PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Khamzat Chimaev (ranked 3152 p4p, 3086 weight class) and Arturito Tampukpuk (ranked 424 p4p, 416 weight class). Chimaev kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Katioucha. This should be fireworks!

Chimaev
vs
Tampukpuk

183 cm
26
185
3 - 2 - 0

181 cm
22
185
2 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Powerful

Fantasy Threads
Seventh Circle Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Khamzat Chimaev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Arturito Tampukpuk!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Gregory Folan and Alec Ball.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A left and a right from Tampukpuk both land. Nice combination.
Tampukpuk throws a looping overhand right but Chimaev ducks down to avoid it.
Chimaev tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Tampukpuk manages to circle out of the way.
Tampukpuk misses with a lunging right hand
and Chimaev cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Tampukpuk throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Tampukpuk throws a lazy head kick

and Chimaev counters with a single leg into guard. Tampukpuk didn't expect that.

Tampukpuk manages to escape and get back to his feet.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Chimaev throws a right and a left that Tampukpuk avoids nicely.
Tampukpuk tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Tampukpuk fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Chimaev manages to avoid it.
Chimaev throws a big shot that misses.

Chimaev gets a double leg takedown into Tampukpuk's guard.

Tampukpuk pushes Chimaev off and gets back to his feet.
Chimaev avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Chimaev fails to land with a series of punches.
Tampukpuk only half commits to the counter leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tampukpuk throws a jab when Chimaev was well out of range.
Tampukpuk fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Tampukpuk misses with a few strikes there.
Chimaev fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tampukpuk manages to avoid it.
Tampukpuk is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Tampukpuk lunges at Chimaev with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Chimaev's hand.
Chimaev looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.

Chimaev moves into the clinch.
Tampukpuk missing with knees to the body.

Tampukpuk pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Chimaev just misses with a punch to the body.
Chimaev on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Tampukpuk. Tampukpuk obviously looking to wear him down.
Chimaev moves out of range of the body kick from Tampukpuk.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tampukpuk lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Tampukpuk throws a body kick, spinning off balance

so Chimaev counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Chimaev prevents Tampukpuk from getting back to his feet.
Tampukpuk working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Chimaev.
Tampukpuk preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Tampukpuk looking to control.
Chimaev is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Chimaev postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Chimaev postures up in Tampukpuk's guard and throws a big left but Tampukpuk blocks it.
Chimaev prevents Tampukpuk from getting back to his feet.
Chimaev with a flurry of punches that miss.
Both fighters have adopted an aggressive gameplan on the ground!
Chimaev trying to control the position from guard on top but Tampukpuk is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Chimaev controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Chimaev throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Chimaev stops Tampukpuk from standing up.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Chimaev missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Chimaev scoring with some ground and pound.
Chimaev throws a big elbow that misses.
Tampukpuk is controlling Chimaev's posture.
Chimaev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Chimaev won't allow Tampukpuk to get back to his feet.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Tampukpuk lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Tampukpuk lands with an overhand left.
Arturito Tampukpuk is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Tampukpuk pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Tampukpuk paws at him with a jab and circles away.
As Chimaev backs off Tampukpuk throws a huge counter combo but Chimaev manages to avoid it all.
Chimaev shoots in for a takedown but Tampukpuk shows good takedown defense.
Chimaev throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Tampukpuk tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Tampukpuk gets caught napping as Chimaev dives in and scores a takedown. Tampukpuk manages to retain guard.
Tampukpuk is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Chimaev is controlling him.
Tampukpuk is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Chimaev on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Chimaev tries to get out of the position.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tampukpuk tries to stand and escape but Chimaev is controlling the position.

Tampukpuk stands up and beckons Chimaev to join him on the feet.
Tampukpuk wants to clinch

so Chimaev counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

Tampukpuk pushes Chimaev off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Arturito Tampukpuk dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Tampukpuk lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Chimaev at a distance.
Tampukpuk throws a leg kick that is checked

and Chimaev counters with a shoot takedown. Tampukpuk fights it but they end up in guard.
Chimaev with a nice head shot there.
Chimaev wants to control from the top but Tampukpuk keeps moving.
Chimaev scoring with some ground and pound.

Tampukpuk has managed to wall walk up one of the corner posts to get back to his feet. Chimaev is pushing him up against the cage, looking to control the position.
Tampukpuk is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Chimaev stalling against the cage.
Tampukpuk throws a head punch that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Chimaev avoiding damage as Tampukpuk throws knees to the body.
Chimaev misses with a punch to the body.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tampukpuk.

Tampukpuk escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Chimaev slips a jab from Tampukpuk.
A low kick from Tampukpuk is predictable there

and Chimaev counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Tampukpuk is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Chimaev is controlling him.
Chimaev wants to control from the top but Tampukpuk keeps moving.
Tampukpuk has Chimaev pulled in close to control his posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev cracks Tampukpuk with a solid left hand.
Tampukpuk wants to hit a sweep here but Chimaev passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Tampukpuk there!
Khamzat Chimaev overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Tampukpuk is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Chimaev with good strikes from the mount here!
Tampukpuk squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Chimaev connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Chimaev pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Chimaev lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Tampukpuk hang on?
Chimaev landing punches.
Tampukpuk is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev with shots to the head and body - Tampukpuk looks very uncomfortable down there.
Chimaev with good strikes from the mount here!
Tampukpuk wants to hold on but Chimaev pushes him away.
Chimaev scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Chimaev trying to control but Tampukpuk is having none of it.
Tampukpuk taking shots to the head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Chimaev avoids the attempt from Tampukpuk to control.
Chimaev cracks Tampukpuk with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Tampukpuk felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Chimaev can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Tampukpuk is looking to escape.
Chimaev punishing his opponent with strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tampukpuk gets back to half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tampukpuk is looking to escape.
Chimaev is pressing down on Tampukpuk's thigh, looking to free his foot. Tampukpuk is holding on for now.
Chimaev stops Tampukpuk from getting back to his feet.

Chimaev seems to be looking for submissions.
Tampukpuk is trying to stand back up but Chimaev is controlling him
Tampukpuk controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Tampukpuk tries to kick Chimaev off but Chimaev keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Khamzat Chimaev dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Tampukpuk is looking to clinch.
Tampukpuk swinging wildly here.
Tampukpuk swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
The fight stays on the outside here - Chimaev looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nice sprawl there from Tampukpuk as Chimaev shoots in.
Tampukpuk unleashes a big counter combination but Chimaev bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Tampukpuk throws a jab when Chimaev was well out of range.
Chimaev is looking to counter punch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tampukpuk throws a lazy uppercut

so Chimaev counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Chimaev stays in close to Tampukpuk's body and controls the position.
Tampukpuk working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Chimaev.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tampukpuk wants to sweep here but Chimaev controlling him for the moment.
Chimaev postures up.
Chimaev trying to control the position from guard on top but Tampukpuk is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Chimaev drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Chimaev jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Chimaev trying to control but Tampukpuk is working from the bottom.
Chimaev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Tampukpuk's head.
Chimaev stands up over Tampukpuk, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Tampukpuk is trying to control the position but Chimaev postures up.
Tampukpuk pulls Chimaev in close to prevent any damage.
Chimaev is working Tampukpuk over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tampukpuk lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Tampukpuk is looking to stand up but Chimaev won't let him.
Tampukpuk wants to control from the top but Chimaev keeps moving.

Tampukpuk decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Chimaev misses with a takedown attempt
and Tampukpuk counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Chimaev uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tampukpuk.
Chimaev with a poor takedown
and Tampukpuk counters with a nice uppercut.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khamzat Chimaev. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev fails with a takedown attempt.
Tampukpuk jabs Chimaev right on the nose. Chimaev blinks but takes it well.
Arturito Tampukpuk is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tampukpuk looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Chimaev throws a counter high kick but Tampukpuk was just alert enough to avoid it.
Tampukpuk swings widly with a right hand

and Chimaev counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Tampukpuk slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Tampukpuk looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Chimaev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Chimaev postures up and lands a big shot to Tampukpuk's brow.
Chimaev landing with the ground and pound.

Tampukpuk has scooted to the edge of the canvas and used the cage to get back to his feet. Chimaev has stuck on his opponent and is forcing him back against the cage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tampukpuk has had enough of the clinch but Chimaev keeps him there for the moment.
Tampukpuk misses with some punches.
Tampukpuk lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Tampukpuk tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Tampukpuk is trying to break the clinch but Chimaev is controlling him.
Chimaev changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Tampukpuk fights it off and pushes away nicely.

And that's the end of the fight!
Arturito Tampukpuk comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tampukpuk 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 Dillan Fox scores the fight for Khamzat Chimaev!
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight for Khamzat Chimaev!
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight as a draw!

Khamzat Chimaev wins by majority decision!
Khamzat Chimaev decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.