PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Liam Dungy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and BJ Penn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Dungy
vs
Penn

179 cm
22
196 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

185 cm
22
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Improved boxing
Big right hand

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Liam Dungy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, BJ Penn!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Robert Twigg and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dungy tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Penn paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Dungy has closed the distance and engaged Penn in a clinch.
Penn jumps guard but Dungy stands there with Penn around his waist. Penn gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Penn is trying to stall.
Penn tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Dungy keeps control of Penn as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Dungy letting Penn take a breather here.
Penn is trying to maintain a safe position but Dungy gets an underhook and turns Penn into the cage.
Dungy creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Dungy lands a shot to the body.
Dungy is trying to break free.
Dungy prevents the takedown attempt.
Liam Dungy has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of BJ Penn.
Penn goes for a takedown attempt but Dungy pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Penn pushes Dungy up against the cage in a clinch.
Penn looking to stall.

Penn manages to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dungy swats away the attempt to clinch by Penn.
Dungy fails with the takedown.
Some wild striking there from Dungy.
Dungy moves in looking to clinch but Penn pushes him off.

Dungy clinches up against the cage.
Dungy prevents a takedown attempt there.
Dungy works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Penn takes a knee right on the jaw!
Dungy is working for takedown but Penn is calmly controlling the position for now.
Penn can't get the takedown.
Dungy lands a nice knee to the body.
Dungy scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Dungy drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Penn gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Penn trying to land knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dungy pushes Penn back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Penn just misses with a elbow thrown towards Dungy's brow.
Dungy scores with a shoulder strike.
Penn gets underhooks to prevent Dungy's takedown attempt.
Dungy prevents Penn from breaking the clinch.
Penn looks gassed!

Penn escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Dungy misses with a wild combination.
Dungy connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Penn throws a head kick but Dungy moves out of range.
Dungy lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Dungy is looking to clinch but Penn is avoiding it.
Dungy lands a head kick. Penn smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Nice sprawl there from Penn as Dungy shoots in.
Penn takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.

Penn is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dungy shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Penn as he jumps to the side.
Penn is still on wobbly legs! Can Dungy finish him?
A head kick by Penn misses
and Dungy counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Penn seems to have recovered his senses.
Dungy scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Dungy shoots in for a takedown but Penn shows good takedown defense.

Penn tries to keep at a distance but Dungy has taken the fight into the clinch.
Penn gets underhooks to prevent Dungy's takedown attempt.

Dungy breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Penn closes this distance looking for a takedown but Dungy circles away.
Dungy moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

Penn gets the takedown into side control.

Penn is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Dungy has escaped the position, nice work there.

Penn tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Penn stands up.

Penn drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
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!
Dungy is trying to improve his position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Penn tries to advance to mount but can't.
Dungy managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Penn.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Liam Dungy dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Dungy misses with a two punch combination.
Penn tries to clinch

so Dungy counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Penn tries to strike from the bottom.
Penn looking to hit a scissor sweep but Dungy is one step ahead there.
Dungy wants to stand but Penn is controlling his posture from full guard.
Dungy prevents Penn from getting back to his feet.
Dungy wants to pass the guard but Penn is keeping the position.
Penn keeping moving, preventing Dungy from controlling successfully.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Penn looking to hit a scissor sweep but Dungy is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn working a defensive guard here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Dungy has his takedown stuffed

and Penn decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Dungy's guard.
Penn pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Dungy is keeping the position for now.
Penn preventing the sweep.
Penn passes Dungy's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Penn prevents Dungy from standing back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Penn wants to work for an arm triangle but Dungy is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Penn is stalling here. Dungy is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Penn seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Dungy has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Dungy looking to control but instead Penn has slipped a leg in, to regain half guard.
Penn wants to improve his position but Dungy is controlling well.
Penn moves into full guard.
Dungy is fighting to break Penn's control of his arms but Penn is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

Penn is looking for a triangle but Dungy pushes his legs off easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Penn has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Dungy off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Dungy moves in looking to clinch but Penn pushes him off.
Penn moves out of range of the body kick from Dungy.
Penn tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Dungy swivels and escapes.
Penn tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Dungy paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Penn avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Dungy tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Penn swivels and escapes.
Dungy misses with a series of wild punches.

Penn shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Dungy's guard.
Dungy trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!

Penn stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Liam Dungy is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dungy moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Dungy fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Penn, pushing him back against the cage.
Penn can't break the clinch.
Dungy can't break the clinch.
Penn fails to pull guard.
Dungy looking to stall.
Penn tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Penn jumps guard but Dungy stands there with Penn around his waist. Penn gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Liam Dungy has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of BJ Penn.
Dungy lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Dungy is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Penn pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Penn has had enough of the clinch but Dungy keeps him there for the moment.

Dungy breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Dungy throws a series of punches but Penn avoids them all with ease.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

BJ Penn showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Penn tries to clinch but Dungy moves out of range.
Dungy fails with an attempt to clinch.
Dungy connects with a looping right hand.
A left and a right from Dungy both land. Nice combination.
Penn fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Dungy is looking to clinch but Penn is avoiding it.

Penn scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Dungy is staying active underneath Penn, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Dungy manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Penn changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Dungy tries to avoid it but Penn manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Dungy to the ground. Dungy escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Dungy chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Liam Dungy seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Penn throws a sloppy head kick
and Dungy counters with a head kick.

Penn drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Penn is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Penn must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Penn throwing strikes from guard but Dungy blocks nicely.
Penn with a flurry of punches that miss.

Penn thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Penn stands and throws Dungy's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Penn fails to land a wild elbow strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Penn is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Dungy's shoulder. That is not cool.
BJ Penn has got the better of the ground game so far.

Penn stands up.
Dungy scores with a kick to the body.

Dungy rushes Penn and presses him up against the cage.
Penn is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Dungy is keeping busy.
Dungy connects with a nasty looking knee right to Penn's face.
Dungy wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Penn has him pressed against the cage.
Dungy is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Penn is keeping busy.
Penn can't break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn can't get the takedown.
Liam Dungy has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of BJ Penn.
Dungy changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Penn fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Penn throws a combination that misses
and Dungy counters with a three punch combo that has Penn backing up. Penn nods at Dungy to acknowledge the strikes.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Penn.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Penn just content to control the position.
Dungy is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Dungy bucks up and tries to throw Penn off but instead Penn has got his back!

Dungy defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Penn trying to control momentarily.
You know, I was talking to some of our celebrities at ringside tonight and they were split right down the middle on who was going to win this fight.
You can see the frustration on Dungy's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
Penn is trying to stick to Dungy's back but Dungy is turning into Penn. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Penn's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Dungy.
Dungy wants to stand but Penn is controlling his posture from full guard.
Penn looking for a sweep. Not yet Penn, not yet.

And that's the end of the fight!
BJ Penn comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Penn 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 Frank Dennis scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... BJ Penn!