PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Adis Tankov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matthew Mara (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Tankov
vs
Mara

181 cm
31
177 lbs
20 - 11 - 0

180 cm
27
180 lbs
16 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Charlie Wang's Nutrition and 95 % Laundry
Charlie Wang's Tattered Rags & 95% Laundry

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Adis Tankov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Matthew Mara!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Steve Smith and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tankov throws a solid leg kick but Mara takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Tankov.
Mara with a body punch. A glancing blow.

Tankov feints and as Mara raises his hands in defense, Tankov changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

Mara has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Tankov can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Tankov won't allow Mara to sweep him here.
Tankov trying to control but Mara is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Tankov looking to pass the guard.
Mara is controlling Tankov's posture.
Tankov forces his way into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tankov trying to mount his opponent but Mara defends it.
Mara is looking to improve his position.
Tankov is trying to control. Mara wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Tankov is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Mara is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

Tankov is trying to work for a kimura but Mara is defending well.

Tankov wants to work for an arm triangle but Mara is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Tankov controlling the action here.
Mara moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mara not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Mara keeping moving, preventing Tankov from controlling successfully.
Mara looking to control.
Mara keeping moving, preventing Tankov from controlling successfully.
Mara working a defensive guard here.

Adis Tankov has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Mara misses with a shot to the kidneys.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mara is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Tankov working Mara over with knees to the body.
Mara on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Mara displaying some good clinch control by pressing Tankov up against the cage.
Nice elbow from Mara.
Tankov looking to throw knees to the head but Mara is blocking nicely.
Tankov has Mara pressed against the cage.
Mara looking to slow down the pace here.
Mara misses with a hook to the ribs.
Mara lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Tankov backwards.
Mara struggles to land a body shot inside as Tankov controls his hands.
Mara takes a knee to the side of the body.
Tankov is trying to maintain a safe position but Mara gets an underhook and turns Tankov into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mara digs a right hand into Tankov's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Tankov's gas tank.
Tankov putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Mara in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Mara working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
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!
Mara is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Tankov is keeping busy.
Mara tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Tankov missing with knees to the body.
Mara avoiding damage as Tankov throws knees to the body.
Tankov trying to land knees to the body.
Tankov crunches a lovely knee into Mara's ribcage.
Stalling in the clinch from Mara.
Mara trying to control the position but instead, Tankov has worked for underhooks and has pushed Mara into the cage.
Tankov tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tankov misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Mara.
Mara tries to throw a body punch but Tankov avoids it by throwing Mara back against the cage.
Mara takes a knee right on the jaw!

It looks like Matthew Mara has been cut.
Mara doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Adis Tankov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Matthew Mara's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Mara misses with a low kick as Tankov jumps back.
Tankov connects with a high kick.
Horrible takedown by Tankov or perhaps it was just good defense by Mara which made him look bad.
Mara connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Mara jabs at Tankov's body.
Mara tries to clinch up.

Mara drives through and clinches with Tankov against the cage.
Mara blocks an elbow strike.
Mara tries to stall but Tankov uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Tankov takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Tankov lands a nice knee to the body.
Mara throws a punch but it's blocked by Tankov.
Mara scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Adis Tankov has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Tankov tries to stall but Mara uses the opportunity to gain a better position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tankov tries to land knees in the clinch but Mara avoids the damage to the body.
Tankov throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Mara blocks it with crossed arms.
Tankov manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Mara is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Tankov is keeping busy.
Mara throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Mara tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tankov is trying to push Mara away but Mara has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Mara is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Tankov is keeping busy.
Tankov lands an elbow that stopped Mara in his tracks for a moment.
Tankov misses with a knee to the head.
Mara misses with an elbow strike.
Mara swings wildly with an uppercut but Tankov uses good head movement to avoid it.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Mara just misses with a elbow thrown towards Tankov's brow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mara lands with a right to the head.
Tankov throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Tankov using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Mara has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mara working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Tankov with a knee to the head.
Mara lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Tankov content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Mara avoiding damage as Tankov throws knees to the body.
Mara tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Mara scores with a shot to the side of Tankov's head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tankov missing with knees to the body.
Tankov trying to control the position but instead, Mara has worked for underhooks and has pushed Tankov into the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Tankov as Mara tries to tie him up.
Tankov looking to stall.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mara lands with a short shot to the head.
Tankov is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Mara is defending well for now.
Tankov throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Mara blocks it with crossed arms.
Mara takes a knee right on the jaw!
Mara on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Mara is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Tankov just misses with a elbow thrown towards Mara's brow.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Mara.
Mara leaning against his opponent.
Tankov comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Mara tries to stall but Tankov uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Tankov using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Mara has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mara blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Mara blocks the elbow strike.
Mara is trying to stall.
Mara throws a head punch that misses.
Tankov lands a nice elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mara blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Tankov lands an elbow inside.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Tankov just misses with a elbow thrown towards Mara's brow.
A shot in the inside from Mara.
Mara trying to land knees to the body.
Tankov blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tankov missing with knees to the body.
Mara avoiding damage as Tankov throws knees to the body.
Mara swings wildly with an uppercut but Tankov uses good head movement to avoid it.
Mara misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Mara makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Mara tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tankov lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Mara can't find room to land a body shot as Tankov controls the action.
Mara trying to stall but Tankov improves his position.
A bit of stalling here from Mara.
Tankov scores a nice knee to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Adis Tankov dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Matthew Mara's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Mara takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Mara fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tankov manages to avoid it.
Mara fails in his attempt to clinch.
Mara 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.
An inside leg kick lands from Tankov.
Mara has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Tankov.
Mara tries to clinch up.
Tankov lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

Tankov gets a clinch.
Tankov lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Nice elbow from Tankov.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Mara as Tankov tries to tie him up.
Tankov putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Mara in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tankov creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Mara's defenses.
Mara looking to slow down the pace here.
Mara takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Tankov creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mara looking to stall.
Tankov tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Mara avoids it.
Tankov lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Mara tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tankov stalling the fight.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Mara swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Mara is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Tankov is pushing Mara up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Tankov is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Mara is defending well for now.
Mara looking to stall.
Mara cracks Tankov with a nice body shot.
Tankov prevents a body shot from Mara.
Matthew Mara has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A short right from Mara on the inside.
Tankov lands a nice knee to the body.
Tankov has Mara pressed against the cage.
Tankov tries to land a knee to the head but Mara blocks with his arms.
Tankov lands a knee to the head.
Mara avoids the elbow strike from Tankov, against the cage.
Mara misses with a hook from the clinch.
Tankov tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mara landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Tankov lands a knee to the head.
Mara tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Tankov's elbow.
Stalling in the clinch from Mara.
Tankov comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Mara swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Mara is struggling to control the position.
Mara tries a body shot but Tankov blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tankov tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
A right handed body shot lands from Mara.
Mara misses with a body punch.
Tankov putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Mara in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Tankov stalling in the clinch but Mara improves position.
Mara tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Tankov's elbow.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Tankov throws an elbow that misses.
Mara pushes Tankov back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Tankov trying to land knees to the body.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Mara tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Tankov's elbow.
Tankov lands an elbow inside that Mara shrugs off.
Mara working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Mara throws a punch but it's blocked by Tankov.
Tankov is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Mara is keeping busy.
Mara misses with an elbow over the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mara looking to stall.
Tankov is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Mara is defending well for now.
Tankov misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Mara.
Tankov tries to land knees in the clinch but Mara avoids the damage to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Mara scores with a shot to the side of Tankov's head.
Mara is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Tankov is stalling here.
Tankov with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Adis Tankov is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Mara stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Mara misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Mara is struggling to control the position.
Mara scores with a shot to the side of Tankov's head.
Tankov taking a breather.

And that's the end of the fight!
Adis Tankov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Tankov has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Adis Tankov!
Adis Tankov seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.