PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Azad Bekzod (ranked 175 p4p, 620 weight class) and Bastien Harris (ranked 26 p4p, 88 weight class). Bekzod's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, "Weird" Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise. 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.

Bekzod
vs
Harris

183 cm
25
174
15 - 3 - 0

190 cm
28
177
16 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

NARCOS

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 15 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Azad Bekzod!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bastien Harris!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, James Ackerman and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bekzod throws a hook but Harris avoids it easily.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Harris! But no joy.
Bekzod moves away from the strike by Harris.
Bekzod looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Harris misses with an uppercut
and Bekzod cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Bekzod lands a slapping body shot.
Harris looks to land a left hand but Bekzod moved out of range nicely.
Bekzod uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Harris.
Azad Bekzod seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Bekzod clinches up with Harris and pushes him back against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bekzod struggles to land a body shot inside as Harris controls his hands.

Harris escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Harris throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bekzod sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Bekzod moves away from the strike by Harris.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bekzod avoids the head kick by Harris.
A big left from Harris misses.
Bekzod looks to clinch
and Harris counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
The fighters circling - Bekzod throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Harris takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Bekzod throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Bekzod tried to score with a low kick but Harris checks it.
Harris connects with a single shot there.
Harris ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Bekzod moves away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circle momentarily. Bekzod darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
A lazy left from Harris finds it's target.
Harris misses with a low kick.

Bekzod clinches.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bekzod misses with a punch to the body.
Bekzod can't find room to land a body shot as Harris controls the action.
Bekzod misses with a hook from the clinch.
Harris is trying to break free.
Bekzod struggles to land a body shot inside as Harris controls his hands.
Harris wants to break the clinch but can't.

Harris's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Harris fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Bekzod is out of range.
Harris throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Bekzod counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod swings widly with a right hand
letting Harris counter with a right hand.
Bekzod misses with a head kick.
Bekzod misses the shot to the body.

Bekzod moves into the clinch.

Harris pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Good leg kick by Harris.
Nice cross by Harris.
Bekzod just misses with a punch to the body.
Bekzod backing away here, and Harris unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Bekzod moves in looking to clinch but Harris pushes him off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Harris misses.
Bekzod avoids the body shot from Harris.
Bekzod misses with a hook.
Harris is looking to slow Bekzod down with leg kicks.
Harris doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Harris is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A swing and a miss from Bekzod.
Harris is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Bekzod with a body shot.
Harris misses with a straight left.
A quick step to the side and Bekzod tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

Bekzod moves into range and clinches up with Harris.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Azad Bekzod will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Harris takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Harris walks into a stiff left hand from Bekzod.
Harris lands a right hook to the body.
Harris misses with a right hand
and Bekzod counters with a left to the body.

Bekzod takes the fight into the clinch.
A short right from Bekzod on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bekzod can't find room to land a body shot as Harris controls the action.
Bekzod digs a right hand underneath Harris's ribcage. Harris let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Bekzod misses with a hook from the clinch.

Harris manages to break the clinch.
Bekzod wants to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bekzod jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Harris is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Bekzod with a body shot.
Bekzod misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Harris.
A nice side step and Harris releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Bekzod connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Harris with a nice calf kick.
Harris moves out of range of the strikes.
Good standup being displayed there by Bekzod as he connects with a hook.
Harris looks to land a right hand but Bekzod moved out of range.
And Bekzod counters with a quick kick to the body but Harris blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod digs a good hook to Harris's body.
Bekzod tries to clinch up.
Harris looks to score with a jab to the body but Bekzod is just out of range.
Bekzod swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Bekzod lands a right hook to the body.
Bekzod tries to close the distance and clinch up but Harris swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bekzod looks to land a left hand but Harris moved out of range nicely.
An inside leg kick from Harris misses.
Harris keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bekzod blocks a jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bekzod walks into a left hand.
Harris uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Bekzod.
Bekzod missing with a left hand there. Harris was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nice jab there from Bekzod.
Bekzod is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Harris can do to turn this around?
Harris uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Bekzod.
Harris was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Bekzod lands a right hook to the body.
Bekzod misses with a body shot
letting Harris counter with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Harris misses with a lunging right hand
and Bekzod counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Bekzod throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Harris counters with a stiff right hand.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Harris takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Bekzod misses with a straight left.
Bekzod thows a left - swing and a miss!
Harris only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Bekzod tries to clinch there but Harris circles away.
Harris avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Harris! But no joy.
Harris lands a lovely overhand right.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Azad Bekzod 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!

Harris misses with a jab to the body
and Bekzod counters with a stiff right hand.
A decent looking cross lands there for Bekzod.
Bekzod fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Harris manages to avoid it.
Bekzod keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

Harris is rocked!
Harris tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bekzod was well out of range. Poor timing from Harris.
Harris throws a big shot that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bekzod fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Harris manages to avoid it.
Bekzod keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Harris misses with a hook
and Bekzod counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Harris is still on wobbly legs! Can Bekzod finish him?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harris ducks under a wild hook from Bekzod.
Harris thinks about the counter body kick.

Harris tries to keep at a distance but Bekzod has taken the fight into the clinch.
Harris seems to have recovered his senses.

Harris's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Bekzod clinches with his opponent.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Bekzod.

Harris breaks the clinch.
Bekzod keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Harris.
Harris circles away from the clinch attempt.
Harris steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Bekzod.
Harris let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Bekzod tries to clinch up
and Harris counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

Bekzod takes the fight into the clinch.
Bekzod tries a body shot but Harris blocks it.
Bekzod softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Harris's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Bekzod misses with a left hand
and Harris makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Bekzod throws the left hand but Harris avoids the punch easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Harris scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Harris missing with a left hand there. Bekzod was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bekzod is looking to counter punch.
A big left from Bekzod misses.
Bekzod throws a series of punches but Harris avoids them all with ease.
Bekzod pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Harris dips to his left and cracks Bekzod with an uppercut!
Harris avoids the body shot from Bekzod.
Bekzod swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Azad Bekzod is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bekzod scores with a body shot.
Harris fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bekzod manages to avoid it.
Bekzod scores with a jab to the head.
Harris with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Bekzod to score with a decent uppercut.
Bekzod jabbing away but nothing is landing.
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!
Harris tries to move into range but Bekzod moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.

Bekzod has closed the distance and engaged Harris in a clinch.
Bastien Harris has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Harris lands a hook to the side of the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Azad Bekzod showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Bekzod 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 Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 29:28
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Azad Bekzod!
A very excited looking Azad Bekzod made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.