PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Assimou Nazuli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Phliip Sagat (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be fireworks!

Nazuli
vs
Sagat

199 cm
24
210 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

220 cm
25
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Good in bed

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Assimou Nazuli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Phliip Sagat!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Daniel Cesar and Leandro Rodrigues.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nazuli avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sagat thuds his shin into the meat of Nazuli's side.
Sagat tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nazuli paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nazuli shoots in looking for a takedown. Sagat tries to sprawl out of it but Nazuli keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sagat manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sagat tries to close the distance and clinch but Nazuli swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Sagat turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Nazuli is breathing heavily.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The fight stays on the outside here - Sagat looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nazuli swats away the attempt to clinch by Sagat.

Sagat gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Sagat is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Nazuli wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nazuli has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Sagat with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Still in the clinch, Sagat scores with a nice short uppercut.
Sagat stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Sagat receives a warning from the referee for stalling.
Sagat scores a nice knee to the body.

Sagat breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Nazuli is looking to clinch.
Nazuli avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sagat moves in looking to clinch but Nazuli pushes him off.
Sagat tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Nazuli connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Sagat closes the distance looking to clinch

and Nazuli moves into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sagat scores with a shot to the side of Nazuli's head.
Sagat landing knees to the head.

Sagat manages to break the clinch.
Nazuli lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Sagat circles away quickly and effectively.
Nazuli avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nazuli looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Nazuli fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Phliip Sagat is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sagat tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nazuli swats him away and circles back towards the center.
The fight stays on the outside here - Sagat looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nazuli throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Sagat.

Sagat instigates a clinch.
Sagat works on Nazuli's body with a couple of short punches.

Sagat successfully pulls guard.
Nazuli thows a big elbow that misses.

Nazuli drops back, looking for a kneebar! Sagat looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Sagat looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Sagat!
Sagat wants to lay and pray for a moment but Nazuli keeps working.
Sagat avoids the strikes from the bottom by Nazuli.
Nazuli is not content to let Sagat control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sagat might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Nazuli kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Nazuli wings away with a couple of strikes but they don't land.

Sagat stands up and beckons Nazuli to his feet.
Sagat cracks Nazuli with a good jab.

Sagat pushes Nazuli up against the cage in a clinch.
Sagat connects with a nasty looking knee right to Nazuli's face.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Sagat just misses with a elbow thrown towards Nazuli's brow.
Sagat lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Sagat lands with a short shot to the head.
Nazuli fails to pull guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phliip Sagat dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Sagat tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Nazuli counters with a takedown into side control.
Nazuli controlling the position.
Sagat is trying to control Nazuli's posture but Nazuli avoids it.

Nazuli is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Sagat is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Sagat wants to get back to his feet.
Nazuli wants to lay and pray for a moment but Sagat keeps working.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sagat is looking for a sweep.
Sagat trying his best to control but Nazuli has mounted him.

Nazuli is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Sagat has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Nazuli scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Sagat?
Sagat can't escape the position.
Sagat slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sagat gets full guard.
Nazuli stopping the sweep attempt from Sagat.
Nazuli prevents Sagat from getting back to his feet.
Nazuli preventing the sweep.
Sagat is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Nazuli is controlling him.
Nazuli preventing the sweep.

Nazuli decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sagat dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Nazuli. That did some damage!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sagat lands a nice leg kick that just misses Nazuli's sensitive parts.

Sagat gets caught flat footed, as Nazuli shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Sagat is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Nazuli is controlling him.
Nazuli might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Sagat is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Sagat is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nazuli wants to stand but Sagat has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Sagat is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Nazuli is controlling him.
Sagat working a defensive guard here.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Nazuli tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Sagat counters with a good low kick that Nazuli was not able to check.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Assimou Nazuli dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Sagat wants to clinch.
Nazuli keeps the fight on the outside.
Nazuli wants to clinch

and Sagat counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Sagat.
Sagat crunches a lovely knee into Nazuli's ribcage.

Sagat's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Sagat tries to clinch up

and Nazuli counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Sagat tries to get to full guard but Nazuli has control of the leg.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nazuli stops Sagat from getting back to his feet.
Sagat tries to roll over but Nazuli keeps him under control.
Sagat wants to control but Nazuli is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Sagat wants to sweep but Nazuli has passed to side control!
Nazuli content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

Sagat throws his opponent off and manages to get back to his feet! Nicely done!

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.
Sagat wants to clinch but Nazuli slips to the side
and Nazuli counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Sagat swats away the attempt to clinch by Nazuli.
Sagat fails with an attempt to clinch.
Nazuli takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nazuli takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Sagat tries to clinch but Nazuli is having none of it.
Sagat cracks Nazuli with a good jab.
Sagat tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Nazuli holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sagat lands a shot to the body.
Sagat landing knees to the head.

Sagat breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Sagat fakes the leg kick and cracks Nazuli in the body.
Sagat lands the left hand.
Sagat closes the distance but Nazuli moves to the side
and Nazuli counters with a head kick.
Sagat tries to clinch but Nazuli is having none of it.
Sagat tries to clinch but Nazuli moves out of range.

Sagat clinches up with Nazuli and pushes him back against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nazuli gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Sagat.
Sagat tries for a takedown but Nazuli manages to get underhooks.
Sagat throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

Sagat manages to break the clinch.
Sagat throws a sloppy head kick and Nazuli moves out of range easily.
Sagat defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Nazuli.
Assimou Nazuli is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nazuli misses with a double jab.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sagat fails with an attempt to clinch.

Sagat moves into range and clinches up with Nazuli.

And that's the end of the fight!
Phliip Sagat comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Sagat 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 28:29
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Phliip Sagat!