PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between DIONZO ROWE (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akhenaton Talibah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). ROWE comes to the cage accompanied by MAJOR LAZER PON DI FLOOR. Akhenaton Talibah has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

ROWE
vs
Talibah

199 cm
19
290 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

199 cm
22
300 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Big heart

Good wrestler
Brawler
Intelligent

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 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, DIONZO ROWE!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Akhenaton Talibah!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Lou da Vinci and Eddie Farnsworth.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Talibah shoots in for a double leg but ROWE sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Some wild striking there from ROWE.
ROWE tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
ROWE lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Talibah slips a jab and a cross from ROWE.
No joy there for ROWE, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Talibah fails with a takedown attempt.
Talibah closes this distance looking for a takedown but ROWE circles away.
DIONZO ROWE has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akhenaton Talibah.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by ROWE!
Talibah shoots for a takedown but ROWE saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
ROWE throws a series of punches but Talibah moves out of range.
ROWE throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
ROWE fails to land with a series of punches.
ROWE tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
ROWE throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
ROWE scores with a three punch combo!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
ROWE throws a combination. Talibah tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
ROWE throws a series of punches but Talibah avoids them all with ease.
ROWE is working the combinations to good effect here.
ROWE misses with a few strikes there.

Talibah shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Talibah looks gassed!
ROWE is looking to escape.
Talibah working over ROWE with some ground and pound. ROWE looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Talibah prevents ROWE from standing back up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Talibah lands strikes from half guard.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Talibah lands a nice short elbow.
ROWE looks like he's trying to stand up.

ROWE manages to escape and get back to his feet!
ROWE fails to land with a series of punches.

Talibah drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Talibah working the body and head with strikes.
Check out the look on Talibah's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Check out the look on Talibah's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Talibah working the head and body with strikes.
Talibah working the ground and pound from side control.
Talibah wants to lay and pray for a moment but ROWE keeps working.
Talibah cracks ROWE with a big elbow.
Talibah really doesn't want to stay on the ground with ROWE. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Talibah landing strikes.
ROWE takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
ROWE is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Talibah is controlling him well.
Talibah landing a few strikes.
ROWE is working to avoid the ground and pound but Talibah connects with a decent elbow.
ROWE is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Talibah asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Talibah scores with a couple of short elbows.
Talibah landing a few strikes.
Talibah scoring with punches and elbows.
Talibah scores with a couple of short elbows.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Talibah works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
ROWE takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Talibah working the ground and pound.
Talibah lands an elbow.
ROWE taking a bit of punishment here - Talibah scoring with strikes.
ROWE is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ROWE trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Check out the look on Talibah's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Talibah landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Talibah scores with punches from side control.
Talibah connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused ROWE some visible discomfort.
ROWE tries to escape but Talibah is in control.
Talibah is chipping away with strikes.
ROWE is trying to get back to his feet.
Talibah scoring with punches from side control.
Talibah cracks ROWE with a big right hand but ROWE just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Talibah is working ROWE over with some ground and pound from side control.
Talibah connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused ROWE some visible discomfort.
Talibah scores with punches from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ROWE takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
ROWE takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Talibah lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Talibah lands an elbow.
Talibah landing strikes.
Talibah lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear ROWE down.
Talibah cracks ROWE with a big right hand but ROWE just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
ROWE wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Talibah scoring with punches and elbows.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Talibah is putting a hurting on ROWE here, landing some big shots from side control.
ROWE is working to avoid the ground and pound but Talibah connects with a decent elbow.
Talibah lands a nice forearm strike.
Talibah working the head and body with strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akhenaton Talibah dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Talibah shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with ROWE but ROWE pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Talibah shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Talibah slips a jab and a cross from ROWE.
Talibah misses with a takedown attempt - ROWE sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
DIONZO ROWE has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akhenaton Talibah.
ROWE plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
ROWE lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
ROWE lands a two punch combo.
ROWE displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Talibah fails with a takedown attempt.
ROWE fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
ROWE misses with a double jab.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Talibah.
A left and a right from ROWE both land. Nice combination.
ROWE misses with a series of wild punches.
A combination from ROWE does no damage.
Talibah looks for a takedown but ROWE sprawls well.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ROWE misses with a jab, cross combination.
ROWE fails to land with a series of punches.
Talibah fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
DIONZO ROWE is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Talibah shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. ROWE is trying to defend but Talibah finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
ROWE could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
ROWE tries to kick Talibah off but Talibah keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Talibah drops an elbow to the side of ROWE's head.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Talibah lands a nice short elbow.
Talibah lands strikes from half guard.
Ground and pound from Talibah.
Talibah winds up and cracks ROWE with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Talibah working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
ROWE is looking to escape.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
ROWE stuffs the takedown.

Talibah drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
ROWE is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Talibah is controlling him well.
Akhenaton Talibah has got the better of the ground game so far.
Talibah in side control lands a decent elbow.
Talibah creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
ROWE is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Talibah is controlling him well.
ROWE is working to avoid the ground and pound but Talibah connects with a decent elbow.
ROWE takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Talibah connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused ROWE some visible discomfort.
ROWE is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Talibah is controlling him well.
Talibah lands a few punches from side control.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Talibah lands a few punches from side control.
ROWE wants to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Talibah working the body and head with strikes.
ROWE pushes Talibah away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Talibah gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Talibah working the ground and pound.
Talibah scoring with punches and elbows.
ROWE is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
ROWE takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Talibah is looking to take a break and control but ROWE is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Talibah grinds an elbow into ROWE's temple.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ROWE tries to escape but Talibah is in control.
Talibah lands a nice forearm strike.
Talibah lands a few punches from side control.
Talibah cracks ROWE with a big right hand but ROWE just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Talibah in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.

Talibah looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
ROWE tries to escape but Talibah is in control.
Talibah working the head with strikes.
Talibah looks up at the clock and then as ROWE takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Talibah smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
ROWE wants to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akhenaton Talibah 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! This is the final round!

ROWE misses with a two punch combination.
ROWE throws a right and a left that Talibah avoids nicely.
ROWE looks to land a combination but Talibah avoids it well.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
ROWE fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Talibah closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Talibah lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
ROWE is trying to stand up here but Talibah is controlling him well.
Talibah scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Talibah working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Talibah seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Talibah lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
ROWE wants to get back to his feet.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Talibah connects with a nice short shot to ROWE's temple.
ROWE tries to kick Talibah off but Talibah keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Talibah working over ROWE with some ground and pound. ROWE looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
ROWE is looking to escape.
Talibah is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.

Talibah is working for a submission of some sort.
ROWE is trying to stand back up but Talibah is controlling him
ROWE has hold of Talibah's hands but Talibah slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Talibah connects with a nice short shot to ROWE's temple.
Nice strikes from Talibah there.
ROWE is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Talibah scores with a couple of nice shots.
Talibah lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
ROWE wants to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Talibah lands a nice short elbow.
Talibah looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks ROWE with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Talibah lands a nice short elbow.
Talibah stops ROWE from getting back to his feet.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Talibah shoots in for a takedown but ROWE shows good takedown defense.
ROWE throws a right and a left that both miss.
Talibah dodges the punch combination from ROWE.
Talibah shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Talibah fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
DIONZO ROWE has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
DIONZO ROWE has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akhenaton Talibah.
Talibah fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but ROWE avoids it really well and circles away.
ROWE misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ROWE throws a right and a left that both miss.
ROWE keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

ROWE gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Talibah to score an easy takedown into full guard.
ROWE wants to stand but Talibah is controlling the position.

ROWE had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Talibah defends it easily.
Talibah with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Talibah stands up over ROWE, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
ROWE wants to stand and escape but Talibah is having none of it.
Akhenaton Talibah is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Talibah working some strikes from top position.
Talibah slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Talibah with a nice head shot there.
Talibah is working ROWE over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Talibah working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

ROWE escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Talibah gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Talibah is working ROWE over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Talibah must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Talibah with a nice head shot there.
ROWE can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Talibah controls the pace.
Talibah lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Talibah connects with a couple of short punches.
Talibah looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Talibah lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Akhenaton Talibah comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Talibah winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 27:30
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 27:30
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Akhenaton Talibah!