PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Igor Tatov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Johnny Knox (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tatov comes to the cage accompanied by Soundgarden - Superunknown. Knox comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Malukah & Wolfgang - The Dragonborn Comes kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Johnny Knox told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Tatov
vs
Knox

201 cm
28
294 lbs
19 - 9 - 0

225 cm
28
300 lbs
18 - 10 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Hell's Balls Recovery (160)

Steel Penn's Laundry 93%

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Igor Tatov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Johnny Knox!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Robert Douchet and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tatov misses with a kick to the body.
Tatov goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Knox lands with an overhand left.
Knox fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Tatov is out of range.
Good exchange - Knox coming out on top.
Tatov misses the jab.
Knox doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Tatov avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
A cross from Tatov lands.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Knox throws a right hand that Tatov ducks under and follows up with a left that Tatov also avoids with ease.
Knox gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Tatov.

Tatov instigates a clinch.
Still in the clinch, Tatov scores with a nice short uppercut.
Tatov misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Knox presses Tatov against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Knox doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Come on Tatov - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Knox lands a left hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tatov wants to stall.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Tatov as Knox tries to tie him up.
Knox scores with a nice hook to the head.
Knox lands a good knee to the midsection. Tatov won't want to take too many of those.

Tatov breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Knox lands with a shot to the body.
Knox misses with a double jab.
A nice leg kick lands there from Tatov.
Knox throws a nice inside leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Knox moves out of range of the body kick from Tatov.
Tatov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Knox.
Knox punishes Tatov's body with a nice straight punch.
Tatov blocks a leg kick.
Tatov doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Tatov is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tatov tries to bum rush Knox with a series of wild strikes but Knox uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Knox bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Knox keeps the fight on the outside.
Knox avoids a kick to the body.
Knox throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Knox misses with a low kick as Tatov jumps back.
Knox throws a body punch but Tatov moves out of range.
Knox throws a sloppy head kick and Tatov moves out of range easily.
Knox throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Tatov.

Tatov gets a takedown into half guard.
Tatov with the ground and pound but Knox uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Tatov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Knox trying to keep a closed guard but Tatov is proving a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tatov trying to control but Knox is working from the bottom.
Knox wants to stand up but Tatov is controlling him.
Tatov stands up over Knox, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Knox is pulling down on Tatov's head to control his posture.
Tatov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Knox not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Tatov wants to pass the guard but Knox is keeping the position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Johnny Knox hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Knox scores with a decent looking hook.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tatov throws a big shot that misses.
A head kick misses from Tatov.
Tatov shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Knox connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Knox checks a leg kick nicely.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Knox throws a jab but it's blocked by Tatov.
Knox just misses with a punch to the body.
Knox uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Tatov has time to react.
Tatov scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Knox misses with a series of wild punches.
Tatov with a hook.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Knox throws a right hand that Tatov ducks under and follows up with a left that Tatov also avoids with ease.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Tatov crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Knox - the referee stops the clock and Tatov gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Knox. Tatov manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Johnny Knox will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Knox throws a right and a left that Tatov avoids nicely.
Tatov jabs Knox right on the nose. Knox blinks but takes it well.
Knox has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Tatov.
Knox misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Johnny Knox is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Tatov misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Tatov tries to close the distance and clinch up but Knox swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tatov is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Knox has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Tatov.
Tatov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Good leg kick by Knox there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
A nice combination there by Tatov.
Knox has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Knox throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tatov has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Knox.
Knox throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Knox thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's one minute gone in the round.
A left and a right from Knox both land. Nice combination.
Knox is looking to land body kicks.
An inside leg kick from Knox misses.
Tatov scores with a body shot.
Knox throws a leg kick but Tatov moved away.
Knox throws a leg kick but Tatov sees it coming and moves out of range.
Tatov fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Knox has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tatov's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Tatov duly obliges.
Igor Tatov is winning the standup battle so far.

Tatov has managed to clinch.
Knox blocks an elbow strike.
Knox misses with some punches.
Knox working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A bit of stalling here from Knox.
Tatov's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Knox misses with a knee to the head.
Knox is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Tatov tries to score a body lock takedown but Knox shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Knox's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Tatov prevents a body shot from Knox.
Tatov blocks a body shot from Knox.
Knox taking a breather.
Knox tries to break free but Tatov pushes him back against the cage.
Tatov stalls.
Knox misses with a punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tatov digs a right hand into Knox's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Knox's gas tank.
Knox misses with a punch to the body.
Tatov tries a body shot but Knox blocks it.
Tatov lands a nice knee to the body.
Knox is breathing heavily.
Tatov connects with a nasty looking knee right to Knox's face.

It looks like Johnny Knox has been cut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A bit of stalling here from Tatov.
Tatov is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Knox is defending well for now.
Tatov lands a shot to the body.
Tatov digs a right hand into Knox's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Knox's gas tank.
Tatov throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Tatov lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Knox backwards.
Knox is pressed up against the cage. Tatov has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Knox down to the mat. Knox avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Johnny Knox is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Tatov tries to clinch but Knox moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tatov changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Tatov lands with a right hand.
Tatov fails with an attempt to clinch.
Tatov lands a nice looking body shot.

Tatov looking to score a takedown here. Knox is defending well but Tatov drives through and ends up in Knox's guard.
Knox avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Tatov wants to control from the top but Knox keeps moving.
Tatov advances to half guard.
Tatov 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.
Tatov looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Knox with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tatov trying to mount his opponent but Knox defends it.
Tatov working to pass to mount. He's got his hand pressing down on Knox's thigh. Knox counters though and makes it back to full guard.
Tatov stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Knox swivels though and keeps the full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Tatov dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Johnny Knox's cut.
That's time! Tatov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Tatov moves out of range as Knox strikes.
Knox throws a left and a right that both miss
and Tatov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tatov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Knox scores with a sloppy right hand. Tatov should have avoided that one.
Knox walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Tatov checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Tatov turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Knox avoids the body shot from Tatov.
Tatov slips under a jab.

Knox gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Tatov to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Tatov wants to control from the top but Knox keeps moving.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Knox pulls Tatov in to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tatov wants to pass the guard but Knox is keeping the position.
Knox wants to sweep here but Tatov controlling him for the moment.
Knox is looking to sweep but instead, Tatov has passed into half guard.
Knox is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Tatov looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Knox with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Tatov throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Knox to regain full guard.

Tatov got a little sloppy there for a moment and Knox has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Tatov has managed to get both his arms back between Knox's legs - danger averted.
Knox takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Knox tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tatov trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Tatov passes into half guard.
Tatov missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Tatov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Knox's head.
Tatov wants to control but Knox is keeping him busy.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Knox has hold of Tatov's hands but Tatov slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Knox is trying to control but can't.
Tatov looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Tatov prevents Knox from improving his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tatov wants to pass the guard but Knox is defending well.
Knox tries to kick Tatov off but Tatov keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

Tatov is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Knox moves into full guard.
Tatov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Knox keeping moving, preventing Tatov from controlling successfully.
Knox is trying to keep Tatov in close.
Knox wants to improve his position but instead Tatov has moved into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knox is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Tatov's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Tatov's back!
Knox tries to keep control of the position but Tatov is staying busy.
Tatov is in bad spot here.
Tatov is keeping busy.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Igor Tatov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Tatov 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 William Peck scores the fight 29:28
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Igor Tatov!
A determined Igor Tatov didn't want to dwell on this fight in his post fight interview. Instead he was more keen to state he wants a title shot. Let's see if he gets it!