PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov (ranked 5828 p4p, 556 weight class) and Adam Tracz (ranked 3970 p4p, 426 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.

Nurmagomedov
vs
Tracz

177 cm
25
153 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
25
154 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Decent elbows
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Tends to cut

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 New York, Khabib Nurmagomedov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Adam Tracz!
The judges for this bout are Reed Andrews, Joseph Jones and Alyssa Summers.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nurmagomedov shoots for a double leg takedown but Tracz sprawls well. He's pushed Nurmagomedov's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Tracz keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Tracz throws a sloppy head kick and Nurmagomedov moves out of range easily.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Tracz as he avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown but Tracz shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Nurmagomedov shoots in looking for a takedown. Tracz tries to sprawl out of it but Nurmagomedov keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Tracz manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Tracz tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Tracz throws a head kick but Nurmagomedov moves out of range.
Tracz moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Nurmagomedov is rocked!
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown but Tracz shows good takedown defense.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Tracz takes the fight into the clinch.
Nurmagomedov blocks a body shot from Tracz.
Nurmagomedov blocks an elbow strike from Tracz.
Tracz wants to get back to striking at distance but Nurmagomedov won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov has Tracz pressed against the cage, preventing Tracz from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Nurmagomedov has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Tracz uses from the top position.
Nurmagomedov seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Nurmagomedov has a closed guard, preventing Tracz from standing up.

Nurmagomedov looking for a guillotine here but Tracz defends easily.
Nurmagomedov is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Tracz is looking to escape.
Nurmagomedov content to control rather than advance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov prevents Tracz from standing back up.
Nurmagomedov trying to mount his opponent but Tracz defends it.
Nurmagomedov sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Tracz wants to get back to his feet.
Nurmagomedov sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Tracz wants to control but Nurmagomedov is keeping busy and won't allow it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Tracz tries to kick Nurmagomedov off but Nurmagomedov keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Nurmagomedov controlling the action here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Nurmagomedov closes this distance looking for a takedown but Tracz circles away.
Nurmagomedov looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

Tracz moves into the clinch.
Nurmagomedov changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Tracz fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Nurmagomedov shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Tracz defends it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tracz is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nurmagomedov will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Nurmagomedov shoots for a takedown but Tracz saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Nurmagomedov is breathing heavily.
Tracz throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Tracz displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
A head kick from Tracz lands but Nurmagomedov takes it in his stride.
Tracz throws a series of punches but Nurmagomedov avoids them all with ease.
Tracz throws a right and a left that both miss.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nurmagomedov shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Tracz pinned against the cage. Tracz gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tracz fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nurmagomedov closes the distance and clinches up with Tracz, looking for a takedown. Nurmagomedov pushes Tracz against the cage but Tracz circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Nurmagomedov avoids the head kick by Tracz.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Adam Tracz dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Tracz tries a head kick but it misses.
Nurmagomedov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tracz.
Tracz defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov avoids the head kick by Tracz.
Nurmagomedov fails with the takedown.
Tracz cracks the inside of Nurmagomedov's front leg.
Tracz throws a series of punches but Nurmagomedov avoids them all with ease.
Tracz looks to land a combination but Nurmagomedov avoids it well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tracz wants to clinch up but Nurmagomedov keeps it at a distance.
Nurmagomedov has a takedown stuffed.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tracz is breathing heavily.
Tracz throws a right and a left that both miss.
Nurmagomedov shoots in but Tracz avoids the takedown attempt easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov goes for a double leg but Tracz avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Tracz continues to drive forward.
Tracz wants to counter the offense by Nurmagomedov and move into the clinch position.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Tracz but Tracz pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Nurmagomedov swats away the attempt to clinch by Tracz.
Tracz throws a right hand that Nurmagomedov ducks under and follows up with a left that Nurmagomedov also avoids with ease.

Nurmagomedov shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Tracz is trying to defend but Nurmagomedov finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Nurmagomedov sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Nurmagomedov has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Tracz is trying to control but can't.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Tracz wants to get back to his feet.
Nurmagomedov passes the guard and advances to mount!

Nurmagomedov is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Tracz to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Tracz shrugs it off.
Tracz sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Nurmagomedov is controlling the pace.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Nurmagomedov is looking to work his way around to Tracz's back. He needs to be careful though, as he's in danger of losing this dominant position.
Nurmagomedov takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Nurmagomedov looking to secure an arm triangle but Tracz defends it well.
Nurmagomedov controlling the pace for now.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tracz wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
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 Khabib Nurmagomedov will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

No luck with that takedown attempt from Nurmagomedov.
Tracz paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Nurmagomedov enables Tracz to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Nurmagomedov manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.

Nurmagomedov escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Tracz gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Nurmagomedov utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Nurmagomedov has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Tracz can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tracz trying to control the position from guard on top but Nurmagomedov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nurmagomedov is adopting a defensive guard.
Nurmagomedov on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Nurmagomedov tries to get out of the position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov continues to hold on tight.

Nurmagomedov is looking for a triangle here but Tracz uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Nurmagomedov takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Tracz tries to stand but Nurmagomedov is controlling his head.
Tracz trying to control the action but Nurmagomedov is working from the bottom.

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.
Tracz wants to stand but Nurmagomedov is controlling his arm.
Nurmagomedov keeping his opponent close.
Nurmagomedov tries to bench press Tracz off him but Tracz keeps the position.
Nurmagomedov sneaks back into half guard.
Tracz has decided to stand back up but his arm is trapped. Whilst he's worrying about his arm, Nurmagomedov works to full guard.
Nurmagomedov pulls Tracz in close to prevent any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tracz wanted to stand there but Nurmagomedov had control of the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nurmagomedov keeping moving, preventing Tracz from controlling successfully.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Tracz stuffs the takedown.
Tracz wants to clinch.
Nurmagomedov fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Tracz but Tracz pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Tracz with the counter takedown but Nurmagomedov avoids it easily.

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.
Tracz tries to clinch up but Nurmagomedov circles away and keeps his distance.
Tracz throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Nurmagomedov counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Nurmagomedov.
Tracz goes for a takedown attempt but Nurmagomedov pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Nurmagomedov shoots in for a double leg but Tracz sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Nurmagomedov takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.

Tracz closes the distance and clinches.
Tracz is trying to break the clinch but Nurmagomedov has him pressed against the cage.
Tracz has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

Nurmagomedov escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Nurmagomedov throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Tracz's waist but Tracz gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Nurmagomedov off to one side.
Tracz throws a right and a left that Nurmagomedov avoids nicely.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Nurmagomedov misses with a takedown attempt - Tracz sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Adam Tracz is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Tracz darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Adam Tracz comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tracz 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 Reed Andrews scores the fight for Adam Tracz!
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight for Adam Tracz!
Judge Alyssa Summers scores the fight for Adam Tracz!

Adam Tracz wins by unanimous decision!