DFC 35: PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Mihail Dmitriev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zander Freyer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Freyer is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Milquetoast by Helmet. Zander Freyer told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Dmitriev
vs
Freyer

184 cm
27
200 lbs
4 - 3 - 1

182 cm
27
185 lbs
5 - 1 - 1

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Determined

Tokyo United Fightwear (10% Laundry)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Mihail Dmitriev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Zander Freyer!
The judges for this bout are Steve Erwin, Skip Squint and Darius Henderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dmitriev takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Dmitriev fails to land the takedown.
Mihail Dmitriev seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Dmitriev darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Dmitriev lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Freyer desperately trying to maintain half guard.
Dmitriev not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Dmitriev prevents Freyer from improving his position.
Dmitriev not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Dmitriev is looking to take a break and control but Freyer is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Freyer keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dmitriev throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Freyer avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Dmitriev.
Dmitriev sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Dmitriev wants to lay and pray for a moment but Freyer keeps working.
Freyer trying to control but Dmitriev postures up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Freyer lands with a straight right. Dmitriev didn't see that one coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Freyer lands a jab.
Dmitriev looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Freyer is fending him off so far but Dmitriev persists. Nope, Freyer circles away and we're back to standing.
Freyer scores with a spinning back kick!
Freyer lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Freyer lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Dmitriev at a distance.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Freyer lands a really nice looking cross but Dmitriev seems unphased.
Freyer slaps away a takedown attempt from Dmitriev, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mihail Dmitriev. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Dmitriev gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Freyer connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Dmitriev closes this distance looking for a takedown but Freyer circles away.

Freyer cracks Dmitriev with a big right hand that sends him crashing to the floor. Freyer has the opportunity to follow him to the ground but instead he's beckoning Dmitriev to stand back up!

Dmitriev is rocked!
Freyer digs a good hook to Dmitriev's body.
Oh Dmitriev is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Freyer steps in with a hook that catches Dmitriev right on the chin and knocks him to the floor! Freyer follows him down with more strikes and that's all she wrote! Dmitriev looks absolutely devastated.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:51 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Zander Freyer!
Our winner, Zander Freyer, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
75%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Long Wang (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and JR Adams (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Adams is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by 'Looking For The Stone' by Dry Branch Fire Squad. JR Adams has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Wang
vs
Adams

190 cm
25
192 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

177 cm
25
191 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Very quick

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Powerful

Bad Man Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Long Wang!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, JR Adams!
The judges for this bout are Francis DeMontford, John Mangel and Bruno Hogan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Wang wants to clinch but Adams slips to the side

and Adams counters with a single leg into guard. Wang didn't expect that.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Adams trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Wang is trying to control the position but Adams postures up.
Adams is looking to work some ground and pound but Wang has wrist control.
Wang will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Adams passes into half guard.
Adams seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Wang does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Adams is thwarting Wang's attempts to control the position.
Adams trying to control from half guard but Wang is working away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Wang tries to roll over but Adams keeps him under control.
Adams works his way into side control.
Wang tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Adams wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Adams working his ground and pound in the gym. He isn't landing a great percentage of his ground strikes so far though.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Adams tries for a kimura but Wang is defending well.
Wang is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Wang is not content to let Adams control the position.
Adams gets to mount! Wang was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
Adams controlling his opponent.
Wang's coaches at Evil Empire Throwdown have been working on his defensive grappling in preparation for this fight so let's see if he can get out of this tricky position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wang wants to hold on but Adams pushes him away.
Wang is squirming around, avoiding Adams's attempts to control the action.
Wang manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Wang won't allow Adams to pass to mount.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Adams passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Wang!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Adams trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Adams working Wang over with strikes here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Adams scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Wang is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Wang is desperately trying to improve his position but Adams has a good base and remains in mount.
Adams can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Wang is looking to escape.

Adams has isolated one of Wang's arms. Wang looking to fight him off but Adams twists into an armbar. It's tight... Will he tap?? YES, he's tapped! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:39 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). JR Adams!
JR Adams is the new middleweight champion!
JR Adams decided to call for a title shot in his post fight interview, which was very strange given the fact this fight was for a title and he's already the champion. I guess that's what getting punched in the head does for you.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
47%

Co-main event

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Trumi Drake (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Buzz Sawyer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Drake
vs
Sawyer

180 cm
27
182 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

188 cm
25
181 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Decent elbows
Experienced

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Determined

KAISER
Cold Blooded Kemists ↑ 5x160Q

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 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Trumi Drake!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Buzz Sawyer!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Hogan, Skip Squint and Summer Carpenter.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Drake throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Drake doesn't manage to clinch there - Sawyer circles away.
Drake throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Drake will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Sawyer shoots for a double leg takedown but Drake sprawls well. He's pushed Sawyer's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

Drake instigates a clinch.
Drake gets underhooks to prevent Sawyer's takedown attempt.
Sawyer has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Drake avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Trumi Drake has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Buzz Sawyer.
Drake tries a knee to the head but Sawyer blocks it.
Drake lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

It looks like Buzz Sawyer has been cut.
Drake unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sawyer lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Sawyer tries to score a body lock takedown but Drake shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Drake with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Drake trying to stall but Sawyer improves his position.
Sawyer is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Drake gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
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!
Drake creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Sawyer's defenses.
Sawyer is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Drake gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Sawyer looking for a takedown.
Drake stalling in the clinch but Sawyer improves position.
Sawyer tries to score a body lock takedown but Drake shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sawyer blocks it with crossed arms.
Drake working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Sawyer has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Drake avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Drake.

That has opened up Buzz Sawyer's cut even more.
Sawyer is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Drake pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Sawyer looks winded!
Knees to the body from Drake.
Sawyer goes for a takedown in the clinch but Drake prevents it.
Sawyer is looking to take this one to the mat.
Drake is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Drake landing knees to the head.
Drake connects with a knee to the head.

Sawyer is rocked!

The cut above Buzz Sawyer's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Drake connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sawyer's face.
Sawyer is still on wobbly legs! Can Drake finish him?
Drake lands an elbow just above Sawyer 's eye.
Drake lands an elbow that stopped Sawyer in his tracks for a moment.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
The referee is keeping an eye on Drake - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Sawyer drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Drake gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Drake connects with a knee right up the middle! Sawyer tumbles to the floor and Drake stands over him, dominant and satisfied with his glorious KO victory!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:56 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Knee). Trumi Drake!

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
85%

Main event

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Joey Nix (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alphonse Tchami (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Nix might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Gorilla Militia by Bliss n Eso. This should be a great matchup!

Nix
vs
Tchami

187 cm
20
180 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

183 cm
20
176 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Tokyo United Fightwear (10% Laundry)

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 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Joey Nix!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Alphonse Tchami!
The judges for this bout are Darius Henderson, Donatello Bradman and Winston Howard.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tchami is looking to clinch but Nix is avoiding it.
Tchami tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Nix counters with a takedown into side control.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Tchami gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
Tchami is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

Nix swings around for an armbar but it's a sloppy attempt and Tchami is now in Nix's guard. A big mistake from Nix there, giving up the dominant position!
Tchami is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Nix 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.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tchami avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Tchami trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Nix throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Tchami pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Nix is keeping the position for now.
Nix looking for a sweep. Not yet Nix, not yet.
Nix throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nix is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Nix wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tchami keeps working.
Nix is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

Nix seems to be working for a kimura but Tchami defends the submission attempt.
Tchami felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Tchami really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Nix. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Tchami is looking to improve his position.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Nix works his way into side control.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nix working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tchami tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Nix wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Nix throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Nix staying calm.
Nix wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tchami keeps working.
Tchami manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Nix prevents Tchami from improving his position.
Nix lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Nix is nestled in close to Tchami, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tchami trying to control from the bottom.
Tchami is looking for a sweep. Nix is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Nix not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Tchami is looking to improve his position.
Nix thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Tchami's head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nix is looking to take a break and control but Tchami is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tchami trying to control from the bottom.
Nix is trying to control. Tchami wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Tchami won't allow Nix to pass to mount.
Tchami wants to improve his position but Nix is controlling well.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Nix circles away from the clinch attempt

and Nix counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Tchami's guard now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joey Nix dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Tchami tries to clinch but Nix is having none of it.
Nix blocks a head kick by Tchami.
Tchami misses the shot to the body.
Tchami is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nix scores with the left hand. Tchami knows he should have avoided that one.
Tchami throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tchami throws a head kick that misses.
Tchami tries a head kick but it misses.
Nix keeps the fight on the outside.
Nix throws a jab but it's blocked by Tchami.
Tchami darts in trying to clinch

and Nix decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Tchami's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nix wants to control from the top but Tchami keeps moving.
Nix throws a big elbow that misses.
Tchami wants to sweep here but Nix controlling him for the moment.

Nix drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Nix jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Nix slips nicely into half guard.
Well, if Nix is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Nix not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Tchami tries to get to full guard but Nix has control of the leg.

Tchami is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Nix pulls his head out easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nix wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tchami keeps working.
Tchami slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Nix wants to pass the guard but Tchami is keeping the position.
Nix 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.
Nix content to stall in guard here.
Tchami is trying to control the position but Nix postures up.
Nix lands a couple of digs.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tchami tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Nix trying to control the position from guard on top but Tchami is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tchami utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Tchami working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Nix.

Tchami escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Nix gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Nix pushing down on Tchami's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Nix is trying to control. Tchami wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Joey Nix overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Tchami trying to hold on to Nix's head to control him but Nix postures up.
Nix is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

Nix is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Tchami is controlling Nix's position as best he can from this difficult position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nix is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Nix cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Nix postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Tchami looks a forlorn figure.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nix is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Tchami is in all sorts of trouble here.
Nix throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Nix landing strikes from the mount and Tchami is in trouble!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Nix working for a guillotine from mount but Tchami is in no mood to give up.
Nix looking to control but Tchami is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joey Nix dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Tchami throws a head kick that misses.
Nix avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Tchami motions for Nix to come forward. Tchami throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Tchami displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nix throws out the jab.
Tchami misses with an uppercut.
Tchami fails with an attempt to clinch.
Nix throws a jab but it's blocked by Tchami.
Tchami is looking to clinch but Nix is avoiding it.
Nix lands a jab to Tchami's midsection.
Nix thows a left - swing and a miss!
Tchami tries to clinch

and Nix counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Tchami wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Nix is now in half guard.
Nix not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nix is trying to control. Tchami wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Nix wants to pass the guard but Tchami is defending well.
Nix not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Nix seems to be working for a kimura but Tchami defends the submission attempt.
Nix is keen to just control but Tchami is a slippery customer.
Nix not doing much here.

Nix is working for a submission of some sort.
Tchami trying to control but Nix postures up.
Nix is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Tchami can do to turn this around?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tchami has hold of Nix's hands but Nix slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Nix passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Tchami!
Nix lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tchami tries to hold on but Nix postures up.
Nix landing punches.
The referee warns Tchami that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Nix throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nix landing strikes from the mount.
Tchami working to try and regain half guard.
Nix has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tchami's face.
Tchami really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Nix raining down hammerfists from mount.
Joey Nix is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Nix controlling the pace for now.
Tchami can't escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nix controlling the position easily from mount.
Nix seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Tchami for as long as he can get away with.
Alphonse Tchami has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

We're going to have a standup here because Joey Nix wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Tchami checks a leg kick.
Nix throws a hook but Tchami avoids it easily.
Nix looks to throw the jab but Tchami is out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nix keeps the fight on the outside.
Nix scores with a body shot.
Tchami throws a leg kick but Nix sees it coming and checks it nicely.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joey Nix showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Nix, 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 Darius Henderson scores the fight 30:27
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 30:27
Judge Winston Howard scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joey Nix!
A very excited looking Joey Nix made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.
The defeated Alphonse Tchami had this to say: 'It's disappointing, but I'll train hard and come back stronger next time.'.