PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jian Zhao (ranked 1203 p4p, 1212 weight class) and Richmond Belvedere (ranked 166 p4p, 169 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Zhao might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix) - Gorillaz. Jian Zhao has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Zhao
vs
Belvedere

173 cm
28
155
14 - 6 - 1

168 cm
27
159
8 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

Bondi MMA ðŸï¸
BKC Nutrition and Laundry [25%]

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Jian Zhao!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Richmond Belvedere!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Mauricio Rocha and Matheus Silva.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Zhao looks to throw the jab but Belvedere is out of range.
Zhao looks to land a left hand but Belvedere moved out of range nicely.
Zhao scoring well with a low kick there.
Richmond Belvedere seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nice shot lands for Zhao.
Belvedere slips a straight right by Zhao.
Belvedere on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Zhao throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Zhao with a nice cross.
Zhao lands a nice hook to Belvedere's body. Belvedere takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Belvedere misses with a straight right.

Belvedere throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Zhao was covering up waiting for the punch and Belvedere finishes the takedown easily into guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Belvedere in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Belvedere throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Zhao works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Belvedere throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Zhao works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zhao is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Zhao is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Belvedere postures up.
Belvedere scoring with punches to the head and body.
Belvedere throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Zhao works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Zhao is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Zhao managing to control the position.
Zhao is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Zhao controlling Belvedere's posture.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Belvedere's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Belvedere preventing the sweep.

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.
Belvedere chips away with some ground and pound.
Zhao pulls Belvedere in to control the position.
Belvedere scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Zhao wants to sweep here but Belvedere controlling him for the moment.
Belvedere connects with a couple of short punches.
Zhao keeping full guard, as Belvedere tries to pass.
Zhao looking to control but Belvedere passes into half guard.
Zhao wants to control but Belvedere is keeping busy and won't allow it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Belvedere lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Zhao trying to hold on to Belvedere's head to control him but Belvedere postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Zhao controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Zhao moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Zhao has Belvedere pulled in close to control his posture.

Belvedere thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Zhao trying to keep a closed guard but Belvedere is proving a slippery customer.
Zhao is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Zhao has momentary wrist control but Belvedere slips an elbow through the middle.
Belvedere wants to control from the top but Zhao keeps moving.
Zhao looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Belvedere trying to control but Zhao is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Belvedere seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Belvedere working his ground and pound in the gym. So far it seems to be working well.
Zhao tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Belvedere is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Zhao is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Zhao working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Belvedere.
Belvedere wants to control from the top but Zhao keeps moving.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Belvedere shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Zhao counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Zhao bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Belvedere's head backwards.
Belvedere on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Belvedere's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Zhao connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Belvedere scrambles back to his feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Jian Zhao dominated that round.
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.

Belvedere throws a big shot that misses.
Zhao lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Zhao uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Belvedere.
Zhao was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Belvedere takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Zhao walks into a left hand.
Zhao throws a leg kick but Belvedere moved away.
Zhao throws a poor cross that misses

and Belvedere counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Zhao looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Belvedere trying to control the position from guard on top but Zhao is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Belvedere is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

Belvedere drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Belvedere jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Belvedere pushes down on Zhao's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Belvedere is thwarting Zhao's attempts to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Belvedere wants to pass the guard but Zhao is defending well.
Belvedere trying to control the action but Zhao is working from the bottom.
Belvedere throwing shots but Zhao is blocking nicely.
Belvedere throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Belvedere sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Zhao defending well though.
Belvedere drops an elbow to the side of Zhao's head.

Belvedere is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Zhao trying to control from the bottom.
Belvedere performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Belvedere missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Zhao wants to improve his position but Belvedere is controlling well.

Belvedere seems to be looking for submissions.
Zhao is positioning himself well to prevent Belvedere advancing to mount.
Richmond Belvedere has got the better of the ground game so far.
Belvedere is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Belvedere 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.
Belvedere looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Zhao with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Belvedere content to control rather than advance.
Zhao is trying to get back to full guard.
Zhao is working hard here to advance position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zhao is trying to control but can't.
Belvedere slips a nice elbow through Zhao's hands, connecting with Zhao's forehead.
Belvedere takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Ground and pound from Belvedere.
Zhao holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
Belvedere is thwarting Zhao's attempts to control the position.
Belvedere stalling.
Belvedere thows a huge punch but Zhao dodges it nicely.

Belvedere is working for a submission of some sort.
Belvedere working over Zhao with some ground and pound. Zhao looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zhao wants to get back to full guard.
Belvedere is trying to control. Zhao wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Belvedere seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

Belvedere is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Zhao is just riding it out for now. Belvedere eventually gives up the hold.
Zhao has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Belvedere is working away from the top position though.
Belvedere trying to control from half guard but Zhao is working away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Belvedere is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Belvedere has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Zhao wants to sweep but Belvedere has passed to side control!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Richmond Belvedere showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Zhao stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Zhao wants it to stay on the feet.
Belvedere throws the left hand but Zhao avoids the punch easily.
A left lands for Belvedere.
Belvedere misses with a looping right.
Zhao swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Zhao ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Zhao misses with a looping left.
Belvedere throws a hook but Zhao avoids it easily.
Zhao looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Belvedere throws a series of punches but Zhao moves out of range.
Zhao throws a one two combo.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Zhao throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Belvedere fails with a takedown attempt.
Zhao connects with a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zhao takes a swing at Belvedere's ribcage but misses.
A big left from Belvedere misses.
Belvedere tests Zhao's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Belvedere pushes Zhao up against the cage in a clinch.
Zhao tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
I was talking to Zhao's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Belvedere drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Jian Zhao has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Richmond Belvedere.
Belvedere blocks an uppercut.

Zhao breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Jian Zhao is winning the standup battle so far.
The fighters circling - Zhao throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Belvedere avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Belvedere throws a right hand that misses
and Zhao counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Zhao managing to block the knees to the body from Belvedere.

Zhao pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Zhao showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Belvedere.
Zhao throws a big shot that misses.
Belvedere tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Zhao counters with a nice body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Belvedere tries to clinch
and Zhao counters with a thumping low kick.
Belvedere scores with a decent looking hook.
Zhao bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Belvedere's head backwards.
Belvedere shoots in and drives through. Zhao sprawls well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zhao loads up on a big right hand but Belvedere slips the punch.
A jab from Belvedere misses.
Nice uppercut lands for Zhao. That snapped Belvedere's head back.
Belvedere tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Zhao was well out of range. Poor timing from Belvedere.
Zhao circles away from the clinch attempt
and Zhao counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Belvedere takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Belvedere 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.
Belvedere shoots in for a takedown but Zhao shows good takedown defense.
Belvedere has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Zhao finds it's way round the side to connect with Belvedere's head.
Belvedere ducks down and throws a hook to the body.

Belvedere has taken the fight to the clinch.
Belvedere is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Zhao to keep the fight standing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Belvedere tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Zhao just stands there and leans against the cage.

Belvedere turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Belvedere manages to end up in side control.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
You can see the frustration on Zhao's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Zhao manages to work his way to half guard, despite Belvedere's best efforts.
Zhao wants to improve his position but Belvedere is controlling well.
Zhao moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Belvedere's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Zhao has control of Belvedere's left arm, preventing Belvedere from doing any damage.
Belvedere trying to control but Zhao is working from the bottom.
Zhao is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Belvedere wants to control from the top but Zhao keeps moving.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Jian Zhao.
I think Zhao 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jian Zhao!
A very excited looking Jian Zhao rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.