PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Taj Gibson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nicolas De Ertu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Gibson
vs
De Ertu

189 cm
26
185 lbs
3 - 0 - 1

185 cm
27
192 lbs
9 - 10 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
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 3 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Taj Gibson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nicolas De Ertu!
The judges for this bout are Albert Achterberg, Saam Ante and Aafke Stam.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
De Ertu shoots in for a takedown but Gibson shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Gibson tries to bum rush De Ertu with a series of wild strikes but De Ertu uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
De Ertu misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
De Ertu moves in looking to clinch but Gibson pushes him off.
De Ertu fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
De Ertu has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from De Ertu there as he acknowledges the shot.

It looks like Nicolas De Ertu has been cut.
De Ertu throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Gibson.
De Ertu dodges the punch combination from Gibson.
Gibson scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Gibson lands a jab to the nose.

De Ertu changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Gibson looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
This has been an exciting period of action!
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
De Ertu taking a breather here.
Gibson tries to wriggle free to get back to his feet but he's given up his back! Oops.

That's one minute gone in the round.

De Ertu tightening his grip on Gibson, looking for the choke.
De Ertu missing with strikes.
Gibson covers up after that shot from De Ertu.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
De Ertu throws a big right hand but he misses and hits the mat. Ouch.
What can Gibson do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
De Ertu lands with a couple of good shots - one to the side of the head and one questionable shot that could be viewed as to the back of the head but the referee lets it go.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

De Ertu looking for the choke from the back.
De Ertu connects with a big shot to the side of Gibson's head.
Gibson controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.
De Ertu scores with punches to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

De Ertu looking for the RNC.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
De Ertu's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
De Ertu scores with punches and elbows.
De Ertu controls the position.
Gibson is trying to remain composed but De Ertu is hammering down strikes to the side of his head.
Gibson covers up after that shot from De Ertu.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A bit of a pause in the action here. De Ertu controlling the positon.
Gibson is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.

Gibson defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
De Ertu controls the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
De Ertu lands with a nice looking elbow that stuns Gibson.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nicolas De Ertu dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Nicolas De Ertu's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Gibson gets tackled into the ropes by De Ertu. De Ertu maintains the clinch.
The referee calls for De Ertu to work.

De Ertu pulls guard successfully.
Nicolas De Ertu has got the better of the ground game so far.
Gibson won't allow De Ertu to get back to his feet.
Gibson would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Gibson won't allow De Ertu to sweep him here.
De Ertu trying to strike off his back.

That's one minute gone in the round.
De Ertu is trying to keep Gibson in close.
De Ertu looking for a sweep. Not yet De Ertu, not yet.
Gibson wants to get up but he can't break De Ertu's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
De Ertu tries for a takedown but Gibson sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Taj Gibson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Gibson goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
De Ertu lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
De Ertu tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in to close the distance. Gibson manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
No joy there for De Ertu, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
De Ertu is looking to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice sprawl there from Gibson as De Ertu shoots in.
De Ertu avoids a punch combination nicely.
De Ertu showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Gibson.
De Ertu lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Gibson circles away quickly and effectively.
Gibson dips to his left and cracks De Ertu with an uppercut!

De Ertu forces Gibson back against the ropes and clinches.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The fighters are pressed against the ropes, as the pace of the fight slows.
The crowd are getting on De Ertu's back here. They're not happy about his lack of aggression in the clinch.

De Ertu breaks from the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

De Ertu closes the distance and pushes Gibson back into the ropes.
De Ertu missing with knees to the body.
Gibson tries to pull guard but De Ertu holds him up against the ropes and eventually Gibson drops back down to his feet.

De Ertu has picked Gibson up - he's going for a ride! De Ertu dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
Gibson is trying to stand.
De Ertu stalling.

De Ertu decides to stand up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Ertu takes a swing at Gibson's ribcage but misses.
De Ertu looks for a takedown but Gibson sprawls well.
Taj Gibson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nicolas De Ertu.
Gibson dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
De Ertu misses with a few strikes there.

De Ertu shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. De Ertu showed some decent athleticism there.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gibson wants to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nicolas De Ertu showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Nicolas De Ertu's cut.
That's time! Gibson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

De Ertu rushes Gibson and presses him up against the ropes.
Gibson jumps guard but De Ertu turns him against the ropes and keeps the fight standing.

De Ertu breaks from the clinch.

De Ertu clinches up with Gibson and pushes him back against the ropes.

De Ertu lands a takedown into guard.
Gibson is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
De Ertu's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Gibson wants to stand and escape but De Ertu is having none of it.
De Ertu engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Nicolas De Ertu was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Gibson lands with an uppercut that bounces De Ertu off the ropes and back into range.
Gibson stuffs the takedown attempt from De Ertu. De Ertu gets slowly back to his feet.
De Ertu tries to clinch up but Gibson circles away and keeps his distance.
A combination from Gibson does no damage.
Gibson stuffs the takedown attempt from De Ertu. De Ertu gets slowly back to his feet.
De Ertu shoots in for a takedown but Gibson shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Taj Gibson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nicolas De Ertu.
De Ertu takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
De Ertu misses with a takedown attempt - Gibson sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

De Ertu closes the distance and pushes Gibson back into the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
De Ertu gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Gibson.

De Ertu has clasped his hands together around Gibson's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
Gibson tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.

Gibson defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from De Ertu.
De Ertu landing strikes, looking to finish!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

De Ertu goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Gibson turns into him and now he's in De Ertu's guard.
De Ertu is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gibson stopping the sweep attempt from De Ertu.
Gibson wants to stand but De Ertu has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Ertu is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Gibson wants to stand but De Ertu has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Nicolas De Ertu is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
De Ertu looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

De Ertu pushes Gibson off and gets back to his feet.
Taj Gibson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
De Ertu shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Gibson pinned against the ropes. Gibson gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
De Ertu shoots in for a double leg but Gibson sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nicolas De Ertu comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got De Ertu winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Albert Achterberg scores the fight 27:30
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nicolas De Ertu!
In his post fight interview, Nicolas De Ertu started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.