PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Malvin Mandi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marcus Winston (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Marcus Winston is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Mandi
vs
Winston

180 cm
23
157 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

183 cm
24
154 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Powerful takedowns
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Malvin Mandi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Marcus Winston!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Gwen Towbar and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Mandi drives through and clinches with Winston against the cage.

Mandi breaks from the clinch.
No joy there for Winston, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Mandi cracks a nice hook into Winston's ribs.
Mandi moves forwards but Winston connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Winston looks for a takedown but Mandi sprawls well.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Mandi gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Winston regains guard.
Winston keeping full guard, as Mandi tries to pass.
Mandi is stalling in the full guard.
Mandi tries to stand but Winston is controlling from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mandi lands a couple of digs.
Mandi wanted to stand there but Winston had control of the position.
Mandi trying to control but Winston is working from the bottom.
Mandi wants to pass the guard but Winston is keeping the position.
Winston controls Mandi momentarily but Mandi frees himself.
Winston looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mandi is one step ahead there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Mandi controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Winston is trying to control the position from the bottom.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Mandi gets a clinch.

Mandi breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Mandi shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Winston sprawls well. Winston wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Mandi gets slowly back to his feet.
Mandi changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Winston tries to avoid it but Mandi manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Winston to the ground. Winston escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Winston misses with a takedown attempt - Mandi sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Mandi throws a quick counter kick to the body but Winston avoids it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Winston throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Mandi holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

Mandi is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Winston can't fight it off and eventually Mandi manages to take the fight to the floor. Winston looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Winston is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Mandi engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Mandi trying to control but Winston is working from the bottom.

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Winston throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mandi controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

Mandi avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Winston isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Mandi stacks Winston on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Mandi!
Winston prevents Mandi from improving position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Mandi decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Mandi fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Malvin Mandi dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Winston scores with a jab to the jaw.
Mandi closes this distance looking for a takedown but Winston circles away.
Winston let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Mandi closes this distance looking for a takedown but Winston circles away.
Mandi takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Mandi.
Winston is looking for a sweep.
Winston takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Winston parries the strikes from Mandi easily there. Mandi is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Winston to escape.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Winston gets back to half guard.

Winston looking for submissions off his back.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mandi trying to control the action but Winston is working from the bottom.
Winston is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Mandi in particular looking to stall.
Mandi tries to pass the half guard into mount. Winston knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Winston wants to control but Mandi is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Winston manages to get to full guard.
Mandi stands and throws Winston's legs to the side, diving into side control.

That's two 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.
Winston prevents Mandi from improving position.
Malvin Mandi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Winston wants to control but Mandi postures up.
Mandi throws a strike aimed at the side of Winston's head but Winston avoids it well.

Mandi tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Mandi has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Winston tries to improve position but can't.
Winston is trying to control Mandi's posture but Mandi avoids it.
Winston being controlled for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Winston tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Mandi tries to move to mount but Winston blocks the move with his legs.
Winston is looking to regain half guard here but Mandi keeps moving and retains side control.
Winston trying his best to control but Mandi has mounted him.
Winston is in all sorts of trouble here.
Mandi trying to control but he's not successful this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Winston is looking to get to half guard.
Winston is squirming around, avoiding Mandi's attempts to control the action.
Mandi is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Winston can do to turn this around?
Winston tries to hold on but Mandi postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Mandi controlling his opponent.
Mandi seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Winston for as long as he can get away with.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Mandi pushing the pace here, looking to move to his opponents back and work for a finish.

Mandi get's back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Malvin Mandi dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Mandi closes the distance and clinches.
Mandi wants a takedown but no success here.
A battle for position here, against the cage.

Mandi pulls Winston into guard.
Mandi wants to stand up but Winston is controlling him.
Winston is in close to Mandi's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Winston throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Mandi kicks Winston off and gets to his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Winston shoots for a double leg takedown but Mandi sprawls well. He's pushed Winston's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Mandi tries to counter with a takedown but Winston is quick to defend against it.
Mandi lands a jab-cross combination.
Winston stuffs the takedown.
Mandi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Winston is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Winston tries to move into range but Mandi moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.

Mandi gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Winston to score an easy takedown into full guard.

Winston is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Winston wants to control from the top but Mandi keeps moving.
Mandi seems keen to control Winston's posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Winston drops back, looking for a kneebar! Mandi looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Mandi looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Mandi!

Mandi cracks Winston with a big elbow.
Winston is looking to reverse the position.
Winston wants to control but Mandi postures up.
Mandi is looking to take a break and control but Winston is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Mandi content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mandi is looking to take a break and control but Winston is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Mandi tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Mandi working the ground and pound.
Winston tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Winston avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Mandi.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Winston wants to control but Mandi postures up.

Mandi is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Winston knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Winston wants to control but Mandi postures up.
Mandi lands some shots froms side control.
Winston tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Mandi wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Winston gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Mandi performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

And that's the end of the fight!
Malvin Mandi showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Mandi, 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 Chris Downing scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Malvin Mandi!