PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Kuznetsov (ranked 652 p4p, 446 weight class) and Manny Tavares (ranked 83 p4p, 61 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Kuznetsov
vs
Tavares

180 cm
28
195
14 - 8 - 2

183 cm
33
185
24 - 12 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

Northern Zombie

NARCOS
Brooklyn Apothecary

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 14 - 8 - 2, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alexander Kuznetsov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 24 - 12 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Manny Tavares!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Taro Takaoka and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A cross from Kuznetsov lands.
Kuznetsov delivers a nice body kick.
Kuznetsov scores with a sloppy right hand. Tavares should have avoided that one.
Kuznetsov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Tavares.
Kuznetsov turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Tavares misses the jab.

Kuznetsov clinches up against the cage.
Kuznetsov is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Tavares wants to get back to striking at distance but Kuznetsov won't allow it.
Kuznetsov lands an elbow inside that Tavares shrugs off.

It looks like Manny Tavares has been cut.
Kuznetsov tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Tavares tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kuznetsov's elbow.

Tavares pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A slapping leg kick lands for Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov misses with a low kick.
Tavares uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kuznetsov.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tavares on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Kuznetsov misses with a low kick.
Kuznetsov scoring well with a low kick there.
Kuznetsov bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tavares tries to keep at a distance but Kuznetsov has taken the fight into the clinch.
Kuznetsov with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Tavares misses with a punch to the body.
Kuznetsov blocks a body shot from Tavares.
Kuznetsov gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Kuznetsov throws a head punch that misses.
Kuznetsov lands with a short shot to the head.
Tavares has a couple of punches blocked by Kuznetsov.
A short right from Kuznetsov.
Tavares wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kuznetsov has him pressed against the cage.
Tavares throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Kuznetsov using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Tavares has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Tavares lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Tavares misses with some punches.
Kuznetsov landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Tavares has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Kuznetsov seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Tavares can turn it around.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tavares looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Tavares lands a right hand.
A short right from Tavares on the inside.
Tavares misses with a hook to the ribs.
Tavares tries to throw a body punch but Kuznetsov avoids it by throwing Tavares back against the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tavares is working Kuznetsov over against the cage.
Kuznetsov looking to throw knees to the head but Tavares is blocking nicely.

Kuznetsov breaks the clinch.
Kuznetsov throws a solid leg kick but Tavares takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov scores with the left hand. Tavares knows he should have avoided that one.
Tavares slips under a jab.
Kuznetsov staying out of range there.
Kuznetsov tries to counter by clinching up but Tavares breaks away and moves out of range.
Kuznetsov wants to clinch.
Kuznetsov displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Tavares throws out the jab.
Kuznetsov tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Kuznetsov feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Tavaress jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Kuznetsov moves away from the strike by Tavares.
Kuznetsov lands an overhand right.
Kuznetsov avoids the body shot from Tavares.
Kuznetsov is looking to counter with head kicks.
Tavares misses with a lunging right hand
letting Kuznetsov counter with a right hand.
Kuznetsov lands a nice leg kick that just misses Tavares's sensitive parts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tavares scoring well with a low kick there.
Kuznetsov lands a really nice looking cross but Tavares seems unphased.
Tavares throws out a leg kick but Kuznetsov moves out of range and Tavares only half commits.
Tavares fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kuznetsov manages to avoid it.
Tavares throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Kuznetsov sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Kuznetsov rushes Tavares and presses him up against the cage.
Kuznetsov misses with a knee strike.

Kuznetsov breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Kuznetsov keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tavares.
Tavares walks into a left hand.
Sloppy strikes from Kuznetsov. Those never looked like landing.
Kuznetsov throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Good standup being displayed there by Kuznetsov as he connects with a hook.
Kuznetsov fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Tavares.
Tavares misses with a straight left.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tavares throws a leg kick
enabling Kuznetsov to counter with a crisp jab.
Kuznetsov misses with a few strikes there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov checks the leg kick.
Tavares takes one to the chin there.
Kuznetsov throws a combination that misses
and Tavares counters with a nice uppercut.
Kuznetsov takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Kuznetsov wants to slow Tavares down by chopping away at his legs.
Tavares scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Kuznetsov cracks a nice hook into Tavares's ribs.
Tavares swats away the attempt to clinch by Kuznetsov.
A little jabbing left from Tavares on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Kuznetsov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Tavares.
Tavares throws a push kick but Kuznetsov slaps the foot to one side.
As Tavares tries to get set, Kuznetsov tries to push him back and clinch up but Tavares manages to avoid the attempt.
Tavares steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kuznetsov.
Tavares avoids a punch combination nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nice defenses there by Kuznetsov.
Good standup being displayed there by Kuznetsov as he connects with a hook.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Kuznetsov.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Alexander Kuznetsov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Manny Tavares's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Tavares throws a body kick that misses.
Kuznetsov is looking to slow Tavares down with leg kicks.
Kuznetsov drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Kuznetsov misses the body punch
and Tavares counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Tavares connects with a jab.
Alexander Kuznetsov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kuznetsov tries to score with a low kick but Tavares moves his leg out of the way.
Tavares throws out a counter right but Kuznetsov avoids it with no problem.
Kuznetsov lands with a slapping head kick.
Tavares misses with the combination.
As Tavares backs away, Kuznetsov returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
Tavares scores with a crisp jab that stopped Kuznetsov in his tracks.
Tavares swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kuznetsov seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
A solid body kick from Kuznetsov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tavares keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kuznetsov tries to close the distance and clinch up but Tavares swats him away and circles back towards the center.
A swing and a miss from Tavares.
Kuznetsov moves in looking to clinch but Tavares pushes him off.
Tavares looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Kuznetsov digs a good hook to Tavares's body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznetsov tries to clinch but Tavares is having none of it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kuznetsov. Tavares does a little dance to reset his feet.
Tavares throws a body punch but Kuznetsov moves out of range.
Kuznetsov misses the shot to the body.
We've been told by Kuznetsov's head coaches at St Petersburg MMA Gym that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Kuznetsov with a hook.
Kuznetsov cracks Tavares with a good jab.
Kuznetsov avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A slow jab from Kuznetsov misses its intended target.
Tavares takes one to the chin there.
Kuznetsov throws a chopping leg kick but Tavares manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Tavares ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kuznetsov moves away.
Tavares avoids the head kick by Kuznetsov.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kuznetsov. Tavares does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kuznetsov checks a low kick from Tavares.
Kuznetsov walks into a stiff left hand from Tavares.
Nice uppercut there from Kuznetsov.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tavares tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kuznetsov was well out of range. Poor timing from Tavares.
Kuznetsov jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Kuznetsov blocks a jab.
Tavares pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Kuznetsov clinches.
Kuznetsov lands with a short shot to the head.
Tavares goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Kuznetsov with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Manny Tavares has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Tavares breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Alexander Kuznetsov is winning the standup battle so far.
A swing and a miss from Tavares.
Alexander Kuznetsov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Kuznetsov forces Tavares back against the cage and clinches.
A short uppercut from Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tavaress head.
Kuznetsov using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Tavares has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Alexander Kuznetsov has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Tavares blocks the elbow strike.
Kuznetsov with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Kuznetsov is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Tavares can do to turn this around?
Tavares working hard to break the clinch.
Kuznetsov looking to throw knees to the head but Tavares is blocking nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tavares misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kuznetsov creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
A short left from Tavares.
Tavares wants to get back to striking at distance but Kuznetsov won't allow it.
Kuznetsov's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Kuznetsov blocking some punches.
Kuznetsov lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Kuznetsov missing with knees to the body.
Kuznetsov throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Tavares blocks an elbow strike.
A short left from Tavares.
Kuznetsov's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Tavares lands a left hand.
Kuznetsov blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Kuznetsov looking to throw knees to the head but Tavares is blocking nicely.
Kuznetsov gets through Tavares's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kuznetsov avoiding damage.
Kuznetsov misses with a knee strike.
Tavares misses with the head strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov misses with a short punch on the inside.
Tavares has a couple of punches blocked by Kuznetsov.
Tavares cracks Kuznetsov with a nice body shot.
Kuznetsov tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
A head punch on the inside from Tavares fails to land.
Kuznetsov lands a knee to the head.
Tavares misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kuznetsov misses with a hook to the ribs.
Kuznetsov is pushing Tavares up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Tavares misses with a body punch.
Kuznetsov missing with knees to the body.
Kuznetsov swings wildly with an uppercut but Tavares uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tavares doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kuznetsov throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Tavares blocks it with crossed arms.

Tavares breaks the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Tavares circles away from the clinch attempt.
Tavares throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Alexander Kuznetsov will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Manny Tavares's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Tavares defending well as Kuznetsov loads up on a big left hand.
Tavares looks for the body kick but Kuznetsov saw that one coming.
Kuznetsov fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Tavares on the side of the head.
Tavares throws a hook but Kuznetsov avoids it easily.
Tavares throws a hook but Kuznetsov avoids it easily.
Tavares thows a left - swing and a miss!
Tavares misses with a looping left.
That kick from Kuznetsov tenderised Tavares's leg. Tavares is trying to keep his angry face on.
Kuznetsov throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Tavares misses with an uppercut.
Kuznetsov lands a jab to the head.
Kuznetsov lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Tavares at a distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Kuznetsov forces Tavares back against the cage and clinches.
Kuznetsov blocking some punches.
Tavares tries to work over Kuznetsov's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kuznetsov with an attempt at a knee that misses.
A short left from Tavares.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tavares on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuznetsov throws a knee to the head but misses.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Tavares.
Tavares lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Kuznetsov backwards.
Kuznetsov lands an elbow inside that Tavares shrugs off.
Tavares scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Tavares's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kuznetsov dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Tavares. That did some damage!
Kuznetsov lands a leg kick that knocks Tavares off balance momentarily.
A left lands for Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Tavares checks the leg kick.
Kuznetsov cracks Tavares with an open hand slap.
Tavares throws a hook but Kuznetsov avoids it easily.
Kuznetsov seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tavares lands a nice leg kick that just misses Kuznetsov's sensitive parts.
Tavares lands a glancing blow to the side of Kuznetsov's head.
Kuznetsov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Tavares moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Tavares connects with a crisp jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kuznetsov connects with an inside leg kick.
Kuznetsov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Tavares is trying to counter with his kicks.
Kuznetsov thuds his right hand into Tavares's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Tavares tries a low kick but Kuznetsov avoids it.
Kuznetsov looks to throw the jab but Tavares is out of range.
A slow jab from Tavares misses its intended target.
Tavares jabs Kuznetsov right on the nose. Kuznetsov blinks but takes it well.
Kuznetsov connects with a solid leg kick.
Nice uppercut there from Kuznetsov.
Tavares misses with a straight left.
Kuznetsov thinks about countering with a head kick.
Kuznetsov slips under a jab.
Tavares has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Tavares swats away the attempt to clinch by Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov blocks a jab.
A jab lands there for Tavares.
Tavares's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Tavares drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tavares misses with an uppercut.
Kuznetsov defending well as Tavares loads up on a big left hand.
Kuznetsov tries to close the distance and clinch up but Tavares swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tavares pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kuznetsov lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Kuznetsov.
A big left from Tavares misses.
Tavares thows a left - swing and a miss!
Kuznetsov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Kuznetsov misses with a two punch combination.
Kuznetsov misses with a double jab.
Kuznetsov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Tavares.
Tavares staying out of range there.
Tavares throws a leg kick
and Kuznetsov counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Kuznetsov showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Tavares.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tavares throws a body shot but no joy.
Some wild striking there from Kuznetsov.
Tavares checks a leg kick nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Tavares crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Kuznetsov - the referee stops the clock and Tavares gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Kuznetsov. Tavares manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
A cross from Tavares lands.
Kuznetsov uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Tavares's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kuznetsov connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Tavares scrambles back to his feet.
Kuznetsov moves out of range as Tavares strikes.
Tavares uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov connects with a body shot.
Kuznetsov on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kuznetsov is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Tavares.
Kuznetsov scores with a three punch combo!
Kuznetsov throws a sloppy head kick and Tavares moves out of range easily.
Alexander Kuznetsov is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Kuznetsov throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

And that's the end of the fight!
Alexander Kuznetsov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Kuznetsov has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 30:27
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alexander Kuznetsov!
A victorious Alexander Kuznetsov thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.