PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Denis Denisov (ranked 3004 p4p, 2279 weight class) and Gholam Estili (ranked 357 p4p, 284 weight class). Estili has chosen Ready For War (Instrumental) as his entrance music. The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Denisov
vs
Estili

167 cm
33
140
12 - 27 - 2

174 cm
30
156
13 - 8 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
Excellent boxer
Powerful

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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 27 - 2, fighting out of Los Angeles, Denis Denisov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 8 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Gholam Estili!
The judges for this bout are Percy O'Donnell, Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Horrible takedown attempt by Denisov or perhaps it was just good defense by Estili, which made it look bad.
Denisov's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Denisov duly obliges.
Denisov tries to score a power double leg takedown but Estili sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Denisov somewhat.

Denisov rushes Estili and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Denisov.
Denisov is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Estili gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Denis Denisov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Estili is looking to break free of the clinch but Denisov has double underhooks.
Denisov is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Estili to keep the fight standing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Estili misses with a punch to the body.
Estili can't find room to land a body shot as Denisov controls the action.
Denisov is trying to pull guard but Estili has him pressed against the cage.
Denisov stalling the fight.
Estili wants to break the clinch but can't.
I was talking to Denisov's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.

Denisov pulls guard effortlessly.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Estili stays in close to Denisov's body and controls the position.
Denisov tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Denisov keeping full guard, as Estili tries to pass.
Denisov will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Estili postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Denisov has momentary wrist control but Estili slips an elbow through the middle.
Estili is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Denisov throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Estili has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Estili keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Denisov's head.
Denisov tries to strike from the bottom.
Estili trying to control but Denisov is working from the bottom.
Denisov is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Estili wants to control from the top but Denisov keeps moving.
Denisov has his hands on Estili's head, controlling the position.
Estili trying to control the position from guard on top but Denisov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Estili distracts Denisov with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Estili is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Estili engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Estili cracks Denisov with a solid left hand.
Denisov is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Estili tries to roll over but Denisov keeps him under control.
Denisov throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Estili to regain full guard.
Denisov throwing strikes but missing.
Denisov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Estili looking to control.
Denisov has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Denisov looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

Estili is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Denisov is aware though and is defending well.

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.
Estili controls Denisov momentarily but Denisov frees himself.
Estili avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Estili working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Denisov.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Estili is on top in guard.

Denisov throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Denisov has momentary wrist control but Estili slips an elbow through the middle.
Estili distracts Denisov with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Denisov is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Denisov wants to sweep here but Estili controlling him for the moment.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Estili landing some decent shots from guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Gholam Estili will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Estili throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Denisov misses with a wild body shot.
Estili misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Denisov.
Estili takes a swing at Denisov's ribcage but misses.
Estili throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Estili throws a body punch but Denisov moves out of range.
Denisov moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Estili throws a jab when Denisov was well out of range.
Estili throws a right and a left that Denisov avoids nicely.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Denisov shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Estili defends it nicely.
Estili throws out a counter right but Denisov avoids it with no problem.
Denisov tries to bum rush Estili with a series of wild strikes but Estili uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Estili comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Estili loads up on a big right hand but Denisov slips the punch.
Estili tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Denisov was well out of range. Poor timing from Estili.
Denisov tries to bum rush Estili with a series of wild strikes but Estili uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Denisov.
Estili appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.

Denisov gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Estili wants to get back to striking at distance but Denisov won't allow it.
Estili tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Estili misses with a body punch.
Estili struggles to land a body shot inside as Denisov controls his hands.

Estili pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Denisov moves into the clinch.
Estili wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Estili misses with the head strike.
Estili tries a body shot but Denisov blocks it.

Denisov pulls Estili into guard.
Estili is in close to Denisov's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Estili lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Denisov throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Gholam Estili has got the better of the ground game so far.
Denisov will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Estili lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Estili is in close to Denisov's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Estili engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Denisov throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Denisov will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Estili lands a couple of digs.
My spies in Blacksmith MMA Gym 🇺🇲 inform me that Estili has been getting involved in the gym's BJJ sparring sessions. Let's see whether that pays dividends!
Denisov keeping moving, preventing Estili from controlling successfully.
Estili sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Estili distracts Denisov with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Denisov trying to keep a closed guard but Estili is proving a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Estili scoring with punches to the head and body.
Denisov looking for a sweep. Not yet Denisov, not yet.
Estili controlling from the top position.
Estili wants to pass the guard but Denisov is keeping the position.
Denisov throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Denisov throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Estili takes a swing at Denisov's ribcage but misses.
Estili throws a body punch but Denisov moves out of range.
Estili misses with a right hand
and Denisov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Denisov scores with a hook.
Good shot there by Estili.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Estili throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Estili takes a swing at Denisov's ribcage but misses.
Denisov throws a big counter combination but Estili scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Denisov shoots for a takedown but Estili saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Denis Denisov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Denisov pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Estili back to the cage. Denisov follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Denisov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Denis Denisov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Estili digs a good hook to Denisov's body.
Estili lands with an overhand left.
Estili throws out a loose jab but Denisov uses good head movement to avoid it.
Estili fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Denisov manages to avoid it.

Estili gets tackled into the cage by Denisov. Denisov maintains the clinch.
Estili tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Denisov gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Both fighters have adopted an aggressive gameplan on the ground!
Estili managing to control the position.

Denisov got a little sloppy there for a moment and Estili has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Denisov has managed to get both his arms back between Estili's legs - danger averted.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Gholam Estili showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Denisov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Estili misses with a hook. Denisov ducked under it nicely.

Estili gets tackled into the cage by Denisov. Denisov maintains the clinch.
Denisov jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Estili walks away with a smile on his face. Denisov gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Denisov closes the distance and clinches.
Estili tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Denisov is trying to pull guard but Estili turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Estili's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Estili is leaning against Denisov and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Denisov tries to pull guard but Estili holds him up against the cage and eventually Denisov drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Denis Denisov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Denisov is looking for a takedown.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Estili in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Estili tries a body shot but Denisov blocks it.
Denisov is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Estili to keep the fight standing.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Denisov.
Estili misses with a punch to the body.

Estili breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Estili misses with a body shot.
Gholam Estili is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Estili swings for the body but Denisov moves out of range.
Gholam Estili seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Estili pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Left hook, right uppercut from Denisov.
Estili throws an overhand right that lands on Denisov's shoulder, as Denisov tries to avoid the shot.
Denisov is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Denisov misses with a takedown attempt - Estili sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Estili takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Estili connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Estili throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Denisov has taken the fight to the clinch.
Estili has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Denisov drags the fight down to the ground.
Estili is in close to Denisov's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Estili chips away with some ground and pound.
Estili makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Estili sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Denisov is looking to sweep but instead, Estili has passed into half guard.
Estili wants to take a breather but Denisov is having none of it.
Denisov is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Estili scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Denis Denisov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Denisov wants to sweep but Estili has passed to side control!
Estili trying to control the position but Denisov is working away.
Estili working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Denisov is looking for a sweep.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Denisov throwing some weak shots from the bottom that do no damage.
Denisov taking punishment in the form of punches.
Estili is looking to take a break and control but Denisov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Denisov tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Estili wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Denisov throws an elbow to the body but it doesn't land.
Denisov throws an elbow that doesn't really do any damage.
Denisov takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Denisov sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Denisov taking some punishment here, with Estili in his half guard.
Estili looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Denisov with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Estili is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Estili scoring with strikes to the body and head.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Denisov is trying to get back to full guard.
Denisov flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Denisov landing rabbit punches to the side of Estili's head. Not doing much damage but still scoring a few points.

Denisov looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Denisov is not content to let Estili control the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gholam Estili comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Estili 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gholam Estili!
After winning the bout, Gholam Estili thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.