PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Noah Trapp (ranked 4411 p4p, 4445 weight class) and Bekzhan Yerzhanov (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.

Trapp
vs
Yerzhanov

170 cm
18
155
0 - 0 - 0

185 cm
18
155
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Noah Trapp!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Bekzhan Yerzhanov!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yerzhanov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Trapp.
Yerzhanov fails with a takedown attempt.

Trapp scores with a takedown into Yerzhanov's guard.
Trapp landing some decent shots from guard.
Trapp postures up and lands a big shot to Yerzhanov's brow.
Yerzhanov is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yerzhanov is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Trapp working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Trapp is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Yerzhanov looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Trapp looking to pass the guard.
Trapp postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Yerzhanov trying to strike off his back.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Trapp landing with the ground and pound.
Trapp is pushing down on Yerzhanov's leg trying to pass to half guard. Yerzhanov is fighting to maintain full guard but Trapp has managed to sneak the leg through.
Trapp lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Trapp winds up and cracks Yerzhanov with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Trapp scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Trapp keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Trapp lands a nice short elbow.

Trapp is looking for a kimura but Yerzhanov is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Trapp to get the leverage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Trapp lands a nice short elbow.
Trapp trying to control the pace.
Trapp scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Trapp controlling the action here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Trapp moves nicely into side control.
Trapp cracks Yerzhanov with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Yerzhanov really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Trapp. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Yerzhanov is looking for a sweep.
Trapp cracks Yerzhanov with an elbow. That is naaassty.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Trapp scoring with punches and elbows.
Yerzhanov tries to buck Trapp off but Trapp is having none of it.

Trapp thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trapp controls the position from side control.
Trapp has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Trapp scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Yerzhanov to see if he's OK.

Trapp tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Trapp has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

Trapp is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Yerzhanov has escaped the position, nice work there.

Trapp is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Yerzhanov knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yerzhanov is working to avoid the ground and pound but Trapp connects with a decent elbow.
Yerzhanov is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Trapp has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Trapp wants to lay and pray for a moment but Yerzhanov keeps working.
Trapp lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Trapp working the ground and pound from side control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Trapp grinds an elbow into Yerzhanov's temple.
Yerzhanov is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Yerzhanov taking punishment in the form of punches.

Trapp is trying to get an arm triangle but Yerzhanov is defending well.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Noah Trapp dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Trapp looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Yerzhanov can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Trapp controls the pace.
Trapp pushing down on Yerzhanov's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Trapp scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Trapp is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Trapp lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yerzhanov taking some punishment here, with Trapp in his half guard.
Trapp wants to pass to mount but Yerzhanov is defending the position.
Trapp looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Yerzhanov tries to kick Trapp off but Trapp keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Trapp working over Yerzhanov with some ground and pound. Yerzhanov looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Trapp lands with a punch from half guard.
Trapp working Yerzhanov over with strikes.
Yerzhanov taking some punishment here, with Trapp in his half guard.
Trapp looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Trapp lands a nice short elbow.
Trapp is nestled in close to Yerzhanov, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Noah Trapp overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Trapp scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Trapp working Yerzhanov over with strikes.
Trapp lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Trapp connects with a nice short shot to Yerzhanov's temple.
Trapp looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Yerzhanov with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Yerzhanov trying to hold on to Trapp's head to control him but Trapp postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yerzhanov is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Trapp is staying active.
Trapp takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Yerzhanov wants to get back to full guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yerzhanov taking some punishment here, with Trapp in his half guard.
Nice strikes from Trapp there.
Trapp perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Trapp working the head and body with strikes.
Trapp drops an elbow to the side of Yerzhanov's head.
Trapp lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Yerzhanov gets full guard.
Trapp is in close to Yerzhanov's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Trapp passes Yerzhanov's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Yerzhanov is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Trapp scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trapp performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Trapp passes the guard and advances to mount!

Trapp has hold of Yerzhanov's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Yerzhanov manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Trapp looking for a guillotine from mount but Yerzhanov is having none of it.
Trapp is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Yerzhanov can do to turn this around?
Trapp breaks from Yerzhanov's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Trapp fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Trapp is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yerzhanov is wriggling around trying to escape.
Yerzhanov taking shots to the head.
Trapp is landing with some decent strikes but Yerzhanov is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Trapp lands a heavy elbow.
Trapp with the ground and pound from mount.
Trapp pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Trapp punishing his opponent with strikes.
Yerzhanov tries to lock up and control but Trapp gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Trapp lands a heavy elbow.
Trapp lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Yerzhanov hang on?
Trapp is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Trapp is landing with some decent strikes but Yerzhanov is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Trapp is landing with some decent strikes but Yerzhanov is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.

Trapp is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Yerzhanov is surviving well by controlling Trapp's body position as best he can.
Trapp punishing his opponent with strikes.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Noah Trapp dominated that second round.
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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

A head kick misses from Yerzhanov.
Yerzhanov tries to close the distance and clinch but Trapp swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Trapp stuffs the takedown attempt from Yerzhanov. Yerzhanov gets slowly back to his feet.
Yerzhanov scores with a nice strike.
Noah Trapp seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yerzhanov misses with a body kick.

Trapp shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Trapp working Yerzhanov over with strikes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ground and pound from Trapp.
Yerzhanov has hold of Trapp's hands but Trapp slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Trapp working over Yerzhanov with some ground and pound. Yerzhanov looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Trapp lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Trapp looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

Yerzhanov is defending against the submission attempts here by Trapp.
Trapp seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Trapp moves into full mount! Yerzhanov won't be happy about that!
Yerzhanov taking shots to the head.
Trapp landing punches.
Trapp landing strikes from the mount.
Trapp punishing his opponent with strikes.
Trapp lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Yerzhanov defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Trapp.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Trapp controlling the pace for now.
Trapp looking to finish Yerzhanov with some ground and pound. This is bad for Yerzhanov!

Trapp is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Yerzhanov to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Yerzhanov shrugs it off.
Trapp raining down shots from the mount!
Trapp working Yerzhanov over with strikes here.
Trapp in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Yerzhanov in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trapp looking to control and managing it successfully.
Trapp with the ground and pound from mount.
Trapp landing strikes, looking to finish!

Yerzhanov defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Trapp.
Trapp lands with some strikes.

Yerzhanov is rocked!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Trapp cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!

Trapp with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Trapp pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Yerzhanov is still in real trouble! Can Trapp finish him?
Trapp with a couple of short strikes.
Trapp dominating with strikes here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Trapp is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Trapp unloading with bombs!
Trapp cracks Yerzhanov with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Yerzhanov is in a horrible position here. Trapp smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Trapp with the ground and pound from mount.
Trapp dominating with strikes here.
Yerzhanov tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Yerzhanov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Yerzhanov taking shots to the head.
Trapp landing strikes from the mount.
Trapp fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Trapp lands a big elbow.
Trapp dominating with strikes here.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Trapp with a couple of short strikes.
Trapp cracks Yerzhanov with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Trapp raining down hammerfists from mount.
Bekzhan Yerzhanov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Noah Trapp is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Trapp postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Yerzhanov looks a forlorn figure.

And that's the end of the fight!
Noah Trapp showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Trapp, 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:24
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:24
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:24

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Noah Trapp!