PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Vlad Tepes Iii (ranked 851 p4p, 690 weight class) and Paul Muhapuro (ranked 122 p4p, 98 weight class). Muhapuro has chosen Warrant - Cherry Pie as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Tepes Iii
vs
Muhapuro

180 cm
33
180
22 - 12 - 2

177 cm
32
173
25 - 13 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

HELLBENT
Voodoo Nutrition

Voodoo Nutrition
PWNAGE Elite - $25 Tees

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 22 - 12 - 2, fighting out of London, Vlad Tepes Iii!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 25 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Paul Muhapuro!
The judges for this bout are Hirohito Nitta, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yasuomi Hirokawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Muhapuro is looking to clinch.
Tepes Iii swings for the body but Muhapuro moves out of range.
Tepes Iii throws a wild body kick that Muhapuro sees coming a mile off.

Muhapuro moves into the clinch successfully.
Tepes Iii struggles to land a body shot inside as Muhapuro controls his hands.
Tepes Iii blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Muhapuro fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Tepes Iii fails to land.
Muhapuro swings wildly with an uppercut but Tepes Iii uses good head movement to avoid it.
Muhapuro working aggressively here.

Tepes Iii escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Muhapuro has Tepes Iii up against the cage in a clinch.
Tepes Iii misses with a shot to the kidneys.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Muhapuro throws a head punch that misses.
Tepes Iii takes an elbow to the forehead.

It looks like Vlad Tepes Iii has been cut.

Muhapuro breaks from the clinch.
Paul Muhapuro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Tepes Iii keeps the fight on the outside.
Tepes Iii swats away the attempt to clinch by Muhapuro.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Muhapuro checks the leg kick nicely there.
Muhapuro takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Muhapuro is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Tepes Iii gets tackled into the cage by Muhapuro. Muhapuro maintains the clinch.
Tepes Iii has Muhapuro pressed against the cage.

Muhapuro breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Tepes Iii shoots in but no luck this time.
Tepes Iii throws out a loose jab but Muhapuro uses good head movement to avoid it.
Muhapuro doesn't manage to clinch there - Tepes Iii circles away.
A little feinted left hand from Tepes Iii on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Muhapuro tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Tepes Iii manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Muhapuro fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Tepes Iii, pushing him back against the cage.
A shot in the inside from Tepes Iii.

Muhapuro breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Tepes Iii tries to keep at a distance but Muhapuro has taken the fight into the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tepes Iii.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tepes Iii lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Tepes Iii digs a right hand underneath Muhapuro's ribcage. Muhapuro let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Muhapuro misses with the head strike.
Tepes Iii just leaning against Muhapuro, taking a breather.
A short uppercut from Muhapuro.

Tepes Iii manages to break the clinch.
Tepes Iii throws a head kick but Muhapuro moves out of range.
Tepes Iii keeps the fight on the outside.
Tepes Iii thows a left - swing and a miss!

Muhapuro clinches up against the cage.
A short right from Muhapuro on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Tepes Iii fails to land.
Muhapuro misses with the head strike.
Muhapuro working aggressively here.
Muhapuro misses with some punches.
Tepes Iii is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Muhapuro lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Muhapuro has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Tepes Iii seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Muhapuro can turn it around.
Muhapuro lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tepes Iii tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Muhapuro's elbow.
Tepes Iii has a couple of punches blocked by Muhapuro.

Tepes Iii works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.

Muhapuro is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Tepes Iii presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Tepes Iii tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Muhapuro's elbow.
Muhapuro tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Muhapuro scores with a shoulder strike.
Tepes Iii is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Muhapuro has a couple of punches blocked by Tepes Iii.

Tepes Iii drags the fight down to the ground.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Muhapuro would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

Tepes Iii is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Muhapuro defends well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Muhapuro stopping the sweep attempt from Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Tepes Iii has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

Tepes Iii is looking for a triangle but Muhapuro pushes his legs off easily.
Muhapuro is looking to stand up but Tepes Iii won't let him.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Muhapuro doesn't manage to clinch there - Tepes Iii circles away.
Muhapuro takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Paul Muhapuro will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Vlad Tepes Iii's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Tepes Iii swats away the attempt to clinch by Muhapuro.
Tepes Iii chopping away at his opponent's legs.
A swing and a miss from Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro blocks a jab.
Tepes Iii swats away the attempt to clinch by Muhapuro.
Tepes Iii connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Tepes Iii looks for the body kick but Muhapuro saw that one coming.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Muhapuro tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Tepes Iii manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Muhapuro moves into the clinch.
Muhapuro throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tepes Iiis head.
Tepes Iii scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Muhapuro breaks the clinch.
Tepes Iii throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Muhapuro fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Muhapuro tries to clinch there but Tepes Iii circles away.
Tepes Iii misses with a low kick as Muhapuro jumps back.
Muhapuro swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Muhapuro tries to clinch up.
Muhapuro blocks the body kick.
Tepes Iii keeps the fight on the outside.
Tepes Iii throws the left hand but Muhapuro avoids the punch easily.
Vlad Tepes Iii is winning the standup battle so far.
Tepes Iii thows a leg kick but Muhapuro checks it
and Muhapuro counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Muhapuro tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Tepes Iii manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Muhapuro has managed to clinch.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Muhapuro misses with some punches.
Muhapuro misses with the head strike.
Muhapuro swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Tepes Iii doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tepes Iii misses with a hook from the clinch.
Tepes Iii blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tepes Iii tries to work over Muhapuro's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Muhapuro fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Muhapuro swings wildly with an uppercut but Tepes Iii uses good head movement to avoid it.
Muhapuro lands a nice elbow.
Muhapuro scores with a nice hook to the head.
Muhapuro throws an elbow but it's blocked.

Muhapuro breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tepes Iii feints and then cracks Muhapuro's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Muhapuro down.
Tepes Iii connects with a single shot there.
Muhapuro fails with an attempt to clinch.
Tepes Iii misses with a leg kick.
Muhapuro takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Tepes Iii misses with a right hand
and Muhapuro counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Muhapuro takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Muhapuro tries to close the distance and clinch up but Tepes Iii swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tepes Iii tried to score with a low kick but Muhapuro checks it.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Muhapuro! But no joy.

Tepes Iii gets tackled into the cage by Muhapuro. Muhapuro maintains the clinch.
Tepes Iii has a couple of punches blocked by Muhapuro.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Tepes Iii breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Tepes Iii looks to land a left hand but Muhapuro moved out of range nicely.
Tepes Iii avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Muhapuro has managed to clinch.
Muhapuro lands a right hand that snaps the head of Tepes Iii backwards.
Muhapuro fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Muhapuro throws an elbow that misses.
I was talking to Tepes Iii's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Tepes Iii blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tepes Iii can't find room to land a body shot as Muhapuro controls the action.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Muhapuro makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Muhapuro misses with a punch on the inside.
Muhapuro tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Muhapuro swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Tepes Iii breaks the clinch.
Tepes Iii avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Muhapuro closes the distance and clinches.
Tepes Iii is looking to control Muhapuro's arms but Muhapuro gets an underhook and turns him. Now Tepes Iii has his back to the cage.
Muhapuro lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Tepes Iii backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Muhapuro.
Muhapuro misses with a punch on the inside.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tepes Iii throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Tepes Iii working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tepes Iii struggles to land a body shot inside as Muhapuro controls his hands.

Tepes Iii gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Tepes Iii seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Tepes Iii with the ground and pound but Muhapuro uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Tepes Iii slips nicely into half guard.

Tepes Iii seems to be working for a kimura but Muhapuro defends the submission attempt.
Tepes Iii is trying to control the action in half guard but Muhapuro is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Paul Muhapuro will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Vlad Tepes Iii's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Muhapuro is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Tepes Iii misses with a body shot.

Muhapuro moves into range and clinches up with Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro lands a shoulder strike.
A nice right hand lands inside from Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro misses with a hook from the clinch.
Tepes Iii looking to stall.
Tepes Iii lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
A head punch on the inside from Muhapuro fails to land.
Tepes Iii taking a breather.
Muhapuro lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nice body punch from Tepes Iii - that landed with a thud.
Muhapuro blocks an uppercut.
Tepes Iii tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Tepes Iii.
Tepes Iii has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Muhapuro is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Tepes Iii can't find room to land a body shot as Muhapuro controls the action.
Tepes Iii blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Muhapuro swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Muhapuro tries to work over Tepes Iii's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Muhapuro breaks the clinch.

Muhapuro has Tepes Iii up against the cage in a clinch.
Muhapuro lands a right hand that snaps the head of Tepes Iii backwards.
Tepes Iii lands a body shot.

Muhapuro escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Muhapuro uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Muhapuro connects with a body shot.
Tepes Iii missing with a left hand there. Muhapuro was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Muhapuro! But no joy.
Tepes Iii moves forwards but Muhapuro connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Muhapuro tries to clinch up but Tepes Iii circles away and keeps his distance.
Muhapuro tries to clinch but Tepes Iii is having none of it.
Tepes Iii circles away from the clinch attempt
and Tepes Iii counters with a straight right hand.
Vlad Tepes Iii has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Paul Muhapuro is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Muhapuro avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Tepes Iii circles away from the clinch attempt

and Tepes Iii counters with a nice double leg into side control. Muhapuro won't be happy with that.

Muhapuro sneaks out the side door and pushes Tepes Iii away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Muhapuro is looking to clinch.
A little feinted left hand from Tepes Iii on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Muhapuro tries to clinch but Tepes Iii is having none of it.
Tepes Iii fails to land the takedown.
Paul Muhapuro is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Muhapuro has managed to clinch.
A right handed body shot lands from Tepes Iii.

Tepes Iii manages to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tepes Iii throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Muhapuro fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Tepes Iii, pushing him back against the cage.
Tepes Iii just leaning against Muhapuro, taking a breather.

Tepes Iii jumps into guard, dragging Muhapuro to the mat.

Tepes Iii is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Muhapuro defends well.
Tepes Iii working a defensive guard here.
Tepes Iii wants to sweep here but Muhapuro controlling him for the moment.

Muhapuro gets to his feet - Tepes Iii follows without any prompting.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Muhapuro rushes Tepes Iii and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Tepes Iii is trying to pull guard but Muhapuro has him pressed against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Vlad Tepes Iii. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tepes Iii tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tepes Iii.
Tepes Iii tries to circle away but Muhapuro has him pinned against the cage.
Muhapuro blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Tepes Iii wants to break the clinch but can't.
Muhapuro throws a punch but it's blocked by Tepes Iii.
Muhapuro blocking some punches.
A head punch on the inside from Tepes Iii fails to land.
Tepes Iii swings wildly with an uppercut but Muhapuro uses good head movement to avoid it.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Paul Muhapuro.
I've got Muhapuro winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 28:30
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 28:30
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Paul Muhapuro!
Our winner, Paul Muhapuro, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.