PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Haile Selassie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Carlos Monroe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Selassie comes to the cage accompanied by .... 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.

Selassie
vs
Monroe

172 cm
21
155 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

175 cm
22
155 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

FULL METAL GEAR ($9.99 Morale Tee)
FULL METAL GEAR ($9.99 Morale Tee)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Haile Selassie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Carlos Monroe!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Fedor Mirinova and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Monroe throws a sloppy head kick and Selassie moves out of range easily.
Selassie throws a body punch but Monroe moves out of range.
Selassie scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Selassie misses with a few strikes there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Selassie. Monroe does a little dance to reset his feet.
Monroe fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Selassie checks it well.
Monroe misses with the combination.
Monroe stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Monroe wants it to stay on the feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Selassie misses with a looping right.
A head kick misses from Monroe.
Selassie thows a leg kick but Monroe checks it
and Monroe counters with a thumping low kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Selassie throws a leg kick but Monroe checks it.
Selassie checks a leg kick.
Monroe misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A big right from Selassie misses.
Selassie misses with the combination.
Monroe dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Selassie. That did some damage!
Selassie fails in his attempt to clinch.
Monroe is looking to slow Selassie down with leg kicks.
Monroe connects with a body shot that sends Selassie's belly button to the back.
Haile Selassie seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Selassie has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Monroe.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Monroe throws a low kick but Selassie avoids it.
Monroe lands with a slapping head kick.
Selassie misses with a body shot.
Selassie has a takedown stuffed.
Monroe misses with a head kick.
Selassie tries to land a leg kick but Monroe saw it coming and moves away.
Selassie checks a leg kick.
A slapping leg kick lands for Monroe.
Monroe throws a leg kick which misses Selassie's front leg but catches the back leg as Selassie tries to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Selassie throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Selassie takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Selassie goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Monroe takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Monroe misses with a head kick.
Good leg kick by Selassie there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Sloppy strikes from Selassie. Those never looked like landing.
Selassie shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Monroe counters with a leg kick.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Haile Selassie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Monroe tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A low kick from Monroe misses

and Selassie counters with a nice double leg into side control. Monroe won't be happy with that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee asks Selassie politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Selassie prefers to stall for the moment though.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Monroe struggling a bit here.
Monroe is looking to regain half guard here but Selassie keeps moving and retains side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Selassie misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Selassie looking to control but instead Monroe has slipped a leg in, to regain half guard.
Selassie with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Carlos Monroe dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Monroe fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Selassie cracks Monroe with a good jab.
Some bone on bone action there as Selassie checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

Monroe gets caught flat footed, as Selassie shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Selassie with a flurry of punches that miss.
Selassie wants to control from the top but Monroe keeps moving.
Monroe utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Monroe looking for a sweep. Not yet Monroe, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Monroe controlling Selassie's posture.
Monroe utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Monroe controls Selassie momentarily but Selassie frees himself.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Selassie is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Selassie is working Monroe over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

That's two 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.
Monroe working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Selassie.
Monroe controls Selassie momentarily but Selassie frees himself.
Selassie preventing the sweep.
Monroe keeping moving, preventing Selassie from controlling successfully.
Monroe looking to hit a scissor sweep but Selassie is one step ahead there.

Monroe is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Selassie is aware though and is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Monroe holds on and takes a little breather.
Selassie working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Monroe keeping moving, preventing Selassie from controlling successfully.
Selassie preventing the sweep.
Selassie postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Selassie is looking to work some ground and pound but Monroe has wrist control.
Monroe manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Monroe looking to control but Selassie is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Monroe lands a big shot there that rocks Selassie but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Selassie holds on for dear life.
Monroe wants to control the pace but Selassie is squirming around nicely.
Monroe controlling the pace for now.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Monroe looking to control but Selassie is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
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 Haile Selassie will probably get the nod.
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. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Monroe with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Selassie to score with a decent uppercut.
Monroe throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
A low kick from Monroe is predictable there
and Selassie counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

Selassie closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
A short left from Selassie.
Monroe tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Selassie's elbow.
Monroe is trying to force a seperation but Selassie has the dominant position.
Selassie tries to stall but Monroe uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Selassie lands with a short shot to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selassie.
Selassie misses with a punch on the inside.
Monroe stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Selassie lands a hook to the side of the head.
A short uppercut from Monroe.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Monroe.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Monroe misses with a punch to the body.
A short body shot lands from Monroe as the two fighters clinch.
Monroe is trying to break the clinch but Selassie has him pressed against the cage.
Selassie throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Monroe is trying to break free.
Selassie avoiding damage.

Monroe escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
The fight stays on the outside here - Selassie looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Selassie checks the leg kick nicely there.
Selassie is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Selassie throws a left and a right that both miss
and Monroe counters with a slapping leg kick.
Selassie moves in looking to clinch but Monroe pushes him off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Selassie swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Selassie is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
A telegraphed right hand from Selassie misses the target.
Selassie takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Selassie checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Monroe thows a leg kick but Selassie checks it

and Selassie counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
A short uppercut from Monroe.
Selassie lands a left hand that snaps the head of Monroe backwards.
Monroe wants to get back to striking at distance but Selassie won't allow it.
Monroe working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Selassie misses with a punch to the body.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Selassie.
Monroe wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Selassie has him pressed against the cage.
Selassie is looking to control Monroe's arms but Monroe gets an underhook and turns him. Now Selassie has his back to the cage.
Selassie displaying some good clinch control by pressing Monroe up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A short body shot lands from Monroe as the two fighters clinch.
Selassie misses with a punch to the body.
Monroe cracks Selassie with a nice body shot.
Monroe throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Selassies head.
A head punch on the inside from Selassie fails to land.
Monroe misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Monroe wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Selassie has him pressed against the cage.
Selassie can't find room to land a body shot as Monroe controls the action.
Selassie misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Monroe.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Selassie is working Monroe over against the cage.
Monroe's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Selassie misses with some punches.
Selassie is looking to control Monroe's arms but Monroe gets an underhook and turns him. Now Selassie has his back to the cage.
Monroe throws a head punch that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Selassie doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Selassie lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Monroe or not.
Nice body punch from Selassie.
Selassie has Monroe pressed against the cage, preventing Monroe from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Selassie just leaning against Monroe, taking a breather.
Selassie is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Monroe is keeping busy.
Maybe Selassie would be better served going for some more strikes rather than trying to control so much.
Selassie cracks Monroe with a nice body shot.
Selassie lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Monroe wants to get back to striking at distance but Selassie won't allow it.
Selassie is pushing Monroe up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Monroe's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Selassie struggles to land a body shot inside as Monroe controls his hands.
Monroe has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Selassie pushes Monroe back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Selassie lands a body punch.
Selassie misses with a hook to the ribs.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Carlos Monroe.
I think Monroe 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 Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 27:30
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 28:30
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Carlos Monroe!