PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Timir Almaev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John McEnroe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). John McEnroe will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Almaev
vs
McEnroe

175 cm
25
175 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

184 cm
18
179 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Determined

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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Timir Almaev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, John McEnroe!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, David Hoff and Dirk Anderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
McEnroe missing with a left hand there. Almaev was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Almaev on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.

Almaev feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
McEnroe keeping full guard, as Almaev tries to pass.
Almaev is looking to stand up but McEnroe won't let him.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Almaev is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Almaev postures up in McEnroe's guard and throws a big left but McEnroe blocks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Almaev preventing the sweep.
McEnroe really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Almaev. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Almaev controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McEnroe is trying to hold Almaev in close to prevent damage but Almaev has managed to pass into half guard.
Almaev stalling.
Almaev prevents McEnroe from improving his position.

Almaev trying to work for an americana but McEnroe has managed to regain full guard.

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.
McEnroe is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Almaev looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Almaev advances position into side control!
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
Almaev throws an elbow but McEnroe slips to the side and avoids it well.
Almaev postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McEnroe defending against the ground and pound.

Almaev thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Almaev takes a little break here. McEnroe wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
McEnroe is trying to control Almaev's posture but Almaev avoids it.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
McEnroe scores with the left hand. Almaev knows he should have avoided that one.
McEnroe throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Almaev.

Almaev closes the distance and clinches.

Almaev gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, McEnroe regains guard.
Almaev slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Timir Almaev dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

McEnroe digs a good body shot into Almaev's ribs.

Almaev shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Almaev was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Almaev is looking to take a break and control but McEnroe is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Almaev working away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Almaev is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down McEnroe's shoulder. That is not cool.

That's one minute gone in the round.

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

Almaev thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Almaev just content to control the position.
We've been informed that McEnroe has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
McEnroe can't do much from the bottom here.
Almaev landing strikes.
Almaev is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt McEnroe will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Almaev is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, McEnroe has escaped the position, nice work there.

Almaev working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Almaev controls the position from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.

Almaev tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Almaev has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
McEnroe looking for a sweep but Almaev has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Almaev landing shots from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Timir Almaev dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - 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.

Almaev closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Almaev is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. McEnroe doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Almaev.
McEnroe trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Almaev controlling the position easily from mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Almaev looking to ground and pound but McEnroe is blocking nicely.
McEnroe tries to lock up and control but Almaev gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Almaev content just to control the position here.
Almaev is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that McEnroe can do to turn this around?
BOOM! Almaev connects with a massive shot to the dome!
McEnroe is trying to escape the mount but Almaev keeps good control and instead manages to take McEnroe's back.
What can McEnroe do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Almaev lands with a hammerfist to the side of McEnroe's head.
McEnroe trying to control the position but Almaev manages to sink in the hooks.
You know, I was talking to some of our celebrities at ringside tonight and they were split right down the middle on who was going to win this fight.

Almaev is looking for the choke from the back position but McEnroe is controlling his hands well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

McEnroe defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.

Almaev looking for the RNC.
McEnroe is being controlled on the ground here - he must escape this position otherwise surely the end is near.
Almaev is not going to allow McEnroe to sit and survive in this position.
Almaev trying to secure his dominant position for a moment - making sure McEnroe doesn't escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
McEnroe looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

And that's the end of the fight!
Timir Almaev showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Almaev, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 30:26
Judge David Hoff scores the fight 30:26
Judge Dirk Anderson scores the fight 30:26

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