PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Harry Kalizhnikov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Cris Leben (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Harry Kalizhnikov had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Kalizhnikov
vs
Leben

175 cm
20
183 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

180 cm
19
190 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Harry Kalizhnikov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Cris Leben!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kalizhnikov scores with a one two! Leben had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Harry Kalizhnikov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kalizhnikov misses with a few strikes there.
Kalizhnikov feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Lebens jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Leben defending well as Kalizhnikov loads up on a big left hand.
Leben bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Leben gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Kalizhnikov.
Kalizhnikov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Kalizhnikov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Leben.
Leben changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kalizhnikov tries to avoid it but Leben manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kalizhnikov to the ground. Kalizhnikov escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Kalizhnikov misses with a looping left.
Kalizhnikov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Nice uppercut there from Kalizhnikov.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kalizhnikov scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Leben has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Kalizhnikov finds it's way round the side to connect with Leben's head.
Leben fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Leben slips under a jab from Kalizhnikov.

Leben shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Leben was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Kalizhnikov tries to get back to half guard but can't.

Leben is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Kalizhnikov is surviving well by controlling Leben's body position as best he can.

Leben working for a submission but Kalizhnikov is keeping him at bay.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Leben has control of Kalizhnikov's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Kalizhnikov regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Leben looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov is trying to escape the mount.

Leben looking to secure an arm triangle but Kalizhnikov defends it well.
Kalizhnikov is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.

Leben is working for a guillotine from mount but Kalizhnikov frees his head quite easily.
Kalizhnikov wants to control but Leben is having none of it.

Leben is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Kalizhnikov can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Kalizhnikov is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

Leben is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Kalizhnikov has managed to escape the submission attempt.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kalizhnikov is really trying hard to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Leben has hold of Kalizhnikov's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Kalizhnikov manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Kalizhnikov is trying to stand up.

Leben has control of Kalizhnikov's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Kalizhnikov regains control of the situation pretty easily.

Leben jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Kalizhnikov manages to avoid the submission attempt.
Leben looks gassed!

Leben thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov is trying to get back to his feet.

Leben is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Kalizhnikov knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Leben working away.
Kalizhnikov pushes Leben away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Leben gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.

Leben tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

Leben tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Leben has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Leben tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Cris Leben will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Kalizhnikov lands with a nice body punch.
Nice cross by Kalizhnikov.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Leben.
Kalizhnikov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kalizhnikov jabs Leben to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Kalizhnikov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
No joy there for Kalizhnikov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kalizhnikov scores with a leg kick.
Kalizhnikov darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Harry Kalizhnikov is winning the standup battle so far.
Leben is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov throws a series of punches but Leben avoids them all with ease.
Leben showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kalizhnikov.
Kalizhnikov throws a jab but it's blocked by Leben.
Kalizhnikov misses with a wild combination.
Kalizhnikov connects with a looping right hand.
Kalizhnikov scores with a sloppy right hand. Leben should have avoided that one.
Kalizhnikov scores with a one two! Leben had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Kalizhnikov misses the shot to the body.
Leben shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Kalizhnikov as he jumps to the side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov throws a shot from downtown. Leben moves away and avoids it.
Leben moves out of range as Kalizhnikov strikes.
Kalizhnikov misses with a wild combination.
Kalizhnikov throws a looping overhand right but Leben ducks down to avoid it.
Kalizhnikov darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Sloppy strikes from Kalizhnikov. Those never looked like landing.
Leben shoots for a double leg takedown but Kalizhnikov sprawls well. He's pushed Leben's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Harry Kalizhnikov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Cris Leben.
A chopping leg kick lands by Kalizhnikov.
Leben on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Kalizhnikov throws a series of punches but Leben moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leben shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Kalizhnikov pinned against the cage. Kalizhnikov gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Kalizhnikov looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kalizhnikov wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Leben shoots in but Kalizhnikov avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Kalizhnikov throws a hook but Leben blocks it.
Kalizhnikov misses with the combination.
Leben staying out of range there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kalizhnikov misses with a low kick.
Kalizhnikov lands a body shot.
Leben uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kalizhnikov.
Kalizhnikov lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
A swing and a miss from Kalizhnikov.
Leben uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kalizhnikov.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kalizhnikov throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Kalizhnikov will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kalizhnikov fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Harry Kalizhnikov 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!

Leben shoots for a double leg takedown but Kalizhnikov sprawls well. He's pushed Leben's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Leben fails with a takedown attempt.
Kalizhnikov comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Kalizhnikov connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Leben slips a straight right by Kalizhnikov.
Kalizhnikov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kalizhnikov misses with an uppercut.
Kalizhnikov lands a glancing blow to the side of Leben's head.
Kalizhnikov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Leben drops his hands momentarily and Kalizhnikov takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Leben takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Kalizhnikov throws a lazy right hand but Leben sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
No joy there for Kalizhnikov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A punch combination from Kalizhnikov misses.
Kalizhnikov looks to score with a jab to the body but Leben is just out of range.
Kalizhnikov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Leben manages to avoid it.
Kalizhnikov swinging wildly here.
Leben fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Harry Kalizhnikov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Cris Leben.
A punch lands to the side of Leben 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Kalizhnikov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A telegraphed right hand from Kalizhnikov misses the target.
Leben fails with a takedown attempt.
Leben ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leben shoots for a takedown but Kalizhnikov saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Kalizhnikov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Kalizhnikov misses with a looping left.
No luck for Leben with that takedown attempt.
Kalizhnikov scores with a punch to the head.
Leben checks the leg kick nicely there.
Leben uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kalizhnikov.
Kalizhnikov throws a looping overhand right but Leben ducks down to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Leben closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Kalizhnikov to the mat! Kalizhnikov manages to get full guard.
Kalizhnikov wants to stand up but Leben is controlling him.
Leben wants to pass the guard but Kalizhnikov is keeping the position.
Kalizhnikov is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Leben postures up.

Leben drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Leben jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

Leben drops back looking for a leg! Kalizhnikov is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Kalizhnikov manages to kick Leben off! Leben jumps back into Kalizhnikov's guard.
Kalizhnikov tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kalizhnikov wants to stand up but Leben is controlling him.

Leben drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Leben jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Kalizhnikov is trying to control the position but Leben postures up.
Leben won't allow Kalizhnikov to get back to his feet.
Kalizhnikov controls Leben momentarily but Leben frees himself.
Leben pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kalizhnikov is keeping the position for now.
Leben prevents Kalizhnikov from getting back to his feet.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Leben drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Leben jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leben won't allow Kalizhnikov to get back to his feet.
Kalizhnikov keeping full guard, as Leben tries to pass.
Leben forces his way into half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Harry Kalizhnikov showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Kalizhnikov 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Harry Kalizhnikov!
Harry Kalizhnikov seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.