PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Chiku Maneno (ranked 1147 p4p, 153 weight class) and Vicente Lafayette (ranked 1437 p4p, 190 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Maneno
vs
Lafayette

178 cm
43
177 lbs
47 - 32 - 3

184 cm
40
175 lbs
40 - 26 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 47 - 32 - 3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Chiku Maneno!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 40 - 26 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Vicente Lafayette!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Maneno uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Lafayette has time to react.
Maneno lands with a nice body punch.
Maneno misses with a body shot.
Lafayette has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Lafayette there as he acknowledges the shot.
Maneno waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Lafayette.
Lafayette moves out of range as Maneno strikes.
Maneno fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Maneno throws an overhand right that lands on Lafayette's shoulder, as Lafayette tries to avoid the shot.
Lafayette looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Maneno throws an overhand right that lands on Lafayette's shoulder, as Lafayette tries to avoid the shot.
Maneno lands with a shot to the body.
Lafayette uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Maneno.
Nice sprawl there from Maneno as Lafayette shoots in.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A punch combination from Lafayette misses.
Maneno throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nice shot lands for Lafayette.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lafayette shoots in but no luck this time.
Maneno misses with a body punch

and Lafayette counters by clinching up.

Maneno breaks from the clinch.
Maneno throws a sloppy body shot
and Lafayette counters with a three punch combo that has Maneno backing up. Maneno nods at Lafayette to acknowledge the strikes.
Maneno scores with a nice right hand.
Maneno just misses with a punch to the body.
Maneno lands a right hook to the body.
Lafayette shoots and misses
and Maneno counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Chiku Maneno has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Vicente Lafayette.
Lafayette will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Maneno looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Maneno lands with a cross.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Maneno uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Lafayette has time to react.
Maneno misses with a right hand
and Lafayette counters with a left to the body.
Maneno misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lafayette.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Lafayette! But no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maneno lands a right hook to the body.
Lafayette gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Lafayette fails to land with a series of punches.
Jab, jab by Maneno - just one landing.
Lafayette closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Maneno wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Maneno is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.

Lafayette drives through and clinches with Maneno against the ropes.
Maneno working hard to break the clinch.
Maneno wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Lafayette has him pressed against the ropes.

Maneno breaks from the clinch.
Maneno fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Lafayette manages to avoid it.
A cross from Maneno lands.

Lafayette fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Maneno, pushing him back against the ropes.

Maneno escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maneno lands a nice hook to Lafayette's body. Lafayette takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Maneno throws a body punch but Lafayette moves out of range.
Lafayette tries to close the distance and clinch up but Maneno swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Lafayette avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Maneno ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Lafayette moves away.
Maneno is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Lafayette takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Maneno connects with a single shot there.
Lafayette takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Maneno lands with a nice body punch.
Maneno misses with a shot to the body
and Lafayette counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Lafayette avoids the body shot from Maneno.
Lafayette only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Lafayette lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
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!
Maneno changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Lafayette throws a combination that misses
and Maneno counters with a right hand to the body.
Maneno connects with a body shot that sends Lafayette's belly button to the back.
Nice body punch from Maneno.
A cross from Maneno lands.
The fighters circling - Maneno throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Lafayette moves out of range of the strikes.
Lafayette is looking for the big counter here.
Maneno jabs at Lafayette's body.
Lafayette shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Lafayette shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Lafayette darts in and clinches Maneno up against the ropes.
Maneno is trying to push Lafayette away but Lafayette has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.

Lafayette ties up his opponent against the ropes and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Lafayette no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chiku Maneno dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Maneno misses with a lunging right hand
and Maneno takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Lafayette throws an overhand right that lands on Maneno's shoulder, as Maneno tries to avoid the shot.
Maneno digs a good hook to Lafayette's body.
Nice straight punches there by Maneno. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Maneno.
Maneno throws a lazy uppercut
and Lafayette counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Lafayette takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Maneno moves into range and connects with a jab.
Maneno throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
A swing and a miss from Maneno.
Lafayette walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Maneno swings widly with a right hand
and Lafayette counters with a stiff right hand.

Lafayette has taken the fight to the clinch.
Lafayette prevents Maneno from breaking the clinch.
Maneno tries to break free but Lafayette pushes him back against the ropes.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Maneno escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Lafayette tries to clinch but Maneno is having none of it.
Maneno swings for the body but Lafayette moves out of range.
Lafayette's jab looks to have found its range, popping Maneno under the eye.
Maneno throws a lazy uppercut
and Lafayette counters with a series of strikes. Maneno will be more careful next time no doubt.
Maneno takes a swing at Lafayette's ribcage but misses.
Maneno misses with a hook
and Lafayette counters with a one-two to the body.
Maneno scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lafayette doesn't seem bothered though.
Maneno fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Decent striking displayed by Maneno there.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Maneno misses with a body shot
and Lafayette counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Maneno throws a jab but it's blocked by Lafayette.

Lafayette fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Maneno, pushing him back against the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lafayette fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Lafayette tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Maneno smiles and moves away.
Maneno is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Lafayette can do to turn this around?

Lafayette closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Lafayette is breathing heavily.
Maneno wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

Lafayette wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Maneno, who protects the arm well.

Lafayette swings around for an armbar but Maneno sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Lafayette's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Lafayette is working an open guard so Maneno takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Lafayette tries to close the distance and clinch but Maneno swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Lafayette looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Lafayette moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Chiku Maneno is winning the standup battle so far.
Maneno misses with a left hand

and Lafayette counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Lafayette is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the ropes enables Maneno to keep the fight standing.
Chiku Maneno has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Vicente Lafayette.

Maneno breaks the clinch.
Chiku Maneno is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Maneno throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Maneno wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Maneno throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Lafayette takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Maneno misses with a wild body shot.
Lafayette throws a counter combo.
Maneno throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Lafayette counters with a two punch combo.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Lafayette clinches with his opponent.

Maneno escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Lafayette uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Maneno.
Maneno connects with a body shot that sends Lafayette's belly button to the back.
Maneno connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Maneno misses with a body punch
and Maneno takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Chiku Maneno seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Lafayette is looking to clinch but Maneno is avoiding it.
Nice cross by Maneno.
Maneno misses with a body shot
enabling Lafayette to counter with a crisp jab.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Maneno throws a looping overhand right but Lafayette ducks down to avoid it.
A shot to the liver by Maneno. Beautiful body shot.
Lafayette tries to clinch
enabling Maneno to counter with a crisp jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chiku Maneno dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Maneno throws a body shot but no joy.
Maneno swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Lafayette has managed to clinch.
Maneno is trying to break free.
Maneno wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Lafayette has him pressed against the ropes.
Maneno wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Maneno looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Lafayette jumps guard but Maneno stands there with Lafayette around his waist. Lafayette gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Maneno's face as he tries to break the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Lafayette successfully pulls guard.

Maneno decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Lafayette throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Maneno's waist but Maneno gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Lafayette off to one side.
Lafayette looks to clinch
and Maneno counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lafayette closes the distance but Maneno moves to the side
and Maneno connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Lafayette gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Maneno is looking to break free of the clinch but Lafayette has double underhooks.

Maneno manages to break the clinch.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Maneno, as that shot connected.
Lafayette 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.
Lafayette misses with a kick to the body
and Lafayette takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Maneno misses with a hook. Lafayette ducked under it nicely.
Lafayette darts in trying to clinch
and Maneno counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Maneno just misses with a punch to the body.
Lafayette shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Chiku Maneno has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Vicente Lafayette.
Lafayette takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lafayette is pinned up against the ropes taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Lafayette tries a head kick but it misses.
Maneno misses with a wild body shot.
Lafayette moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Maneno fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Maneno misses with a body shot.
Lafayette uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Maneno.
Lafayette keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Maneno throws out a loose jab but Lafayette uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nice defenses there by Lafayette.
Lafayette throws a counter combo.
Maneno lands with a shot to the body.
Maneno misses with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maneno misses the body punch
and Lafayette counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Maneno misses with an uppercut.
A big right from Maneno misses.
Maneno throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Lafayette will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Maneno lands a nice hook to Lafayette's body. Lafayette takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Vicente Lafayette has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Lafayette looks to land a combination but Maneno avoids it well.
Maneno bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Maneno swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vicente Lafayette is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Maneno throws a body punch but Lafayette moves out of range.
Maneno lands a glancing blow to the side of Lafayette's head.
Nice takedown defense from Maneno. No joy for Lafayette on that attempt.
Maneno is looking to counter punch.
Lafayette has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lafayette takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Maneno bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Lafayette's head backwards.
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!
Maneno swings widly with a right hand
and Lafayette connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Lafayette misses with a straight left.
Maneno was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Maneno scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lafayette doesn't seem bothered though.
Lafayette looks for the body kick but Maneno saw that one coming.
Maneno appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Maneno dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Maneno misses with a jab to the body

and Lafayette counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Lafayette prevents Maneno from getting back to his feet.
Lafayette is looking to work some ground and pound but Maneno has wrist control.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Lafayette accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Chiku Maneno showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Maneno, 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 Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Chiku Maneno!
A relieved looking Chiku Maneno thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.