PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between vrach ybiyca (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Maxim Banajev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Banajev comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Arcana - Autumnal kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.

ybiyca
vs
Banajev

210 cm
23
218 lbs
4 - 8 - 0

180 cm
21
218 lbs
4 - 2 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent elbows
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 8 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, vrach ybiyca!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Maxim Banajev!
The judges for this bout are Fedor Mirinova, Aleksandr Martynov and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A big right from Banajev misses.
ybiyca throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Banajev.
ybiyca looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
ybiyca misses with a wild combination.
ybiyca fails to land with a series of punches.
Banajev throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck ybiyca on the side of the head.

Banajev feints and as ybiyca raises his hands in defense, Banajev changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Banajev trying to control but ybiyca is working from the bottom.
Banajev tries to free his leg and advance position but ybiyca is retaining full guard.
Banajev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Banajev distracts ybiyca with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
ybiyca avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Banajev distracts ybiyca with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Banajev missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banajev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Banajev throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as ybiyca works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
ybiyca looking to control.
Banajev trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Banajev throws and elbow that misses. ybiyca uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Banajev's guard. Nice move by ybiyca!
Banajev is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Banajev utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Banajev wants to stand but ybiyca is controlling the position.

Banajev pushes ybiyca off and gets back to his feet.
Nice shot by Banajev.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Banajev misses.
Banajev throws a series of punches but ybiyca moves out of range.
Banajev throws the left hand but ybiyca avoids the punch easily.
Banajev is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by ybiyca.
Banajev throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
ybiyca moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Banajev throws a head kick that misses.
ybiyca ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
A big right from Banajev misses.
ybiyca is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Banajev.
Banajev looks gassed!
Banajev throws a lazy right hand but ybiyca sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A punch combination from ybiyca misses.
Danga de danga de dang - ybiyca scores with a four punch combination!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
ybiyca lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by ybiyca.
ybiyca stalks Banajev and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Banajev's face. Banajev staggers backwards, shaken.
The fighters circling - Banajev throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
ybiyca misses with a series of wild punches.
ybiyca scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Banajev pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
ybiyca dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Banajev is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in ybiyca's half guard.
Banajev has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Banajev not landing any meaningful shots this time.
ybiyca tries to get to full guard but Banajev has control of the leg.
ybiyca regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Banajev.
Banajev thows a big elbow that misses.
Banajev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
ybiyca working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Banajev.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banajev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Banajev is looking to work some ground and pound but ybiyca has wrist control.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
A looping hook to the body misses from ybiyca. Banajev does a little dance to reset his feet.
Banajev throws a combination but it was largely blocked by ybiyca.
ybiyca throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Banajev stuns ybiyca with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
ybiyca lands a slapping body shot.
Banajev might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
ybiyca misses with a two punch combination.
Banajev takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Banajev misses with a series of wild punches.
Banajev showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from ybiyca.
Banajev cracks ybiyca with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
ybiyca lands a lovely overhand right.
ybiyca just misses with a punch to the body.
ybiyca throws a series of punches but Banajev moves out of range.
Banajev on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
ybiyca swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Banajev counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Banajev works a leg free and moves into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Maxim Banajev dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

ybiyca moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
ybiyca rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Banajev moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
ybiyca throws a shot to the body.
ybiyca lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Banajev circles away quickly and effectively.
vrach ybiyca is winning the standup battle so far.
Banajev misses with a jab, cross combination.
ybiyca throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Banajev throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Banajev drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Banajev trying to control the action but ybiyca is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Banajev throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Banajev in side control, throwing shots but ybiyca defends.
Banajev is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banajev in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
ybiyca knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Banajev on the ground.
Banajev postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Banajev tries to advance to mount but can't.
Banajev in side control, throwing shots but ybiyca defends.
Banajev throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and ybiyca works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
ybiyca misses with a wild combination.
ybiyca's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and ybiyca duly obliges.
vrach ybiyca is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
ybiyca ducks under a wild hook from Banajev.
A nice combination there by Banajev.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Banajev showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from ybiyca.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
ybiyca misses with the combination.
vrach ybiyca seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Banajev is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by ybiyca.
Banajev looks to score with a jab to the body but ybiyca is just out of range.
Banajev ducks right into an uppercut from ybiyca.
Banajev swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Banajev throws out a loose jab but ybiyca uses good head movement to avoid it.
Banajev throws a hook but ybiyca avoids it easily.
Banajev misses with a double jab.
ybiyca dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Banajev pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
ybiyca rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Banajev moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
ybiyca swinging wildly here.
ybiyca lands with an overhand left.
Banajev lands a jab.
ybiyca throws a series of punches but Banajev moves out of range.
vrach ybiyca is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Banajev gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Banajev throws a good cross that connects.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ybiyca throws a series of punches but Banajev avoids them all with ease.
ybiyca is looking to wear down Banajev with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
ybiyca misses with a series of wild punches.
Banajev misses the shot to the body.
ybiyca misses with the combination.
Banajev on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
ybiyca misses with a few strikes there.
ybiyca swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Banajev ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
ybiyca slips under a jab.
ybiyca throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Banajev is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by ybiyca.
The fighters circling - Banajev throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
ybiyca avoids a punch combination nicely.
ybiyca uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Banajev.
ybiyca misses with the combination.
ybiyca slips under a jab from Banajev.
A punch combination from Banajev misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Banajev thows a body shot but no joy.
Banajev misses with a jab, cross combination.
ybiyca moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
ybiyca throws a nice looking combination but Banajev bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Banajev throws out a loose jab but ybiyca uses good head movement to avoid it.
ybiyca misses with a series of wild punches.
ybiyca moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Banajev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Banajev drops his hands momentarily and ybiyca takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Banajev throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

Banajev looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
ybiyca keeping moving, preventing Banajev from controlling successfully.
ybiyca really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Banajev is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that vrach ybiyca will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

ybiyca falls off balance throwing a combination
and Banajev counters with a stiff right hand.
ybiyca throws a right and a left that Banajev avoids nicely.
ybiyca cracks Banajev with a right hand to the side of the head.
ybiyca with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Banajev to score with a decent uppercut.
ybiyca rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Banajev moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
ybiyca misses with a few strikes there.
ybiyca looks to land a combination but Banajev avoids it well.
ybiyca throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Banajev looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Banajev looks to land a strike but ybiyca avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
ybiyca wants to get back to his feet but Banajev is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Banajev throwing strikes but missing.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banajev trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Maxim Banajev has got the better of the ground game so far.
Banajev missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Banajev working some strikes from top position.
Banajev working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Banajev lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Banajev postures up in ybiyca's guard and throws a big left but ybiyca blocks it.
Banajev scoring with punches to the head and body.
Banajev postures up in ybiyca's guard and throws a big left but ybiyca blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Banajev throws a big right hand that misses.
Banajev throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as ybiyca works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Banajev working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of ybiyca's head.
Banajev trying to control the position from guard on top but ybiyca is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
ybiyca on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if ybiyca tries to get out of the position.
Banajev throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Banajev lands a couple of digs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banajev thows a big elbow that misses.
Banajev postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Banajev scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
ybiyca trying to keep a closed guard but Banajev is proving a slippery customer.
ybiyca keeping moving, preventing Banajev from controlling successfully.
Banajev loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Banajev with a flurry of punches that miss.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Banajev misses with a hook. ybiyca ducked under it nicely.
ybiyca moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
ybiyca throws a right and a left that Banajev avoids nicely.
ybiyca is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Banajev swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Banajev looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
ybiyca keeping full guard, as Banajev tries to pass.
Banajev trying to control but ybiyca is working from the bottom.
Banajev working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Maxim Banajev comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Banajev has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Maxim Banajev!