PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Manny Pacquiao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Olivier Denis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Pacquiao
vs
Denis

175 cm
18
150 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
19
155 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Manny Pacquiao!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Olivier Denis!
The judges for this bout are , Frank Antenori and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Denis drives through with a takedown into guard.
Denis showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Pacquiao is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Denis seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Denis trying to control but Pacquiao is working from the bottom.
Pacquiao looking for a sweep. Not yet Pacquiao, not yet.
Denis is working Pacquiao over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pacquiao throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Pacquiao controlling the position.
Denis stays in close to Pacquiao's body and controls the position.
Pacquiao has a closed guard, preventing Denis from standing up.
Denis trying to control the position from guard on top but Pacquiao is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Denis thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Denis wants to control from the top but Pacquiao keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Denis is stalling in the full guard.
Pacquiao tries to land a sweep but no joy.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Denis fails to land with a series of punches.
Pacquiao shoots in for a takedown but Denis shows good takedown defense.
Pacquiao tries to clinch there but Denis circles away.
Denis shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Pacquiao defends it nicely.
Denis looks gassed!
Denis with a lazy takedown attempt

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pacquiao wants to stand and escape but instead Denis has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Pacquiao seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Denis trying to control the position from guard on top but Pacquiao is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Pacquiao has control of Denis's left arm, preventing Denis from doing any damage.
Pacquiao looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's four 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.
Pacquiao working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Denis.
Pacquiao looking to control.
Pacquiao pulls Denis in close to prevent any damage.
Pacquiao striking off his back but it's not causing Denis any problems.
Denis throws a big right hand that misses.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Pacquiao is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Denis's half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pacquiao content to control rather than advance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manny Pacquiao dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Denis drives through with a takedown into guard.
Denis looking to sit in guard and control but Pacquiao gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Denis looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Pacquiao wants to control from the top but Denis keeps moving.
Denis working a defensive guard here.
Denis keeping moving, preventing Pacquiao from controlling successfully.
Denis is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pacquiao trying to stand up but can't free himself from Denis's guard.

Denis had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Pacquiao defends it easily.
Denis looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Denis takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

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.
Denis keeps the fight on the outside.
Denis with a lazy takedown attempt

and Pacquiao counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Pacquiao performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Pacquiao has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Pacquiao seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Pacquiao trying to control the pace.
Pacquiao working Denis over with strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Denis is looking to improve his position.
Pacquiao slips a nice elbow through Denis's hands, connecting with Denis's forehead.
Pacquiao passes to side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Pacquiao is putting a hurting on Denis here, landing some big shots from side control.
Denis seems a little lost for a moment, as Pacquiao dominates the positioning.

That's four 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.
Pacquiao trying to control the position but Denis is working away.
Denis sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Pacquiao is trying to control. Denis wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Denis trying to control from the bottom.

Pacquiao stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Denis to get to his feet.
Denis throws a sloppy head kick and Pacquiao moves out of range easily.

Denis gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Pacquiao is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Manny Pacquiao dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Denis throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Pacquiao.
Pacquiao tries for a takedown but Denis circles away easily

and Denis counters with a takedown into side control.
An elbow from Denis crashes against the mat.
Pacquiao tries to improve position but can't.

Denis is trying to get an arm triangle but Pacquiao is defending well.
Denis working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pacquiao is trying to control Denis's posture but Denis avoids it.
Pacquiao sneaks back into half guard.
Pacquiao keeping control of the position.
Denis is taking a breather. Pacquiao 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.

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.
Pacquiao won't allow Denis to pass to mount.
Denis thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Pacquiao's head.
Denis is thwarting Pacquiao's attempts to control the position.
Denis trying to control the action but Pacquiao is working from the bottom.
Pacquiao keeping control of the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Denis seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Pacquiao does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Pacquiao swings for the body but Denis moves out of range.
Pacquiao closes the distance and clinches up with Denis, looking for a takedown. Pacquiao pushes Denis against the cage but Denis circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Manny Pacquiao. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pacquiao dodges the punch combination from Denis.
Denis lands a jab-cross combination.
Denis tries for a takedown but Pacquiao circles away easily
and Pacquiao counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Pacquiao dives in and grabs Denis's left leg, looking for a takedown. Denis pushes down on Pacquiao's head and hops out.
Denis wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Denis darts in trying to clinch

and Pacquiao counters with a takedown into side control.
Denis can't do much from the bottom here.
Denis seems a little lost for a moment, as Pacquiao dominates the positioning.
Olivier Denis has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Manny Pacquiao is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Pacquiao wants to take a breather but Denis manages to regain guard - a lesson learnt for Pacquiao.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Olivier Denis.
I think Pacquiao has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Suge Night scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Manny Pacquiao!