PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Angus MacLeod (ranked 5495 p4p, 25544 weight class) and Zhivko Bsohnakov (ranked 437 p4p, 475 weight class). Angus MacLeod could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Zhivko Bsohnakov's chin.

MacLeod
vs
Bsohnakov

181 cm
25
160
0 - 1 - 0

173 cm
24
155
1 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Knockout power

BANZAI COMBAT NUTRITION

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Angus MacLeod!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Zhivko Bsohnakov!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Shigeki Sano and Ren Mimura.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
MacLeod dives in and grabs Bsohnakov's left leg, looking for a takedown. Bsohnakov pushes down on MacLeod's head and hops out.
Bsohnakov tries to counter with a clinch but MacLeod shakes him off and moves away.
Bsohnakov fails with the takedown

and MacLeod counters by clinching up.
MacLeod goes for a takedown attempt but Bsohnakov pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Bsohnakov leaves MacLeod with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Angus MacLeod. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bsohnakov drives through and clinches with MacLeod against the cage.
Bsohnakov wants a takedown but no success here.

Bsohnakov breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bsohnakov tries to close the distance and clinch up but MacLeod swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bsohnakov shoots in for a takedown but MacLeod shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

MacLeod has Bsohnakov up against the cage in a clinch.
Bsohnakov wants to stall.

That's one minute gone in the round.
MacLeod gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Bsohnakov.
Bsohnakov stalling the fight.

MacLeod jumps guard.
MacLeod keeping moving, preventing Bsohnakov from controlling successfully.
Bsohnakov not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

MacLeod is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Bsohnakov presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
MacLeod wants to take the fight to the mat but Bsohnakov manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

MacLeod pulls guard successfully.
Bsohnakov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. MacLeod is keeping the position for now.

Bsohnakov gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Bsohnakov fails to land with a series of punches.
MacLeod throws a big counter combination but Bsohnakov scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from MacLeod is defended easily by Bsohnakov.
MacLeod throws a series of strikes that have Bsohnakov backpedaling.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
MacLeod tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Bsohnakov paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

MacLeod moves into the clinch.
MacLeod has Bsohnakov pressed against the cage.

MacLeod pulls Bsohnakov into guard.
Bsohnakov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
MacLeod is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

MacLeod manages to escape and get back to his feet.
No luck with that takedown attempt from MacLeod.

Bsohnakov clinches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bsohnakov manages to break the clinch.
Bsohnakov has a takedown stuffed.

Bsohnakov fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with MacLeod, pushing him back against the cage.
Bsohnakov tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Bsohnakov is pressed up against the cage. MacLeod has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Bsohnakov down to the mat. Bsohnakov avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Bsohnakov slaps away a takedown attempt from MacLeod, before circling back to the center of the mat.
And Bsohnakov tries to counter it with a takedown but MacLeod pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Bsohnakov fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Bsohnakov closes the distance and clinches.
Bsohnakov fails to pull the fight into his guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Angus MacLeod dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Bsohnakov stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Bsohnakov wants it to stay on the feet.
Bsohnakov shoots in and drives through. MacLeod sprawls well.
MacLeod shoots in but no luck this time.
MacLeod moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromBsohnakov.
Bsohnakov fails with a takedown attempt.
MacLeod pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Bsohnakov tries for a takedown but MacLeod sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Angus MacLeod has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Zhivko Bsohnakov.
MacLeod goes for a double leg but Bsohnakov avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Bsohnakov continues to drive forward.

Bsohnakov manages to pull guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bsohnakov being controlled here, momentarily.
Bsohnakov working a defensive guard but MacLeod passes into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
MacLeod with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
MacLeod has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
MacLeod thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Bsohnakov has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. MacLeod is working away from the top position though.
MacLeod content to control rather than advance.
Bsohnakov is looking for a sweep. MacLeod is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Bsohnakov wants to get back to his feet.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bsohnakov looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
MacLeod is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Bsohnakov.
Bsohnakov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Bsohnakov misses.

MacLeod takes the fight into the clinch.
MacLeod goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Bsohnakov is stalling here.
MacLeod is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Bsohnakov is defending well.
Bsohnakov jumps guard but MacLeod turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Bsohnakov's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Zhivko Bsohnakov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
MacLeod avoids the body shot from Bsohnakov.
MacLeod tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Bsohnakov is able to avoid easily.
MacLeod wants to clinch up but Bsohnakov keeps it at a distance.
Bsohnakov doesn't manage to clinch there - MacLeod circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bsohnakov throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
MacLeod is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bsohnakov tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and MacLeod counters with a one-two to the body.
MacLeod shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bsohnakov defends it nicely.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
MacLeod tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Bsohnakov defends well and MacLeod ends up having to push Bsohnakov into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Bsohnakov wants to stall.
Bsohnakov has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by MacLeod after a bit of a struggle.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Angus MacLeod will probably get the nod.
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!

Bsohnakov misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Bsohnakov tries to close the distance and clinch but MacLeod swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
MacLeod throws a counter high kick but Bsohnakov was just alert enough to avoid it.
Bsohnakov tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Bsohnakov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Bsohnakov is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
MacLeod drops down looking for a counter takedown but Bsohnakov sprawls and moves away.
MacLeod shoots in and drives through. Bsohnakov sprawls well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bsohnakov throws a combination that misses

and MacLeod holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
MacLeod tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Bsohnakov smiles and moves away.
MacLeod avoids the head kick by Bsohnakov.
MacLeod shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bsohnakov defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Angus MacLeod. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - MacLeod looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

MacLeod gets a clinch.

Bsohnakov jumps guard and drags MacLeod to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
MacLeod trying to control but Bsohnakov is working from the bottom.
MacLeod's corner is telling him to maintain position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

MacLeod gets to his feet - Bsohnakov follows without any prompting.

Bsohnakov looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for MacLeod!
MacLeod tries to get back to half guard but can't.
MacLeod wants to control but Bsohnakov postures up.
MacLeod manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Bsohnakov throwing shots but MacLeod is blocking nicely.
Bsohnakov wants to take a breather but MacLeod is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bsohnakov is taking a breather. MacLeod says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
MacLeod moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
MacLeod is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
MacLeod is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Bsohnakov can do to turn this around?
MacLeod keeping moving, preventing Bsohnakov from controlling successfully.
MacLeod trying to control the position here.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's four 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.
MacLeod shoots in for a takedown but Bsohnakov shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
MacLeod throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bsohnakov steps in looking to counter with the mid kick but it doesn't connect.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bsohnakov dives in for a single leg takedown but MacLeod sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
MacLeod tries to clinch but Bsohnakov is having none of it.
Bsohnakov fails to land the takedown.
The fight stays on the outside here - MacLeod looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
It seemed like Bsohnakov was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Nice sprawl there from Bsohnakov as MacLeod shoots in.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Bsohnakov shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with MacLeod but MacLeod pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Zhivko Bsohnakov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Angus MacLeod is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Bsohnakov throws a series of punches but MacLeod avoids them all with ease.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Angus MacLeod.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for MacLeod, 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 Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Angus MacLeod!