PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Ned Bright (ranked 25005 p4p, 0 weight class) and Petar Damljanovic (ranked 6529 p4p, 0 weight class). Damljanovic has a niggling injury. He would have liked to come in 100% fit but that's not always possible. The fight MMA fans around the world have waited their entire lives for!

Bright
vs
Damljanovic

201 cm
18
150 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

193 cm
18
150 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Intelligent

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 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Ned Bright!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Petar Damljanovic!
The judges for this bout are Saam Ante, Paul Aken and Albert Achterberg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bright avoids the head kick by Damljanovic.
Bright doesn't manage to clinch there - Damljanovic circles away.
Damljanovic fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Bright fails with the takedown
and Damljanovic counters with a head kick. That will keep Bright thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

Damljanovic fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Bright sprawls well initially but Damljanovic persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Damljanovic looks winded!
Bright avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Damljanovic.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Bright looking for submissions off his back.
Bright really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Bright tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bright is positioning himself well to prevent Damljanovic advancing to mount.

Damljanovic is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bright has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Damljanovic is working away from the top position though.

Bright is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Damljanovic pulls his head out easily.

Damljanovic looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Damljanovic prevents Bright from standing back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Damljanovic blocks the strikes from Bright.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bright tries to close the distance and clinch but Damljanovic swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Bright tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Damljanovic swivels and escapes.

Bright shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Damljanovic napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Damljanovic is not content to let Bright control the position.
Bright controls the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bright decides to stand up, so the ref orders Damljanovic to his feet.
Bright tries for a takedown but Damljanovic sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ned Bright. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Damljanovic is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Bright's half guard.
Bright has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Damljanovic is working away from the top position though.
Bright wants to get back to full guard.
Bright keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Bright is trying to stand back up but Damljanovic is controlling him
Bright is trying to maintain the position but Damljanovic is very close to passing his half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bright pushes Damljanovic off and gets back to his feet.

Damljanovic scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.

Bright has managed to escape just enough to sneak back to his feet but Damljanovic is on him like a limpet, forcing Bright back against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Bright's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Bright misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Petar Damljanovic will probably get the nod.
That's time! Bright's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Bright moves into range and clinches up with Damljanovic.

Damljanovic tightens his grip and picks Bright up, before dumping him to the ground. Bright manages to land in guard.
Bright thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Damljanovic wants to control from the top but Bright keeps moving.

Bright is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Damljanovic is aware though and is defending well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bright throwing strikes off his back to little effect.

Bright is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Bright had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Damljanovic defends it easily.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bright avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Damljanovic with a flurry of punches that miss.

Bright manages to escape and get back to his feet.

Bright clinches with his opponent.

Damljanovic's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Damljanovic misses with a right hand

and Bright holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Damljanovic keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Bright's efforts to push away.
Bright is trying to break free.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bright tries to pull guard but Damljanovic won't allow it.
Bright is trying to push Damljanovic away but Damljanovic has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Damljanovic jumps into guard, dragging Bright to the mat.
Bright trying to control but Damljanovic is working from the bottom.

Bright stands and steps away. Damljanovic gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Bright clinches up against the cage.

Damljanovic tightens his grip and picks Bright up, before dumping him to the ground. Bright manages to land in guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bright not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Bright avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bright trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Bright is trying to keep Damljanovic in close.

Bright looking for a guillotine here but Damljanovic defends easily.

Bright is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Damljanovic controls from within his opponent's guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Bright wants to sweep here but Damljanovic controlling him for the moment.

That's four 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.

Damljanovic stands up and waves to Bright to follow him.
No luck for Bright with that takedown attempt.
Damljanovic is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Damljanovic throws a series of strikes that have Bright backpedaling.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Petar Damljanovic will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Bright fails with the takedown.
A countering left hand to the body from Damljanovic misses.
Bright misses with a takedown
and Damljanovic counters with a straight right hand.

Bright tries to sprawl but Damljanovic drives through with a takedown into half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Bright is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Damljanovic pulls his head out easily.
Bright is trying to maintain the position but Damljanovic is very close to passing his half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bright keeping hold of Damljanovic's head, controlling as best he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bright strikes from the bottom but Damljanovic passes into mount!
Bright is trying to stand up.
Bright working to try and regain half guard.

Damljanovic goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now Bright is on top in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bright wants to control from the top but Damljanovic keeps moving.
Bright looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Damljanovic keeping moving, preventing Bright from controlling successfully.
Damljanovic not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bright trying to control the position from guard on top but Damljanovic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Ned Bright overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Bright stays in close to Damljanovic's body and controls the position.
Damljanovic is trying to control the position but Bright postures up.

That's four 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.
Bright won't allow Damljanovic to sweep him here.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Bright instigates a clinch.

Bright breaks from the clinch.
Nice takedown defense from Damljanovic. No joy for Bright on that attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ned Bright. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bright closes the distance and pushes Damljanovic back into the cage.
Bright misses with a hook from the clinch.

Bright drags the fight down to the ground.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Damljanovic advances to half guard.

Bright is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Damljanovic pulls his head out easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Ned Bright.
I think Damljanovic 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 Saam Ante scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 28:29
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Petar Damljanovic!