PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Matt King (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bryan Marduk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Matt King has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

King
vs
Marduk

200 cm
21
145 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

168 cm
22
144 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Matt King!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Bryan Marduk!
The judges for this bout are James Atkins, Andrew Berry and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
King doesn't manage to clinch there - Marduk circles away.

Marduk closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming King to the mat! King manages to get full guard.
Marduk missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Marduk working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Marduk scoring with punches to the head and body.
Marduk tries to free his leg and advance position but King is retaining full guard.
Marduk thows a big elbow that misses.
Marduk working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Marduk missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Marduk must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Marduk landing some decent shots from guard.

Marduk gets to his feet - King follows without any prompting.
King with a lazy takedown attempt

and Marduk counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Marduk.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marduk passes easily into side control. Nice work.
King is trying to control Marduk's posture but Marduk avoids it.
King is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Marduk off and has taken his back!
Marduk is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Marduk is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Marduk looks gassed!
Marduk has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.
King gets his hands free as Marduk looks to control.
Marduk surviving as best he can, preventing damage.
Marduk just trying to survive but King is wriggling into a better position, looking to finish.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Marduk's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
Marduk looking very determined here, making life difficult for King.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
King throwing sloppy strikes.

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.
Marduk holding both King 's hands and preventing any damage.
Marduk trying to control but not successfully.
King has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Marduk's body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bryan Marduk dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Marduk misses with a takedown attempt
and King counters with a flying knee. Nice.
King misses with a body shot.
Marduk shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has King pinned against the cage. King gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Matt King is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
King tries to clinch but Marduk moves away

and Marduk counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
King is trying to stand.
King trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.

Marduk is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Marduk looks to land a strike but King avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Marduk wants to control from the top but King keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Marduk is controlling him.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Marduk throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Marduk throws a strike but King rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Marduk looking to hit a scissor sweep but King is one step ahead there.

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

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
King lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Marduk throws a series of punches but King moves out of range.
King bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Marduk's head backwards.

Marduk gets the takedown into side control.
King really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Marduk in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
King sneaks back into half guard.
Marduk wants to free his trapped foot but King is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Marduk thows a huge punch but King dodges it nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marduk throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Marduk passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for King!
King is squirming around, avoiding Marduk's attempts to control the action.
Marduk unloading with bombs!

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.
King is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
A nice elbow there by Marduk.
Marduk is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. King can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

Marduk goes for an armbar but King turns quickly into his guard - lovely anticipation from King.

Marduk looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Marduk controls King momentarily but King frees himself.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bryan Marduk showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Marduk bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

Marduk wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by King, who protects the arm well.
Marduk throwing strikes but King manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Marduk can't do much from the bottom here.

King stands up and beckons Marduk to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King is looking to clinch.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
King clinches but Marduk breaks the clinch

so Marduk counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Marduk won't allow King to get back to his feet.
Marduk throwing strikes but missing.
Marduk trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
King will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marduk is looking to work some ground and pound but King has wrist control.
King controls Marduk momentarily but Marduk frees himself.
Marduk content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Marduk lands a couple of decent looking shots.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
King tries to clinch up

and Marduk counters with a nice double leg into side control. King won't be happy with that.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Marduk working the ground and pound.
Bryan Marduk has got the better of the ground game so far.
Marduk in side control lands a decent elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marduk lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
King takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Marduk tries to move to mount but King blocks the move with his legs.
Marduk trying to control the position but King is working away.

Marduk is trying to get an arm triangle but King is defending well.

Marduk goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, King has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Marduk but great work by King.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Marduk is looking to reverse the position.
King is looking to take a break and control but Marduk is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
King tries a head kick but it misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bryan Marduk comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Marduk winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 James Atkins scores the fight 27:30
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 27:30
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bryan Marduk!