PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Ian Bigg (ranked 3247 p4p, 2977 weight class) and Jean-Claude De Bruyne (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Bigg
vs
De Bruyne

175 cm
30
160
6 - 5 - 1

175 cm
24
155
2 - 1 - 0

Great wrestler
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

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 6 - 5 - 1, fighting out of London, Ian Bigg!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Jean-Claude De Bruyne!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Daniel Bishop and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
De Bruyne looks to land a right hand but Bigg moved out of range.
Bigg closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
De Bruyne will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
De Bruyne throws out a leg kick but Bigg moves out of range and De Bruyne only half commits.
A head kick misses from Bigg.
De Bruyne scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
De Bruyne fails to land with a series of punches.
De Bruyne tries to bum rush Bigg with a series of wild strikes but Bigg uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Bigg slips under a jab from De Bruyne.

Bigg dives in and scores a takedown into De Bruyne's guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bigg controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Bigg stopping the sweep attempt from De Bruyne.
De Bruyne trying to control the position.
Bigg sitting in guard here, content to control.
Bigg won't allow De Bruyne to sweep him here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bigg is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bigg trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Bigg's corner is telling him to maintain position.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
De Bruyne tries to close the distance and clinch up but Bigg swats him away and circles back towards the center.
De Bruyne throws a lazy head kick

and Bigg counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

De Bruyne had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Bigg defends it easily.
Bigg slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
De Bruyne working a defensive guard here.
Bigg wants to control from the top but De Bruyne keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bigg stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. De Bruyne swivels though and keeps the full guard.
De Bruyne trying to keep a closed guard but Bigg is proving a slippery customer.
De Bruyne wants to stand but Bigg is controlling the position.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Bigg is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
De Bruyne throws a right and a left that Bigg avoids nicely.

Bigg feints and as De Bruyne raises his hands in defense, Bigg changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.

De Bruyne wriggles free and stands up.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
De Bruyne throws a right and a left that Bigg avoids nicely.
De Bruyne throws a leg kick

and Bigg counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for De Bruyne!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bigg has knee on belly momentarily but De Bruyne bucks him off and regains half guard.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
De Bruyne keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Bigg wants to pass the guard but De Bruyne is defending well.
We've been hearing good reports from Bigg'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.
De Bruyne missing with punches from the bottom.
De Bruyne pushes Bigg off but Bigg dives into side control.
Bigg tries to move to full mount but De Bruyne actually manages to regain half guard.
De Bruyne trying to keep hold of his opponent's head but Bigg manages to pass to mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bigg sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Bigg blocks De Bruyne's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Bigg tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Bigg prevents De Bruyne from getting the reversal.
Bigg tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Bigg has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Jean-Claude De Bruyne will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

De Bruyne throws a looping overhand right but Bigg ducks down to avoid it.
De Bruyne is looking to clinch but Bigg is avoiding it.
Good shot there by Bigg.
De Bruyne tries to land a leg kick but Bigg saw it coming and moves away.
De Bruyne pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Bigg fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging De Bruyne to the ground. Bigg is now in De Bruyne's guard.
Ian Bigg overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
De Bruyne throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

De Bruyne isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Bigg stacks De Bruyne on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Bigg!
De Bruyne is looking for a sweep.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
De Bruyne is being controlled here.
De Bruyne has found himself in a tricky position here. He's been working his transitions in training so let's see if he can work his way out of it.
Bigg is looking to take a break and control but De Bruyne is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Bigg controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bigg trying to control the position but De Bruyne is working away.
De Bruyne is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Bigg controls the position.
De Bruyne is looking to reverse the position.
Bigg wants to lay and pray for a moment but De Bruyne keeps working.
De Bruyne is trying to escape the position but Bigg is controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
De Bruyne is not content to let Bigg control the position.
Bigg advances to full mount.
De Bruyne has given up his back. Will we see Bigg going for some submissions?
A bit of a pause in the action here. Bigg controlling the positon.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bigg working for a RNC but it's not happening just yet.
De Bruyne wants to escape the position.
De Bruyne trying to control but not successfully.
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Bigg's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.
Bigg is really struggling to control De Bruyne but he's trying to hold on to the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Bruyne tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
De Bruyne is looking to get to half guard.
De Bruyne wants to hold on but Bigg pushes him away.

Bigg looking to secure an arm triangle but De Bruyne defends it well.
Bigg controlling the position easily from mount.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Bigg.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ian Bigg dominated that second 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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

De Bruyne throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bigg staying out of range there.

Bigg closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Bigg is working for a submission of some sort.
Bigg is taking a breather. De Bruyne says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bigg is pressing down on De Bruyne's thigh, looking to free his foot. De Bruyne is holding on for now.
Bigg not doing much here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
De Bruyne is not content to let Bigg control the position.
De Bruyne moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
De Bruyne looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Bigg is pushing down on De Bruyne's leg trying to pass to half guard. De Bruyne is fighting to maintain full guard but Bigg has managed to sneak the leg through.
Bigg wants to take a breather but De Bruyne is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Bigg controlling the action here.
De Bruyne is looking to control Bigg's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can De Bruyne avoid being mounted?
Bigg content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Jean-Claude De Bruyne is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bigg tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but De Bruyne swivels and escapes.
De Bruyne misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Bigg with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling De Bruyne to score with a decent uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
De Bruyne throws a hook to the side of Bigg's head but Bigg sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

De Bruyne gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Bigg tried to land a shot to the body but connects with De Bruyne's elbow.
Nice body punch from Bigg - that landed with a thud.

De Bruyne breaks from the clinch.
De Bruyne cracks Bigg with a good jab.
Bigg fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. De Bruyne looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Bigg connects with a jab.
Bigg wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Bigg avoids the head kick by De Bruyne.
Bigg shoots in looking for a takedown but De Bruyne manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Bigg's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Bigg changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. De Bruyne tries to avoid it but Bigg manages to keep hold of a leg and drag De Bruyne to the ground. De Bruyne escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ian Bigg. That's going to take a lot out of him.
De Bruyne fails to land with a series of punches.
Bigg swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
De Bruyne throws a body shot but no joy.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Bigg.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bigg advances nicely into full mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Bruyne is squirming around, avoiding Bigg's attempts to control the action.
De Bruyne wants to hold on but Bigg pushes him away.
Bigg tries to control but De Bruyne wriggling away.
Bigg controlling from the full mount.
Bigg works his way to his opponent's back.
Bigg controlling well, preventing De Bruyne from escaping the position.
Bigg trying desperately to keep hold of the dominant position.
Bigg gets his hands free as De Bruyne looks to control.

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 Ian Bigg.
I think Bigg 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 Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 30:28
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 30:28
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ian Bigg!