PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Mario Leonardo (ranked 3343 p4p, 5754 weight class) and Kazhymukan Manaitpasov (ranked 411 p4p, 565 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Leonardo
vs
Manaitpasov

185 cm
18
170
1 - 0 - 0

183 cm
18
170
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Granite chin

Champion Apparel

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mario Leonardo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazhymukan Manaitpasov!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Dillan Fox and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Leonardo lands with an uppercut that bounces Manaitpasov off the cage and back into range.

It looks like Kazhymukan Manaitpasov has been cut.
Manaitpasov ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

Manaitpasov looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Manaitpasov throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Manaitpasov has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Manaitpasov throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Manaitpasov content to control rather than advance.
Leonardo wants to get back to his feet.
Manaitpasov thows a huge punch but Leonardo dodges it nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manaitpasov looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Manaitpasov throwing shots but Leonardo is blocking nicely.
Manaitpasov throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manaitpasov sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Leonardo defending well though.
Leonardo definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Manaitpasov not doing much here.
Manaitpasov throwing shots but Leonardo is blocking nicely.
Manaitpasov sitting and controlling from the half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Leonardo missing with punches from the bottom.
Leonardo knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Manaitpasov on the ground.
Manaitpasov content to control rather than advance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Manaitpasov throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Manaitpasov passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Leonardo!
Manaitpasov unloads with some shots from mount but Leonardo bucks and avoids them well.
Manaitpasov postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Leonardo looks a forlorn figure.
Manaitpasov sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Leonardo is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Manaitpasov landing punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Leonardo tries to hold on but Manaitpasov pushes him away.
Poor strikes thrown by Manaitpasov there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Manaitpasov throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Manaitpasov controlling the position easily from mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Manaitpasov looking to control but Leonardo is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Manaitpasov controlling the position easily from mount.
Manaitpasov throws some wild stikes that Leonardo manages to avoid easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Manaitpasov cracks Leonardo with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Manaitpasov unloads with some shots from mount but Leonardo bucks and avoids them well.
Poor strikes thrown by Manaitpasov there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Manaitpasov looking to control and managing it successfully.
Manaitpasov wants to control the pace but Leonardo is squirming around nicely.
Manaitpasov misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Manaitpasov landing shots from mount.
A nice elbow there by Manaitpasov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Manaitpasov unloads with some shots from mount but Leonardo bucks and avoids them well.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Kazhymukan Manaitpasov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Kazhymukan Manaitpasov's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Leonardo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov ducks under a wild hook from Leonardo.
Manaitpasov has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.

Manaitpasov bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Manaitpasov connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Leonardo some visible discomfort.
Leonardo dodges the ground and pound from Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov wants to control but Leonardo is keeping him busy.
Leonardo wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
You can see the frustration on Leonardo's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sloppy strikes there by Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov throws a strike aimed at the side of Leonardo's head but Leonardo avoids it well.
Leonardo is trying to get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leonardo can't do much from the bottom here.
Manaitpasov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Manaitpasov misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Leonardo defending against the ground and pound.
Leonardo is looking for a sweep.
Manaitpasov working the ground and pound but Leonardo is defending the strikes.
Leonardo throws a couple of punches but he's in a bad position and they don't land.
Manaitpasov tries to score with some ground and pound. Leonardo controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Manaitpasov looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Leonardo is avoiding damage well.
Manaitpasov happy to just control the position for now.
Manaitpasov sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Leonardo is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo is letting Manaitpasov control him for a moment.
Manaitpasov in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Manaitpasov misses with the ground and pound.
Manaitpasov misses with the ground and pound.
Leonardo taking punishment in the form of punches.
Leonardo dodges the ground and pound from Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov controls the position.
Sloppy strikes there by Manaitpasov.
Leonardo is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Manaitpasov is controlling him well.
Manaitpasov landing strikes.
A lull in the action here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Leonardo is avoiding damage well.
An elbow from Manaitpasov crashes against the mat.
Leonardo is looking to reverse the position.
Manaitpasov creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Leonardo sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Manaitpasov prevents Leonardo from escaping the position.
Manaitpasov content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Leonardo is trying to get back to his feet.

That's four 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.
Manaitpasov postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Leonardo is trying to control Manaitpasov's posture but Manaitpasov avoids it.
Manaitpasov happy to just control the position for now.
Manaitpasov throws an elbow but Leonardo slips to the side and avoids it well.
Manaitpasov fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Leonardo dodges the ground and pound from Manaitpasov.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Manaitpasov sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Leonardo is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Manaitpasov is looking to take a break and control but Leonardo is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The ground and pound from Manaitpasov seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Kazhymukan Manaitpasov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Kazhymukan Manaitpasov's cut.
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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Manaitpasov shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Leonardo manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Manaitpasov controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Leonardo utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Manaitpasov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Manaitpasov postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Leonardo wants to stand but Manaitpasov is controlling the position.
Manaitpasov throwing strikes but missing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manaitpasov pushing down on Leonardo's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Leonardo blocking the ground and pound attempt from Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov thows a huge punch but Leonardo dodges it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manaitpasov throwing shots but Leonardo is blocking nicely.
Manaitpasov with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Manaitpasov passes the guard and advances to mount!
Manaitpasov unloads with some shots from mount but Leonardo bucks and avoids them well.
Manaitpasov looking to ground and pound but Leonardo is blocking nicely.
Manaitpasov scoring with strikes but Leonardo is staying in there.
Manaitpasov is landing with some decent strikes but Leonardo is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Manaitpasov throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Manaitpasov throws some wild stikes that Leonardo manages to avoid easily.
Mario Leonardo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
Leonardo holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Manaitpasov tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Leonardo wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Manaitpasov.
Manaitpasov scores with a couple of good head shots there.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Leonardo slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Leonardo blocking the ground and pound attempt from Manaitpasov.
Leonardo is in trouble now - Manaitpasov has advanced to mount!
Manaitpasov unloading with bombs!
Manaitpasov sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonardo is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Manaitpasov throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Manaitpasov throwing strikes here but Leonardo is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Manaitpasov controlling the pace for now.
Manaitpasov misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Manaitpasov throwing strikes here but Leonardo is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Manaitpasov takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Manaitpasov landing punches.
Leonardo is bucking up trying to escape but Manaitpasov cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Manaitpasov with the ground and pound from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Manaitpasov controlling the position easily from mount.
Manaitpasov misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Manaitpasov controlling from mount.
Leonardo is trying to stand.
Manaitpasov thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Manaitpasov postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Leonardo looks a forlorn figure.
Manaitpasov thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Manaitpasov working away from the top, dropping strikes.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kazhymukan Manaitpasov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Manaitpasov winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 William Peck scores the fight 26:30
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 26:30
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kazhymukan Manaitpasov!