PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Max D Alessandro (ranked 25226 p4p, 5896 weight class) and Stejpan Kovac (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Max D Alessandro has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

D Alessandro
vs
Kovac

190 cm
19
260
0 - 3 - 0

195 cm
18
230
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Determined

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 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Max D Alessandro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Stejpan Kovac!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Russell Pearce and Jonathan Paton.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
D Alessandro shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Kovac as he avoids it easily.

A momentary lapse in concentration from D Alessandro enables Kovac to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. D Alessandro manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
D Alessandro managing to control the position.
Kovac really doesn't want to stay on the ground with D Alessandro. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

D Alessandro is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Kovac defends well.
Kovac has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of D Alessandro is proving hard to escape from.
Kovac must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
D Alessandro is pulling down on Kovac's head to control his posture.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
D Alessandro trying to control the position.

D Alessandro has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Kovac can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

That's one minute gone in the round.

D Alessandro working for a triangle but Kovac defends it easily.
D Alessandro looking to hit a scissor sweep but Kovac is one step ahead there.
D Alessandro is trying to keep Kovac in close.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
D Alessandro looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

D Alessandro is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Kovac preventing the sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
D Alessandro is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

D Alessandro drops an elbow to the side of Kovac's head.
Kovac wants to stand back up but D Alessandro manages to pass into side control.
The strikes coming from D Alessandro are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Kovac on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Kovac is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Kovac trying to remain calm as D Alessandro controls from the top position.
Kovac looking for a sweep but D Alessandro has passed into full mount! Oh no!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kovac suckers D Alessandro into throwing a sloppy strike and uses the momentum to reverse the position beautifully! Kovac is now in D Alessandro's guard!
D Alessandro bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kovac's guard.

D Alessandro showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
D Alessandro postures up in Kovac's guard and throws a big left but Kovac blocks it.
D Alessandro stays in close to Kovac's body and controls the position.
Kovac working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from D Alessandro.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
D Alessandro throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
D Alessandro controls from within his opponent's guard.
D Alessandro missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
D Alessandro throws a big right hand that misses.
D Alessandro 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.
D Alessandro stopping the sweep attempt from Kovac.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
D Alessandro controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Kovac 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.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
D Alessandro trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
D Alessandro throwing strikes but missing.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Max D Alessandro dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

D Alessandro shoots in for a takedown but Kovac shows good takedown defense.
Stejpan Kovac seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
D Alessandro takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.

It looks like Max D Alessandro has been cut.
Kovac tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. D Alessandro manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
D Alessandro tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Kovac manages to circle out of the way.
D Alessandro fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
And Kovac tries to counter it with a takedown but D Alessandro pushes his down on his head and steps out.
D Alessandro has his takedown stuffed
and Kovac counters with a nice uppercut.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Max D Alessandro. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kovac shoots for a takedown but D Alessandro saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Stejpan Kovac is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kovac shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says D Alessandro as he avoids it easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kovac fails with a takedown attempt.

D Alessandro fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Kovac to the ground. D Alessandro is now in Kovac's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

D Alessandro thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
D Alessandro content to stall in guard here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
D Alessandro content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Kovac can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as D Alessandro controls the pace.
D Alessandro'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.

That's two 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.
Further stalling from D Alessandro.
D Alessandro is in close to Kovac's body, working some short punches and elbows.
D Alessandro controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
D Alessandro sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Kovac's guard.
D Alessandro controlling the action here.
D Alessandro prevents Kovac from improving his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
D Alessandro lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
D Alessandro not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Max D Alessandro overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
D Alessandro moves nicely into side control.
Kovac avoids any damage from the ground and pound of D Alessandro.
Kovac parries the strikes from D Alessandro easily there. D Alessandro is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Kovac to escape.
Check out the look on D Alessandro's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
D Alessandro controls the position from side control.
D Alessandro is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Kovac can do to turn this around?
D Alessandro working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kovac seems a little lost for a moment, as D Alessandro dominates the positioning.
Kovac is trying to improve his position.
D Alessandro scores with a couple of short elbows.
D Alessandro creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Kovac sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
D Alessandro in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Kovac is trying to escape the position but D Alessandro is controlling the position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Kovac avoids any damage from the ground and pound of D Alessandro.
Kovac defending against the ground and pound.
Kovac is not content to let D Alessandro control the position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Max D Alessandro dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Max D Alessandro's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Nice takedown defense from D Alessandro. No joy for Kovac on that attempt.
D Alessandro misses the jab.
D Alessandro slips a jab and a cross from Kovac.

Kovac has D Alessandro up against the cage in a clinch.
D Alessandro blocks an elbow strike.
D Alessandro keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Kovac's efforts to push away.
Kovac tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. D Alessandro just stands there and leans against the cage.
D Alessandro tries a body shot but Kovac blocks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for D Alessandro.
D Alessandro stops a takedown attempt from Kovac.
Max D Alessandro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Stejpan Kovac.

D Alessandro pulls guard effortlessly.
D Alessandro has control of Kovac's left arm, preventing Kovac from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovac trying to control the position from guard on top but D Alessandro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
D Alessandro has control of Kovac's left arm, preventing Kovac from doing any damage.
Kovac looking to sit in guard and control but D Alessandro gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

D Alessandro postures up and lands a big shot to Kovac's brow.
D Alessandro showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
D Alessandro keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Kovac's head.
Max D Alessandro is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
D Alessandro controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
D Alessandro is standing up over Kovac. Kovac looks to escape but D Alessandro dives into side control.
D Alessandro slows the pace down.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kovac is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but D Alessandro is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
D Alessandro looking to control and managing it successfully.
Kovac tries to hold on but D Alessandro pushes him away.
D Alessandro takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
D Alessandro avoids the attempt from Kovac to control.
D Alessandro controlling from mount.
Stejpan Kovac has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

And that's the end of the fight!
Max D Alessandro showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for D Alessandro, 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Max D Alessandro!