PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Matthew Bandini (ranked 2247 p4p, 3207 weight class) and Moe Lester (ranked 241 p4p, 326 weight class). Bandini comes to the ring accompanied by baby. Lester has chosen Get Back - Ludacris as his entrance music. Matthew Bandini has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Bandini
vs
Lester

177 cm
25
161
3 - 2 - 0

180 cm
39
159
20 - 12 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Knockout power

Shadow Realm Apparel

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Matthew Bandini!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 12 - 1, fighting out of London, Moe Lester!
The judges for this bout are Eliza Hachem, Topper Green and Steve Erwin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lester slaps away a takedown attempt from Bandini, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Lester swings widly with a right hand

and Bandini counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Lester!
Check out the look on Bandini's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Bandini is looking to take a break and control but Lester is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Lester regains half guard, as Bandini was trying to land strikes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bandini is looking to advance position but Lester won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lester wants to get back to full guard.
Bandini is looking to take a break and control but Lester is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Bandini is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Lester reverses the position - he's now on top in Bandini's guard.
Lester trying to control but Bandini is working from the bottom.

Bandini looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Lester must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bandini throws his legs up looking for a submission but Lester uses it to pass to side control.
Lester working away.
Lester scores with punches from side control.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Bandini is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Lester off and has taken his back!
Lester covering up well under a series of strikes from Bandini.
Bandini keeps control of the position as Lester tries to break free.
Bandini trying to control momentarily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bandini is remaining active here, looking for the choke. The more discerning members of the crowd will appreciate his efforts.

Bandini has got his arm under Lester's chin working for the choke… has he got it? It looks pretty tight! Oh! Lester has spun round into Bandini's guard beautifully! Well done that man!
Lester trying to control the position from guard on top but Bandini is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lester passes Bandini's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Bandini is looking to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bandini looking for submissions off his back.
Bandini slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

Bandini working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Lester has passed into half guard!
Bandini wants to control the action here but instead Lester manages to pass to full mount!
Bandini sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Bandini wants to get back to full guard but Lester has mounted him!

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Lester with good strikes from the mount here!
Bandini is squirming around, avoiding Lester's attempts to control the action.
Lester prevents Bandini from getting the reversal.
Bandini is working hard here to advance position.
Lester tries to control but Bandini wriggling away.
Bandini tries to hold on but Lester pushes him away.
Lester sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Lester lands a big shot there that rocks Bandini but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Lester prevents Bandini from getting the reversal.
Lester scoring with strikes but Bandini is staying in there.
Bandini gets back to half guard.

Bandini actively working from the bottom here.

Bandini looking for submissions off his back.
Lester is trying to control. Bandini wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Lester not doing much here.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Lester missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Bandini is looking to get back to full guard here but Lester has managed to pass to side control instead.
Bandini is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Lester is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Lester landing strikes, looking to finish!
Lester trying to control but Bandini is having none of it.
Bandini is desperately trying to improve his position but Lester has a good base and remains in mount.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Lester looking to control and managing it successfully.
Lester blocks Bandini's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Lester tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Lester trying to control but Bandini is having none of it.
Bandini is wriggling around trying to escape.
Lester working Bandini over with strikes here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bandini is wriggling around trying to escape.
Bandini wants to get back to his feet.
Lester scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Bandini?
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Moe Lester dominated that round.
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.

Bandini displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lester throws out the jab.
Lester has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Bandini shoots in and drives through. Lester sprawls well.
Lester fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bandini manages to avoid it.
Bandini looks for a takedown but Lester sprawls well.
Lester looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Lester displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Bandini.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Lester! But no joy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Matthew Bandini. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Lester missing with a left hand there. Bandini was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Lester just misses with a punch to the body.
Bandini slips under a jab.
Lester misses with a straight right.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lester loads up on a big right hand but Bandini slips the punch.
Lester stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Lester wants it to stay on the feet.
Bandini fails to land the takedown.
Bandini looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Lester misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bandini.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bandini looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Lester is fending him off so far but Bandini persists. Nope, Lester circles away and we're back to standing.
Lester scores with a sloppy right hand. Bandini should have avoided that one.
Lester is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Bandini.
Lester throws a jab but it's blocked by Bandini.
A punch combination from Lester misses.
Lester scores with a jab to the head.
Lester dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

Bandini closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Bandini is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Lester is defending well.
Bandini jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Lester walks away with a smile on his face. Bandini gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Lester misses with an uppercut.
Bandini half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Lester misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bandini.
Bandini feinted with a counter takedown.
Lester throws a jab but it's blocked by Bandini.
Bandini is trying hard to land a takedown here. Lester sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Lester lands with a cross.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lester scores with a sloppy right hand. Bandini should have avoided that one.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bandini goes for a double leg but Lester avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the ropes as Lester continues to drive forward.

Bandini breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Lester throws a right and a left that both miss.
Lester scores with a shot to the body.
Lester misses with a looping right.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Lester enables Bandini to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Lester manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Lester keeping moving, preventing Bandini from controlling successfully.
Bandini wants to pass the guard but Lester is keeping the position.
Bandini trying to control but Lester is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bandini stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Lester swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Bandini looking to sit in guard and control but Lester gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Bandini is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Bandini is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Lester throwing strikes but missing.
Bandini is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Lester is controlling him.
Lester with a nice head shot there.
Lester stopping the sweep attempt from Bandini.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Lester wants to control from the top but Bandini keeps moving.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Lester throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Bandini slips under a jab.
Lester misses with an uppercut

and Bandini counters with a takedown into side control.

Bandini swings around for an armbar but Lester sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Bandini's guard.

Bandini throws his legs up looking for a submission but Lester uses it to pass to side control.
Bandini taking a bit of punishment here - Lester scoring with strikes.
Lester scores with punches from side control.
Bandini tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Lester presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Lester takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Bandini is looking to get to half guard.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Moe Lester has got the better of the ground game so far.
Lester controlling the pace for now.
Bandini slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Bandini is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Lester's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Lester's back!

Lester defends a rear naked choke attempt by controlling one of Bandini's arms.

Bandini working for a choke but Lester is defending well.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Lester is trying to escape under a series of strikes and manages to escape from Bandini 's hooks.

Bandini stands up from the dominant position. He obviously fancies his chances standing.
Nice sprawl there from Lester as Bandini shoots in.
Moe Lester is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lester swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Lester lands with a right hand.
Bandini shoots for a takedown but Lester saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Lester throws out a loose jab but Bandini uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Lester throws a jab but it's blocked by Bandini.
Bandini staying out of range there.
Bandini is trying hard to land a takedown here. Lester sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Bandini moves away from the strike by Lester.
Bandini moves out of range as Lester strikes.
Nice sprawl there from Lester as Bandini shoots in.
Lester misses the shot to the body.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Bandini is defended easily by Lester.

Bandini shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Bandini is stalling here. Lester is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Bandini seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Lester has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Bandini's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Lester controlling the position from side mount.
Bandini wants to control but Lester postures up.
Bandini is trying to improve his position.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Moe Lester showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Bandini shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Lester waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Bandini.
Lester connects with a single shot there.
Bandini shoots in but no luck this time.
Lester lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Lester throws a shot from downtown. Bandini moves away and avoids it.
Bandini displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lester throws out the jab.
Lester digs a good body shot into Bandini's ribs.
Bandini doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Lester misses with a straight left.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lester misses with an uppercut

and Bandini counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Bandini.
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!
Bandini stopping the sweep attempt from Lester.
Bandini forces his way into half guard.
Lester blocking the ground and pound attempt from Bandini.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lester regains full guard. Nicely done.
Bandini pushing down on Lester's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Lester takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Bandini tries to pass to full mount but Lester defends it.

Bandini is looking for a kimura. It's pretty deep but Lester still has the half guard so he's probably OK. Oh, Lester has exploded into a beautiful escape there and after a quick scramble, he's ended up in side control on top! Nice work!
Bandini is trying to control Lester's posture but Lester avoids it.
Bandini is trying to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bandini struggling a bit here.
Bandini tries to strike from the bottom but misses.
Lester throws a strike aimed at the side of Bandini's head but Bandini avoids it well.
Lester trying to control the action but Bandini is working from the bottom.
Bandini is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Lester is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Bandini is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Bandini can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bandini trying desperately to get to his feet.
Bandini wants to control but Lester is having none of it.
Bandini keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bandini wants to control but Lester is having none of it.
Bandini working to try and regain half guard.
Bandini flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Bandini is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Bandini tries to reverse the position but Lester maintains control.
Bandini is squirming around, avoiding Lester's attempts to control the action.
Bandini is trying to escape the mount.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Lester with good strikes from the mount here!
Lester tries to control but Bandini wriggling away.
Bandini tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Lester pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Bandini in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Bandini tries to reverse the position but Lester maintains control.
A nice elbow there by Lester.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Bandini slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Lester landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Bandini regains full guard. Nicely done.
Bandini lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Lester keeping full guard, as Bandini tries to pass.
Bandini wants to control from the top but Lester keeps moving.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Bandini throws an elbow that misses. Lester uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Bandini's guard. Nice move by Lester!

Bandini looking for a guillotine here but Lester defends easily.

Bandini is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Moe Lester is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Bandini keeping moving, preventing Lester from controlling successfully.
Lester advances position into side control!

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Bandini wants to control but Lester postures up.
You can see the frustration on Bandini's face as Lester controls the position.
Bandini is trying to get back to half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

And that's the end of the fight!
Moe Lester comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Lester 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 Eliza Hachem scores the fight 27:30
Judge Topper Green scores the fight 27:30
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Moe Lester!
A relieved looking Moe Lester thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.