PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Thiago Tavares (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bernhard Langer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Langer's choice of entrance music: Jeezy f. Rocko and 2 Chainz - Benihana. Both fighters look pumped up here. Let's hope this is a good fight!

Tavares
vs
Langer

190 cm
38
240 lbs
30 - 12 - 0

192 cm
34
242 lbs
17 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Sin City Allstars
Revolution Clothing

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 30 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Thiago Tavares!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Bernhard Langer!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Timothy Bukovac and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Langer bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Tavares swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Tavares misses with a few strikes there.
Langer lands a head kick!
Tavares throws a series of punches but Langer moves out of range.
Tavares misses with the body kick

and Langer counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Langer trying to control the position from guard on top but Tavares is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Langer missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Tavares wants to get back to his feet but Langer is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Langer pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Tavares is keeping the position for now.
Tavares tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tavares pulls Langer in to control the position.
Langer has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Langer throws a big right hand that misses.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Langer accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Tavares throws a nice inside leg kick.
Tavares is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Langer.
Thiago Tavares seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Langer throws a hook but Tavares blocks it.
Tavares tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
A punch lands to the side of Langer 's head but he takes it in his stride.
A good leg kick by Tavares.

Tavares instigates a clinch.

Tavares breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Tavares pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
The fighters circling - Tavares throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Langer avoids a kick to the body.
Langer throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Tavares sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A jab from Tavares does it's job there.
Nice uppercut lands for Langer. That snapped Tavares's head back.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Langer is looking to chop away at Tavares's legs.
Langer lands a jab to Tavares's midsection.
Tavares has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Langer.
Tavares lands with a good body shot.
Langer avoids the body shot from Tavares.
Langer connects with a good right hand that stumbles Tavares. Tavares circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Langer uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Tavares has time to react.
Langer checks a leg kick.
Langer flicks out a counter leg kick but Tavares steps away.
Tavares ducks right into an uppercut from Langer.
Tavares with a hook.
Langer displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Tavares throws out the jab.
Langer checks a low kick from Tavares.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Langer avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Langer 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.
Langer preventing the sweep.
Langer sitting in guard here, content to control.
Langer postures up in Tavares's guard and throws a big left but Tavares blocks it.
Tavares has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Langer missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Tavares wriggles free and stands up.
Tavares is looking to land body kicks.
Thiago Tavares is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Langer thumps Tavares with a low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tavares moves out of range of the body kick.
Langer is looking to slow Tavares down with leg kicks.

Tavares clinches with his opponent.

Tavares escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tavares looks to land a right hand but Langer moved out of range.
Langer drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Tavares rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Langer counters with a low kick, right behind Tavares 's knee.
Tavares takes a swing at Langer's ribcage but misses.
Langer lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Good leg kick by Langer there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Langer throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
It looked like Tavares wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Tavares slaps away a takedown attempt from Langer, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Tavares was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Tavares misses with a straight left.
Langer feints the counter takedown.
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 Thiago Tavares will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Tavares pushes Langer up against the cage in a clinch.
Tavares prevents the takedown attempt.
Langer has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Tavares after a bit of a struggle.
Tavares prevents a takedown attempt there.
Thiago Tavares has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bernhard Langer.
Tavares fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Tavares pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Good shot there by Tavares.
Tavares connects with an inside leg kick.
Thiago Tavares is winning the standup battle so far.
Tavares swings widly with a right hand
and Langer counters with a stiff right hand.
Tavares looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Langer lands with an uppercut that bounces Tavares off the cage and back into range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tavares throws a head kick but Langer moves out of range.
Tavares throws a leg kick
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Sloppy strikes from Langer. Those never looked like landing.
Tavares wants to clinch but Langer slips to the side
and Langer counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Langer lands a nice leg kick that just misses Tavares's sensitive parts.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Langer takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Langer throws a front kick aimed at Tavares's knee but Tavares avoids it well.
A slapping body kick lands there for Tavares.
Langer swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Tavares is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Langer walks into a left hand.

Tavares closes the distance and pushes Langer back into the cage.

Tavares breaks from the clinch.
Tavares throws a head kick but Langer moves out of range.

Tavares instigates a clinch.

Tavares manages to break the clinch.
Langer showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Tavares.
Langer looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Tavares pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Langer connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Tavares momentarily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Langer misses with a hook. Tavares ducked under it nicely.
Tavares swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tavares tries to grapple but his opponent circles
enabling Langer to counter with a crisp jab.
Langer fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tavares manages to avoid it.
Tavares feints and then cracks Langer's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Langer down.
Tavares fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Langer manages to avoid it.
And Langer tries to counter it with a takedown but Tavares pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Tavares misses with a leg kick

and Langer decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Tavares's guard.
Langer prevents Tavares from getting back to his feet.
Tavares is pulling down on Langer's head to control his posture.
Langer trying to control the position from guard on top but Tavares is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Langer trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Tavares is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Langer presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Tavares gets underhooks to prevent Langer's takedown attempt.

Tavares pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Langer displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Tavares throws out the jab.
Langer misses with a hook.
Jab by Tavares.
Tavares misses with a lunging right hand
and Langer counters with a straight right hand.
Tavares moves into range and connects with a jab.
Tavares fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Tavares lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Langer circles away quickly and effectively.
Tavares fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

Langer is rocked!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tavares throws an uppercut from hell that sends Langer clean off his feet! He's out cold! Tavares stands back and admires his work as he thinks about that KO of the night award that is surely being wrapped up for him back stage.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:59 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Thiago Tavares!
After winning the bout, Thiago Tavares thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.