PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Roman Zhdanov (ranked 1453 p4p, 1429 weight class) and Klaus Tannenbaum (ranked 190 p4p, 189 weight class). Zhdanov comes to the cage accompanied by Малиновая Лада (Raspberry Lada) by Gayazov$ Brother$. Tannenbaum has chosen Andrea Bocelli: O Tannenbaum as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Zhdanov
vs
Tannenbaum

196 cm
27
259
10 - 7 - 0

193 cm
26
245
12 - 10 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Hoarse Pills
Bondi MMA 🏝️

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Roman Zhdanov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Klaus Tannenbaum!
The judges for this bout are Chris Edwards, Phil Schofield and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tannenbaum slips under a jab.
Zhdanov misses with a wild body shot.
Tannenbaum keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Tannenbaum is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Zhdanov with a body shot.
Zhdanov has been working on his boxing with his coaches at House of 1000 Corpses in the buildup to the fight.
Tannenbaum uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
A lazy body kick from Tannenbaum
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Zhdanov misses with a hook
and Tannenbaum makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Zhdanov throws a leg kick but Tannenbaum sees it coming and moves out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Zhdanov rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Tannenbaum counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Tannenbaum throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
It looked like Zhdanov wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Zhdanov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tannenbaum throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
A telegraphed right hand from Zhdanov misses the target.
Zhdanov throws a lazy uppercut
and Tannenbaum counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tannenbaum swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Tannenbaum keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Roman Zhdanov is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Tannenbaum fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Zhdanov.
A low kick from Zhdanov is predictable there
and Tannenbaum counters with a good low kick that Zhdanov was not able to check.
Zhdanov swings widly with a right hand
and Tannenbaum cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Zhdanov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zhdanov misses with a lunging right hand
and Tannenbaum counters with an inside leg kick.
Tannenbaum throws a series of punches but Zhdanov moves out of range.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Zhdanov, as that shot connected.

Zhdanov has Tannenbaum up against the cage in a clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Zhdanov swings wildly with an uppercut but Tannenbaum uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tannenbaum throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Zhdanov working aggressively here.
Tannenbaum tries to stall but Zhdanov uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Tannenbaum swings wildly with an uppercut but Zhdanov uses good head movement to avoid it.
Zhdanov tries to throw a body punch but Tannenbaum avoids it by throwing Zhdanov back against the cage.
Tannenbaum stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Tannenbaum tries a body shot but Zhdanov blocks it.
Tannenbaum holding his opponent close, against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tannenbaum is trying to break the clinch but Zhdanov is controlling him.
Zhdanov stalling in the clinch.
Tannenbaum is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Tannenbaum wants to break free but Zhdanov has control.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum lands with a short shot to the head.
Tannenbaum blocks the elbow strike.
A nice left hand lands by Zhdanov.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum looking to stall.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Zhdanov.
Zhdanov lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Tannenbaum looking to stall.
Zhdanov tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Zhdanov has Tannenbaum pushed against the cage.
Tannenbaum swings wildly with an uppercut but Zhdanov uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zhdanov fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Zhdanov gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Zhdanov lands with a short shot to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Zhdanov fails to land.
Zhdanov lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Zhdanov misses with a hook from the clinch.
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!
A head punch on the inside from Zhdanov fails to land.
Zhdanov keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Tannenbaum's efforts to push away.
Zhdanov blocks a body shot from Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum takes an elbow to the temple.

It looks like Klaus Tannenbaum has been cut.
Tannenbaum stalling in the clinch.
Zhdanov working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tannenbaum is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Tannenbaum's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Zhdanov avoiding damage.

Tannenbaum breaks the clinch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Roman Zhdanov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Klaus Tannenbaum's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Zhdanov rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Tannenbaum counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tannenbaum moves away from the strike by Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Zhdanov moves out of range as Tannenbaum strikes.
Nice defenses there by Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov tries to close the distance and clinch but Tannenbaum swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Tannenbaum throws out a counter right but Zhdanov avoids it with no problem.
Nice jab there from Zhdanov.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tannenbaum is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Tannenbaum ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nice defenses there by Tannenbaum.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zhdanov throws the left hand but Tannenbaum avoids the punch easily.
Zhdanov lands the left hand.
Tannenbaum slips a straight right by Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum only half commits to the counter leg kick.

Zhdanov closes the distance and clinches.
Tannenbaum working some nice short punches in the clinch.

Tannenbaum's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Roman Zhdanov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Zhdanov throws a left and a right that both miss
and Tannenbaum counters with a solid body kick.
Zhdanov looks to land a right hand but Tannenbaum moved out of range.
Zhdanov connects with the punch.
Tannenbaum scores with a hook to the body. Zhdanov takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Klaus Tannenbaum seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tannenbaum rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Zhdanov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
A low kick from Zhdanov misses
and Tannenbaum counters with a stiff right hand.
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!
Tannenbaum slips a straight right by Zhdanov.
Zhdanov throws a right hand that misses
and Tannenbaum counters with a stiff right hand.
Zhdanov misses with a straight left.
Zhdanov misses with an uppercut
and Tannenbaum counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Tannenbaum fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Tannenbaum shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Zhdanov but Zhdanov pushes him off and we're back to square one.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zhdanov lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Tannenbaum lands a slapping body shot.
Zhdanov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov moves in looking to clinch but Tannenbaum pushes him off.
Tannenbaum doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
A jab from Tannenbaum misses.
Tannenbaum gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Zhdanov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zhdanov uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Zhdanov throws a hook but Tannenbaum avoids it easily.
Tannenbaum throws a big shot that misses.
Tannenbaum avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tannenbaum swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Zhdanov tried to counter with a leg kick but Tannenbaum avoided it.
Zhdanov ducks right into an uppercut from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Zhdanov throws a shot from downtown. Tannenbaum moves away and avoids it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A solid body kick from Tannenbaum.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Roman Zhdanov will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Klaus Tannenbaum's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Tannenbaum lands a jab to the nose.
Zhdanov takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Tannenbaum looks to score with a jab to the body but Zhdanov is just out of range.

Zhdanov closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Tannenbaum breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Tannenbaum lands a head kick!
A big left from Zhdanov misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tannenbaum ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Tannenbaum doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Zhdanov misses with a looping right.
Zhdanov throws a lazy right hand but Tannenbaum sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Tannenbaum checks a low kick from Zhdanov.
Zhdanov misses with a hook.
Zhdanov throws a nice head kick!
Tannenbaum slips under a jab from Zhdanov.
Tannenbaum looks to land a left hand but Zhdanov moved out of range nicely.
Zhdanov throwing a counter right hand but Tannenbaum manages to avoid it.
A swing and a miss from Zhdanov.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zhdanov looks to land a left hand but Tannenbaum moved out of range nicely.
Tannenbaum lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Zhdanov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Zhdanov throws a body shot but no joy.
Tannenbaum throws out a counter right but Zhdanov avoids it with no problem.
Tannenbaum defending well as Zhdanov loads up on a big left hand.

Zhdanov gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Zhdanov lands a nice uppercut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tannenbaum misses with a short punch on the inside.
Zhdanov lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nice body punch from Tannenbaum.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Tannenbaum lands with a light punch inside.

Tannenbaum breaks from the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tannenbaum shoots in looking for a takedown. Zhdanov tries to sprawl out of it but Tannenbaum keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Zhdanov manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Tannenbaum pulls out of a head kick attempt.
An attempted straight right counter from Zhdanov misses the target.
Zhdanov throws a leg kick which misses Tannenbaum's front leg but catches the back leg as Tannenbaum tries to avoid it.
Zhdanov avoids the body shot from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov throws a looping overhand right but Tannenbaum ducks down to avoid it.
A jab from Zhdanov misses.
Tannenbaum throws a head kick but Zhdanov moves out of range.
Klaus Tannenbaum has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tannenbaum ducks under a wild hook from Zhdanov.
A solid body kick from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov moves out of range of the body kick from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov throws a poor cross that misses
letting Tannenbaum counter with a right hand.
A head kick misses from Tannenbaum.
Zhdanov misses with an uppercut.
Tannenbaum lands a nice looking kick to the body. Zhdanov takes a step back to recover.
Zhdanov scores with a nice strike.

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 Roman Zhdanov.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Zhdanov, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27

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