuznetsov (ranked 1310 p4p, 175 weight class). Well, the cameraman is lingering on a pretty young lady for a bit too long there. Keep your eyes on the prize buddy or you'll miss the fighter intros!

Nurmy
vs
Kuznetsov

169 cm
34
193 lbs
11 - 10 - 0

178 cm
29
178 lbs
14 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Voodoo Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Khalabib Nurmy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 9 - 0, fighting out of London, Nikolai Kuznetsov!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Chris Downing and Cecil Peabody.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A decent looking cross lands there for Nurmy.
Nurmy takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Nurmy throws a sloppy body shot
and Kuznetsov counters with a nice body shot.
Nurmy looks to land a left hand but Kuznetsov moved out of range nicely.
Kuznetsov throws a leg kick which misses Nurmy's front leg but catches the back leg as Nurmy tries to avoid it.

Nurmy drives through with a takedown into Kuznetsov's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.

Kuznetsov manages to escape and get back to his feet.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nurmy throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kuznetsov slips under a jab.
Kuznetsov with a jab.
Kuznetsov throws a sloppy head kick and Nurmy moves out of range easily.
Kuznetsov fails to land with a series of punches.
Kuznetsov takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Nurmy digs a good body shot into Kuznetsov's ribs.
Nurmy throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Nurmy jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Kuznetsov now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
A good leg kick by Kuznetsov.
Nurmy looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Kuznetsov is fending him off so far but Nurmy persists. Nope, Kuznetsov circles away and we're back to standing.
Nurmy moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromKuznetsov.
Nurmy displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kuznetsov throws out the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmy throws a jab when Kuznetsov was well out of range.
Decent striking displayed by Kuznetsov there.
Nurmy looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Nurmy dodges the punch combination from Kuznetsov.
Nurmy shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Kuznetsov as he avoids it easily.
Nurmy dives in for a single leg takedown but Kuznetsov sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khalabib Nurmy. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kuznetsov scores with a nice head shot.
Good standup being displayed there by Kuznetsov as he connects with a hook.
Nurmy throws a right hand that misses
and Kuznetsov counters with a nice uppercut.
Nurmy connects with the punch.
Kuznetsov throws a big shot that misses.
A big left from Nurmy misses.
Nurmy takes a shot right to the bread basket.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nice straight punches there by Kuznetsov. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Kuznetsov.

Nurmy shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Kuznetsov is trying to defend but Nurmy finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Nurmy stops Kuznetsov from getting back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Nurmy not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Kuznetsov wants to get back to his feet.
Nurmy throwing shots but Kuznetsov is blocking nicely.
Nurmy stops Kuznetsov from getting back to his feet.
Nice strikes from Nurmy there.
Nurmy lands with a punch from half guard.
Nurmy winds up and cracks Kuznetsov with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Kuznetsov tries to kick Nurmy off but Nurmy keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Nurmy has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Nurmy throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Kuznetsov is trying to stand.
Nurmy throws a strike but Kuznetsov avoids it easily and moves to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov keeping full guard, as Nurmy tries to pass.
Nurmy loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Kuznetsov wants to stand up but Nurmy is controlling him.
Kuznetsov utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Kuznetsov wants to stand and escape but Nurmy is having none of it.
Nurmy trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nurmy content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Nurmy with a flurry of punches that miss.
Nurmy is looking to work some ground and pound but Kuznetsov has wrist control.

Kuznetsov is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Kuznetsov blocking some punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy has a couple of punches blocked by Kuznetsov.
Nurmy working aggressively here.
Nurmy misses with a hook from the clinch.
We've been informed that Kuznetsov has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.

Nurmy gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Kuznetsov regains guard.
Kuznetsov wants to get back to his feet but Nurmy is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Nurmy throws an elbow that misses. Kuznetsov uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Nurmy's guard. Nice move by Kuznetsov!

Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Nurmy is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Kuznetsov has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Nurmy is proving hard to escape from.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Kuznetsov dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Kuznetsov swinging wildly here.
Nurmy jabs Kuznetsov to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Kuznetsov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kuznetsov cracks Nurmy with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Kuznetsov takes a swing at Nurmy's ribcage but misses.
Kuznetsov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kuznetsov scores with a head kick. Nurmy tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Nikolai Kuznetsov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kuznetsov throws out a leg kick but Nurmy moves out of range and Kuznetsov only half commits.
Nurmy takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Kuznetsov throws a jab when Nurmy was well out of range.
Nurmy throwing a counter right hand but Kuznetsov manages to avoid it.
Kuznetsov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nurmy throws out the jab.
Kuznetsov flicks out a counter leg kick but Nurmy steps away.
Nurmy moves out of range as Kuznetsov strikes.
Kuznetsov misses with a head kick.
Kuznetsov misses the jab.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Kuznetsov lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Nurmy has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Nurmy and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Nurmy uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kuznetsov.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmy fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kuznetsov manages to avoid it.
Nurmy throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kuznetsov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Nurmy misses with a hook. Kuznetsov ducked under it nicely.
Kuznetsov throws a counter combo.
Nurmy darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Nurmy throws an overhand right that lands on Kuznetsov's shoulder, as Kuznetsov tries to avoid the shot.
Kuznetsov is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Nurmy with a body shot.
Kuznetsov lands with a hook. Nurmy tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Kuznetsov scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Kuznetsov throws out a loose jab but Nurmy uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nurmy wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Nurmy throws a hook to the side of Kuznetsov's head but Kuznetsov sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kuznetsov looks to land a right hand but Nurmy moved out of range.
Nurmy tries to counter with a takedown but Kuznetsov is quick to defend against it.
Nurmy digs a good hook to Kuznetsov's body.
Nurmy slips a jab from Kuznetsov.
Nurmy swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nurmy shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Kuznetsov pinned against the cage. Kuznetsov gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Kuznetsov. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy takes a swing at Kuznetsov's ribcage but misses.
Kuznetsov ducks under a wild hook from Nurmy.
Kuznetsov lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Kuznetsov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nikolai Kuznetsov is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kuznetsov slaps away a takedown attempt from Nurmy, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Nurmy misses with a right hand
and Kuznetsov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Nurmy lands an overhand right.
Nurmy throws a body shot but no joy.
Kuznetsov lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Kuznetsov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nurmy throws out the jab.
Kuznetsov throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Nurmy.
Nurmy misses with a straight right.
Kuznetsov swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Kuznetsov on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Kuznetsov misses with a few strikes there.
Kuznetsov will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov lands a really nice looking cross but Nurmy seems unphased.
Nurmy throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kuznetsov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nurmy.
Kuznetsov is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.

Kuznetsov tries to sprawl but Nurmy drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Kuznetsov is trying to stand up here but Nurmy is controlling him well.
Nurmy is just content to waste time from the top position. Kuznetsov takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Nurmy missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Nurmy in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Kuznetsov manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.
Kuznetsov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Nurmy misses with a hook from the clinch.

Kuznetsov's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kuznetsov throws a nice head kick!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy avoids the body shot from Kuznetsov.
Nurmy has a takedown stuffed.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khalabib Nurmy. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kuznetsov lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Nurmy circles away quickly and effectively.
Kuznetsov throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Nurmy's head.
A left and a right from Kuznetsov both land. Nice combination.
Kuznetsov has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Kuznetsov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Nurmy appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Kuznetsov uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nurmy.
Kuznetsov drops his hands momentarily and Nurmy takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Kuznetsov swings for the body but Nurmy moves out of range.
Nurmy misses with a left hand
and Kuznetsov counters with a thumping low kick.
Nice shot lands for Kuznetsov.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nurmy throws a shot from downtown. Kuznetsov moves away and avoids it.
Kuznetsov slips a jab from Nurmy.

Nurmy shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Kuznetsov kicks off Nurmy and gets to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolai Kuznetsov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Kuznetsov ducks under a wild hook from Nurmy.
Kuznetsov is looking for the big counter here.
Nurmy will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Kuznetsov lands a really nice looking cross but Nurmy seems unphased.
Nikolai Kuznetsov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nurmy takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Kuznetsov will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Nurmy gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Kuznetsov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Nurmy looks to land a combination but Kuznetsov avoids it well.
Nurmy throws a body punch but Kuznetsov moves out of range.
Nurmy shoots in but Kuznetsov avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khalabib Nurmy. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nurmy takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kuznetsov changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Nurmy swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kuznetsov connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Kuznetsov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nurmy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznetsov cracks Nurmy with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Nurmy showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kuznetsov.
Nurmy takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Kuznetsov jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Kuznetsov lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Nurmy scores with a nice right hand.
Nurmy darts in looking for a takedown but Kuznetsov gets double underhooks and turns Nurmy into the cage.
Kuznetsov appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Kuznetsov lands a jab-cross combination.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nurmy looks to throw the jab but Kuznetsov is out of range.
Kuznetsov scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

Nurmy is rocked!
Kuznetsov connects with a good straight punch right through the guard and follows up with a right hook and a left hook! That last one sent Nurmy tumbling to the canvas! Kuznetsov pours on the pressure with more strikes and the referee has no hesitation diving in to stop the fight! Nurmy was done - good stoppage!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:54 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Punches). Nikolai Kuznetsov!
Nikolai Kuznetsov bigged himself up after the win. The crowd seemed to love it.