PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dave Ashbourne Jr (ranked 971 p4p, 2852 weight class) and Denis Denisov (ranked 58 p4p, 164 weight class). Ashbourne Jr kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Vertical Horizon - You're A God. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Ashbourne Jr
vs
Denisov

170 cm
23
143
7 - 1 - 0

167 cm
26
140
8 - 13 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dave Ashbourne Jr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Denis Denisov!
The judges for this bout are Seu Braga, Leandro Rodrigues and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Denisov pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Ashbourne Jr back to the cage. Denisov follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Denisov gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Ashbourne Jr.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a wild body shot.
Ashbourne Jr stuffs the takedown attempt from Denisov. Denisov gets slowly back to his feet.
Ashbourne Jr looks to score with a jab to the body but Denisov is just out of range.
Denisov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
We've been told by Ashbourne Jr's head coaches at Black Swans that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a body shot.
Denisov takes one to the chin there.
Denisov misses with a double jab
and Ashbourne Jr counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Denisov lands a nice shot to the body.
Denisov is looking to clinch but Ashbourne Jr is avoiding it.
Ashbourne Jr doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Denisov scores with a nice right hand.
Ashbourne Jr displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Denisov throws out the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Denisov shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Ashbourne Jr eats them both and turns towards Denisov to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Ashbourne Jr throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Denisov dives in and grabs Ashbourne Jr's left leg, looking for a takedown. Ashbourne Jr pushes down on Denisov's head and hops out.
Dave Ashbourne Jr has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Denis Denisov.
Denisov fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Ashbourne Jr avoids it really well and circles away.
Ashbourne Jr with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Denisov to score with a decent uppercut.
A big right from Denisov misses.
Denisov tries to clinch up.
Ashbourne Jr throws a hook to the side of Denisov's head but Denisov sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

Denisov closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Denisov jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Ashbourne Jr walks away with a smile on his face. Denisov gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
No luck for Denisov with that takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Denisov walks into a jab.
Denisov loads up on a big right hand but Ashbourne Jr slips the punch.
A jab from Ashbourne Jr misses.
Denisov throws a counter combo.
Ashbourne Jr is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Denisov scores with a jab to the head.
Ashbourne Jr scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Denisov takes one on the button.
Ashbourne Jr throws a shot from downtown. Denisov moves away and avoids it.
Denisov blocks a jab.
Ashbourne Jr stuffs the takedown.
Denisov throws a one two combo.
Ashbourne Jr takes a swing at Denisov's ribcage but misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ashbourne Jr throws an overhand right that lands on Denisov's shoulder, as Denisov tries to avoid the shot.
Denisov looks to land a combination but Ashbourne Jr avoids it well.
Ashbourne Jr throws a shot to the body.
Denisov wants to clinch.
Dave Ashbourne Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ashbourne Jr throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Denisov throws a nice looking combination but Ashbourne Jr bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Denisov tries to land a front kick but Ashbourne Jr steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Denisov lands a head shot.
Denisov tries to clinch there but Ashbourne Jr circles away.
Denisov ducks under a wild hook from Ashbourne Jr.
Denisov moves in looking to clinch but Ashbourne Jr pushes him off.
Denisov misses with a combination
and Ashbourne Jr counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ashbourne Jr throws a poor cross that misses
letting Denisov counter with a right hand.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a right hand
and Denisov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Denisov doesn't manage to clinch there - Ashbourne Jr circles away.
Ashbourne Jr connects with a nice looking jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Denisov misses with a takedown attempt
and Ashbourne Jr counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Dave Ashbourne Jr is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ashbourne Jr looks to throw the jab but Denisov is out of range.
Denisov swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Denisov avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Denisov is looking for the big counter here.
Ashbourne Jr throws the left hand but Denisov avoids the punch easily.
Ashbourne Jr uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Denisov.
Denisov connects with a jab.
Ashbourne Jr tests Denisov's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Ashbourne Jr rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Ashbourne Jr takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ashbourne Jr throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dave Ashbourne Jr will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Ashbourne Jr keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Ashbourne Jr scores with a nice right hand.
Denisov has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Ashbourne Jr misses the shot to the body.
Denisov's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Ashbourne Jr connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Denisov scrambles back to his feet.
Dave Ashbourne Jr is winning the standup battle so far.
Denisov shoots in and drives through. Ashbourne Jr sprawls well.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Denisov, as that shot connected.
A looping hook to the body misses from Denisov. Ashbourne Jr does a little dance to reset his feet.
Denisov throws a hook but Ashbourne Jr avoids it easily.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a two punch combination.
Ashbourne Jr throws a hook but Denisov blocks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Denisov misses with an uppercut
and Denisov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ashbourne Jr lands a jab.
Denisov might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.

Denisov takes the fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Denisov fails to pull guard.
Ashbourne Jr lands with a right to the head.
Denisov tries to pull guard but Ashbourne Jr holds him up against the cage and eventually Denisov drops back down to his feet.
Dave Ashbourne Jr has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Denis Denisov.
Ashbourne Jr stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Ashbourne Jr breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Denisov takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Ashbourne Jr throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Denisov gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Ashbourne Jr.
Ashbourne Jr thuds his right hand into Denisov's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Ashbourne Jr throws a lazy uppercut
and Denisov counters with a straight right hand.
Denisov shoots in for a double leg but Ashbourne Jr sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
It looked like Ashbourne Jr was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Denisov.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ashbourne Jr dips to his left and cracks Denisov with an uppercut!
Ashbourne Jr misses with a straight left.
A combination from Denisov does no damage.
A little feinted left hand from Ashbourne Jr on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ashbourne Jr swats away the attempt to clinch by Denisov.
Ashbourne Jr connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Denisov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Denisov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ashbourne Jr.

Denisov clinches up with Ashbourne Jr and pushes him back against the cage.
Ashbourne Jr wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Denisov has him pressed against the cage.

Ashbourne Jr's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Denisov shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ashbourne Jr looks to land a left hand but Denisov moved out of range nicely.
Denisov dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Ashbourne Jr scores with a shot to the body.
Ashbourne Jr throws a jab but it's blocked by Denisov.
Denis Denisov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Denisov moves away from the strike by Ashbourne Jr.
Ashbourne Jr misses the body punch
and Denisov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Denisov takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Denisov connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Ashbourne Jr momentarily.
No joy there for Ashbourne Jr, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Denisov throws out a counter right but Ashbourne Jr avoids it with no problem.
Ashbourne Jr swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nice jab there from Denisov.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a left hand
letting Denisov counter with a right hand.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Denisov.
A jab from Ashbourne Jr does it's job there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ashbourne Jr swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Ashbourne Jr misses with an uppercut.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a looping right.
Denisov swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
A telegraphed right hand from Denisov misses the target.
Ashbourne Jr connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Denisov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ashbourne Jr.
Denisov moves out of range of the strikes.
Ashbourne Jr tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Denisov was well out of range. Poor timing from Ashbourne Jr.
Denisov ducks under a wild hook from Ashbourne Jr.
Denisov throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ashbourne Jr appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Ashbourne Jr changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Denisov looks for a takedown but Ashbourne Jr sprawls well.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Dave Ashbourne Jr 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!

Ashbourne Jr throws a big shot that misses.
The fight stays on the outside here - Denisov looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Ashbourne Jr appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Denisov defending well as Ashbourne Jr loads up on a big left hand.
Ashbourne Jr misses the shot to the body.
Ashbourne Jr throws a poor cross that misses
and Ashbourne Jr takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a hook. Denisov ducked under it nicely.
A punch combination from Denisov misses.
Ashbourne Jr works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ashbourne Jr tries to move into range but Denisov moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Denisov throws a jab when Ashbourne Jr was well out of range.

Denisov forces Ashbourne Jr back against the cage and clinches.

Denisov jumps guard and drags Ashbourne Jr to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Denisov tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Denisov controls Ashbourne Jr momentarily but Ashbourne Jr frees himself.
Ashbourne Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Denisov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Denisov trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Ashbourne Jr pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Denisov is keeping the position for now.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Ashbourne Jr makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Denisov keeping full guard, as Ashbourne Jr tries to pass.
Ashbourne Jr throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Denisov throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.

Ashbourne Jr gets to his feet - Denisov follows without any prompting.

Denisov moves into the clinch.
Denisov is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Ashbourne Jr is defending well.
Ashbourne Jr tries to circle away but Denisov has him pinned against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Ashbourne Jr as Denisov tries to tie him up.
Ashbourne Jr misses with a hook from the clinch.
Denis Denisov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ashbourne Jr wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Denisov tries to pull guard but Ashbourne Jr holds him up against the cage and eventually Denisov drops back down to his feet.
Ashbourne Jr tries to break free but Denisov pushes him back against the cage.
Ashbourne Jr lands a right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Denisov has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Ashbourne Jr uses from the top position.
Ashbourne Jr tries to stand but Denisov is controlling from the bottom.
Ashbourne Jr wants to control from the top but Denisov keeps moving.
Denisov is striking but Ashbourne Jr is not phased and passes to half guard.
Denisov slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

Ashbourne Jr decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Ashbourne Jr throws a jab but it's blocked by Denisov.
Sloppy strikes from Denisov. Those never looked like landing.
Ashbourne Jr misses the jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Denisov misses with the combination.
Ashbourne Jr fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Denisov on the side of the head.
Ashbourne Jr throws a body punch but Denisov moves out of range.

Denisov moves into the clinch.
Denisov has Ashbourne Jr pressed against the cage, preventing Ashbourne Jr from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Denisov scores with a nice hook to the head.
Denisov misses with a knee to the head.
Ashbourne Jr blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ashbourne Jr takes a 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!
Ashbourne Jr has Denisov pressed against the cage.
Ashbourne Jr blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

And that's the end of the fight!
Denis Denisov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Ashbourne Jr has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Seu Braga scores the fight 29:28
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dave Ashbourne Jr!
Dave Ashbourne Jr bigged himself up after the win. The crowd seemed to love it.