PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between John Don (ranked 4819 p4p, 4747 weight class) and Royce Morgan (ranked 564 p4p, 561 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Don
vs
Morgan

180 cm
21
205
0 - 1 - 0

192 cm
18
205
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Solid chin

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, John Don!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Royce Morgan!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Chris Downing and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Don misses with a looping left.
Morgan throws an overhand right that lands on Don's shoulder, as Don tries to avoid the shot.
Don keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Morgan.
Don has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Cozad MMA Las Vegas in the buildup to the fight.
Morgan tries to clinch up.

Don feints and as Morgan raises his hands in defense, Don changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Don engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Don might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Morgan is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Don is controlling him.
Don tries to free his leg and advance position but Morgan is retaining full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Don won't allow Morgan to sweep him here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Don prevents Morgan from getting back to his feet.
Don 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.
Morgan wants to get back to his feet but Don passes into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morgan wants to get back to full guard.
Don working over Morgan with some ground and pound. Morgan looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

Don decides to stand and escape the position.
Don slips a jab from Morgan.
Don tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Morgan swivels and escapes.
Morgan fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Don uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Morgan.
Don throwing a counter right hand but Morgan manages to avoid it.
Don takes a swing at Morgan's ribcage but misses.
Morgan lands a nice hook to Don's body. Don takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Morgan throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Morgan throws a leg kick but Don sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Morgan lands with a nice body kick.
Morgan connects with a right hand. Don shakes it off.
Don keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Morgan.
An attempted straight right counter from Don misses the target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morgan moves out of range of the strikes.
Morgan dodges the punch combination from Don.
Don lands a head shot.
Morgan misses with a hook. Don ducked under it nicely.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Morgan thows a left - swing and a miss!
Morgan misses the shot to the body.
Morgan slips under a jab.
Don is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Morgan's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Morgan tries a low kick but Don avoids it.
Don throws a low kick but Morgan avoids it.
Don fails to land with a series of punches.
Don checks a leg kick.
Morgan keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Don throws a body shot but no joy.
Morgan misses with a looping right.
A quick step to the side and Don tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morgan misses with a hook

and Don counters with a crisp one two that drops Morgan! Don thinks about following him to the mat for a moment but instead steps back and waves Morgan to his feet! Morgan is in big trouble!

Morgan is rocked!
A leg kick checked by Don.
Morgan is still on wobbly legs! Can Don finish him?
Don misses with a hook. Morgan ducked under it nicely.
Morgan seems to have recovered his senses.
Morgan throws out a leg kick but Don moves out of range and Morgan only half commits.
An inside leg kick from Morgan misses.
Don checks a leg kick.
Don throws a looping overhand right but Morgan ducks down to avoid it.
Morgan feints a counter leg kick.
Morgan's coach down at Cozad Amsterdam was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Morgan's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Morgan pivots, looking for a leg kick but Don is out of range and Morgan settles back down.
Don throws a big counter combination but Morgan scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Morgan waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Don.

Don darts in and clinches Morgan up against the cage.
Morgan tries to circle away but Don has him pinned against the cage.
Morgan tries to land knees in the clinch but Don avoids the damage to the body.
Don taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Morgan misses with a punch to the body.

Don manages to break the clinch.

Morgan gets tackled into the cage by Don. Don maintains the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Don breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Morgan just misses with a punch to the body.
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!
Morgan throws a jab when Don was well out of range.
Don was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Morgan throws a series of strikes that have Don backpedaling.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Don is defended easily by Morgan.
Don tries for a takedown but Morgan sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Don. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Morgan just misses with a punch to the body.
Royce Morgan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Morgan misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
A looping hook to the body misses from Morgan. Don does a little dance to reset his feet.
Don shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Morgan sprawls well. Morgan wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Don gets slowly back to his feet.
Morgan misses with a hook. Don ducked under it nicely.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Royce Morgan will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Morgan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Morgan tries to clinch but Don is having none of it.
Morgan misses with a leg kick

and Don holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

Don breaks from the clinch.

Don moves into the clinch.

Don jumps guard and drags Morgan to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Morgan thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Morgan tries to free his leg and advance position but Don is retaining full guard.
Morgan trying to control the position from guard on top but Don is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Don bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Morgan's guard.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morgan is trying to control the position but Don postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Don is stalling in the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morgan tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Morgan wants to stand but Don is controlling the position.
Don slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Morgan tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Don wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

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.
Don working away.

Don is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Morgan knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Don controlling the position from side mount.
Don seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Morgan for as long as he can get away with.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Don's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

Don is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Morgan has escaped the position, nice work there.
Don taking a breather here.
Morgan tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
You can see the frustration on Morgan's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Morgan tries to buck Don off but Don is having none of it.
Morgan is trying to control Don's posture but Don avoids it.

Don decides to stand up, so the ref orders Morgan to his feet.
A looping hook to the body misses from Morgan. Don does a little dance to reset his feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Morgan misses with a head kick.
Don just misses with a punch to the body.
Morgan tries to work over Don's front leg with a kick but Don checks it.
It looked like Don wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Royce Morgan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Don blocks a leg kick.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

John Don dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Morgan doesn't manage to clinch there - Don circles away.
Morgan throws a body shot but no joy.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Don checks a leg kick.
Morgan lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
A jab from Don misses.
Don lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Nice shot by Morgan.
Don moves away from the strike by Morgan.
Don uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Morgan.
Don appears to be looking for a big counter.
John Don is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Don shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Morgan as he jumps to the side.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morgan tries to clinch up.

Don clinches up with Morgan and pushes him back against the cage.
Morgan has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Morgan missing with knees to the body.
Don stalling the fight.

Morgan escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morgan jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Morgan misses with a two punch combination.
Morgan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Don manages to avoid it.
Don uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Morgan.
Don wants to clinch up but Morgan keeps it at a distance.
Morgan misses with an uppercut.
Morgan throws a hook but Don blocks it.
Don looks to land a left hand but Morgan moved out of range nicely.
Don throws a hook but Morgan blocks it.
Morgan goes for a double leg but Don avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Don continues to drive forward.

Don darts in and clinches Morgan up against the cage.
Morgan wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Don has him pressed against the cage.
Morgan is trying to push Don away but Don has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Don landing knees to the head.
Morgan takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Don misses with an elbow over the top.

Don breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morgan pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Don moves out of range as Morgan strikes.
Don dives in for a single leg takedown but Morgan sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Don slowing the pace effectively.

Don pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Don tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Morgan defends well and Don ends up having to push Morgan into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Don. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Don has Morgan pressed against the cage, preventing Morgan from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Morgan has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Morgan doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Don keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Morgan's efforts to push away.
Morgan wants to get back to striking at distance but Don won't allow it.
Don dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Don has Morgan pushed against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Don has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Morgan avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morgan is looking to break free of the clinch but Don has double underhooks.
Morgan wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Don jumps guard and drags Morgan to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

Morgan decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Morgan misses with a low kick.
Don shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Morgan but Morgan pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Don throws a right and a left that Morgan avoids nicely.
Morgan fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Morgan jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Morgan takes a swing at Don's ribcage but misses.
Morgan throws a solid leg kick but Don takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Morgan.
Don takes one to the chin there.
Don takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Morgan fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Don is out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morgan connects with a good right hand that stumbles Don. Don circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Nice sprawl there from Morgan as Don shoots in.
Don wants to clinch up but Morgan keeps it at a distance.
Morgan fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Don is out of range.
Morgan misses with a wild body shot.
Morgan is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Good standup being displayed there by Morgan as he connects with a hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A big right from Morgan misses.
Don is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Morgan misses with a wild body shot.
A big left from Morgan misses.
Don throwing a counter right hand but Morgan manages to avoid it.
Don rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Morgan moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Morgan throws out a counter right but Don avoids it with no problem.
Morgan misses with a wild combination.
Don ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

And that's the end of the fight!
Royce Morgan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Morgan 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 28:29
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Royce Morgan!
John Don was interviewed post fight and said 'It is what it is, I'll be back better.'.