PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Eli Bathory (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hakeem Diaw (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bathory's entrance music is 'The Butcher' By Radiohead. A fine choice. 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.

Bathory
vs
Diaw

190 cm
30
192 lbs
12 - 11 - 0

181 cm
19
201 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 11 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Eli Bathory!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Hakeem Diaw!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Fedor Mirinova and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bathory drives through with a takedown into Diaw's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Bathory trying to control but Diaw is working from the bottom.
Bathory working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Bathory has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Bathory slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Diaw preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Diaw trying to control the position here.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Bathory looks to land a combination but Diaw avoids it well.
No joy there for Bathory, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bathory swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Diaw counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Bathory thinking.
Bathory fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Bathory throws an overhand right that lands on Diaw's shoulder, as Diaw tries to avoid the shot.

Diaw gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Bathory in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Bathory tries to free his leg and advance position but Diaw is retaining full guard.
Diaw looking to control.
Bathory throws and elbow that misses. Diaw uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Bathory's guard. Nice move by Diaw!
Bathory wants to sweep here but Diaw controlling him for the moment.
Bathory trying to control the position here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bathory is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Diaw keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Bathory trying to control from half guard but Diaw is working away.
Bathory with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Diaw is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Bathory's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Bathory's back!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diaw is trying to stick to Bathory's back but Bathory is turning into Diaw. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Diaw's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Bathory.
Bathory engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Diaw trying to control the position.
Bathory trying to control the position from guard on top but Diaw is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bathory accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Bathory scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bathory accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Bathory lands a couple of digs.
Bathory loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Bathory trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bathory accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Bathory working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Bathory with a flurry of punches that miss.
Bathory wants to control from the top but Diaw keeps moving.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bathory throws a strike but Diaw rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bathory looking for a sweep. Not yet Bathory, not yet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eli Bathory 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.

Bathory dives in and grabs Diaw's left leg, looking for a takedown. Diaw pushes down on Bathory's head and hops out.

Bathory shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Diaw manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Eli Bathory overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Bathory makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Bathory 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.
Bathory lands a couple of elbows.
Diaw is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Diaw keeping moving, preventing Bathory from controlling successfully.
Bathory not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bathory is looking to work some ground and pound but Diaw has wrist control.
Diaw avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Bathory controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Diaw avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Diaw is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Diaw throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Bathory on the side of the head.
Diaw scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Bathory doesn't seem bothered though.
Bathory dives in and grabs Diaw's left leg, looking for a takedown. Diaw pushes down on Bathory's head and hops out.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bathory thows a body shot but no joy.
Bathory waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Diaw.
Diaw throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bathory slips under a jab.
Bathory throws a right hand that Diaw ducks under and follows up with a left that Diaw also avoids with ease.

Bathory scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bathory sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Diaw defending well though.
Bathory wants to take a breather but Diaw is having none of it.
Bathory missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Bathory prevents Diaw from improving his position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Diaw is breathing heavily.
Diaw blocking the ground and pound attempt from Bathory.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bathory throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Diaw avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Bathory.
Bathory not doing much here.
Bathory thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Diaw has hold of Bathory's hands but Bathory slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Bathory is trying to control. Diaw wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Bathory is just content to waste time from the top position. Diaw takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Bathory tries to free his leg and advance position but Diaw is retaining full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bathory engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Bathory wants to control from the top but Diaw keeps moving.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bathory controlling from the top position.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Eli Bathory wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Bathory misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bathory looks to land a combination but Diaw avoids it well.
Bathory shoots for a takedown but Diaw saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Eli Bathory. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bathory loads up on a big right hand but Diaw slips the punch.

Bathory looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Diaw!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eli Bathory dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. 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.

Bathory shoots in looking for a takedown. Diaw tries to sprawl out of it but Bathory keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Diaw manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Bathory tries to bum rush Diaw with a series of wild strikes but Diaw uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Bathory shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Diaw as he avoids it easily.
Bathory shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Diaw but Diaw pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Eli Bathory. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A decent looking cross lands there for Diaw.
Bathory fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Bathory shoots in looking for a takedown but Diaw manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Bathory's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Diaw scores with a jab to the body.
Bathory takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A jab from Diaw does it's job there.
Hakeem Diaw is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bathory avoids the body shot from Diaw.
Diaw misses with a leg kick.
Eli Bathory is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Diaw lands with an overhand left.
Diaw tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bathory was well out of range. Poor timing from Diaw.
Bathory fails with a takedown attempt.
Diaw lunges at Bathory with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Bathory's hand.
Bathory throws out a loose jab but Diaw uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bathory throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Diaw finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Bathory lands a jab to Diaw's midsection.
Hakeem Diaw has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bathory throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Diaw tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Bathory is in Diaw's guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bathory throwing strikes but missing.
Bathory stands and throws Diaw's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Bathory creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Diaw sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Bathory throws a strike aimed at the side of Diaw's head but Diaw avoids it well.
Bathory is trying to ground and pound but Diaw uses the momentary lack of control by Bathory to regain half guard.
Bathory seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bathory prevents Diaw from improving his position.
Bathory working Diaw over with strikes.
Diaw on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Bathory perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Bathory is thwarting Diaw's attempts to control the position.
Bathory thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Diaw's head.
Eli Bathory is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Bathory thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Diaw to regain full guard.
Bathory throws a big right hand that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bathory looking to pass the guard.
Bathory trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Bathory engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Bathory throws a big right hand that misses.
Diaw keeping moving, preventing Bathory from controlling successfully.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bathory postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
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!
Bathory is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eli Bathory showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Bathory, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 30:27
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 30:27
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eli Bathory!
An out of breath Eli Bathory thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.