PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between LeBron Manhaes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ben Linus (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Manhaes is coming into this fight with a significant injury, which will no doubt have an effect on his cardio. Ben Linus is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Manhaes
vs
Linus

203 cm
20
250 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

200 cm
23
250 lbs
5 - 11 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, LeBron Manhaes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ben Linus!
The judges for this bout are Winston Howard, Steve Erwin and Donatello Bradman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Manhaes fails in his attempt to clinch.
Linus looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
A combination from Linus does no damage.
Linus circles away from the clinch attempt
and Linus counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Linus wants to clinch.
Linus looks to land a combination. Manhaes sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

LeBron Manhaes's cut is getting worse.
A punch combination from Linus misses.
Linus swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Manhaes counters with a series of strikes. Linus will be more careful next time no doubt.
Linus tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Manhaes manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Manhaes tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Linus manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Sloppy strikes from Linus. Those never looked like landing.
Linus tries to clinch there but Manhaes circles away.
Linus throws a nice looking combination but Manhaes bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Linus moves in looking to clinch but Manhaes pushes him off.
Linus tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Manhaes paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Some wild striking there from Linus.
Linus is looking to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Linus keeps the fight on the outside.
Linus shoots for a double leg takedown but Manhaes sprawls well. He's pushed Linus's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Linus throws a hook to the side of Manhaes's head but Manhaes sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Manhaes swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Linus digs a good hook to Manhaes's body.
Linus falls off balance throwing a combination
and Manhaes counters with a left and a right that stings Linus.
LeBron Manhaes seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Linus tries to close the distance and clinch up but Manhaes swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Manhaes throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Linus fails with a takedown attempt.
Linus swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Linus wants to clinch
and Manhaes counters with a nice body shot.
LeBron Manhaes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Manhaes moves in looking to clinch but Linus pushes him off.
Manhaes wants to clinch.
Linus throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Manhaes counters with a one-two to the body.

That's two 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.
Linus misses with a body shot.
Manhaes tries to clinch there but Linus circles away.
Manhaes tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Linus counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Linus.
Linus tries to land knees in the clinch but Manhaes avoids the damage to the body.
Linus misses with some punches.
Manhaes has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Manhaes wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Linus fails to pull guard.
LeBron Manhaes has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ben Linus.

Linus is trying to trip Manhaes. He has hold of a leg but Manhaes is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Linus persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Linus content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

Linus gets to his feet. Manhaes looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Linus avoids a punch combination nicely.
Manhaes blocks a head kick by Linus.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Manhaes wants to clinch.
Linus lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Manhaes circles away quickly and effectively.

Manhaes rushes Linus and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Linus throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Linus blocks an uppercut.

Linus breaks the clinch.
Linus moves to clinch but Manhaes breaks away
and Manhaes counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Manhaes is looking to control Linus's arms but Linus gets an underhook and turns him. Now Manhaes has his back to the cage.
Linus is trying to break the clinch but Manhaes has him pressed against the cage.
Linus prevents a body shot from Manhaes.
Manhaes can't break the clinch.
Manhaes misses with a punch on the inside.
Linus lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Manhaes is trying to maintain a safe position but Linus gets an underhook and turns Manhaes into the cage.

That's four 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.
Manhaes can't seem to implement his control oriented gameplan at the moment. That's no bad thing of course, for those of us who want to see a good fight.

Linus manages to break the clinch.
Linus is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Some wild striking there from Linus.
Linus throws a hook to the side of Manhaes's head but Manhaes sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Linus tries to clinch up
and Manhaes counters with a left and a right that stings Linus.

Manhaes closes the distance and clinches.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Linus comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

Linus pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Linus circles away from the clinch attempt.
Manhaes wants to clinch

and Linus counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Linus dominated that round.
The cut man is working on LeBron Manhaes'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.

Linus avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Manhaes defending well as Linus loads up on a big left hand.
Linus shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Manhaes eats them both and turns towards Linus to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Manhaes closes the distance but Linus moves to the side

and Linus moves into the clinch.
Manhaes is trying to break the clinch but Linus is controlling him.
Linus tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Manhaes just stands there and leans against the cage.
Manhaes trying to control the position but instead, Linus has worked for underhooks and has pushed Manhaes into the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Manhaes.
Linus looking to slow down the pace here.
Linus tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Linus's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Linus misses with a right hand
and Manhaes counters with a series of strikes. Linus will be more careful next time no doubt.
Linus misses the jab.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Manhaes tries to clinch there but Linus circles away.
Manhaes avoids the head kick by Linus.
Linus throws a head kick but Manhaes moves out of range.
Manhaes avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Linus pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Manhaes wants to clinch up but Linus keeps it at a distance.
Manhaes tries to clinch there but Linus circles away.
Manhaes tries to clinch but Linus is having none of it.
Manhaes tries to clinch up.
Manhaes lands a nice hook to Linus's body. Linus takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
The fight stays on the outside here - Manhaes looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Linus looks to land a right hand but Manhaes moved out of range.
Manhaes throws a right and a left that both miss.
Manhaes tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Linus counters by moving into the clinch.
Linus swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Linus tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Manhaes just stands there and leans against the cage.
Manhaes keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Linus's efforts to push away.
Manhaes lands a right hand.
Linus tries to break free but Manhaes pushes him back against the cage.

That's two 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.
Linus jumps guard but Manhaes stands there with Linus around his waist. Linus gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
LeBron Manhaes has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ben Linus.

Linus's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Linus takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Linus circles away from the clinch attempt

and Linus moves into the clinch.
Linus keeps control of Manhaes as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Manhaes is trying to break the clinch but Linus has him pressed against the cage.
Linus fails to pull guard.
Linus tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Linus breaks the clinch.
Manhaes fails with an attempt to clinch.
Linus fails with an attempt to clinch.
Manhaes avoids the body shot from Linus.
Linus swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Manhaes counters with a nice uppercut.
Manhaes lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Manhaes.
Manhaes fails with an attempt to clinch.
A left and a right from Manhaes both land. Nice combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Linus misses with a body shot.
Manhaes rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Linus moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Linus swats away the attempt to clinch by Manhaes.
Manhaes tries to clinch up.
Manhaes showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Linus.
Manhaes tries to bum rush Linus with a series of wild strikes but Linus uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Manhaes has closed the distance and engaged Linus in a clinch.

Manhaes pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Linus keeps the fight on the outside.
Linus ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Manhaes moves away.
Linus is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Linus misses with a combination
and Manhaes counters with a left and a right that stings Linus.
Manhaes wants to clinch up but Linus keeps it at a distance.
Manhaes wants to clinch
and Linus counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Linus doesn't manage to clinch there - Manhaes circles away.

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.
Manhaes lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Linus backs up against the cage.
Manhaes fails in his attempt to clinch.
Manhaes tries to close the distance and clinch but Linus swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Manhaes tries to clinch but Linus moves out of range.
Linus misses with a two punch combination.
Manhaes throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

Linus gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Manhaes breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Manhaes goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Manhaes takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Some wild striking there from Linus.
No luck for Linus with that takedown attempt.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Linus fails in his attempt to clinch.
Manhaes scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Manhaes tries to clinch there but Linus circles away.
Manhaes tries to clinch but Linus is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that LeBron Manhaes will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on LeBron Manhaes's cut.
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!

Manhaes fails in his attempt to clinch.
Linus circles away from the clinch attempt

and Linus counters by clinching up.
Linus lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Manhaes backwards.
Linus has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Manhaes is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Manhaes fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Manhaes lands a nice uppercut.
Linus fails to pull guard.

Linus breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Manhaes blocks a head kick by Linus.
Linus doesn't manage to clinch there - Manhaes circles away.
Manhaes moves in looking to clinch but Linus pushes him off.
Manhaes tries to clinch up but Linus circles away and keeps his distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manhaes feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Linuss jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Manhaes swats away the attempt to clinch by Linus.
Linus throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Manhaes sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Linus has managed to clinch.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Manhaes looking to slow down the pace here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Manhaes works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Linus works on Manhaes's body with a couple of short punches.

Linus's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Manhaes is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Linus throws a poor cross that misses
and Manhaes counters with a series of strikes. Linus will be more careful next time no doubt.
Linus falls off balance throwing a combination
and Manhaes counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Linus swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Manhaes moves into the clinch.
Linus tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Linus fails to pull the fight into his guard.
LeBron Manhaes has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ben Linus.
Manhaes drops down looking for an ankle pick but Linus pulls his leg out and moves away.

Linus forces Manhaes back against the cage and clinches.
Manhaes doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Manhaes wants to stall.
Linus tries to pull guard but Manhaes holds him up against the cage and eventually Linus drops back down to his feet.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Linus tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Linus tries a knee to the head but Manhaes blocks it.
Manhaes is trying to stall.
Linus fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Manhaes lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Linus backwards.
Manhaes blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Linus manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Linus working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Manhaes.
Manhaes trying to control the position from guard on top but Linus is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Manhaes trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Manhaes trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Linus working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Manhaes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Manhaes throwing strikes but missing.
Linus is wriggling around but Manhaes manages to pass to half guard.
Manhaes takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Linus wants to get back to his feet.
Linus trying to control here.
Manhaes working Linus over with strikes.

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.

Manhaes seems to be looking for submissions.
Manhaes lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Manhaes not landing any meaningful shots this time.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Manhaes is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Manhaes stops Linus from getting back to his feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
LeBron Manhaes showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Manhaes 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 Winston Howard scores the fight 28:29
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... LeBron Manhaes!