PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Yury Vesnev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yin Tao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tao has chosen Philip Bailey - Walking on the Chinese Wall as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Vesnev
vs
Tao

170 cm
31
159 lbs
21 - 8 - 0

175 cm
33
160 lbs
31 - 11 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Just Fight (Everything 7$)

Hellbent

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 21 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Yury Vesnev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Yin Tao!
The judges for this bout are , Timothy Bukovac and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vesnev fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Tao lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Tao tries to clinch there but Vesnev circles away.
Tao looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Tao throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Vesnev fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Tao smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Tao keeps the fight on the outside.
Vesnev looks to score with a jab to the body but Tao is just out of range.
Yin Tao seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Vesnev throws a hook to the side of Tao's head but Tao sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Vesnev connects with a single shot there.
Tao tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Vesnev is able to avoid easily.
Tao will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Tao scores with a kick to the body.
Tao throws a leg kick that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tao is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Vesnev turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Vesnev takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.

Vesnev feints and as Tao raises his hands in defense, Vesnev changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.

Tao is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Tao working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Vesnev stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Vesnev is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Tao is keeping busy.
Vesnev is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Tao gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Vesnev misses with a short punch on the inside.
Vesnev lands a hook to the side of the head.
Vesnev lands with a left to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A right handed body shot lands from Vesnev.
Tao misses with the head strike.
Vesnev working aggressively here.
Tao misses with a punch on the inside.
Vesnev has a couple of punches blocked by Tao.
Vesnev gets through Tao's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Tao doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tao tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Tao struggles to land a body shot inside as Vesnev controls his hands.
Tao misses with the head strike.
Vesnev tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tao throws a punch but it's blocked by Vesnev.
Vesnev blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Tao lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Vesnev backwards.
Tao tries a body shot but Vesnev blocks it.
Tao tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Vesnev's elbow.
Tao's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vesnev tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A head punch on the inside from Vesnev fails to land.
A body shot lands from Tao.
Tao struggles to land a body shot inside as Vesnev controls his hands.
Tao managing to block the knees to the body from Vesnev.
Vesnev prevents a body shot from Tao.
Vesnev misses with the head strike.
Vesnev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Vesnev misses with a hook from the clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Tao.
Tao lands a body punch.
Vesnev swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Vesnev fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Vesnev fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Vesnev goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Tao lands with a right to the head.
Vesnev is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Tao pulls him back up using the underhooks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A shot in the inside from Vesnev.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tao avoiding damage as Vesnev throws knees to the body.
Vesnev digs a right hand into Tao's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Tao's gas tank.
A head punch on the inside from Vesnev fails to land.
A hook to the body from Tao.
Vesnev misses with a short punch on the inside.
Vesnev struggles to land a body shot inside as Tao controls his hands.
Vesnev is looking to break free of the clinch but Tao has double underhooks.
Tao working aggressively here.
Vesnev working aggressively here.
Vesnev fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Tao goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short left from Tao.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Vesnev softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Tao prevents a body shot from Vesnev.
Vesnev lands a body punch.
Tao prevents the takedown attempt.
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 Yury Vesnev will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Vesnev fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Tao checks it well.
Vesnev misses with a kick to the body.
Vesnev throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tao leaves Vesnev with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Nice defenses there by Tao.
Tao checks a low kick from Vesnev.
Tao throws a half hearted mid kick.
Tao uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Vesnev chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Tao ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Good standup being displayed there by Tao as he connects with a hook.
Tao lands with a shot to the body.
Tao throws a head kick that Vesnev semi-blocks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vesnev just misses with a punch to the body.
Vesnev shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Tao sprawls well. Tao wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Vesnev gets slowly back to his feet.
Vesnev keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tao.
Vesnev tries to land a front kick but Tao steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Tao connects with a leg kick. Vesnev looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Tao takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Tao tries to bum rush Vesnev with a series of wild strikes but Vesnev uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Tao misses the shot to the body.
Vesnev throws an off balance right hand
and Tao counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Good leg kick by Tao there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
A clash of legs there as Vesnev blocks the low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Tao clinches up against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Vesnev fails to land.
Tao working aggressively here.
Vesnev lands a hook that snaps the head of Tao backwards.
Tao struggles to land a body shot inside as Vesnev controls his hands.
Vesnev tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Tao lands an uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tao blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Vesnev tries for a takedown but Tao manages to get underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yury Vesnev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Vesnev lands with a short shot to the head.
Tao gets underhooks to prevent Vesnev's takedown attempt.
Tao gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Vesnev.
Tao lands a left hand.
Tao lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Vesnev backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vesnev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A short right from Vesnev on the inside.
Vesnev throws a head punch that misses.
Tao blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Tao blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Vesnev swings wildly with an uppercut but Tao uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tao trying to control the position but instead, Vesnev has worked for underhooks and has pushed Tao into the cage.
Tao misses with the head strike.
Vesnev is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Vesnev makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Tao lands with a left to the head.
Tao lands a hook to the side of the head.
Vesnev misses with a punch to the body.
Vesnev trying to land knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tao gets through Vesnev's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Tao misses with a punch on the inside.
Vesnev is trying to maintain a safe position but Tao gets an underhook and turns Vesnev into the cage.
Vesnev prevents a body shot from Tao.
Vesnev misses with some punches.
Tao doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A short body shot lands from Tao as the two fighters clinch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tao struggles to land a body shot inside as Vesnev controls his hands.
Vesnev is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Tao scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Tao.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tao misses with a punch on the inside.
Vesnev swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Tao lands a body punch.
Tao misses with a hook to the ribs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yin Tao showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Tao misses the shot to the body.
Jab from Tao.
Tao lands a leg kick that knocks Vesnev off balance momentarily.
Tao looks for the body kick but Vesnev saw that one coming.
Vesnev has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Vesnev there as he acknowledges the shot.
Vesnev throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Vesnev throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Tao counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Vesnev thinking.
Tao fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Vesnev on the side of the head.
The fight stays on the outside here - Vesnev looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Tao lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Vesnev has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Vesnev and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Vesnev fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Vesnev slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Vesnev looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vesnev circles away from the clinch attempt.
Tao connects with a right hand. Vesnev shakes it off.
Tao throws a half hearted mid kick.
Tao fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Vesnev.
Vesnev throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Tao digs a good body shot into Vesnev's ribs.
Tao throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Vesnev is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Vesnev misses with a right hand
and Tao counters with a good low kick that Vesnev was not able to check.
Tao throws a leg kick but Vesnev moved away.
Vesnev walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Tao checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Tao fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Vesnev.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vesnev takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Yin Tao seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Tao moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tao throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Vesnev throws a predictable looking body shot
and Tao counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Vesnev with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Tao lands a lovely overhand right.
Vesnev throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Tao has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.

Tao moves into the clinch successfully.
Vesnev tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Tao lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Vesnev misses with a punch to the body.
Tao can't find room to land a body shot as Vesnev controls the action.
Tao prevents a body shot from Vesnev.
A short left from Vesnev.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tao lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Vesnev will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Tao.
Tao misses with a punch on the inside.
Tao working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tao struggles to land a body shot inside as Vesnev controls his hands.
Tao throws a head punch that misses.
Vesnev fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Vesnev blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tao softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Vesnev scores with a shoulder strike.
Tao lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Tao lands a left hand.
Tao can't find room to land a body shot as Vesnev controls the action.
Vesnev blocks a body shot from Tao.
Tao blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Vesnev goes for a takedown attempt but Tao pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tao throws a front kick aimed at Vesnev's knee but Vesnev avoids it well.
Nice body kick there by Tao.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vesnev fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yury Vesnev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tao scores with a punch to the head.
Some wild striking there from Tao.
A thudding body kick lands there by Tao!
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Vesnev stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Tao.
That kick from Tao tenderised Vesnev's leg. Vesnev is trying to keep his angry face on.
Yin Tao is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Vesnev lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

And that's the end of the fight!
Yin Tao comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tao 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yin Tao!
During a confident post fight interview, Yin Tao thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.