PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Joe Bell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Brad Burns (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Bell might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Never Say Die. Burns comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Speech Cobras kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Joe Bell could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Brad Burns's chin.

Bell
vs
Burns

174 cm
22
145 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

188 cm
22
143 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Lethal high kicks
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

Legal High's [CBK]

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 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Joe Bell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Brad Burns!
The judges for this bout are John Kavanagh, Reed Andrews and Russell Pearce.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bell works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Bell feints and then cracks Burns's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Burns down.

Bell clinches up with Burns and pushes him back against the cage.
Bell keeps control of Burns as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Burns escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Burns throws a right and a left that Bell avoids nicely.
Burns connects with a looping right hand.
Burns uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bell.
Brad Burns seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Burns tries to land a front kick but Bell steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Burns circles away from the clinch attempt.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Burns.
Bell is looking to score with low kicks.
Burns fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Bell has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Bell tries a head kick but it misses.
Bell tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Burns was well out of range. Poor timing from Bell.
Burns takes a swing at Bell's ribcage but misses.
Bell is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bell is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Burns.
Burns scores with a three punch combo!
Burns catches Bell with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Burns misses with an uppercut.
Bell slips a jab and a cross from Burns.
Bell misses with the body kick
and Burns counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Burns throws a leg kick that is checked
and Bell counters with an outside leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Bell. Burns does a little dance to reset his feet.
Burns defending well as Bell loads up on a big left hand.
Bell wants to slow Burns down by chopping away at his legs.
Bell throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Bell checks a leg kick.
Bell lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bell checks a leg kick.
Burns keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bell.
Good work by Burns as he checks the leg kick.
A low kick from Burns misses
and Bell counters with a slapping leg kick.
Bell takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A slapping leg kick lands for Bell.
Bell slips a straight right by Burns.
Burns blocks a leg kick.
Burns scores with a leg kick.
Burns is looking to slow Bell down with leg kicks.
Burns misses with an uppercut. Bell saw that one coming.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Bell is defended easily by Burns.
Bell misses with a straight left.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice defenses there by Bell.
Burns misses with a kick to the body.
Bell slips under a jab from Burns.
Bell is looking to chop away at Burns's legs.

Bell closes the distance and clinches.
Burns tries to circle away but Bell has him pinned against the cage.
Bell has Burns pressed against the cage, preventing Burns from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Bell prevents Burns from breaking the clinch.
Burns is trying to break free.
Burns is trying to break free.
Burns is pushing Bell up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Burns can't break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bell keeps control of Burns as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Burns can't find room to land a body shot as Bell controls the action.
Bell works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Bell lands a right hand.

Burns breaks from the clinch.
Bell looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Bell misses with a body punch
and Bell takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Jab by Burns.
Bell ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Burns cracks Bell with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Bell lands a front kick.
Burns takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Brad Burns is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Burns throws a shot from downtown. Bell moves away and avoids it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Brad Burns will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Burns swings widly with a right hand
enabling Bell to counter with a crisp jab.
Burns jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Bell throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Burns lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Burns throws a right hand that Bell ducks under and follows up with a left that Bell also avoids with ease.
Bell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bell throws a hook to the side of Burns's head but Burns sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Burns misses with a wild body shot.
Burns is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Burns looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Burns lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
A nice inside leg kick there by Bell. That's going to slow Burns down.
Burns lands a head kick. Bell smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

Bell is rocked!
Burns throws a leg kick which misses Bell's front leg but catches the back leg as Bell tries to avoid it.
Oh Bell is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Bell is looking to score with low kicks.
Burns throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bell sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Bell gets a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A frustrated look appears on Burns's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Bell seems to have got his legs back now.
Burns is trying to break the clinch but Bell is controlling him.

Burns escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bell fails with an attempt to clinch.
Burns stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Bell.
Burns circles away from the clinch attempt.
Burns misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A big right from Bell misses.
Bell scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
A slapping leg kick lands for Burns.
Burns misses with a low kick.
Burns throws a front kick aimed at Bell's knee but Bell avoids it well.

Bell has Burns up against the cage in a clinch.
Burns tries to work over Bell's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Burns escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Nice shot lands for Burns.
Bell moves in looking to clinch but Burns pushes him off.
Bell blocks a leg kick.
Burns swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Burns with a hook.
Bell lands a jab to the head.
Bell avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Nice uppercut there from Burns.
Bell blocks a head kick by Burns.
Bell misses with a straight right.
Bell throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
A bone on bone clash there as Bell blocks the leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bell closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Burns is trying to stand.

Bell decides to stand and escape the position.
Bell jabs Burns to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Bell throws a nice inside leg kick.
Burns throws a head kick that misses.
Burns pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A lazy body kick from Burns
and Bell counters with a right hand to the body.
A chopping leg kick lands by Burns.
Burns throws an off balance right hand

and Bell counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Bell.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bell misses with a punch to the body.

Burns breaks the clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Burns misses with a hook. Bell ducked under it nicely.
Bell throws a leg kick but Burns sees it coming and moves out of range.
A clash of legs there as Bell blocks the low kick.
A jab lands there for Bell.
Bell takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Bell keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bell uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Burns.
Bell throws a leg kick but Burns sees it coming and moves out of range.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Burns ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Burns scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Bell throws a shot from downtown. Burns moves away and avoids it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Brad Burns will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

An inside leg kick lands from Burns.
Burns swats away the attempt to clinch by Bell.
A big left from Bell misses.
Burns throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Burns feints a jab promting Bell to slip. Burns then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Bell slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Bell is looking to score with low kicks.
Bell blocks a head kick by Burns.
Burns throws a head kick but Bell moves out of range.
Bell dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Burns. That did some damage!
Burns's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Burns is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Bell throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Bell takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bell defending well as Burns loads up on a big left hand.
Brad Burns seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bell throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Bell wants to clinch
enabling Burns to counter with a crisp jab.
Burns scoring well with a low kick there.
Burns with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Bell throws a leg kick but Burns moved away.
Bell tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bell wants to clinch up but Burns keeps it at a distance.
Bell looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Burns lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Bell circles away quickly and effectively.
Burns explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Bell does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A head kick from Burns lands but Bell takes it in his stride.
Burns uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Bell has time to react.
Burns lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bell looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Burns misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Burns misses with an uppercut. Bell saw that one coming.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Burns misses with a low kick.
Bell tries to clinch but Burns moves out of range.
Burns misses with a kick to the body.

Bell rushes Burns and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Burns breaks the clinch.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Burns.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell cracks the inside of Burns's front leg.
Burns throws a poor cross that misses
and Bell counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Burns takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Bell throws an overhand right that lands on Burns's shoulder, as Burns tries to avoid the shot.
Burns moves out of range of the body kick.
Burns misses the shot to the body.
Bell lands a jab to the nose.
Burns uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bell.
Bell connects with a jab.
Burns buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Bell throws a jab but it's blocked by Burns.

Bell closes the distance and pushes Burns back into the cage.
Burns lands with a left to the head.
Burns lands with a right to the head.
Joe Bell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bell doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Burns wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Bell is working Burns over against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Bell breaks from the clinch.

Burns gets caught flat footed, as Bell shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Burns is looking to stand up but Bell isn't so interested in that idea.
Bell pushes down on Burns's leg and manages to get into half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Burns looks like he's trying to stand up.

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 Joe Bell.
I think Burns 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 John Kavanagh scores the fight 28:30
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 28:30
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Brad Burns!