PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Iago Maldonado (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Larry Hayes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Maldonado
vs
Hayes

200 cm
21
265 lbs
2 - 6 - 0

200 cm
19
270 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Granite 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 2 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Iago Maldonado!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Larry Hayes!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Paulo Santos and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Maldonado clinches.
Maldonado lands a right hand.

Maldonado pulls Hayes into guard.
Hayes wants to stand but Maldonado has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Hayes controls from within his opponent's guard.
Maldonado looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Hayes sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Maldonado's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Maldonado avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Hayes.
Maldonado wants to get back to his feet.

Maldonado makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Larry Hayes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maldonado moves forwards but Hayes connects with a nice, crisp jab.

It looks like Iago Maldonado has been cut.

Maldonado closes the distance and clinches.
Hayes goes for a takedown attempt but Maldonado pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Maldonado shoots in and gets a takedown into Hayes's guard.
Hayes keeping full guard, as Maldonado tries to pass.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hayes is looking to stand up but Maldonado isn't so interested in that idea.
Hayes keeping moving, preventing Maldonado from controlling successfully.
Hayes looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maldonado scoring with punches to the head and body.
Hayes trying to strike off his back.

Hayes throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Hayes keeping moving, preventing Maldonado from controlling successfully.
Hayes keeping full guard, as Maldonado tries to pass.
Maldonado stopping the sweep attempt from Hayes.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Maldonado trying to control but Hayes is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hayes pushes Maldonado off and gets back to his feet.
Hayes wants to clinch

and Maldonado counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Hayes's guard now.
Maldonado throws a strike but Hayes rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Maldonado wants to stand but Hayes is controlling the position.

Hayes stands up and waves to Maldonado to follow him.

Maldonado gets a takedown into half guard.
Maldonado is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hayes trying to control here.

Hayes looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Hayes is pressing down on Maldonado's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Hayes is trying to keep Maldonado in close.

Hayes working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Maldonado doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Maldonado manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maldonado wants to control from the top but Hayes keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Iago Maldonado will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Iago Maldonado's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Hayes misses with a double jab.
Hayes misses with a hook. Maldonado ducked under it nicely.

Maldonado shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Maldonado was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Hayes tries to lock up and control but Maldonado gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Hayes is looking to improve his position but Maldonado isn't that keen on the idea.
Maldonado blocks Hayes's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Hayes is squirming around, avoiding Maldonado's attempts to control the action.
Hayes tries to hold on but Maldonado postures up.
Hayes is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maldonado trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Hayes manages to regain half guard. Good work.

Maldonado is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Maldonado wants to stand up but Hayes is controlling the position.
Maldonado is looking to stall here but Hayes recovers full guard.
Hayes not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maldonado wants to control from the top but Hayes keeps moving.
Maldonado wants to stand and escape but instead Hayes has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Maldonado is trying to keep Hayes in close.
Hayes's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Let's hope that Hayes has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Iago Maldonado overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Hayes fails with an attempt to clinch.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Maldonado breaks from the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Maldonado closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
You can see the frustration on Hayes's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Hayes regains half guard.
Hayes trying to control from the bottom.
Maldonado is controlling the pace.
Hayes wants to control but Maldonado is keeping busy.
Hayes won't allow Maldonado to pass to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hayes is staying active underneath Maldonado, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Hayes looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Hayes trying to control but Maldonado postures up.
Hayes moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Hayes looking to hit a scissor sweep but Maldonado is one step ahead there.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hayes keeping full guard, as Maldonado tries to pass.
Maldonado has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hayes looking to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Larry Hayes will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Iago Maldonado's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Maldonado drives through with a takedown into guard.

Maldonado avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Maldonado works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Hayes trying to control here.
Maldonado is trying to control the action in half guard but Hayes is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Maldonado stands up out of the half guard.
Maldonado moves to clinch but Hayes breaks away
and Hayes counters with a straight right hand.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Hayes throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Hayes misses with a few strikes there.

Maldonado fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Hayes sprawls well initially but Maldonado persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hayes trying to control but Maldonado postures up.
Maldonado wants to take a breather but Hayes is having none of it.
Maldonado looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Hayes tries to kick Maldonado off in order to stand up. Maldonado Avoids the leg push though and dives into side control.
Hayes gets back to half guard.
Hayes tries to roll over but Maldonado keeps him under control.
Maldonado is stalling here. Hayes is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Maldonado seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Hayes has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maldonado can't do much from the bottom here.
Maldonado looks to move to half guard but instead Hayes has passed into mount! Damn!
Maldonado is trying desperately to improve position.
Hayes tries to control but Maldonado wriggling away.
Maldonado wants to control but Hayes is having none of it.
Maldonado can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hayes working Maldonado over with strikes here.
Hayes controlling from the full mount.
Hayes lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Hayes tries to control but Maldonado wriggling away.
Hayes lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Hayes controlling the pace for now.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maldonado looking to escape from mount but he's given up his back!
Hayes connects with a big shot to the side of Maldonado's head.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Maldonado looking very determined here, making life difficult for Hayes.
Hayes lands a shot to the body.
I would not like to be Maldonado right now.
Hayes scores with punches from the back.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Maldonado prevents Hayes from getting a body triangle.

And that's the end of the fight!
Larry Hayes comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Hayes 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Larry Hayes!
A less than humble Larry Hayes misjudged his post fight interview somewhat and came across a little too arrogant whilst trying to hype up his own abilities.