PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Vrej Nazaryan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nick Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nazaryan comes to the cage accompanied by DVBBS & Borgeous - Tsunami. Johnson comes into a darkened arena with his song building. On March The Saints kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Nazaryan
vs
Johnson

167 cm
26
158 lbs
16 - 5 - 1

170 cm
23
159 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Fast

Perkele!
Voodoo Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 5 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Vrej Nazaryan!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Nick Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Tiny Johnson and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nazaryan throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Johnson on the side of the head.
Johnson has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.

Nazaryan pushes Johnson up against the cage in a clinch.
Nazaryan has a couple of punches blocked by Johnson.
Johnson goes for a takedown attempt but Nazaryan pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Nazaryan checks a leg kick.
Johnson uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Johnson thows a leg kick but Nazaryan checks it
enabling Nazaryan to counter with a crisp jab.
Johnson throws the left hand but Nazaryan avoids the punch easily.
Nazaryan lands with a cross.
A jab from Johnson misses.

Nazaryan drives through and clinches with Johnson against the cage.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
A left hand lands to the body for Johnson.
Nazaryan lands a left hand that snaps the head of Johnson backwards.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nazaryan misses with a punch to the body.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
Johnson misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Nazaryan doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Johnson lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nazaryan pushes Johnson off looking to stand but Johnson dives back in and keeps control.
Nazaryan avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Johnson.
We've been hearing good reports from Nazaryan's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
Nazaryan keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Nazaryan looks like he's trying to stand up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Johnson not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Johnson thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Nazaryan's head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Johnson thows a huge punch but Nazaryan dodges it nicely.
Johnson thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Johnson is trying to control. Nazaryan wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Johnson lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Johnson throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Johnson takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An inside leg kick lands from Nazaryan.
Johnson throws a solid leg kick but Nazaryan takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Johnson.
Nazaryan looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Johnson fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Nazaryan manages to avoid it.
Nazaryan misses with a hook. Johnson ducked under it nicely.
Nazaryan wants to clinch.
Johnson throws a hook to the side of Nazaryan's head but Nazaryan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Johnson finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Nazaryan.
Johnson tries a quick counter leg kick but Nazaryan is wise to it.
Nazaryan lunges at Johnson with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Johnson's hand.
Johnson takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Nazaryan misses the jab.
A bone on bone clash there as Johnson blocks the leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan thows a leg kick but Johnson checks it
and Johnson makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Johnson slips a jab from Nazaryan.
That kick from Johnson tenderised Nazaryan's leg. Nazaryan is trying to keep his angry face on.
Johnson jabs Nazaryan right on the nose. Nazaryan blinks but takes it well.
Nazaryan throws the left hand but Johnson avoids the punch easily.
Johnson scores with a decent looking hook.
Nazaryan tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Johnson is able to avoid easily.
Johnson is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Nazaryan with a body shot.
Nazaryan tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Johnson throws the left hand but Nazaryan avoids the punch easily.
Johnson swings for the body but Nazaryan moves out of range.
Nazaryan thumps Johnson with a low kick.
Nazaryan's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Johnson connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Nazaryan scrambles back to his feet.
That kick from Johnson tenderised Nazaryan's leg. Nazaryan is trying to keep his angry face on.
Johnson connects with a single shot there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nazaryan scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Nazaryan throws a nice outside leg kick.
Johnson throws a lazy uppercut
and Nazaryan counters with a nice low kick that buckles Johnson's knee momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Nazaryan is looking to clinch but Johnson is avoiding it.
Nazaryan throws a body shot but no joy.
Nazaryan wants to clinch.
Johnson shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Nazaryan tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Nazaryan is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Nazaryan misses with the combination.
Johnson bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nazaryan scores with a punch to the head.
Nazaryan throws a body shot but no joy.
Johnson throws a hook to the side of Nazaryan's head but Nazaryan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vrej Nazaryan dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Johnson wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Johnson thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nazaryan steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Johnson.
Nazaryan throws a sloppy body shot
and Johnson makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
A good leg kick by Johnson.
Nazaryan with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Johnson to score with a decent uppercut.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Nazaryan.
Johnson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nazaryan.
Johnson checks a low kick from Nazaryan.
That kick from Nazaryan tenderised Johnson's leg. Johnson is trying to keep his angry face on.
Johnson chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Nazaryan can pounce on him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnson is looking to slow Nazaryan down with leg kicks.
Nazaryan misses with a leg kick
and Johnson counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Vrej Nazaryan is winning the standup battle so far.
An inside leg kick lands from Nazaryan.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nazaryan throws a hook but Johnson blocks it.
Nazaryan throws a jab but it's blocked by Johnson.
Johnson thuds his right hand into Nazaryan's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Nazaryan tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Johnson closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Nazaryan defending well as Johnson loads up on a big left hand.
Nazaryan throws a right hand that misses
and Johnson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnson throws a shot to the body.
A big right from Johnson misses.

Nazaryan darts in and clinches Johnson up against the cage.
Nazaryan misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Johnson has Nazaryan pushed against the cage.
Johnson blocks an uppercut.
Nazaryan lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nazaryan working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Nazaryan throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Johnsons head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan stops a takedown attempt from Johnson.
Nazaryan lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Johnson backwards.
Johnson wants to stall.
Nazaryan lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Nazaryan tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Nazaryan lands a body shot in the clinch.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Nazaryan.
Nazaryan is leaning against Johnson and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Nazaryan throws a head punch that misses.
Nazaryan doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Johnson struggles to land a body shot inside as Nazaryan controls his hands.
Nazaryan is looking to control Johnson's arms but Johnson gets an underhook and turns him. Now Nazaryan has his back to the cage.

Johnson breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Johnson.
Johnson dodges the punch combination from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan doesn't manage to clinch there - Johnson circles away.
Nazaryan throws a hook but Johnson blocks it.
Nazaryan checks a leg kick nicely.
Johnson misses with a kick to the body
and Nazaryan counters with a nice uppercut.
Nazaryan with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Johnson on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Johnson throws a jab but it's blocked by Nazaryan.
Johnson takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Nazaryan lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Johnson getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Nazaryan is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

Johnson fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Nazaryan, pushing him back against the cage.
Johnson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Johnson lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Nazaryan backwards.
Nazaryan tries a body shot but Johnson blocks it.
Nazaryan can't find room to land a body shot as Johnson controls the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Johnson gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Nazaryan regains guard.

Nazaryan manages to wriggle out and sneak his way back up to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched up against the cage.
Johnson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Nazaryan misses with the head strike.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
Johnson lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Johnson has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Nazaryan is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Johnson looking to slow down the pace here.
Johnson's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Nazaryan misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan presses Johnson against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Johnson scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A right handed body shot lands from Nazaryan.
Johnson is breathing heavily.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.

Johnson has dropped down and is working for a takedown. Nazaryan is trying to keep an underhook but Johnson manages to get the takedown into half guard.

Nazaryan has one foot on Johnson's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vrej Nazaryan dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Johnson looks to throw the jab but Nazaryan is out of range.
Nazaryan slips under a jab.
Johnson is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan lands a nice shot to the body.
Johnson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Johnson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Johnson throws a shot from downtown. Nazaryan moves away and avoids it.
Johnson slips a straight right by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Johnson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Johnson misses with an uppercut
and Nazaryan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Johnson - that will leave a mark!
Nazaryan is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Johnson can do to turn this around?
Nazaryan changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnson misses with a low kick.
Johnson cracks Nazaryan with a right hand to the side of the head.
Nazaryan moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Nazaryan misses the shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Nazaryan throws a body shot but no joy.
Johnson scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Nazaryan is looking to clinch.
Johnson throws a predictable looking body shot
and Nazaryan counters with a stiff right hand.
Nazaryan missing with a left hand there. Johnson was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Johnson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan digs a good hook to Johnson's body.
Johnson checks the leg kick.
Johnson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nazaryan.
A chopping leg kick lands by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan slips under a jab.
Nazaryan fires out a quick counter leg kick but Johnson just manages to avoid it.
Nazaryan throws a lazy uppercut
and Johnson counters with a straight right hand.
Johnson throws a low kick but Nazaryan moves out of range easily.
It looked like Nazaryan was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Johnson.

Nazaryan rushes Johnson and presses him up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson tries to break free but Nazaryan pushes him back against the cage.
Johnson stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Nazaryan tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Johnson's elbow.
A short body shot lands from Nazaryan as the two fighters clinch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Johnson is looking for a takedown.
Johnson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Nazaryan tries to throw a body punch but Johnson avoids it by throwing Nazaryan back against the cage.
Vrej Nazaryan has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Nazaryan lands a nice shot to the body.
Johnson throws a punch but it's blocked by Nazaryan.
Johnson misses with a punch to the body.
Nazaryan stalling.
Nazaryan fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Johnson is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A short left from Nazaryan.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Johnson.
Nazaryan lands with a right to the head.
Come on Johnson - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Johnson wants a takedown but no success here.
Nazaryan lands with a right to the head.
Nazaryan lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Johnson blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Nazaryan lands with a left to the head.

Johnson is rocked!
Johnson wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Nazaryan has him pressed against the cage.
Johnson is still on wobbly legs! Can Nazaryan finish him?
A short left from Nazaryan.
Johnson's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Johnson wants to stall.
Nazaryan blocking some punches.
A short uppercut from Nazaryan.
Johnson stalling the fight.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Johnson.
Nazaryan throws a head punch that misses.
Nazaryan lands a body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan lands with a left to the head.
Nazaryan throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Johnsons head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nazaryan misses with a short punch on the inside.
Johnson has a couple of punches blocked by Nazaryan.
Johnson lands with a right to the head.
Nazaryan gets through Johnson's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Johnson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Johnson doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Johnson blocks an uppercut.
Nazaryan tries to work over Johnson's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Nazaryan lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Nazaryan.
Johnson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Johnson misses with a hook to the ribs.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan struggles to land a body shot inside as Johnson controls his hands.
Nazaryan misses with a body punch.
Johnson wants to stall.
Nazaryan throws a head punch that misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vrej Nazaryan clearly takes that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Nazaryan looks for the body kick but Johnson saw that one coming.
Johnson seems to have recovered his senses.
A jab from Johnson misses.
Nazaryan throws a shot from downtown. Johnson moves away and avoids it.
Nazaryan connects with a looping right hand.
Nazaryan throws a quick inside leg kick.

Johnson tries to keep at a distance but Nazaryan has taken the fight into the clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.
Nazaryan misses with a punch to the body.
Johnson trying to stall but Nazaryan improves his position.
Nazaryan lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Johnson or not.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Still in the clinch, Johnson scores with a nice short uppercut.
Johnson wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Nazaryan has him pressed against the cage.
Nazaryan throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Johnsons head.
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.
Nazaryan misses with a hook from the clinch.
A bit of stalling here from Johnson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nazaryan swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Nazaryan digs a right hand into Johnson's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Johnson's gas tank.
Johnson is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Nice body punch from Nazaryan.
Johnson's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Nazaryan fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan throws a head punch that misses.
Johnson lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Nazaryan backwards.
Nazaryan leaning his opponent against the cage.
Nazaryan'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.
Johnson tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Nazaryan struggles to land a body shot inside as Johnson controls his hands.
Nazaryan scores with a nice hook to the head.
Nazaryan lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan tries a body shot but Johnson blocks it.
Johnson goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
Johnson content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Nazaryan lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
A nice right hand lands inside from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Nazaryan throws a punch but it's blocked by Johnson.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nazaryan lands with a short shot to the head.
Nazaryan misses with the head strike.
Nazaryan working aggressively here.
Nazaryan misses with a punch to the body.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Nazaryan.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.
Johnson tries for a takedown. No joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Nazaryan swings wildly with an uppercut but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
A hook to the body from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan working aggressively here.
Johnson wants a takedown but no success here.
Nazaryan misses with a shot to the kidneys.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Nazaryan.
Nazaryan working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Johnson.
Nazaryan misses with a hook from the clinch.
Johnson stalling in the clinch.
Nazaryan fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan misses with a body punch.
A short right from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan lands with a left to the head.
Nazaryan misses with the head strike.
Johnson blocking some punches.
Johnson prevents a body shot from Nazaryan.

Johnson breaks the clinch.
Johnson throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Nazaryan counters with an inside leg kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nazaryan slips a jab from Johnson.
Good leg kick by Nazaryan there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Johnson cracks Nazaryan with a good jab.

Nazaryan closes the distance and clinches.

Johnson is trying to trip Nazaryan. He has hold of a leg but Nazaryan is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Johnson persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Johnson is looking to work some ground and pound but Nazaryan has wrist control.
Vrej Nazaryan overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Johnson accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vrej Nazaryan had his way with Nick Johnson in that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Johnson throws a jab but it's blocked by Nazaryan.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Nazaryan.
Johnson throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Nazaryan shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Johnson throws a right hand that misses
and Nazaryan counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Nazaryan throws a body shot but no joy.
Johnson thinks about the counter body kick.
Johnson throws a leg kick which misses Nazaryan's front leg but catches the back leg as Nazaryan tries to avoid it.
Johnson lands an overhand right.

Johnson closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Nazaryan misses with the head strike.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nazaryan doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Johnson.
Nazaryan misses with a punch on the inside.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Johnson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Nazaryan.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Nazaryan.
Nazaryan working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.
A hook to the body from Nazaryan.
A head punch on the inside from Johnson fails to land.
Johnson looking to slow down the pace here.
Nazaryan struggles to land a body shot inside as Johnson controls his hands.
Nazaryan throws a head punch that misses.
Nazaryan lands a hook to the side of the head.
Johnson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan misses with some punches.
Johnson goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Nazaryan is keeping busy.
Nazaryan's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Nazaryan lands a right hand that snaps the head of Johnson backwards.
A nice right hand lands inside from Nazaryan.
Nazaryan tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Nazaryan misses with a hook to the ribs.
Nazaryan blocks an uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Johnson lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Johnson is trying to break the clinch but Nazaryan has him pressed against the cage.
Nazaryan lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Johnson backwards.
Nazaryan can't find room to land a body shot as Johnson controls the action.
Nazaryan misses with a hook from the clinch.
Nazaryan lands with a left to the head.
Nazaryan slows down the pace here.
Nazaryan throws a punch but it's blocked by Johnson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nazaryan prevents the takedown attempt.
Johnson fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Johnson doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Nazaryan tries to throw a body punch but Johnson avoids it by throwing Nazaryan back against the cage.
Nazaryan goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A head punch on the inside from Nazaryan fails to land.
Johnson is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Nazaryan is defending well.
Nazaryan digs a right hand underneath Johnson's ribcage. Johnson let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Johnson is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Nazaryan.
Johnson blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Johnson takes a shot to the head.
Nazaryan misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nazaryan goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short right from Johnson on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Johnson.
Nazaryan lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nazaryan tries to throw a body punch but Johnson avoids it by throwing Nazaryan back against the cage.
Nazaryan tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Johnson's elbow.
Nazaryan lands an uppercut in the clinch that drops Johnson to his knees! Nazaryan keeps firing more shots against his stricken opponent and the referee jumps in to save him!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:23 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Vrej Nazaryan!
Vrej Nazaryan retains his lightweight title!
Vrej Nazaryan was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.