PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ivan Kovalev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thomas Davenport (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Davenport has chosen Ready for the Fight as his entrance music. Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Kovalev
vs
Davenport

180 cm
23
180 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

182 cm
22
186 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Good kicks
Powerful

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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 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ivan Kovalev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Thomas Davenport!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Shirou Masuda and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kovalev works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Kovalev misses with a right hand
letting Davenport counter with a right hand.
Kovalev lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Davenport circles away quickly and effectively.
Kovalev falls off balance throwing a combination
and Davenport counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Kovalev throws an off balance right hand
and Davenport counters with a nice uppercut.

Davenport has Kovalev up against the ropes in a clinch.
Davenport stops a takedown attempt from Kovalev.
Davenport prevents a takedown attempt there.
Davenport tries to throw a body punch but Kovalev avoids it by throwing Davenport back against the cage.
Davenport stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Davenport scores with a shoulder strike.
Davenport lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Davenport throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Davenport misses with a short punch on the inside.
Kovalev prevents a body shot from Davenport.
Davenport misses with the head strike.
Kovalev blocks an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalev can't get the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Kovalev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Davenport misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Davenport fails to land.
Davenport scores with a hook to the body.
Davenport goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Davenport tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kovalev's elbow.
Davenport misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Davenport tries to work over Kovalev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Davenport tries to work over Kovalev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kovalev drops down looking for an ankle pick but Davenport pulls his leg out and moves away.
Kovalev misses with a left hand
and Davenport counters with a slapping leg kick.
Ivan Kovalev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kovalev misses with a lunging right hand
and Davenport counters with a slapping leg kick.

Davenport scores with a takedown into Kovalev's guard.
Davenport controlling from the top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kovalev throws his legs up looking for a submission but Davenport uses it to pass to side control.
Kovalev is looking for a sweep.
Kovalev seems a little lost for a moment, as Davenport dominates the positioning.
Davenport has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Kovalev wants to control but Davenport is having none of it.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Davenport looking to control but Kovalev is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Davenport thowing shots but they're missing.
Kovalev is looking to improve his position but Davenport isn't that keen on the idea.
Davenport trying to control but Kovalev is having none of it.

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.
Kovalev working to try and regain half guard.
Davenport controlling the pace for now.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Davenport cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Davenport dominated that round.
That's time! Kovalev's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Kovalev scores with a three punch combo!
Davenport slips under a jab from Kovalev.
Kovalev rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Davenport makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Jab by Kovalev.
Kovalev misses with a combination

and Davenport counters with a takedown into side control.
Davenport working the ground and pound from side control.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Davenport wants to control but Kovalev is keeping him busy.
Kovalev wants to control but Davenport postures up.
Davenport is looking to take a break and control but Kovalev is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Davenport is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalev tries to bench press Davenport off him but Davenport keeps the position.
Kovalev sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Kovalev is looking to control Davenport's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Kovalev avoid being mounted?
Davenport is figuring out what he wants to do next.

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.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Kovalev wants to control but Davenport is keeping busy.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Davenport connects with a leg kick. Kovalev looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Davenport fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Kovalev connects with a looping right hand.
Kovalev lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Davenport circles away quickly and effectively.
Kovalev misses with an uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Kovalev misses with an uppercut
and Davenport counters with a nice leg kick.
Davenport attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Kovalev misses with a few strikes there.
Kovalev swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Davenport counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Davenport.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Davenport goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A body shot lands from Davenport.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Davenport.
Davenport lands a left hand that snaps the head of Kovalev backwards.
Davenport scores with a hook to the body.
Davenport scores with a hook to the body.
A nice left hand lands by Davenport.
A short right from Davenport on the inside.
Davenport works on Kovalev's body with a couple of short punches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nice body punch from Davenport.
Davenport tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kovalev's elbow.
Davenport is leaning against Kovalev and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Davenport misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Davenport throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Kovalev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Kovalev prevents a body shot from Davenport.
Davenport tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Davenport lands a shot to the body.
Davenport lands a body shot.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Davenport.
Davenport lands a body punch in the clinch.
Davenport can't find room to land a body shot as Kovalev controls the action.
Davenport tries a body shot but Kovalev blocks it.
Davenport lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Davenport struggles to land a body shot inside as Kovalev controls his hands.
Davenport misses with a body punch.
Davenport is leaning against Kovalev and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Thomas Davenport seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Davenport lands a right hand that snaps the head of Kovalev backwards.
A right handed body shot lands from Davenport.
Kovalev blocks a body shot from Davenport.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Davenport can't find room to land a body shot as Kovalev controls the action.
Kovalev drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
A body shot lands from Davenport.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Davenport showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Kovalev throws a right hand that misses
and Davenport counters with a nice body shot.
Kovalev throws a right hand that misses
and Davenport counters with a thumping low kick.
Kovalev is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.

Davenport scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Davenport with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Davenport is trying to control. Kovalev wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Kovalev has a hand on Davenport's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Davenport takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kovalev tries to hold on but Davenport pushes him away.
Davenport trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Kovalev regains half guard.
Davenport slows the pace down in half guard.

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.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Davenport tries to pass to full mount but Kovalev defends it.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Thomas Davenport hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Davenport uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kovalev.
Davenport slips under a jab.
Kovalev lands a really nice looking cross but Davenport seems unphased.
Kovalev fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kovalev is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Davenport.
Kovalev throws a right hand that misses
and Davenport counters with a thumping low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kovalev swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Davenport counters by clinching up.
Davenport misses with a punch to the body.
Kovalev is working for a takedown up against the ropes. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Davenport cracks Kovalev with a nice body shot.
Davenport prevents a takedown attempt there.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Davenport lands a body shot.
Davenport tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kovalev's elbow.
Davenport throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Kovalevs head.
Davenport misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Davenport presses Kovalev against the ropes and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Davenport tries to work over Kovalev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Davenport struggles to land a body shot inside as Kovalev controls his hands.
Davenport struggles to land a body shot inside as Kovalev controls his hands.
Kovalev is looking for a takedown up against the ropes. Davenport gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Kovalev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Davenport tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Davenport lands a hook that snaps the head of Kovalev backwards.
Davenport misses with a punch to the body.
Kovalev can't get the takedown.
Davenport presses Kovalev against the ropes and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Davenport tries to throw a body punch but Kovalev avoids it by throwing Davenport back against the cage.
Davenport misses with a body punch.
Davenport lands with a short head shot on the inside.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Davenport.
Davenport tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A short body shot lands from Davenport as the two fighters clinch.
Davenport misses with a hook to the ribs.
Kovalev prevents a body shot from Davenport.
Davenport tries to work over Kovalev's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Davenport throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Kovalevs head.
A short left from Davenport.
Ivan Kovalev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Davenport misses with the head strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
Thomas Davenport comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Davenport has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 27:30
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thomas Davenport!