PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Andrei Masovich (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Andrew Faber (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Andrew Faber is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Masovich
vs
Faber

172 cm
18
141 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

165 cm
18
135 lbs
0 - 5 - 0

Good takedowns
Basic striking
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Andrei Masovich!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Andrew Faber!
The judges for this bout are Igor Prikhodko, Sergei Dronov and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Masovich throws a leg kick
and Faber counters with a thumping low kick.
Faber looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Masovich shoots in and drives through. Faber sprawls well.
Faber fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Masovich.
Masovich looks to land a left hand but Faber moved out of range nicely.
Masovich throws a poor cross that misses
and Faber counters with a nice uppercut.

Faber has managed to clinch.
Masovich swings wildly with an uppercut but Faber uses good head movement to avoid it.
Masovich tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Faber's elbow.
Faber blocks an uppercut.
Masovich throws a punch but it's blocked by Faber.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Faber lands a good knee to the midsection. Masovich won't want to take too many of those.
Faber prevents the takedown attempt.
Masovich tries to circle away but Faber has him pinned against the cage.
Masovich wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Faber breaks the clinch.
Faber shoots for a double leg takedown but Masovich sprawls well. He's pushed Faber's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Masovich tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Masovich attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.

Faber closes the distance and pushes Masovich back into the cage.
Masovich struggles to land a body shot inside as Faber controls his hands.
Masovich throws a head punch that misses.
Masovich misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Masovich misses with the head strike.
A frustrated look appears on Masovich's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Masovich changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Faber fights it off and pushes away nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Andrei Masovich. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Faber clinches.
Masovich can't find room to land a body shot as Faber controls the action.

Faber pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Good leg kick by Faber there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Faber darts in and clinches Masovich up against the cage.
Masovich is trying to break the clinch but Faber has him pressed against the cage.
Masovich tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Masovich tries to throw a body punch but Faber avoids it by throwing Masovich back against the cage.
Masovich can't find room to land a body shot as Faber controls the action.
Faber jumps guard but Masovich turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Masovich misses with a punch to the body.

Faber escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Faber keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Faber slips a jab from Masovich.
A swing and a miss from Masovich.
Masovich throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Masovich has his takedown stuffed
and Faber counters with a left to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Masovich misses with a hook
and Faber counters with a two punch combo.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Masovich dives in and grabs Faber's left leg, looking for a takedown. Faber pushes down on Masovich's head and hops out.
Faber appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Masovich misses with a takedown
and Faber counters with a series of strikes. Masovich will be more careful next time no doubt.
Faber avoids the body shot from Masovich.
Masovich throws a jab when Faber was well out of range.
Masovich shoots for a double leg takedown but Faber sprawls well. He's pushed Masovich's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Faber keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Masovich throws a body punch but Faber moves out of range.
A lazy body kick from Masovich
and Faber counters with a good, hard body kick but Masovich shrugs it off.
Masovich throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Faber's waist but Faber gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Masovich off to one side.
Masovich fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Faber is out of range.
A swing and a miss from Masovich.
Masovich tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Faber was well out of range. Poor timing from Masovich.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Masovich pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Faber drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Masovich defends it well.
Faber checks a leg kick nicely.
Masovich pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Horrible takedown attempt by Masovich or perhaps it was just good defense by Faber, which made it look bad.
Andrei Masovich seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Faber uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Masovich.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Faber enables Masovich to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Faber manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Faber can't keep his opponent in guard - Masovich advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Masovich not landing any meaningful shots this time.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Masovich slips a nice elbow through Faber's hands, connecting with Faber's forehead.
Faber wants to improve his position but Masovich is controlling well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andrew Faber dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Masovich goes for a double leg but Faber avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Faber continues to drive forward.
Faber has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Faber lands a jab to the head.
Masovich fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Faber checks it well.
Faber is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Masovich misses with a wild body shot.
Nice sprawl there from Masovich as Faber shoots in.
Masovich looks to land a body kick but Faber moved away.
Masovich shoots in but no luck this time.
Masovich is looking to score with low kicks.
Masovich tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Faber was well out of range. Poor timing from Masovich.
Faber throws a fast counter high kick but Masovich manages to duck under it in time.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Masovich throws a wild body kick that Faber sees coming a mile off.
Masovich shoots for a takedown but Faber saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Andrei Masovich. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Masovich swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Faber defending well as Masovich loads up on a big left hand.
Masovich misses with a leg kick

and Faber counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Faber working his ground and pound in the gym. He isn't landing a great percentage of his ground strikes so far though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Masovich moves into full guard.
Faber is breathing heavily.
Masovich controls Faber momentarily but Faber frees himself.
Masovich is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Masovich missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Masovich thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Faber's head.
Masovich thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Faber's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Masovich sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Faber defending well though.
Faber avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Masovich.
Faber keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Masovich has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Masovich missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Masovich is trying to control. Faber wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Masovich lands with a punch from half guard.
Masovich thows a huge punch but Faber dodges it nicely.
Andrei Masovich overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Masovich not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Faber blocking the ground and pound attempt from Masovich.
Masovich throwing shots but Faber is blocking nicely.
Masovich wants to take a breather but Faber is having none of it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Faber avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Masovich.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Masovich thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

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

Masovich gets a takedown into half guard.
Masovich thows a huge punch but Faber dodges it nicely.
Masovich trying to control from half guard but Faber is working away.
Masovich missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Masovich trying to control from half guard but Faber is working away.
Masovich sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Faber defending well though.
Masovich thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Masovich perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Masovich throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Faber blocking the ground and pound attempt from Masovich.
Masovich is trying to control the action in half guard but Faber is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Faber avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Masovich.
Masovich not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
A bone on bone clash there as Faber blocks the leg kick.
Faber keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Masovich motions for Faber to come forward. Masovich throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Masovich throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
As Masovich backs off Faber throws a huge counter combo but Masovich manages to avoid it all.
Faber slips a straight right by Masovich.
Faber tries to counter with a clinch but Masovich shakes him off and moves away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andrei Masovich dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. 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.

Masovich throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Masovich misses with a straight left.
Masovich misses with a right hand
and Faber counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Masovich is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Masovich changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Faber tries to avoid it but Masovich manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Faber to the ground. Faber escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Faber defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Masovich.
Masovich throws a head kick but Faber moves out of range.

Faber moves into range and clinches up with Masovich.
Faber lands a shot to the body.
Masovich is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Faber pulls him back up using the underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Andrei Masovich. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Faber breaks from the clinch.
Faber takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Masovich misses with a kick to the body.
Masovich throws a predictable looking body shot
and Faber counters with a series of strikes. Masovich will be more careful next time no doubt.

Masovich darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Masovich not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Faber is not content to let Masovich control the position.
Faber keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Masovich is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Faber!
Masovich throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Faber is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Masovich throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Masovich looking to ground and pound but Faber is blocking nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Masovich thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Masovich throwing strikes here but Faber is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Masovich can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Faber is looking to escape.
Masovich unloads with some shots from mount but Faber bucks and avoids them well.
Masovich throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Masovich breaks from Faber's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Masovich wants to control the pace but Faber is squirming around nicely.
Masovich punching from mount but Faber doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Masovich looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Masovich's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Masovich trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Faber avoids a series of strikes thrown by Masovich.
Masovich wants to control the pace but Faber is squirming around nicely.
Masovich throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Masovich landing strikes from the mount.
Masovich unloads with some shots from mount but Faber bucks and avoids them well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Masovich misses with a head shot.
Masovich punching from mount but Faber doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Masovich throwing strikes here but Faber is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Masovich tries to control but Faber wriggling away.
Masovich misses with a head shot.
Masovich throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Masovich throwing strikes here but Faber is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Masovich looking to ground and pound but Faber is blocking nicely.
Faber is squirming around, avoiding Masovich's attempts to control the action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Andrei Masovich showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Masovich has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 29:28
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Andrei Masovich!