PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Andre Driver (ranked 2577 p4p, 858 weight class) and Marco Natta (ranked 179 p4p, 66 weight class). Andre Driver has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Driver
vs
Natta

178 cm
27
142
6 - 6 - 0

170 cm
28
145
10 - 3 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Good gas tank

Northern Zombie
Shadow Realm Apparel

Shadow Realm Apparel
Northern Zombie

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Andre Driver!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Marco Natta!
The judges for this bout are Anthony Taglia, Joseph Jones and John Roberts.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Driver slips under a jab.

Natta moves into range and clinches up with Driver.
Natta misses with a body punch.
Natta takes a shot to the head.

Natta gets control of Driver's arms and successfully pulls guard. Natta will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Natta keeping moving, preventing Driver from controlling successfully.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Driver accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Natta working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Driver doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Driver manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Driver wants to control from the top but Natta keeps moving.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Natta managing to control the position.
Driver trying to control the position from guard on top but Natta is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Natta had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Driver defends it easily.
Natta has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two 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.

Driver got a little sloppy there for a moment and Natta has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Driver has managed to get both his arms back between Natta's legs - danger averted.
Natta has a closed guard, preventing Driver from standing up.
Driver stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Natta swivels though and keeps the full guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Natta trying to control the position here.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Driver throws a series of punches but Natta avoids them all with ease.
Driver misses with a series of wild punches.
Natta throws a lazy right hand but Driver sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Natta ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Driver moves away.
Natta misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Driver.
A little feinted left hand from Driver on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Driver misses with an uppercut. Natta saw that one coming.
Driver defending well as Natta loads up on a big left hand.
Driver avoids the body shot from Natta.
Driver defending well as Natta loads up on a big left hand.

Natta has Driver up against the cage in a clinch.
Natta tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Driver is trying to push Natta away but Natta has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Natta doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Natta tries to pull guard but Driver holds him up against the cage and eventually Natta drops back down to his feet.
Natta looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Driver has a couple of punches blocked by Natta.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natta tries to pull guard but Driver holds him up against the cage and eventually Natta drops back down to his feet.
Andre Driver has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Marco Natta.
Natta fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Natta misses with a hook to the ribs.
Driver misses with a hook from the clinch.

Natta manages to pull guard.
Natta utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Natta throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Natta is pulling down on Driver's head. It's preventing any offense from Driver, at least for the moment.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Natta keeping moving, preventing Driver from controlling successfully.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Natta dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Natta swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Driver really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Natta throws the left hand but Driver avoids the punch easily.
Natta swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Driver blocks a jab.
No joy there for Driver, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Natta forces Driver back against the cage and clinches.
Natta tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Driver tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Natta throws a punch but it's blocked by Driver.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Driver.

Natta manages to pull guard.
Natta is pulling down on Driver's head. It's preventing any offense from Driver, at least for the moment.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Driver postures up.
Natta has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Natta seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

Driver 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.
Natta pulls Driver in to control the position.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Natta rushes Driver and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Driver tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Natta's elbow.
Driver blocks an uppercut.
Natta jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Driver walks away with a smile on his face. Natta gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

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.
Natta throws out a loose jab but Driver uses good head movement to avoid it.
Natta misses with an uppercut.
Natta misses with a straight right.
Driver uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Natta.
Driver looks to land a right hand but Natta moved out of range.
Driver uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Natta.
A right-left combo lands from Driver.
Driver throws an overhand right that lands on Natta's shoulder, as Natta tries to avoid the shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Natta. Driver does a little dance to reset his feet.
Marco Natta seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Driver throws a hook to the side of Natta's head but Natta sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Driver ducks under a wild hook from Natta.
A little feinted left hand from Driver on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Driver keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Some wild striking there from Driver.
Natta throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Driver sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Natta's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Driver connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Natta scrambles back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Natta throws a big shot that misses.
Driver misses with an uppercut.
Natta throws the left hand but Driver avoids the punch easily.
Driver misses with a few strikes there.
Natta ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Driver moves away.
Natta swings for the body but Driver moves out of range.
It looked like Driver was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Natta staying out of range there.
Andre Driver is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Natta misses the shot to the body.
Natta misses with an uppercut. Driver saw that one coming.
Natta misses with a body shot
and Driver counters with a nice uppercut.
Driver throws a big shot that misses.
Driver steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Natta.
Driver blocks a jab.
Driver seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Natta throws a body punch but Driver moves out of range.
It looked like Driver wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Driver slips under a jab.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Driver misses with the head strike.
Natta tries to throw a body punch but Driver avoids it by throwing Natta back against the cage.

Natta jumps guard and drags Driver to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Driver is looking to stand up but Natta won't let him.

Natta is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Natta has his hands on Driver's head, controlling the position.
Marco Natta has got the better of the ground game so far.
Driver has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Natta is proving hard to escape from.
Driver postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Driver throws a big right hand that misses.

Natta is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Driver defends well.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Natta showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Driver uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Natta.
Natta is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Natta displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Driver throws out the jab.
Natta misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Driver.
Natta throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Some wild striking there from Driver.
Natta keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Driver misses with a two punch combination.
Driver uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Natta.
Driver lands a two punch combo.
Natta just misses with a punch to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
No joy there for Driver, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Driver fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Natta on the side of the head.
Natta throws a jab when Driver was well out of range.
Natta throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Natta jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Driver walks away with a smile on his face. Natta gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Natta throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Driver looks to land a combination but Natta avoids it well.
Natta is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Driver slips a straight right by Natta.
Driver lands the left hand.
Driver is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Natta throws a hook but Driver avoids it easily.
Natta keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Driver.
Driver sets himself, and Natta steps forward looking for the clinch! Driver avoids it this time.
Driver moves out of range of the strikes.
Driver fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Natta manages to avoid it.
Driver ducks under a wild hook from Natta.
Natta uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Driver.
Driver looks to throw the jab but Natta is out of range.
Natta wants to counter with a clinch but Driver pushes him away.
Natta swings for the body but Driver moves out of range.
Natta pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Natta throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Natta misses with a wild body shot.
A little feinted left hand from Driver on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Driver paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
A big right from Natta misses.
Natta misses with a body shot.

Natta closes the distance and pushes Driver back into the cage.

Natta manages to pull guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Natta seems keen to control Driver's posture.
Driver with a flurry of punches that miss.
Natta pulls Driver in close to prevent any damage.
Driver throws a big right hand that misses.
Natta controlling the position.
Driver trying to control the position from guard on top but Natta is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Natta pulls Driver in to control the position.
Natta trying to control the position.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Natta misses with a straight left.
Driver lands a nice hook to Natta's body. Natta takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Driver lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Natta circles away quickly and effectively.

Driver gets tackled into the cage by Natta. Natta maintains the clinch.
Marco Natta is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Driver has a couple of punches blocked by Natta.

Natta gets control of Driver's arms and successfully pulls guard. Natta will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Natta controlling Driver's posture.
We've been hearing good reports from Driver'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.
Natta is continuing to stall.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Driver wants to get up but he can't break Natta's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Natta trying to control the position here.
Natta keeping moving, preventing Driver from controlling successfully.
Natta pulls Driver in close to prevent any damage.
Let's hope that Natta has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Driver stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Natta swivels though and keeps the full guard.

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

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 Andre Driver.
I think Natta 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 Anthony Taglia scores the fight 28:29
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight 28:29
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marco Natta!
Marco Natta decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.