PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Manos de Piedra (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Vinny Harden (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

de Piedra
vs
Harden

170 cm
21
165 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

165 cm
22
165 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Very confident

S.W.A.T.

Freakin Supplements

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Manos de Piedra!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Vinny Harden!
The judges for this bout are Illya Tyunina, Vladimir Khabensky and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Harden throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around de Piedra's waist but de Piedra gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Harden off to one side.

de Piedra gets a clinch.
de Piedra lands an elbow inside.
de Piedra has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Harden is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Harden jumps guard.
de Piedra preventing the sweep.

Harden throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
de Piedra has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Harden wants to sweep here but de Piedra controlling him for the moment.
de Piedra prevents Harden from getting back to his feet.
de Piedra sitting in guard here, content to control.
de Piedra knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Harden on the ground.

Harden looking for a guillotine here but de Piedra defends easily.
Harden keeping full guard, as de Piedra tries to pass.

That's one minute gone in the round.

de Piedra stands up from Harden's guard - de Piedra perhaps looking for a knockout.

de Piedra looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Harden is looking to sinch up a gullotine here but de Piedra pulls his head out easily.
Harden looks gassed!
de Piedra wants to stand up but Harden has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Harden wants to control but de Piedra is keeping busy.
Harden might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control de Piedra kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
de Piedra takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harden wants to get back to his feet.
de Piedra is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Harden scores with a few weak punches.
de Piedra trying to control the pace.
Harden wants to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harden slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
de Piedra wants to stand but Harden has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
de Piedra passes easily into side control. Nice work.

de Piedra wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Harden, who protects the arm well.
de Piedra controls the position.
Harden manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

Harden decides to stand and escape the position.
Harden tries to clinch but de Piedra moves away

and de Piedra decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Harden's guard.
de Piedra postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
de Piedra trying to control but Harden is working from the bottom.
de Piedra landing with the ground and pound.
de Piedra won't allow Harden to sweep him here.
de Piedra stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Harden swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Harden throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.

Harden is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Harden keeping moving, preventing de Piedra from controlling successfully.
de Piedra wants to pass the guard but Harden is keeping the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manos de Piedra dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

de Piedra has closed the distance and engaged Harden in a clinch.
de Piedra tries to pull guard but Harden won't allow it.
de Piedra holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Harden tries to pull guard but de Piedra won't allow it.
Harden goes for a takedown in the clinch but de Piedra prevents it.
de Piedra tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Harden smiles and moves away.
de Piedra clinches but Harden breaks the clinch

and Harden counters with a takedown into side control.
de Piedra is trying to get back to his feet.
Harden fails to land a wild elbow strike.

Harden is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but de Piedra is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
de Piedra wants to control but Harden postures up.

Harden goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, de Piedra rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Harden's guard! Nice work there by de Piedra!

Harden working for a triangle but de Piedra defends it easily.
Harden is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
de Piedra not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
de Piedra trying to control the position from guard on top but Harden 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.
Harden wants to sweep but no luck.
de Piedra looking to sit in guard and control but Harden gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
de Piedra keeping full guard, as Harden tries to pass.
de Piedra keeping moving, preventing Harden from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

Harden postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! de Piedra is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Harden, into his guard.
Harden not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Harden looking for a guillotine here but de Piedra defends easily.
Harden trying to keep a closed guard but de Piedra is proving a slippery customer.

Harden looking for a guillotine here but de Piedra defends easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
de Piedra looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

de Piedra avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
de Piedra won't allow Harden to sweep him here.

Harden throws his legs up looking for a submission but de Piedra uses it to pass to side control.
Harden is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
de Piedra moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harden is trying to get back to half guard.
de Piedra blocks the strikes from Harden.
de Piedra lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
de Piedra is chipping away with strikes.
Harden is looking for a sweep.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

de Piedra looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
de Piedra perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
de Piedra winds up and cracks Harden with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Vinny Harden will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

de Piedra throws a head kick that misses.

de Piedra clinches up with Harden and pushes him back against the cage.

de Piedra has picked Harden up - he's going for a ride! de Piedra dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.

de Piedra is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Harden defends it well.
de Piedra blocks the strikes from Harden.
de Piedra performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Harden is looking to control de Piedra's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Harden avoid being mounted?
de Piedra looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.

Harden makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
de Piedra looks frusrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

de Piedra shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
de Piedra controlling his opponent.
Harden takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Harden tries to get back to half guard but can't.

de Piedra is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Harden is surviving well by controlling de Piedra's body position as best he can.
de Piedra controlling the position easily from mount.
Harden is trying to escape the mount.
Harden tries to improve his position but instead de Piedra has taken his back!

de Piedra is staying calm and holding on to the back position, whilst working on a rear naked choke. Harden is defending well though. de Piedra let's go of the attempt for now.
Harden rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
de Piedra trying to pass the guard but Harden defending well.
de Piedra not doing much here.

Harden actively working from the bottom here.

de Piedra moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Harden.
Harden is looking to regain half guard here but de Piedra keeps moving and retains side control.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
de Piedra wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harden keeps working.
Harden is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but de Piedra is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
de Piedra controlling his opponent.
Harden slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
de Piedra works his way into full mount!

de Piedra working for a guillotine from mount but Harden is in no mood to give up.
Harden tries to hold on but de Piedra pushes him away.
Harden is looking to get to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
de Piedra trying to control but Harden is having none of it.
Harden is looking to improve his position but de Piedra isn't that keen on the idea.
Harden gets back to half guard.
Harden tries to get to full guard but de Piedra has control of the leg.
Harden is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of de Piedra's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take de Piedra's back!

Harden is working really hard to secure the rear naked choke. de Piedra defends successfully for a significant amount of time. Both fighters are looking very determined.
Manos de Piedra overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
de Piedra wants to escape the position but for the time being he's just trying to control the pace.
de Piedra is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Vinny Harden.
I think Harden has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Illya Tyunina scores the fight 29:29
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 28:29
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Vinny Harden!