PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Nick Umak (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nishan Zeroun (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nick Umak has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Umak
vs
Zeroun

198 cm
20
165 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

178 cm
18
166 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Self confident

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Nick Umak!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Nishan Zeroun!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Ian Loll and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Umak keeps the fight on the outside.

Umak has closed the distance and engaged Zeroun in a clinch.
Umak drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Umak keeps control of Zeroun as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Zeroun pulls guard effortlessly.

Zeroun has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Umak off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Umak stuffs the takedown.
Zeroun motions for Umak to come forward. Zeroun throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Zeroun swats away the attempt to clinch by Umak.
Umak throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Zeroun's waist but Zeroun gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Umak off to one side.

Umak shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Umak was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Umak blocks Zeroun's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Zeroun slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Zeroun is trying to stand.
Umak is breathing heavily.
Umak throwing shots but Zeroun is blocking nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zeroun wants to get back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Umak is keen to just control but Zeroun is a slippery customer.
Umak throwing shots but Zeroun is blocking nicely.
Zeroun has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Umak is working away from the top position though.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Umak throwing shots but Zeroun is blocking nicely.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Zeroun throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Zeroun throws a body punch but Umak moves out of range.
Zeroun lands with a right hand.
Umak circles away from the clinch attempt

and Umak counters with a nice double leg into side control. Zeroun won't be happy with that.

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

Zeroun gets a clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun is looking to break free of the clinch but Umak has double underhooks.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Zeroun.
Zeroun wants to break the clinch but can't.
Zeroun wants to break free but Umak has control.
Zeroun lands a nice uppercut.
Umak keeps control of Zeroun as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Umak takes an elbow to the temple.
Nice elbow from Zeroun.

Zeroun turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Zeroun tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Zeroun just content to control the position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Zeroun wants to lay and pray for a moment but Umak keeps working.
Umak is looking for a sweep.
Zeroun wants to stand but Umak is controlling his arm.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes there by Zeroun.
Umak tries to improve position but can't.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Zeroun wants to stand but Umak has his arm trapped.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Nice jab there from Zeroun.
Zeroun moves in looking to clinch but Umak pushes him off.
Zeroun paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Nishan Zeroun seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Umak gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Zeroun connects with the punch.
Zeroun rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Umak moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Zeroun looks to clinch

and Umak counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Zeroun wants to improve his position but Umak is controlling well.
Zeroun wants to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Umak throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Umak prevents Zeroun from standing back up.
Umak passes into side control, despite Zeroun's attempt to control the position.
Umak working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Zeroun can't do much from the bottom here.
Umak will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Zeroun feints and then cracks Umak's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Umak down.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Zeroun thuds a left hand into Umak's body.
Zeroun fails to land the takedown.

Zeroun closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nishan Zeroun 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.

Zeroun fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Umak.
Zeroun fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Umak on the side of the head.
Zeroun tries to clinch but Umak moves out of range.
Zeroun scores with a punch to the head.
Zeroun has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

Zeroun closes the distance and clinches.
Umak misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Zeroun.
Zeroun tries to score a body lock takedown but Umak shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Zeroun has Umak pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Umak manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Zeroun wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
A shot in the inside from Zeroun.

Zeroun escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Zeroun pushes Umak up against the cage in a clinch.
Zeroun wants to break the clinch but can't.
Zeroun wants to break the clinch but can't.
Zeroun stalling in the clinch but Umak improves position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Umak wants a takedown.
Zeroun drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Nick Umak has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nishan Zeroun.

Zeroun pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zeroun scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Umak is looking to improve his position.

Zeroun stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Umak to get to his feet.
Zeroun moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Umak takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Zeroun connects with a body shot.
Zeroun tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A combination from Zeroun does no damage.
Zeroun 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.
Nick Umak is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Zeroun lands a jab to the head.
Umak avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Umak slips a jab and a cross from Zeroun.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun misses with a wild combination.
No joy there for Zeroun, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Zeroun fails to land with a series of punches.
Zeroun tries a head kick but it misses.

Zeroun rushes Umak and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Zeroun pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Zeroun tries to close the distance and clinch but Umak swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Zeroun lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Zeroun lands a jab-cross combination.
Zeroun moves in looking to clinch but Umak pushes him off.
Umak really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Danga de danga de dang - Zeroun scores with a four punch combination!
Umak keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Zeroun lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Some bone on bone action there as Umak checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun scores with a one two! Umak had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Zeroun throws a series of punches but Umak avoids them all with ease.
Zeroun works over Umak's head and body with a nice combination.
Zeroun throws a nice looking combination but Umak bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

Umak decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Zeroun is looking for a sweep. Umak is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Umak looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Zeroun with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Zeroun slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Umak throws a big right hand that misses.
Zeroun trying to control the position.
Umak has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Zeroun looking to hit a scissor sweep but Umak is one step ahead there.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Zeroun fails in his attempt to clinch.
Zeroun lands with a straight right. Umak didn't see that one coming.
Zeroun attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Zeroun tries to clinch but Umak moves out of range.
Zeroun tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Umak paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Zeroun misses with a jab, cross combination.
Zeroun throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Zeroun misses with a double jab.
Umak on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Zeroun tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Umak paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Umak checks the leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nishan Zeroun showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Umak is looking to clinch.
Zeroun misses with a double jab.
Zeroun dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Umak. That did some damage!
Zeroun wants to clinch but Umak slips to the side

and Umak counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Umak.
Umak thows a big elbow that misses.
Zeroun wants to sweep here but Umak controlling him for the moment.
Nick Umak overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Umak prevents Zeroun from getting back to his feet.

Umak gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Zeroun scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Zeroun with a lazy takedown attempt

and Umak counters with a single leg into guard. Zeroun didn't expect that.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Umak decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Zeroun, up you get!
Zeroun wants to clinch up but Umak keeps it at a distance.
Zeroun swinging wilding here.
Danga de danga de dang - Zeroun scores with a four punch combination!
Umak throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
The fighters circle momentarily. Zeroun darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Umak avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Zeroun wants to slow Umak down by chopping away at his legs.

Zeroun drives through and clinches with Umak against the cage.
Zeroun is trying to break free.
A hook to the body from Zeroun.

Zeroun escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Zeroun goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

Zeroun fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Umak, pushing him back against the cage.
Zeroun can't break the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun has had enough of the clinch but Umak keeps him there for the moment.
A shot in the inside from Zeroun.
Umak goes for a takedown in the clinch but Zeroun prevents it.
Umak drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Zeroun gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Zeroun escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Zeroun shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Umak but Umak pushes him off and we're back to square one.

Umak shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Umak was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Zeroun tries to lock up and control but Umak gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Umak lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Zeroun hang on?
Zeroun wants to get back to his feet.

Umak has hold of Zeroun's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Zeroun manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Nishan Zeroun is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zeroun can't escape the position.
Zeroun is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Umak unloads with some shots from mount but Zeroun bucks and avoids them well.
Umak looking to ground and pound but Zeroun is blocking nicely.
Zeroun avoids a series of strikes thrown by Umak.
Umak looking to control but Zeroun is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Umak looking to ground and pound but Zeroun is blocking nicely.
Zeroun is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

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.
Zeroun really wants to buck Umak off and get back to his feet.
Umak sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Umak fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Zeroun wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Umak.
Umak lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Poor strikes thrown by Umak there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Umak is trying to control here but Zeroun has managed to regain half guard.
Umak thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Zeroun's head.
Zeroun looks like he's trying to stand up.
Nick Umak has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

And that's the end of the fight!
Nick Umak showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Zeroun 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 Dillan Fox scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 28:29
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nishan Zeroun!