PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Caleb Emmanuel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Xander Nimorov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nimorov is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Lose Yourself - Eminem. The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Emmanuel
vs
Nimorov

181 cm
21
168 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

199 cm
19
170 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Basic striking
Very strong

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

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 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Caleb Emmanuel!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Xander Nimorov!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, Chris Edwards and Daniel Bishop.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Emmanuel fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Nimorov avoids it really well and circles away.
Nimorov connects with a crisp jab.
A jab lands there for Nimorov.
Nimorov cracks Emmanuel with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Decent striking displayed by Nimorov there.
Xander Nimorov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nimorov throws a looping overhand right but Emmanuel ducks down to avoid it.
A jab from Nimorov does it's job there.
Emmanuel dives in and grabs Nimorov's left leg, looking for a takedown. Nimorov pushes down on Emmanuel's head and hops out.
Nimorov slaps away a takedown attempt from Emmanuel, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Caleb Emmanuel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A right-left combo lands from Nimorov.

Emmanuel closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

Emmanuel tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Emmanuel has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

Emmanuel tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Emmanuel has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Emmanuel is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emmanuel wants to control but Nimorov is keeping him busy.

Emmanuel tries for a kimura but Nimorov is defending well.
Nimorov wants to get back to his feet.

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.
Nimorov prevents Emmanuel from improving position.
Emmanuel prevents Nimorov from escaping the position.

Emmanuel is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Nimorov is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Nimorov tries to escape but Emmanuel is in control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Emmanuel is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Nimorov is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Nimorov wants to get back to his feet but Emmanuel drags him back down.
Emmanuel throws an elbow but Nimorov slips to the side and avoids it well.
Emmanuel moves into full mount!

Emmanuel is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Nimorov has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Nimorov is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.

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.
Nimorov is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Emmanuel wants to take Nimorov's back here but Nimorov is holding on to an arm, himself looking to escape.
Emmanuel controlling from the full mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Xander Nimorov will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Nimorov misses with a hook. Emmanuel ducked under it nicely.
Nimorov misses with a series of wild punches.
A punch lands to the side of Emmanuel 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Emmanuel fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Nimorov stuns Emmanuel with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
A combination from Nimorov does no damage.
Nimorov lands with an uppercut that bounces Emmanuel off the cage and back into rage.
Emmanuel moves forwards but Nimorov connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Nimorov punishes Emmanuel's body with a nice straight punch.
Nimorov throws a series of punches but Emmanuel avoids them all with ease.
Nimorov scores with a jab to the jaw.

Emmanuel is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Nimorov's half guard.
Emmanuel wants to take a breather but Nimorov is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Emmanuel seems to be looking for submissions.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Emmanuel wants to take a breather but Nimorov is having none of it.
Emmanuel trying to pass the guard but Nimorov defending well.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Nimorov can do anything to dispel that myth.
Nimorov is refusing to be controlled, as Emmanuel sits in half guard.

Emmanuel is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Nimorov tries to kick Emmanuel off but Emmanuel keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Nimorov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Nimorov throws a jab but it's blocked by Emmanuel.
Nimorov thows a body shot but no joy.
Nimorov is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

Emmanuel closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Nimorov to the mat! Nimorov manages to get full guard.
Emmanuel might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Emmanuel content to stall in guard here.
Emmanuel is looking to work some ground and pound but Nimorov has wrist control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Emmanuel is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Nimorov is looking to stand up but Emmanuel isn't so interested in that idea.
Emmanuel advances to half guard.
Emmanuel works his way into side control.

That's four 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.

Emmanuel tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Nimorov really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Emmanuel. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Nimorov is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Emmanuel asserts his dominance and retains side control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Caleb Emmanuel dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Nimorov thuds his right hand into Emmanuel's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Emmanuel slips a straight right by Nimorov.
Nimorov lands a right hook to the body.
A big left from Nimorov misses.
Nimorov lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

Emmanuel looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Emmanuel trying to control the action but Nimorov is working from the bottom.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Emmanuel is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Emmanuel is keen to just control but Nimorov is a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emmanuel trying to mount his opponent but Nimorov defends it.
Emmanuel is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Nimorov!
Emmanuel trying to control but Nimorov is having none of it.

That's two 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.
Nimorov wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
Emmanuel trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Nimorov wants to try and get back to his feet.
Emmanuel throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Emmanuel fails to move to back control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emmanuel looking to ground and pound but Nimorov is blocking nicely.
Nimorov wants to try and get back to his feet.

Emmanuel is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Nimorov to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Nimorov shrugs it off.

Emmanuel stands up from mount. Strange move.
Nimorov bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Emmanuel's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Nimorov connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Nimorov misses with a series of wild punches.
Nimorov lands an overhand right.
Nimorov defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Emmanuel.
Nimorov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nimorov 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.
Nimorov lands with a nice body punch.
Nimorov cracks Emmanuel with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Nimorov connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Emmanuel drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Nimorov lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
No joy there for Nimorov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Nimorov getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Nimorov has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Nimorov lands a jab to Emmanuel's midsection.
Nimorov lands a with a good body shot.
The fighters circle momentarily. Nimorov darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Nimorov's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Nimorov duly obliges.
Nimorov scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

And that's the end of the fight!
Xander Nimorov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Nimorov has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Xander Nimorov!