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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rock Romero (ranked 114 p4p, 572 weight class) and Nero Hardy (ranked 18 p4p, 76 weight class). I don't know about you partner, but I'm pumped for this one!
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| 186 cm
27
177
17 - 7 - 0 |
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180 cm
27
174
15 - 7 - 0 |
Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine |
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Excellent grappler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Rock Romero !
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Nero Hardy!
The judges for this bout are Ian Loll, Elvis Blanc and Dillan Fox.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hardy drives through with a takedown into Romero 's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Romero avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Hardy showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Hardy throwing strikes but missing.
Hardy throws a big elbow that misses.
Hardy working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hardy stopping the sweep attempt from Romero .
Hardy trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Hardy seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Hardy drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Romero dives on top into guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardy looking to control.
Romero is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Romero trying to control the position from guard on top but Hardy is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Romero stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Hardy swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Hardy is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Romero defends well.
Hardy looking for a sweep. Not yet Hardy, not yet.
Romero passes Hardy's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Well, if Romero is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Romero continues to stall.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Romero trying to control from half guard but Hardy is working away.
Well, if Romero is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Romero 's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hardy is trying to control but can't.
Hardy has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Romero trying to control the action but Hardy is working from the bottom.
Hardy trying to control from the bottom.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Romero trying to pass the guard but Hardy defending well.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Romero wants to take a breather but Hardy is having none of it.
Romero is looking to advance position but Hardy won't allow it.
Hardy is not content to let Romero control the position.
Hardy wants to control but Romero is keeping busy.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Romero uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hardy.
Romero throws a series of punches but Hardy moves out of range.
Hardy throws out a counter right but Romero avoids it with no problem.
Romero defending well as Hardy loads up on a big left hand.
Hardy thuds a left hand into Romero 's body.
Romero missing with a left hand there. Hardy was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A nice combination there by Romero .
Romero throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Hardy connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
It looks like Rock Romero has been cut.
Romero connects with a looping right hand.
Romero takes a jab right on the kisser.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Romero cracks Hardy with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Hardy shoots in for a takedown but Romero shows good takedown defense.
Hardy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Romero .
We've been told by Romero 's head coaches at Finch Gym that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Romero misses the jab.
It seemed like Hardy was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Hardy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Romero .
Hardy scores with a hook.
Hardy looks to land a right hand but Romero moved out of range.
Hardy swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Romero .
Hardy lands with an uppercut that bounces Romero off the cage and back into range.
Romero is rocked!
Hardy dives in and scores a takedown into Romero 's guard.
Oh Romero is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Hardy is looking to work some ground and pound but Romero has wrist control.
Hardy controls from within his opponent's guard.
Hardy postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Romero is breathing heavily.
Hardy wants to control from the top but Romero keeps moving.
Romero seems to have got his legs back now.
Romero avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
A close round but Nero Hardy will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Rock Romero 's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.
Romero avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Rock Romero seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Romero looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Romero takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Romero missing with a left hand there. Hardy was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Good exchange - Hardy coming out on top.
Romero slips a straight right by Hardy.
Hardy moves away from the strike by Romero .
Hardy looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hardy takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Hardy seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Romero does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Hardy landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Hardy content to control rather than advance.
Hardy thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Romero 's head.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardy content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Hardy is keen to just control but Romero is a slippery customer.
Hardy seems to be looking for submissions.
Hardy is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Hardy is stalling here. Romero is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Hardy seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Romero has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy is looking for a sweep.
Hardy wants to control but Romero postures up.
Nero Hardy has got the better of the ground game so far.
Hardy gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Romero takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Hardy felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Hardy is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Romero takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Romero is working away from the top position though.
Romero wants to pass to mount but Hardy is defending the position.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Romero in particular looking to stall.
Romero is pressing down on Hardy's thigh, looking to free his foot. Hardy is holding on for now.
Romero performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Romero moves into full mount! Hardy won't be happy about that!
Romero takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Hardy regains half guard.
Romero keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hardy is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Hardy gets full guard.
Romero stopping the sweep attempt from Hardy.
Romero showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Hardy is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Romero is stalling in the full guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Romero looking to pass the guard.
Hardy is pulling down on Romero 's head to control his posture.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Nero Hardy showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Rock Romero 's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action.
Romero takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Romero misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Romero defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Hardy.
Hardy slips a jab from Romero .
Romero bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Romero was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Romero fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Romero misses with a hook.
A little jabbing left from Hardy on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Romero throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nice shot lands for Hardy.
Romero throws a shot from downtown. Hardy moves away and avoids it.
Hardy cracks Romero with an open hand slap.
Hardy will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Hardy moves out of range of the strikes.
Romero slaps away a takedown attempt from Hardy, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Rock Romero has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nero Hardy.
Romero tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hardy was well out of range. Poor timing from Romero .
Romero is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The fighters circling - Hardy throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
That's one minute gone in the round.
A slow jab from Romero misses its intended target.
Romero misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Hardy with the counter takedown but Romero avoids it easily.
Nero Hardy seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Hardy looks to throw the jab but Romero is out of range.
A swing and a miss from Romero .
Romero lands with a shot to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A swing and a miss from Romero .
Hardy drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Romero defends it well.
Hardy fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Romero to the ground. Hardy is now in Romero 's guard.
Hardy scoring with some ground and pound.
Romero trying to keep a closed guard but Hardy is proving a slippery customer.
Hardy trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Romero working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Hardy.
Hardy throws a big elbow that misses.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy trying to control the position from guard on top but Romero is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hardy tries to free his leg and advance position but Romero is retaining full guard.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Hardy is still trying to improve position.
Hardy throwing strikes from guard but Romero blocks nicely.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Romero rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
enabling Hardy to counter with a crisp jab.
Romero drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Romero bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hardy shoots in and gets a takedown into Romero 's guard.
Hardy 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.
Romero looking for a sweep. Not yet Romero , not yet.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Romero avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Romero utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Hardy has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Romero can't keep his opponent in guard - Hardy advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Romero avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Hardy.
That's four 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.
Hardy looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Romero taking some punishment here, with Hardy in his half guard.
Hardy throwing shots but Romero is blocking nicely.
Hardy is looking to take a break and control but Romero is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Hardy is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Romero keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Nero Hardy really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rock Romero 's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.
Hardy closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Romero to the mat! Romero manages to get full guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Hardy accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Hardy working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Hardy drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Romero manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Hardy has Romero in his guard.
Romero trying to control but Hardy is working from the bottom.
Romero not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hardy is pulling down on Romero 's head. It's preventing any offense from Romero , at least for the moment.
Romero is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Romero pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hardy is keeping the position for now.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardy keeping moving, preventing Romero from controlling successfully.
Romero wants to pass the guard but Hardy is keeping the position.
Hardy working for a triangle but Romero defends it easily.
Hardy keeping moving, preventing Romero from controlling successfully.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Hardy is on top in guard.
Hardy stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Romero swivels though and keeps the full guard.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy drops back, looking for a kneebar! Romero looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Romero looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Romero !
Hardy is looking to regain half guard here but Romero keeps moving and retains side control.
Hardy is being controlled here.
Hardy tries to bench press Romero off him but Romero keeps the position.
Romero trying to control the action but Hardy is working from the bottom.
Romero is really struggling to control Hardy but he's trying to hold on to the position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Romero taking a breather here.
Hardy is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Romero happy to just control the position for now.
Hardy can't do much from the bottom here.
Romero controls the position.
More hug and hope from Romero .
Hardy is trying to get back to half guard.
Hardy is in a bad spot here and he knows it... just holding on for now.
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.
Hardy tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Hardy tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Romero tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Romero wants to control but Hardy is keeping him busy.
Hardy tries to improve position but can't.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Hardy wants to control but Romero postures up.
Who's going to make the next move?
Romero taking a breather here.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close fourth round but I would say that Rock Romero will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Rock Romero 's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!
Hardy showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Romero .
Romero displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Romero leaves Hardy with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Romero throws a nice looking combination but Hardy bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Hardy takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Hardy on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Romero throws a lazy right hand but Hardy sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Romero thuds his right hand into Hardy's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Romero has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Hardy finds it's way round the side to connect with Romero 's head.
Hardy defending well as Romero loads up on a big left hand.
Romero throws a big shot that misses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A jab from Romero misses.
Romero throws a lazy right hand but Hardy sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Hardy slips a jab from Romero .
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardy looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hardy throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Hardy thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Hardy is trying to work for a kimura but Romero is defending well.
Romero is refusing to be controlled, as Hardy sits in half guard.
Nice strikes from Hardy there.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy is trying to work for a kimura but Romero is defending well.
Hardy wants to work for an arm triangle but Romero is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Romero is looking to improve his position.
Hardy perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Hardy missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy is stalling here. Romero is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Hardy seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Romero has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Romero controlling the position.
Romero trying to control the position but Hardy is working away.
Hardy being controlled for a moment.
Hardy tries to buck Romero off but Romero is having none of it.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hardy struggling a bit here.
Romero slows the pace down.
Hardy is not content to let Romero control the position.
Hardy tries to improve position but can't.
Romero is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Hardy will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Hardy tries to buck Romero off but Romero is having none of it.
Hardy is trying to control Romero 's posture but Romero avoids it.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hardy is trying to get back to half guard.
Romero trying to control the position but Hardy is working away.
Rock Romero has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Hardy manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
And that's the end of the fight!
Rock Romero showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Hardy 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 47:48
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 47:48
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 47:48
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nero Hardy!
Nero Hardy is the new welterweight champion!
Nero Hardy tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
38% |
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