PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Michael Benoit (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nikolai Yasnov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Yasnov has chosen Hell Yeah - Dead Prez Ft Jay-Z as his entrance music. Michael Benoit could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Nikolai Yasnov's chin.

Benoit
vs
Yasnov

170 cm
22
140 lbs
12 - 1 - 0

174 cm
23
147 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Michael Benoit!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Nikolai Yasnov!
The judges for this bout are Summer Carpenter, Winston Howard and Donatello Bradman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Benoit thows a body shot but no joy.
Benoit looks to score with a jab to the body but Yasnov is just out of range.
Sloppy strikes from Yasnov. Those never looked like landing.
Benoit misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yasnov.
Benoit lands a jab to the nose.
Yasnov takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Yasnov scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Benoit scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Benoit takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Yasnov misses with a wild body shot.
Benoit lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Yasnov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Benoit connects with a body shot that sends Yasnov's belly button to the back.
Michael Benoit seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Benoit blocks a leg kick.
Benoit throws a series of punches but Yasnov avoids them all with ease.
Yasnov lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
A punch combination from Benoit misses.
Benoit fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Benoit tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Yasnov was well out of range. Poor timing from Benoit.
Benoit misses with a hook to the body
and Yasnov makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
A looping hook to the body misses from Benoit. Yasnov does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yasnov scores with a punch to the head.
Yasnov walks into a stiff left hand from Benoit.
Yasnov cracks Benoit with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Benoit is looking to wear down Yasnov with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Benoit connects with a body shot that sends Yasnov's belly button to the back.
Benoit connects with a body shot that sends Yasnov's belly button to the back.
Benoit throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Yasnov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Benoit.
Yasnov on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Yasnov keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Benoit misses with a wild body shot.
Yasnov misses with a wild body shot.
A nice combination there by Benoit.
Benoit rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Yasnov moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Benoit's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Benoit duly obliges.
Benoit misses the body punch
enabling Yasnov to counter with a crisp jab.
Benoit misses with a body shot.
Benoit takes a swing at Yasnov's ribcage but misses.
Yasnov on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Yasnov misses the jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Benoit swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Yasnov counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Benoit fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Yasnov looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
A shot to the body from Benoit misses
and Yasnov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Benoit swings for the body but Yasnov moves out of range.
Yasnov moves out of range of the strikes.
Benoit fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Yasnov manages to avoid it.
Benoit will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Benoit connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Yasnov momentarily.
Benoit jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Yasnov fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Yasnov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Benoit. Yasnov does a little dance to reset his feet.
A looping hook to the body misses from Benoit. Yasnov does a little dance to reset his feet.
Benoit misses with a body shot.
Benoit lands a nice hook to Yasnov's body. Yasnov takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Danga de danga de dang - Benoit scores with a four punch combination!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Yasnov misses with a series of wild punches.
Michael Benoit is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Yasnov throws a hook to the side of Benoit's head but Benoit sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yasnov scores with a nice head shot.
Benoit throws a right hand that Yasnov ducks under and follows up with a left that Yasnov also avoids with ease.
Benoit misses with a hook to the body
and Yasnov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
A punch combination from Benoit misses.
Benoit misses with a double jab
and Yasnov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Benoit ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Yasnov moves away.
Benoit feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Yasnovs jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Yasnov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A looping hook to the body misses from Benoit. Yasnov does a little dance to reset his feet.
Benoit just misses with a punch to the body.
Benoit misses with a shot to the body

and Yasnov counters by clinching up.
A head punch on the inside from Benoit fails to land.
Yasnov stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Yasnov scores with a shoulder strike.
Yasnov goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Benoit lands a body punch.
Benoit lands a right hand that snaps the head of Yasnov backwards.
Yasnov softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Benoit misses with a short punch on the inside.
Benoit lands a body punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yasnov tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Yasnov leaning his opponent against the cage.
Yasnov goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short body shot lands from Benoit as the two fighters clinch.
Benoit fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Benoit has a couple of punches blocked by Yasnov.
Benoit scores with a hook to the body.
Yasnov looks gassed!
Benoit lands with a left to the head.
Benoit lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Yasnov backwards.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A nice right hand lands inside from Benoit.
Benoit has a couple of punches blocked by Yasnov.
Yasnov can't find room to land a body shot as Benoit controls the action.
Yasnov tries to throw a body punch but Benoit avoids it by throwing Yasnov back against the cage.
Yasnov misses with a body punch.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Benoit.

Yasnov is rocked!

It looks like Nikolai Yasnov has been cut.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Benoit.
Yasnov is still on wobbly legs! Can Benoit finish him?
Benoit working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Benoit misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Yasnov doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Yasnov swings wildly with an uppercut but Benoit uses good head movement to avoid it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Yasnov is trying to maintain a safe position but Benoit gets an underhook and turns Yasnov into the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Benoit fails to land.
Yasnov tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Benoit avoids it.
Benoit lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Benoit struggles to land a body shot inside as Yasnov controls his hands.
Yasnov misses with a hook to the ribs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Michael Benoit dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Nikolai Yasnov's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Left hook, right uppercut from Benoit.
Benoit moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Benoit looks to score with a jab to the body but Yasnov is just out of range.
Benoit throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Benoit lands a nice shot to the body.
Benoit listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Yasnov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Benoit.
Benoit misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Yasnov counters with a stiff right hand.
Yasnov misses with a left hand
and Benoit counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Yasnov seems to have recovered his senses.
Benoit shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Yasnov eats them both and turns towards Benoit to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Benoit thows a body shot but no joy.
Yasnov moves out of range of the strikes.
Benoit scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Benoit looks to land a combination but Yasnov avoids it well.
A jab from Benoit does it's job there.
Benoit ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Yasnov moves away.
Benoit throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Benoit fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Yasnov manages to avoid it.
Michael Benoit is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yasnov looks to land a left hand but Benoit moved out of range nicely.
Benoit misses with a body punch
and Yasnov counters with a nice body shot.
Benoit misses with a jab to the body
and Benoit takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Benoit digs a good body shot into Yasnov's ribs.
Benoit throws a sloppy body shot
and Yasnov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Benoit slips under a jab from Yasnov.
Benoit swings away with a body shot that misses

and Yasnov counters with a single leg into guard. Benoit didn't expect that.
Yasnov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Yasnov thows a big elbow that misses.
Yasnov being controlled here momentarily.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Benoit wants to stand up but Yasnov is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Benoit keeping full guard, as Yasnov tries to pass.
Benoit is trying to keep Yasnov in close.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Benoit is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Yasnov is looking for a sweep. Benoit is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Yasnov is staying active underneath Benoit, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Yasnov is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Michael Benoit has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Benoit scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Benoit fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Yasnov manages to avoid it.
Yasnov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Benoit.
A shot to the liver by Benoit. Beautiful body shot.
Benoit scores with a body shot.
Benoit lands a slapping body shot.
Benoit takes a swing at Yasnov's ribcage but misses.

Yasnov has closed the distance and engaged Benoit in a clinch.
A nice right hand lands inside from Benoit.
Yasnov lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Benoit lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Yasnov backwards.
Benoit blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Good body shot from Benoit.
Yasnov prevents a body shot from Benoit.
Benoit blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Yasnov throws a head punch that misses.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Yasnov just misses with a elbow thrown towards Benoit's brow.
Yasnov misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Yasnov tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Yasnov is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Benoit.
Benoit lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Benoit.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A left hand lands to the body for Benoit.
Benoit works on Yasnov's body with a couple of short punches.
Benoit lands a body punch in the clinch.
Benoit softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Benoit stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Benoit lands a body punch in the clinch.
Benoit scores with a shot to the side of Yasnov's head.
A shot in the inside from Benoit.
Benoit lands an uppercut.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Benoit.
Benoit scores with a hook to the body.
Benoit lands with a short punch from the clinch.
A short body shot lands from Benoit as the two fighters clinch.
Michael Benoit has scored more points in the clinch so far.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Benoit.
Nice body punch from Benoit - that landed with a thud.
Benoit lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Benoit lands with a short shot to the head.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Benoit is leaning against Yasnov and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Benoit pushes Yasnov back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Benoit.
Benoit creates some distance for himselfand unleashes a massive uppercut that sends Yasnov's eyes rolling into the back of his head! Yasnov drops to his knees and Benoit pours it on with more strikes until the referee steps in to end the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Michael Benoit!
Michael Benoit retains his bantamweight title!