PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Ken Banners (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Aleksander Ivanov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Banners comes to the cage accompanied by Rage Against The Machine - Bombtrack. Ivanov is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight). Aleksander Ivanov has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Ken Banners's chin.

Banners
vs
Ivanov

194 cm
26
275 lbs
10 - 7 - 0

201 cm
32
275 lbs
24 - 18 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Very quick

ADCC Champion
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 10 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ken Banners!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 24 - 18 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Aleksander Ivanov!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Donatello Bradman and Bruno Hogan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Banners takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Ivanov scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Banners is looking to slow Ivanov down with leg kicks.
Banners throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Ivanov misses with an uppercut. Banners saw that one coming.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ivanov misses with a straight right.
Banners bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Banners closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
A telegraphed right hand from Ivanov misses the target.
Banners keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Banners. Ivanov does a little dance to reset his feet.
Banners doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Banners bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banners walks into a straight right hand from Ivanov.
Banners throws a wild body kick that Ivanov sees coming a mile off.
Banners ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Banners misses with a body shot.
Ivanov ducks under a wild hook from Banners.
Ivanov tries to score a power double leg takedown but Banners sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Ivanov somewhat.
Banners does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Banners takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Ivanov throws a shot to the body.
Ivanov shoots in but Banners avoids the takedown attempt easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Banners misses with an uppercut.
Ivanov ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Banners moves away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Banners displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ivanov throws out the jab.
Banners takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Ivanov misses with a straight right.
Banners takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Banners is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Ivanov.
Banners fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Ivanov.
Nice cross by Ivanov.
Banners slips a jab from Ivanov.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ivanov throws a series of punches but Banners avoids them all with ease.
Ivanov looks to land a right hand but Banners moved out of range.
Ivanov uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Banners.
Banners misses with a wild combination.
Ivanov shoots in for a takedown but Banners shows good takedown defense.
Ken Banners has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Aleksander Ivanov.
Ivanov looks to land a right hand but Banners moved out of range.
Ivanov throws the left hand but Banners avoids the punch easily.
Banners slaps away a takedown attempt from Ivanov, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Ivanov misses with a body shot
and Banners connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ivanov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banners on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Banners fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Good standup being displayed there by Ivanov as he connects with a hook.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Banners misses the jab.
Ivanov wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Ivanov has a takedown stuffed.
Banners throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Ivanov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Banners gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Banners takes one to the chin there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aleksander Ivanov dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Ivanov just misses with a punch to the body.
Ivanov works the jab nicely.
Nice shot lands for Ivanov.
Sloppy strikes from Ivanov. Those never looked like landing.

Banners gets caught napping as Ivanov dives in and scores a takedown. Banners manages to retain guard.
Ivanov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Banners is keeping the position for now.
Banners looking to hit a scissor sweep but Ivanov is one step ahead there.
Ivanov trying to control the position from guard on top but Banners is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ivanov pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Banners is keeping the position for now.
Ivanov wants to control from the top but Banners keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ivanov forces his way into half guard.

Ivanov wants to work for an arm triangle but Banners is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Ivanov wants to pass to mount but Banners is defending the position.
Banners tries to roll over but Ivanov keeps him under control.
Banners is working hard here to advance position.

Ivanov wants to work for an arm triangle but Banners is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Ivanov is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Banners has managed to free his arm - good work.
Banners tries to roll over but Ivanov keeps him under control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ivanov is trying to control the action in half guard but Banners is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Ivanov is trying to work for a kimura but Banners is defending well.
Banners is in trouble now - Ivanov has advanced to mount!

Ivanov looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
Ivanov wants to take his opponent's back but Banners doesn't allow it.

Ivanov working for a guillotine from mount but Banners is in no mood to give up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ivanov wants to control the pace but Banners is squirming around nicely.
Ivanov controlling from the full mount.
Ivanov tries to control but Banners wriggling away.
Banners keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Ivanov controlling the pace for now.

Ivanov goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now Banners is on top in guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ivanov bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Banners's guard.
Ivanov looking to sit in guard and control but Banners gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Ivanov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Banners is one step ahead there.

Ivanov has thrown up a leg looking for a triangle. Banners doesn't defend quickly enough and Ivanov has managed to lock this one up! Can Banners escape?! NO! He's tapping out! Damn, that was a quick submission - congrats to Ivanov on a fantastic submission victory.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle). Aleksander Ivanov!
Aleksander Ivanov managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, CEC Nutrition Q159, into his post fight interview.