PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Terrence Bird (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bertie Thumper (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.

Bird
vs
Thumper

166 cm
18
150 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
18
155 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Inexperienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Terrence Bird!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Bertie Thumper!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Andrew Berry and Chris Edwards.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bird defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Thumper.
Nice sprawl there from Bird as Thumper shoots in.
No luck for Bird with that takedown attempt.
Thumper wants to land a leg kick but Bird is out of range.
Bird lands a nice looking body shot.
Bird goes for a double leg but Thumper avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Thumper continues to drive forward.
Thumper shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Bird pinned against the cage. Bird gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Terrence Bird has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bertie Thumper.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bird shoots in for a double leg but Thumper sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Bertie Thumper seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bird ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Thumper moves away.
Bird is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bird moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromThumper.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Thumper.
Thumper closes the distance but Bird moves to the side
and Bird counters with a three punch combo that has Thumper backing up. Thumper nods at Bird to acknowledge the strikes.

Thumper rushes Bird and presses him up against the cage.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Thumper.
Thumper can't break the clinch.

Thumper pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Thumper is trying hard to land a takedown here. Bird sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.

Thumper gets in close and instigates a clinch.

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

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thumper tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Thumper shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bird defends it nicely.
A quick step to the side and Bird tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

Thumper gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Bird to score an easy takedown into full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Bird is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Thumper can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Bird controls the pace.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thumper wants to sweep here but Bird controlling him for the moment.
Thumper is pulling down on Bird's head to control his posture.
Bird wants to control from the top but Thumper keeps moving.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Thumper tries to land a sweep but no joy.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Bird misses with a head kick.
Thumper dives in and grabs Bird's left leg, looking for a takedown. Bird pushes down on Thumper's head and hops out.
Bird displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Thumper.
Thumper looks winded!
Thumper shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Bird as he jumps to the side.
Bird throws a big counter combination but Thumper scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Thumper tries to score a power double leg takedown but Bird sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Thumper somewhat.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Thumper throws a sloppy head kick
and Bird counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Terrence Bird dominated that 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.

Bird is trying hard to land a takedown here. Thumper sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Thumper! But no joy.
Bird tries for a takedown but Thumper sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Thumper tries to clinch there but Bird circles away.

Bird closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Thumper breaks the clinch.
Bird throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Bird tries to keep at a distance but Thumper has taken the fight into the clinch.
Thumper is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thumper shoots in but Bird avoids the takedown attempt easily.

Thumper closes the distance and clinches.

Thumper's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Thumper fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
No luck for Bird with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Terrence Bird. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bird slaps away a takedown attempt from Thumper, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Thumper is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thumper takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.

Thumper gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Bird not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Bird has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Thumper is wriggling around but Bird manages to pass to half guard.

Bird is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Thumper has managed to free his arm - good work.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thumper wants to control but Bird is keeping busy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thumper wants to get back to full guard.
Thumper gets full guard.
Bird controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Bird trying to control the position from guard on top but Thumper is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bird is really struggling to control Thumper but he's trying to hold on to the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Bird is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bird is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Thumper can do to turn this around?
Thumper just misses with a punch to the body.
Thumper shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Bird sprawls well. Bird wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Thumper gets slowly back to his feet.
Bird throws a quick counter head kick but Thumper was just out of range.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Bird will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Bird.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Terrence Bird will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Thumper shoots in looking for a takedown but Bird manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Thumper's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

Thumper gets a clinch.

Thumper manages to break the clinch.

Bird moves into range and clinches up with Thumper.

Thumper pulls guard effortlessly.

Thumper escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Bird gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Bird wants to control from the top but Thumper keeps moving.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thumper trying to keep a closed guard but Bird is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Thumper escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Bird gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Thumper takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Bird trying to control but Thumper is working from the bottom.
Bird not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Bird trying to control but Thumper is working from the bottom.
Thumper throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Bird lands with a slapping head kick.

That's two 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.
Thumper moves out of range of the body kick.
Bird ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Thumper moves away.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Thumper.
Bird seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Bertie Thumper is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thumper shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Bird as he avoids it easily.
Terrence Bird has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Bertie Thumper.
Thumper keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
A head kick misses from Bird.
Thumper looks like he wanted to counter with a high kick but didn't throw it.
Bird misses with a combination
and Thumper counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Thumper connects with a looping right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bird shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Bird showed some decent athleticism there.
Bird content to control rather than advance.
Thumper is looking to control Bird's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Thumper avoid being mounted?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thumper is looking for a sweep. Bird is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Bird trying to control from half guard but Thumper is working away.
Thumper is holding on to half guard well.
Bird is keen to just control but Thumper is a slippery customer.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bird tries to score a power double leg takedown but Thumper sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Bird somewhat.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Bertie Thumper.
I think Bird has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 30:27
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:28
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Terrence Bird!