PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Tony Tight (ranked 810 p4p, 1570 weight class) and Egor Kuznecov (ranked 111 p4p, 200 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Tight
vs
Kuznecov

196 cm
26
280
7 - 0 - 0

193 cm
19
283
4 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Determined

Bondi MMA 🏝️
Champion Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Tony Tight!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Egor Kuznecov!
The judges for this bout are Konstantin Menshow, Fedor Mirinova and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tight slips a straight right by Kuznecov.
Kuznecov has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Tight takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov is having none of it.
Kuznecov swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Tight tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Kuznecov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.

Tight closes the distance and clinches.
Tight definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Kuznecov can't get the takedown.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kuznecov blocks an uppercut.
Tight gets through Kuznecov's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Kuznecov tries for a takedown. No joy.
Kuznecov is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Tight pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Tony Tight has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Egor Kuznecov.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tight goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Tight gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Kuznecov.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tight.
Kuznecov can't get the takedown.
Tight gets underhooks to prevent Kuznecov's takedown attempt.
Tight misses with a shot to the kidneys.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tight.
Tight is pressed up against the cage. Kuznecov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Tight down to the mat. Tight avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Tight is looking to clinch but Kuznecov is avoiding it.
Kuznecov tries to bum rush Tight with a series of wild strikes but Tight uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov looks to land a right hand but Tight moved out of range.
Tony Tight is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kuznecov keeps the fight on the outside.
Kuznecov drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Tight defends it well.
Tight doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuznecov circles away.
Kuznecov drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Tight defends it well.
Tight moves in looking to clinch but Kuznecov pushes him off.
Kuznecov misses with a takedown attempt
and Tight counters with a right hand to the body.

Tight moves into the clinch successfully.
A right hand to the body from Tight.

Kuznecov pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kuznecov on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Kuznecov looks winded!
Kuznecov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kuznecov changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Kuznecov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Tight.
Tight doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuznecov circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov is having none of it.
Tight is looking to clinch.
Tight ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Tight tries to clinch up.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuznecov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Tight pushes Kuznecov up against the cage in a clinch.
Tight trying to land knees to the body.
Tight tries to land knees in the clinch but Kuznecov avoids the damage to the body.
Tight trying to control the position but instead, Kuznecov has worked for underhooks and has pushed Tight into the cage.
Tight lands a body shot in the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tight lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Tight cracks Kuznecov with a nice body shot.
Tight digs a right hand underneath Kuznecov's ribcage. Kuznecov let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Tight.

Kuznecov escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Tight tries to clinch up.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov is having none of it.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov moves out of range.
Kuznecov feints the counter takedown.
Tight tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Kuznecov counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kuznecov is controlling the pace.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tony Tight 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.

Tight defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Kuznecov.
A swing and a miss from Kuznecov.
Tight defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Kuznecov.
Tight lands a nice looking body shot.
Tight closes the distance looking to clinch

and Kuznecov decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Tight's guard.

Tight wriggles free and stands up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuznecov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Egor Kuznecov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tight looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kuznecov drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Tight defends it well.
Kuznecov throws a looping overhand right but Tight ducks down to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznecov misses with a takedown
and Tight counters with a nice uppercut.
Tony Tight has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Egor Kuznecov.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov moves out of range.
Kuznecov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Tony Tight seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Tight gets a clinch.
Kuznecov is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Tight gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Kuznecov drops down looking for an ankle pick but Tight pulls his leg out and moves away.
Kuznecov uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tight looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kuznecov tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Tight wants to clinch
and Kuznecov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Tight is looking to clinch but Kuznecov is avoiding it.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kuznecov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tight gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Tight scores with a three punch combo!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tight closes the distance but Kuznecov moves to the side
and Kuznecov counters with a nice uppercut.
Kuznecov throws an off balance right hand
and Tight counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

Kuznecov looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Tight!
Tight wants to get back to his feet but Kuznecov is dominant here and he's now got Tight's back!
Tight is trying to get back to his feet but Kuznecov has full control of the position and if anything, Tight has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Kuznecov softening up his opponent with strikes here.
Tight is trying to stand back up.
Tight trying to control but not successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov has good solid back control here.
Kuznecov lands a punch that was close to the back of the head but the ref thinks it's OK.
Kuznecov biding his time, looking for the opening.
Kuznecov gets his hooks in and is throwing strikes.

It looks like Tony Tight has been cut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tight is being controlled on the ground here - he must escape this position otherwise surely the end is near.
Kuznecov is working the ground and pound. Can Tight escape?
Kuznecov cracks Tight with a big shot to body and one to the head - really punishing Tight from the back mount here, looking to soften him up.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Egor Kuznecov will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Tony Tight's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.
Kuznecov shoots in and drives through. Tight sprawls well.
Nice defenses there by Tight.
It looked like Tight wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kuznecov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tight wants to clinch
and Kuznecov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Tight moves in looking to clinch but Kuznecov pushes him off.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tight tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kuznecov was well out of range. Poor timing from Tight.
Tight tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kuznecov 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.
Kuznecov keeps the fight on the outside.
Tight is looking to clinch but Kuznecov is avoiding it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tight moves in looking to clinch but Kuznecov pushes him off.
Kuznecov drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Tight defends it well.
Tight uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kuznecov.
Tight cracks Kuznecov with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
The crowd cheers as Kuznecov lands an impressive looking overhand right. Tight doesn't seem phased though.

Tony Tight's cut is getting worse.
Kuznecov has his takedown stuffed
and Tight counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuznecov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Kuznecov drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Tight defends it well.
A punch lands to the side of Kuznecov 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Kuznecov misses with a takedown
and Tight counters with a straight right hand.
Tony Tight has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Egor Kuznecov.
Kuznecov misses with a takedown
and Tight counters with a left to the body.
Kuznecov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov misses with an uppercut

and Tight counters by clinching up.
Kuznecov is trying to force a seperation but Tight has the dominant position.
Kuznecov tries for a takedown but Tight manages to get underhooks.
Kuznecov looking for a takedown.
Tight misses with a punch to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Tight.
Kuznecov takes a shot to the head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tight lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Tight digs a right hand underneath Kuznecov's ribcage. Kuznecov let out a lung full of air as it connected.
A body shot lands from Tight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tight gets through Kuznecov's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Tight stalls.
Tight scores with a hook to the body.
Tight is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Kuznecov is defending well for now.
Tight dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Kuznecov tries to break free but Tight pushes him back against the cage.
Tight softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Tight stops a takedown attempt from Kuznecov.
Tight misses with a punch on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov tries for a takedown. No joy.
Tight prevents the takedown attempt.
Tight is struggling to control the position.
Tight can't find room to land a body shot as Kuznecov controls the action.
Tight displaying some good clinch control by pressing Kuznecov up against the cage.
Tight tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Kuznecov avoids it.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tight gets underhooks to prevent Kuznecov's takedown attempt.
Kuznecov is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Tight pulls him back up using the underhooks.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tony Tight clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Tony Tight's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Tight has taken the fight to the clinch.
Kuznecov wants to get back to striking at distance but Tight won't allow it.
Tight looking to stall.
Tight working aggressively here.
Tight is pressed up against the cage. Kuznecov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Tight down to the mat. Tight avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Tight tries to clinch there but Kuznecov circles away.
Tight is looking to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kuznecov lands with a straight right. Tight didn't see that one coming.
Kuznecov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Tight sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Tight fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Kuznecov on the side of the head.
Tight dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Kuznecov is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tight looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kuznecov tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Tight doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuznecov circles away.
Tight wants to clinch.
Tight connects with a nice looking jab.
Kuznecov misses with a lunging right hand
and Tight counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Tight throws out a powerful jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov moves out of range.
Kuznecov keeps the fight on the outside.

Tight gets caught flat footed, as Kuznecov shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Kuznecov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Kuznecov postures up.
Tight wants to get back to his feet but Kuznecov is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Kuznecov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov is working Tight over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Kuznecov looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Kuznecov postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Tight wants to clinch.
Kuznecov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Tight is looking to counter the offense by Kuznecov and move into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Kuznecov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kuznecov lands with a nice body punch.
Tight tries to clinch up but Kuznecov circles away and keeps his distance.
Tight fails with an attempt to clinch.
Kuznecov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch but Kuznecov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Tight tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Kuznecov paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Tight darts in and clinches Kuznecov up against the cage.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tight misses with the head strike.
Kuznecov tries for a takedown but Tight manages to get underhooks.
Tight misses with some punches.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Egor Kuznecov will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Tony Tight's cut.
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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Tight misses with a double jab.
Tight throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.
Tight doesn't manage to clinch there - Kuznecov circles away.
And Kuznecov tries to counter it with a takedown but Tight pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Kuznecov keeps the fight on the outside.
Kuznecov connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Tight momentarily.
Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kuznecov takes one on the chin but seems OK.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tight fails with an attempt to clinch.
And Kuznecov tries to counter it with a takedown but Tight pushes his down on his head and steps out.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tight looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kuznecov throws a hook but Tight avoids it easily.
Tight tries to counter by clinching up but Kuznecov breaks away and moves out of range.
Tight tests Kuznecov's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Tight displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kuznecov throws out the jab.
A big right from Kuznecov misses.
Kuznecov shoots in for a takedown but Tight shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Tony Tight is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kuznecov has his takedown stuffed
enabling Tight to counter with a crisp jab.
Kuznecov is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Kuznecov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Tight appears to be looking for a big counter.
Tight tries to clinch up.
Kuznecov tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Kuznecov circles away from the clinch attempt.
Tight wants to clinch.
A jab from Kuznecov misses.
Tight moves in looking to clinch but Kuznecov pushes him off.
Kuznecov feints the counter takedown.
Tight fails with an attempt to clinch.
Tight is looking to clinch but Kuznecov is avoiding it.
Kuznecov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuznecov connects with a right hand. Tight shakes it off.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov moves out of range.
Tight connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Tight wants to clinch up but Kuznecov keeps it at a distance.
Kuznecov with a poor takedown
and Kuznecov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Tony Tight has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Egor Kuznecov.
Tight wants to clinch.
Tight tries to clinch but Kuznecov is having none of it.
Kuznecov feints the counter takedown.
Kuznecov swings widly with a right hand
and Tight counters with a stiff right hand.

Kuznecov is rocked!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tight slaps away a takedown attempt from Kuznecov, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Tight uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kuznecov.
Kuznecov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kuznecov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tight.
Tight tries to clinch up but Kuznecov circles away and keeps his distance.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tight fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kuznecov with the counter takedown but Tight avoids it easily.
Tight tries to clinch

and Kuznecov counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Kuznecov.
Tight is looking to stand back up but Kuznecov counters by passing into half guard. Oops... bit sloppy there by Tight.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tony Tight showed his dominance in that final round.
I have no idea who won that fight. Let's wait and see whether the judges are as confused as me! Time for a split decision perhaps?!. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 48:47
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 48:47
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 48:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tony Tight!
Tony Tight retains his heavyweight title!
In his post fight interview, Tony Tight gave a big smile as he said 'Respect to my opponent but I'm on another level. These guys just can't handle what I bring to the table. This belt is staying right here for a long long time. '.