PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Hafid Lumihi (ranked 5441 p4p, 0 weight class) and Saifulla Rakhmonov (ranked 3645 p4p, 0 weight class). Saifulla Rakhmonov has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Lumihi
vs
Rakhmonov

171 cm
26
156 lbs
1 - 5 - 0

168 cm
25
155 lbs
1 - 1 - 1

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Very strong

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Hafid Lumihi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Saifulla Rakhmonov!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Gwen Towbar and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rakhmonov with a poor takedown

and Lumihi counters by clinching up.
Lumihi lands a body shot in the clinch.
Rakhmonov tries for a takedown. No joy.

Lumihi jumps guard.
Rakhmonov postures up.
Lumihi wants to sweep here but Rakhmonov controlling him for the moment.
Rakhmonov trying to control but Lumihi is working from the bottom.
Rakhmonov is fighting to break Lumihi's control of his arms but Lumihi is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lumihi keeping moving, preventing Rakhmonov from controlling successfully.
Rakhmonov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rakhmonov postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Rakhmonov stands up from guard. Let's bang!

Lumihi looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Rakhmonov controls Lumihi momentarily but Lumihi frees himself.
Lumihi is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Lumihi postures up and lands a big shot to Rakhmonov's brow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lumihi pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Rakhmonov is keeping the position for now.
Lumihi knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Rakhmonov on the ground.
Rakhmonov is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Rakhmonov is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Lumihi has managed to free his arm - good work.
Rakhmonov wants to take a breather but Lumihi is having none of it.
It looks like Rakhmonov is going to stand back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rakhmonov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Lumihi's head.
Lumihi is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rakhmonov passes to side control.

Rakhmonov stands up and beckons Lumihi to his feet.
Lumihi goes for a double leg but Rakhmonov avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Rakhmonov continues to drive forward.

Lumihi closes the distance and clinches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rakhmonov wants to take the fight to the mat but Lumihi manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Hafid Lumihi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Saifulla Rakhmonov.
Rakhmonov wants a takedown but no success here.
Rakhmonov tries to pull guard but Lumihi holds him up against the cage and eventually Rakhmonov drops back down to his feet.
Rakhmonov wants to break free but Lumihi has control.
Rakhmonov jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Lumihi walks away with a smile on his face. Rakhmonov gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Rakhmonov fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Lumihi, pushing him back against the cage.

Lumihi breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rakhmonov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Lumihi as he jumps to the side.
Rakhmonov looks winded!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Lumihi tries to clinch but Rakhmonov moves out of range.
Rakhmonov fails with a takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hafid Lumihi dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Rakhmonov shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Lumihi pinned against the cage. Lumihi gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Lumihi has a takedown stuffed.
Rakhmonov wants to clinch.
As Rakhmonov looks to move away, Lumihi throws a big counter combo but Rakhmonov just gets out of the way.
A lazy left from Lumihi finds it's target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rakhmonov avoids the body shot from Lumihi.
Rakhmonov stuffs the takedown.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rakhmonov keeps the fight on the outside.
Rakhmonov tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Rakhmonov shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Lumihi tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Rakhmonov manages to circle out of the way.
Rakhmonov tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lumihi paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Lumihi looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hafid Lumihi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rakhmonov tries to clinch there but Lumihi circles away.

Lumihi rushes Rakhmonov and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Lumihi can't get the takedown.
Rakhmonov's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Lumihi blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Rakhmonov breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Lumihi wants to clinch up but Rakhmonov keeps it at a distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Lumihi shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Rakhmonov is trying to defend but Lumihi finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Lumihi controlling the action here.
Rakhmonov blocking the ground and pound attempt from Lumihi.
Rakhmonov wants to control but Lumihi is keeping busy.
Lumihi wants to stand up but Rakhmonov is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lumihi throwing shots but Rakhmonov is blocking nicely.
Rakhmonov is looking to control Lumihi's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Rakhmonov avoid being mounted?
Lumihi winds up and cracks Rakhmonov with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Lumihi throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Rakhmonov is trying to maintain the position but Lumihi is very close to passing his half guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Rakhmonov can do anything to dispel that myth.
Rakhmonov is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Lumihi lands a nice short elbow.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

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.
Lumihi wants to stand up but Rakhmonov has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Rakhmonov looks like he's trying to stand up.
Lumihi misses with a head shot. Rakhmonov uses the momentum to regain guard.
Lumihi passes Rakhmonov's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Lumihi tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Rakhmonov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hafid Lumihi dominated that second round.
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!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Lumihi.
Rakhmonov manages to get back to half guard.
Rakhmonov trying to hold on to Lumihi's head to control him but Lumihi postures up.
Lumihi thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lumihi is looking for the mount but instead finds himself back in full guard.
Rakhmonov has Lumihi pulled in close to control his posture.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lumihi preventing the sweep.
Lumihi is looking to pass into half guard but Rakhmonov pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Rakhmonov is in guard.

Rakhmonov drops back looking for a leg! Lumihi is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Lumihi manages to kick Rakhmonov off! Rakhmonov jumps back into Lumihi's guard.
Lumihi is trying to keep Rakhmonov in close.
Lumihi wants to stand but Rakhmonov is controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Lumihi tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Lumihi looking to control.
Rakhmonov looking to pass the guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Rakhmonov keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Rakhmonov shoots in for a double leg but Lumihi sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Hafid Lumihi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Rakhmonov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Lumihi misses with a kick to the body.
Rakhmonov fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lumihi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Rakhmonov fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Lumihi avoids it really well and circles away.
Hafid Lumihi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Saifulla Rakhmonov.
Lumihi shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Rakhmonov defends it nicely.
Rakhmonov tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.

Lumihi closes the distance and clinches.

Lumihi pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Rakhmonov throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rakhmonov keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Lumihi instigates a clinch.

Lumihi breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Lumihi shoots in but Rakhmonov avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Rakhmonov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
A nice leg kick lands there from Rakhmonov.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Rakhmonov fails with a takedown attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Hafid Lumihi.
Well Lumihi 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 Frank Dennis scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hafid Lumihi!