PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Sam Am (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Darren Manhove (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Darren Manhove is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Am
vs
Manhove

190 cm
19
212 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

188 cm
25
211 lbs
6 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Knockout power

V-Mask Clothing (10%)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sam Am!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Darren Manhove!
The judges for this bout are Paul Gruel, Jeff Smith and Micheangelo Fripello.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Am tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Manhove manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Manhove has managed to clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Manhove.
Am lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

Am has clasped his hands together around Manhove's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Manhove wants to control but Am postures up.
Am is trying to ground and pound but Manhove uses the momentary lack of control by Am to regain half guard.
Am sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Manhove defending well though.
Manhove is trying to stand back up but Am is controlling him
Am throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Manhove is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Am is thwarting Manhove's attempts to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manhove is trying to stand.
Am not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Am lands a nice short elbow.
We've been hearing that Am has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Am missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Ground and pound from Am.
Manhove is looking for a sweep. Am is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Am working the head and body with strikes.
Am throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Am throws a strike but Manhove avoids it easily and moves to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Am wants to pass the guard but Manhove is keeping the position.
Am wants to control from the top but Manhove keeps moving.
Manhove has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Manhove avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Sam Am seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Manhove slaps away a takedown attempt from Am, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Am gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
enabling Manhove to counter with a crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Am walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

Am fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Manhove sprawls well initially but Am persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Manhove is staying active underneath Am, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Am with the ground and pound but Manhove uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Manhove manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Am manages to get himself to full guard.

Manhove trying to control but Am is working from the bottom.
Manhove throws a big right hand that misses.
Manhove scoring with some ground and pound.
Manhove wants to control from the top but Am keeps moving.
Am lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Am postures up and lands a big shot to Manhove's brow.
Am trying to control the position from guard on top but Manhove is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Manhove is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Am looking to pass the guard.
Am trying to control the position from guard on top but Manhove is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Am throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Manhove works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sam Am dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Manhove uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Am.

Am closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Am stops Manhove from getting back to his feet.
Am throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Manhove to regain full guard.
Am cracks Manhove with a solid left hand.
Am throws a big elbow that misses.
Manhove controlling Am's posture.
Am missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Am has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Am postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Am scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manhove wants to stand up but Am is controlling him.
Am in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Am throwing strikes but missing.
Manhove throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Am throws a big elbow that misses.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Am shoots for a takedown but Manhove saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Am takes a jab right on the kisser.
Manhove avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Am swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Manhove counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Am with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Am is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Manhove can do to turn this around?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Am lands a body shot.

Am scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Am looks up at the clock and then as Manhove takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Am smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Am is looking to take a break and control but Manhove is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Am throws a strike aimed at the side of Manhove's head but Manhove avoids it well.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Am working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Manhove tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Manhove pushes Am away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Am gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Am cracks Manhove with a big right hand but Manhove just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Am landing strikes.
Am working the ground and pound but Manhove is defending the strikes.
Manhove is pushing Am's head away, looking to escape. Am manages to hold on to the position though.
Manhove defending against the ground and pound.
Sam Am overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Manhove tries to escape but Am is in control.
Am with the ground and pound but Manhove regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Manhove wants to improve his position but Am is controlling well.
Am wants to take a breather but Manhove is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Am missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Am trying to pass the guard but Manhove defending well.
Manhove is trying to get back to full guard.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Am darts in looking for a takedown but Manhove gets double underhooks and turns Am into the cage.
Manhove misses the shot to the body.
Darren Manhove is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Am takes a swing at Manhove's ribcage but misses.

Am bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Manhove wants to get back to his feet but Am drags him back down.
Am scoring with punches from side control.
Manhove is trying to get back to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sam Am dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Am drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Am wants to control from the top but Manhove keeps moving.
Am makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Am chips away with some ground and pound.
Am throws a strike but Manhove rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Am manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Manhove manages to get himself to full guard.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manhove looking for a sweep. Not yet Manhove, not yet.
Manhove is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Am tries to free his leg and advance position but Manhove is retaining full guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Am accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Am preventing the sweep.
Am pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Manhove is keeping the position for now.

Manhove has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Am can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Am lands a couple of elbows.
Am in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Sam Am is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

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.
Am controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Am won't allow Manhove to sweep him here.
Am content to stall in guard here.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Am gets a takedown into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Manhove is trying to maintain the position but Am is very close to passing his half guard.
Manhove wants to improve his position but Am is controlling well.
Am is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sam Am showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Am, 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 Paul Gruel scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jeff Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sam Am!