PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Nathaniel Shepard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Singam Kuhan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Singam Kuhan will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Shepard
vs
Kuhan

182 cm
24
215 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

225 cm
25
200 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Intelligent

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 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Nathaniel Shepard!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Singam Kuhan!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Ben Zyskovitsi and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kuhan connects with a single shot there.
Kuhan is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Kuhan is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

Kuhan throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Shepard tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Kuhan is in Shepard's guard.
Kuhan won't allow Shepard to get back to his feet.
Kuhan won't allow Shepard to sweep him here.
Shepard is pulling down on Kuhan's head. It's preventing any offense from Kuhan, at least for the moment.
Shepard has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

Nathaniel Shepard has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Kuhan misses with a few strikes there.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kuhan darts in and clinches Shepard up against the cage.
Shepard manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

Shepard breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Kuhan with a lazy takedown attempt

and Shepard counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Shepard is taking a breather. Kuhan says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kuhan misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Shepard could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Kuhan wants to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shepard trying to control the pace.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

Nathaniel Shepard has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.

Kuhan closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Shepard did well to prevent Kuhan getting side control.

Shepard looking for submissions off his back.
Shepard is trying to stand.
Shepard keeping hold of Kuhan's head, controlling as best he can.
Shepard is trying to stand up here but Kuhan is controlling him well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shepard is holding on to half guard well.
Kuhan trying to control from half guard but Shepard is working away.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Kuhan moves into the clinch.
Shepard can't get the takedown.

Kuhan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Kuhan moves to clinch but Shepard breaks away

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shepard would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Shepard is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Shepard stopping the sweep attempt from Kuhan.
Shepard is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Nathaniel Shepard wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Kuhan closes the distance and lands a one-two.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Nathaniel Shepard will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Kuhan throws a leg kick

and Shepard counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Kuhan's guard now.

It looks like Nathaniel Shepard has been cut.
Kuhan controls Shepard momentarily but Shepard frees himself.
Nathaniel Shepard overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Kuhan 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.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Singam Kuhan hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Kuhan tries to close the distance and clinch up but Shepard swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Shepard moves into the clinch.
Kuhan is trying to pull guard but Shepard turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kuhan breaks the clinch.
Kuhan tries to clinch
and Shepard counters with a three punch combo that has Kuhan backing up. Kuhan nods at Shepard to acknowledge the strikes.
Shepard swats away the attempt to clinch by Kuhan.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Kuhan, as that shot connected.
Kuhan misses with a few strikes there.
Kuhan is breathing heavily.
Kuhan misses with a series of wild punches.
Kuhan with a poor takedown

and Shepard decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Kuhan's guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Shepard is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shepard controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

Nathaniel Shepard has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Kuhan misses with a two punch combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kuhan tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Shepard counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Kuhan throws a leg kick which misses Shepard's front leg but catches the back leg as Shepard tries to avoid it.
Shepard fails with a takedown attempt.
Singam Kuhan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Shepard looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Shepard trying to control the pace.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Shepard postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Kuhan to stand up.
A head kick misses from Kuhan.
Kuhan throws a front kick that sends Shepard stumbling back into the cage.

Kuhan gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Shepard to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shepard stays in close to Kuhan's body and controls the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nathaniel Shepard dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Nathaniel Shepard's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Kuhan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Shepard counters with a nice body kick.
Shepard checks a leg kick.
Shepard tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Kuhan defends well and Shepard ends up having to push Kuhan into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.

Shepard jumps guard.
Shepard wants to sweep but no luck.
Kuhan postures up in Shepard's guard and throws a big left but Shepard blocks it.
Shepard is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Shepard perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Shepard wants to stand up but Kuhan has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Kuhan takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kuhan wants to improve his position but Shepard is controlling well.
Still in half guard, Shepard seems content to control.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Nathaniel Shepard wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Shepard showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kuhan.
Nathaniel Shepard is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kuhan misses with a takedown attempt

and Shepard counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shepard is taking a breather. Kuhan says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Kuhan is looking for a sweep. Shepard is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

We're going to have a standup here because Nathaniel Shepard wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Kuhan closes the distance looking to clinch

and Shepard counters by clinching up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shepard lands with a light punch inside.

Shepard decides to pull guard.

Shepard is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Kuhan presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Kuhan is trying to force a seperation but Shepard has the dominant position.

Shepard tightens his grip and picks Kuhan up, before dumping him to the ground. Kuhan manages to land in guard.
Shepard is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Shepard wants to stand but Kuhan has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

Shepard stands and steps away. Kuhan gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kuhan fails with the takedown

and Shepard counters by moving into the clinch.
Nathaniel Shepard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Singam Kuhan.

Shepard gets control of Kuhan's arms and successfully pulls guard. Shepard will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shepard pulls Kuhan in close to his closed guard and prevents Kuhan from doing any damage or advancing position.
Kuhan wanted to stand there but Shepard had control of the position.
Singam Kuhan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nathaniel Shepard is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Shepard bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kuhan's guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nathaniel Shepard showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Shepard, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nathaniel Shepard!