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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov (ranked 11 p4p, 32 weight class) and Oscar Blaydes (ranked 1 p4p, 6 weight class). Blaydes has chosen Black Sunshine - White Zombie as his entrance music. Man, I cannot wait for this one!
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170 cm 31 147 23 - 11 - 0 |
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171 cm 36 158 25 - 10 - 2 |
Good wrestling World class boxer Cardio machine |
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Olympic wrestler World class MT Good gas tank |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world! Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner. With a record of 23 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Khabib Nurmagomedov! And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner. With a record of 25 - 10 - 2, fighting out of Montreal, Oscar Blaydes! The judges for this bout are Alexandre Firmino, Matheus Silva and Paulo Santos.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway! Nurmagomedov lands a lovely overhand right. Blaydes avoids a lazy jab quite easily. Nurmagomedov tries to clinch up and Blaydes counters with a nice double leg into guard. Nurmagomedov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Blaydes is one step ahead there. The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing. Blaydes in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time. Nurmagomedov working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Blaydes doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Blaydes manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem. We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up. Blaydes working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage. Blaydes is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
That's one minute gone in the round. Nurmagomedov is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Blaydes is aware though and is defending well. Blaydes controlling from the top position. Nurmagomedov throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Blaydes escapes and throws Nurmagomedov's legs to the side, diving into side control! The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work. Nurmagomedov can't do much from the bottom here. Blaydes cracks Nurmagomedov with a big right hand but Nurmagomedov just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Nurmagomedov tries to buck Blaydes off but Blaydes is having none of it.
That's two minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov is working hard here to advance position. You can see the frustration on Nurmagomedov's face, being in this tough position on the bottom. Blaydes has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan. Blaydes in side control, just content to control the action for now. Blaydes landing strikes. Blaydes lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face. The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult. Nurmagomedov tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Blaydes wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control. Nurmagomedov struggling a bit here.
That's three minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov is looking to regain half guard here but Blaydes keeps moving and retains side control. You can see the frustration on Nurmagomedov's face, being in this tough position on the bottom. Nurmagomedov is trying to improve his position. Blaydes scores with a couple of short elbows. Nurmagomedov regains half guard. Nurmagomedov trying to control from the bottom.
Blaydes looks to score some points with some ground and pound. In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Blaydes working his ground and pound in the gym. So far it seems to be working well. Nurmagomedov trying to control here.
Blaydes is nestled in close to Nurmagomedov, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
That's four minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov actively working from the bottom here. Nurmagomedov is pressing down on Blaydes's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it. Blaydes controlling from the top position. Let's hope that Blaydes has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight. Nurmagomedov keeping moving, preventing Blaydes from controlling successfully. Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out! Nurmagomedov looking for a guillotine here but Blaydes defends easily.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Oscar Blaydes dominated that round. That's time! Nurmagomedov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. Blaydes throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Blaydes blocks a head kick by Nurmagomedov.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Blaydes 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. Nurmagomedov scores with a nice head shot. Blaydes swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target. Nurmagomedov fails miserably with a takedown attempt. A looping hook to the body misses from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes does a little dance to reset his feet. Blaydes drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles. Nurmagomedov throws a jab when Blaydes was well out of range. Nurmagomedov misses with a takedown attempt and Blaydes counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head. Blaydes throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd. We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up. Nurmagomedov works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance. Nurmagomedov throws a poor cross that misses
and Nurmagomedov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles. Nurmagomedov misses with a looping right. And Blaydes tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out. Nurmagomedov tries to close the distance and clinch but Blaydes swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away. Nurmagomedov looks to land a left hand but Blaydes moved out of range nicely.
That's one minute gone in the round. Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown but Blaydes shows good takedown defense. That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's going to take a lot out of him. Blaydes cracks Nurmagomedov with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage. Khabib Nurmagomedov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout. Nurmagomedov misses with a looping right. Blaydes has been the more effective fighter overall so far. Nurmagomedov fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt. Blaydes lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Nurmagomedov backs up against the cage.
Nurmagomedov fails with a takedown attempt. Good exchange - Nurmagomedov coming out on top. Blaydes lands a jab to the nose. Nurmagomedov walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Blaydes checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side. Oscar Blaydes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
That's two minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov missing with a left hand there. Blaydes was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one. Nurmagomedov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nurmagomedov blocks a jab. Nurmagomedov takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Blaydes has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Nurmagomedov finds it's way round the side to connect with Blaydes's head. We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out! Nurmagomedov walks into a jab. Nurmagomedov misses with a left hand and Blaydes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button. Nurmagomedov throws a hook but Blaydes avoids it easily. Nurmagomedov avoids a lazy jab quite easily. Blaydes uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nurmagomedov. It seemed like Blaydes was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it. Nurmagomedov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Blaydes.
Blaydes throws the left hand but Nurmagomedov avoids the punch easily. Nurmagomedov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Blaydes was well out of range. Poor timing from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes works Nurmagomedov's body with a nice hook. Nurmagomedov throws an off balance right hand
and Blaydes counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
That's three minutes gone in the round. Blaydes working the head and body with strikes. Nurmagomedov wants to improve his position but Blaydes is controlling well.
Blaydes trying to control the action but Nurmagomedov is working from the bottom. Nurmagomedov moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard. Blaydes trying to control but Nurmagomedov is working from the bottom. Blaydes works over Nurmagomedov with some ground and pound from guard. Blaydes wants to control from the top but Nurmagomedov keeps moving. Nurmagomedov is trying to control the position from the bottom.
That's four minutes gone in the round. Blaydes lands a couple of digs. Nurmagomedov tries to land a sweep but no joy. Blaydes scoring with punches to the head and body. Blaydes is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound. Nurmagomedov is trying to control the position but Blaydes postures up. Nurmagomedov is looking for a triangle here but Blaydes uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Nurmagomedov struggling a bit here. And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Oscar Blaydes showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards. Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Blaydes is looking to take this fight into the clinch. Nurmagomedov is looking to counter punch. A big left from Nurmagomedov misses. Blaydes keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Blaydes has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Nurmagomedov finds it's way round the side to connect with Blaydes's head. Oscar Blaydes seems to be getting the better of the standup. Nurmagomedov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Blaydes sees it coming and avoids it easily. Blaydes uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes looks to score with a jab to the body but Nurmagomedov is just out of range. Nurmagomedov is looking to counter punch. Nurmagomedov moves in looking to clinch but Blaydes pushes him off. Blaydes moves into range and connects with a jab. We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up. Blaydes ducks under a wild hook from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Nurmagomedov counters with a left to the body. Blaydes has closed the distance and engaged Nurmagomedov in a clinch.
Blaydes tries a body shot but Nurmagomedov blocks it.
Blaydes manages to break the clinch.
Nurmagomedov takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
That's one minute gone in the round. Blaydes moves into the clinch successfully.
Nurmagomedov doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Blaydes lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Nurmagomedov. Both fighters are breathing heavily. Nurmagomedov lands on the inside with an uppercut. Blaydes takes a shot to the head. I was talking to Nurmagomedov's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight. Blaydes lands with a short punch from the clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Blaydes.
Blaydes prevents Nurmagomedov from breaking the clinch. Blaydes scores with a shot to the side of Nurmagomedov's head. Blaydes escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Blaydes lands a nice hook to Nurmagomedov's body. Nurmagomedov takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes. Blaydes lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected. Blaydes throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A little feinted left hand from Nurmagomedov on the counter but he doesn't commit to it. Blaydes rushes Nurmagomedov and presses him up against the cage. The crowd are loving this. Great action here. Nurmagomedov tries to pull guard but Blaydes forces him back to his feet, against the cage. A nice left hand lands by Blaydes.
Blaydes misses with a punch to the body.
Blaydes breaks the clinch.
That's two minutes gone in the round. Blaydes misses with an uppercut. Nurmagomedov saw that one coming. Blaydes throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Nurmagomedov on the side of the head. Blaydes misses with a body shot.
Nurmagomedov throws a lazy right hand but Blaydes sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily. Nurmagomedov misses with a combination
and Nurmagomedov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles. Blaydes lands a nice hook to Nurmagomedov's body. Nurmagomedov takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes. Nurmagomedov uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Blaydes. Blaydes lands a nice shot to the body.
Blaydes throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A jab from Nurmagomedov misses. Blaydes is looking for the big counter here. Blaydes walks into a straight right hand from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes lunges at Nurmagomedov with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Nurmagomedov's hand. Nurmagomedov tries to clinch up.
That's three minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Blaydes. Blaydes misses with a body shot.
A decent looking cross lands there for Blaydes. A jab from Nurmagomedov misses. A countering left hand to the body from Blaydes misses. Blaydes has taken the fight to the clinch.
Nurmagomedov struggles to land a body shot inside as Blaydes controls his hands.
Nurmagomedov has Blaydes pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Blaydes manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing. Nurmagomedov lands with a light punch inside. Nurmagomedov tries to throw a body punch but Blaydes avoids it by throwing Nurmagomedov back against the cage. Nurmagomedov is looking to take this one to the mat. That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's going to take a lot out of him. Blaydes escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Blaydes lands a slapping body shot.
Nurmagomedov shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Blaydes defends it nicely. Nurmagomedov throws a looping overhand right but Blaydes ducks down to avoid it. A countering left hand to the body from Blaydes misses.
That's four minutes gone in the round. Blaydes uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook. Blaydes scores with a crisp jab that stopped Nurmagomedov in his tracks. Blaydes lands a slapping body shot.
This has been an exciting period of action! Blaydes missing with a left hand there. Nurmagomedov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one. Blaydes takes a swing at Nurmagomedov's ribcage but misses. Blaydes lands with a nice body punch. Nurmagomedov is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all. Blaydes's jab looks to have found its range, popping Nurmagomedov under the eye. Blaydes misses the shot to the body. Nurmagomedov misses with a hook
and Blaydes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw. Nurmagomedov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Blaydes counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body. Blaydes closes the distance and pushes Nurmagomedov back into the cage. Nurmagomedov tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked. Blaydes prevents a body shot from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes throws a punch but it's blocked by Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat. And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Oscar Blaydes really dominated that round. That's time! Nurmagomedov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. Blaydes slips under a jab. Nurmagomedov has a takedown stuffed. Nurmagomedov moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross. Nice jab there from Blaydes. Nurmagomedov on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot. Nurmagomedov is looking to clinch but Blaydes is avoiding it.
Nurmagomedov throws a big shot that misses. Nurmagomedov pushing out the jab but it's not landing. We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up. Nurmagomedov avoids the body shot from Blaydes.
Nurmagomedov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Blaydes was well out of range. Poor timing from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes lands a nice shot that snaps Nurmagomedov's head back.
Nice uppercut there from Blaydes. Blaydes throws a shot from downtown. Nurmagomedov moves away and avoids it.
That's one minute gone in the round. Nurmagomedov tries to move into range but Blaydes moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand. Nurmagomedov swings widly with a right hand
and Blaydes counters with a lovely shot to the body. Nurmagomedov throws out a loose jab but Blaydes uses good head movement to avoid it. Blaydes uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Nurmagomedov. An inside leg kick from Nurmagomedov misses. Blaydes throws out a token jab with nothing on it. Jab from Blaydes. Blaydes misses with a hook. Nurmagomedov looks to throw the jab but Blaydes is out of range. Blaydes scores with a nice head shot. Blaydes keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Nurmagomedov misses with a left hand and Blaydes decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Nurmagomedov's guard. Blaydes with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
That's two minutes gone in the round. This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff! Blaydes got a little sloppy there for a moment and Nurmagomedov has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Blaydes has managed to get both his arms back between Nurmagomedov's legs - danger averted. Blaydes content to stall in guard here. Blaydes is in close to Nurmagomedov's body, working some short punches and elbows. Blaydes scoring with some ground and pound. Blaydes preventing the sweep. Hammerfist, elbow! yells Blaydes's corner. There ya go! There ya go! Blaydes preventing the sweep. A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Blaydes accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand. Blaydes seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
That's three minutes gone in the round. Blaydes stands up over Nurmagomedov, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head. Nurmagomedov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Blaydes is one step ahead there. Nurmagomedov is trying to keep Blaydes in close.
Nurmagomedov has his foot on Blaydes's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Blaydes works his way back into a safe position though. Blaydes with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal. Blaydes tries to free his leg and advance position but Nurmagomedov is retaining full guard.
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. Blaydes scoring with punches to the head and body. Nurmagomedov is trying to control the position but Blaydes postures up. Nurmagomedov isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Blaydes stacks Nurmagomedov on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Blaydes! It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over. Nurmagomedov is trying to get back to half guard. Blaydes lands a few punches from side control. Nurmagomedov tries to bench press Blaydes off him but Blaydes keeps the position. Blaydes connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Nurmagomedov some visible discomfort.
Nurmagomedov is trying to get back to half guard. And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Oscar Blaydes dominated that fourth round. That's time! Nurmagomedov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round! Blaydes misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here! Nurmagomedov takes a body punch but keeps moving. Nurmagomedov cracks Blaydes with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage. Blaydes slips under a jab from Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov jabbing away but nothing is landing. A jab from Blaydes finds it's way through Nurmagomedov's defenses. Blaydes blocks a jab. Blaydes pushing out the jab but it's not landing. Nurmagomedov throws a shot from downtown. Blaydes moves away and avoids it. Blaydes looks to score with a jab to the body but Nurmagomedov is just out of range. We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up. Nurmagomedov stalks Blaydes and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Blaydes's face. Blaydes staggers backwards, shaken. Nurmagomedov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Blaydes moves out of range and avoids them all easily. Blaydes with the counter takedown but Nurmagomedov avoids it easily. Blaydes gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here. Nurmagomedov tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Blaydes's elbow. A left hand lands to the body for Blaydes.
That's one minute gone in the round. Blaydes breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nurmagomedov throws a hook to the side of Blaydes's head but Blaydes sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully. Blaydes tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away. Blaydes throws a body shot but no joy. Blaydes swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Nurmagomedov looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that. Nurmagomedov misses with a lunging right hand
and Blaydes counters with a lovely straight right hand! Blaydes smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button. Blaydes with a body punch. A glancing blow. Blaydes slips under a jab from Nurmagomedov. Blaydes tests Nurmagomedov's chin there with a solid looking shot. Nurmagomedov takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Nurmagomedov jabbing away but nothing is landing. And Blaydes tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out. Nurmagomedov looks to clinch and Blaydes counters with a nice double leg into half guard. This has been an exciting period of action! Nurmagomedov trying to control here.
That's two minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov is looking to improve his position.
Blaydes lands strikes from half guard. The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Blaydes connects with a nice short shot to Nurmagomedov's temple. Blaydes scores with a couple of good hammerfists. Blaydes looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Nurmagomedov with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position. Nurmagomedov is trying to control but can't.
Blaydes slips a nice elbow through Nurmagomedov's hands, connecting with Nurmagomedov's forehead. Nurmagomedov trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Blaydes unloading with bombs! Oscar Blaydes has got the better of the ground game so far.
That's three minutes gone in the round. Blaydes with shots to the head and body - Nurmagomedov looks very uncomfortable down there. Nurmagomedov is writhing around trying to get back to his feet. Nurmagomedov bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done! Blaydes looking to sweep here. No luck so far. Blaydes bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Nurmagomedov's guard. Blaydes landing some decent shots from guard. Blaydes cracks Nurmagomedov with a solid left hand. Blaydes trying to control but Nurmagomedov is working from the bottom.
That's four minutes gone in the round. Nurmagomedov looking for subs off his back but Blaydes has passed one foot through into half guard.
Nurmagomedov tries to roll over but Blaydes keeps him under control. Nurmagomedov is staying active underneath Blaydes, who seems content to just control the action from this position. Blaydes is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen. Nurmagomedov has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Blaydes is working away from the top position though.
And that's the end of the fight! Oscar Blaydes comfortably won the final round on my scorecard. Well Blaydes has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision. Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 45:50 Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 45:50 Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 45:50
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Oscar Blaydes! Oscar Blaydes is the new lightweight champion! A victorious Oscar Blaydes thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.
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S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
52% |
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