PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Vladimir Kosmanov (ranked 99 p4p, 536 weight class) and Remi Johnson (ranked 21 p4p, 85 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Kosmanov
vs
Johnson

180 cm
32
170
20 - 13 - 1

174 cm
25
168
9 - 2 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Vegan Gains
Brooklyn Threads

Voodoo Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Vladimir Kosmanov!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Remi Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Paulsen Ambrosius, Nard Betker and Wagner Zegers.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kosmanov is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Johnson.
We've been informed that Johnson has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Johnson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Kosmanov misses with a wild combination.
Johnson swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Kosmanov looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Kosmanov showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Johnson.
Johnson scores with a hook to the body. Kosmanov takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Kosmanov 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.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kosmanov digs a good body shot into Johnson's ribs.
Johnson tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kosmanov was well out of range. Poor timing from Johnson.
Johnson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Johnson misses with the combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kosmanov closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Kosmanov lands a jab.

It looks like Remi Johnson has been cut.

Johnson throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Kosmanov tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Johnson is in Kosmanov's guard.
Kosmanov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Johnson is one step ahead there.
Johnson slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Johnson preventing the sweep.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kosmanov being controlled here, momentarily.
Kosmanov trying to control the position here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson stays in close to Kosmanov's body and controls the position.
Kosmanov looking for a sweep. Not yet Kosmanov, not yet.
Johnson looking to pass the guard.
Johnson wants to stand but Kosmanov has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Johnson engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
It looks like Johnson might be adopting somewhat of a lay and pray gameplan here, which I'm sure won't go down too well with the paying fans in attendance... Or the ring announcers come to think of it.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Kosmanov 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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson trying to control the position from guard on top but Kosmanov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Kosmanov misses with an uppercut.
Johnson connects with a good right hand that stumbles Kosmanov. Kosmanov circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Johnson doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Johnson takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kosmanov staying out of range there.
A combination from Johnson does no damage.
A clash of legs there as Johnson blocks the low kick.
It seemed like Johnson was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Johnson checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Johnson scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Johnson misses with a hook. Kosmanov ducked under it nicely.
Johnson takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Johnson moves out of range of the strikes.
Kosmanov swings for the body but Johnson moves out of range.
Johnson throws a right hand that Kosmanov ducks under and follows up with a left that Kosmanov also avoids with ease.
Kosmanov looks to score with a jab to the body but Johnson is just out of range.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kosmanov looks to score with a jab to the body but Johnson is just out of range.
Kosmanov throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kosmanov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Kosmanov.
Johnson looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Johnson throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kosmanov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Kosmanov misses with an uppercut.
Kosmanov misses with a straight left.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Kosmanov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Kosmanov throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Johnson's waist but Johnson gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Kosmanov off to one side.
Johnson walks into a jab.
Nice defenses there by Kosmanov.

Kosmanov closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Kosmanov lands in his opponent's guard.
Johnson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kosmanov postures up and lands a big shot to Johnson's brow.
Johnson wants to stand and escape but Kosmanov is having none of it.
Kosmanov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Johnson wants to stand up but Kosmanov is controlling him.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Kosmanov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kosmanov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Johnson keeping moving, preventing Kosmanov from controlling successfully.
Kosmanov looking to pass the guard.
Johnson is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Kosmanov is looking to work some ground and pound but Johnson has wrist control.
Kosmanov sitting in guard here, content to control.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Kosmanov connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Kosmanov throws a hook but Johnson avoids it easily.
Kosmanov slips a jab and a cross from Johnson.
Kosmanov misses with an uppercut.
Kosmanov connects with a nice looking jab.
Remi Johnson is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Johnson stalks Kosmanov and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Kosmanov's face. Kosmanov staggers backwards, shaken.
The fighters circling - Kosmanov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Kosmanov lands a jab-cross combination.
Kosmanov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Kosmanov.
Johnson ducks under a wild hook from Kosmanov.
Kosmanov has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Johnson ducks under a wild hook from Kosmanov.
A little jabbing left from Johnson on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson defending well as Kosmanov loads up on a big left hand.
A swing and a miss from Kosmanov.
Johnson looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Kosmanov uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Johnson.
As Johnson looks to move away, Kosmanov throws a big counter combo but Johnson just gets out of the way.
Johnson scores with a one two! Kosmanov had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Kosmanov throws the left hand but Johnson avoids the punch easily.
Johnson shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Kosmanov as he jumps to the side.
Johnson throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Kosmanov is looking to counter punch.
Kosmanov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Johnson.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Kosmanov.
Kosmanov lands a nice shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut there from Kosmanov.
Vladimir Kosmanov is winning the standup battle so far.
Johnson takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Johnson misses with a hook. Kosmanov ducked under it nicely.
Johnson swings for the body but Kosmanov moves out of range.
Kosmanov throws a left and a right that both miss
and Johnson counters with a straight right hand.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnson checks a low kick from Kosmanov.
Johnson is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Johnson throws a series of punches but Kosmanov moves out of range.
Johnson 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.
Johnson works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Johnson on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Johnson misses with a double jab.
Kosmanov appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Vladimir Kosmanov dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Remi Johnson's cut.
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.

Kosmanov's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Johnson connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Kosmanov scrambles back to his feet.
Kosmanov rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Johnson counters with a straight right hand.
Kosmanov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Johnson.
Kosmanov slips a jab and a cross from Johnson.
Johnson misses with a takedown attempt

and Kosmanov counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Kosmanov throws a head punch that misses.
Kosmanov tries to work over Johnson's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Johnson is trying to break free.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kosmanov swings wildly with an uppercut but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Johnson blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Kosmanov makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kosmanov can't get the takedown.
Kosmanov doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kosmanov misses with a body punch.
Kosmanov misses with a punch on the inside.
Johnson stops a takedown attempt from Kosmanov.
Johnson blocks an uppercut.
Kosmanov tries to score a body lock takedown but Johnson shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Vladimir Kosmanov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kosmanov prevents Johnson from breaking the clinch.
Kosmanov working aggressively here.
Kosmanov tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Johnson working hard to break the clinch.
Kosmanov doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kosmanov tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Johnson's elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kosmanov misses with a punch on the inside.
Kosmanov tries to work over Johnson's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A frustrated look appears on Johnson's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Kosmanov lands a nice shot to the body.
Kosmanov tries to throw a body punch but Johnson avoids it by throwing Kosmanov back against the cage.

Johnson breaks the clinch.
Johnson misses with an uppercut.
Kosmanov just misses with a punch to the body.
It seemed like Johnson was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Nice shot by Johnson.
Johnson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kosmanov.
Johnson appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Kosmanov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kosmanov throws a leg kick but Johnson sees it coming and checks it nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson misses with a body kick.
Johnson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Johnson misses with a hook. Kosmanov ducked under it nicely.
Kosmanov takes a swing at Johnson's ribcage but misses.
Kosmanov has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
A telegraphed right hand from Kosmanov misses the target.
Kosmanov lands with a good body shot.
Kosmanov moves out of range of the strikes.
Johnson staying out of range there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kosmanov. Johnson does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kosmanov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Nice shot by Johnson.
Johnson ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Johnson throws a lazy uppercut
and Johnson takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kosmanov lands a glancing blow to the side of Johnson's head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kosmanov is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Kosmanov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Johnson throws a counter combo.
Johnson will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
An attempted straight right counter from Kosmanov misses the target.
Johnson takes one on the chin but seems OK.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Vladimir Kosmanov clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Remi Johnson's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Kosmanov uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Johnson has time to react.

Johnson is rocked!
Kosmanov slips a straight right by Johnson.
Kosmanov looks to score with a jab to the body but Johnson is just out of range.
A little jabbing left from Johnson on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Kosmanov lands a jab to the nose.
Johnson is still on wobbly legs! Can Kosmanov finish him?
Kosmanov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Johnson.
Johnson is looking for the big counter here.
Johnson misses with a hook. Kosmanov ducked under it nicely.
It looked like Kosmanov wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Kosmanov just misses with a punch to the body.
Johnson seems to have recovered his senses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kosmanov looks to score with a jab to the body but Johnson is just out of range.
Good standup being displayed there by Johnson as he connects with a hook.
Kosmanov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A decent looking cross lands there for Johnson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kosmanov misses with a straight right.
Johnson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Johnson looks to land a combination but Kosmanov avoids it well.
Kosmanov looks to land a left hand but Johnson moved out of range nicely.
Kosmanov misses with a looping right.
Johnson looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Kosmanov.
A telegraphed right hand from Kosmanov misses the target.
Johnson defending well as Kosmanov loads up on a big left hand.
A little jabbing left from Johnson on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
A big left from Johnson misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kosmanov misses with a right hand
and Johnson counters with a stiff right hand.
Johnson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kosmanov.
Johnson throws a shot from downtown. Kosmanov moves away and avoids it.
Kosmanov throwing a counter right hand but Johnson manages to avoid it.
Kosmanov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nice takedown defense from Johnson. No joy for Kosmanov on that attempt.
Johnson is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
A big right from Johnson misses.
A big left from Kosmanov misses.
Kosmanov throws a big shot that misses.

Johnson shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Kosmanov napping and manages to drive through into side control!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kosmanov manages to get back to half guard.
Still in half guard, Johnson seems content to control.
Johnson is looking to take a break and control but Kosmanov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Johnson content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Kosmanov moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Kosmanov wants to sweep but no luck.
Kosmanov seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Johnson wants to get up but he can't break Kosmanov's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's four 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.
Johnson controlling from the top position.
Kosmanov has his hands on Johnson's head, controlling the position.
Johnson must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Kosmanov's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Johnson trying to control but Kosmanov is working from the bottom.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Nice uppercut lands for Kosmanov. That snapped Johnson's head back.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Vladimir Kosmanov will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Remi Johnson's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Johnson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kosmanov.
Johnson throws a head kick that misses.
Johnson throws a jab but it's blocked by Kosmanov.
Kosmanov throwing a counter right hand but Johnson manages to avoid it.
Johnson throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Kosmanov counters with a nice uppercut.
A lazy left from Kosmanov finds it's target.
Kosmanov ducks under a wild hook from Johnson.
Johnson throws a right hand that misses
enabling Kosmanov to counter with a crisp jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnson changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kosmanov tries to avoid it but Johnson manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kosmanov to the ground. Kosmanov escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Johnson misses with a left hand
and Kosmanov counters with a huge left! Johnson is in big trouble! He's backing up but Kosmanov isn't giving him chance to recover. Under a barage of punches the ref has to step in to save Johnson from any more damage. A dominating finish by Kosmanov!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:52 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Vladimir Kosmanov!
Vladimir Kosmanov retains his lightweight title!
After winning the bout, Vladimir Kosmanov thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.