PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dean Freeman (ranked 2996 p4p, 6045 weight class) and Mike Rotchburns (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Mike Rotchburns enters the cage!

Freeman
vs
Rotchburns

170 cm
18
140
1 - 0 - 0

167 cm
18
145
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Tends to cut

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Dean Freeman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Mike Rotchburns!
The judges for this bout are Roger Salmon, Colin Fray and Micheangelo Fripello.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Freeman instigates a clinch.

Freeman breaks from the clinch.
Rotchburns swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Freeman tries for a takedown but Rotchburns circles away easily
and Rotchburns counters with a nice body shot.
Rotchburns throws a nice looking combination but Freeman bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Rotchburns throws a series of punches but Freeman moves out of range.
Freeman shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Rotchburns sprawls well. Rotchburns wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Freeman gets slowly back to his feet.
Rotchburns misses with a combination
and Freeman counters with a body kick that stops Rotchburns in his tracks momentarily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rotchburns blocks a head kick by Freeman.

Freeman pushes Rotchburns up against the cage in a clinch.

Freeman gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rotchburns being controlled here, momentarily.
Freeman works over Rotchburns with some ground and pound from guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Freeman landing with the ground and pound.
Freeman controls from within his opponent's guard.
Freeman won't allow Rotchburns to get back to his feet.
Freeman slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Rotchburns wants to stand but Freeman is controlling the position.
Freeman scoring with some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Freeman controlling from the top position.
Freeman prevents Rotchburns from getting back to his feet.

Freeman stands up from Rotchburns's guard - Freeman perhaps looking for a knockout.

Freeman moves into the clinch.

Freeman turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Rotchburns is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Freeman in side control, just content to control the action for now.

Freeman stands up.
Rotchburns has tried to improve his agility in the runup to this fight.
Mike Rotchburns seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rotchburns throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Freeman went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Freeman misses with a head kick.
As Freeman backs off Rotchburns throws a huge counter combo but Freeman manages to avoid it all.
Rotchburns rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Freeman moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Freeman went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Rotchburns throws a series of punches but Freeman avoids them all with ease.
Freeman throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Rotchburns's waist but Rotchburns gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Freeman off to one side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dean Freeman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Freeman gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Rotchburns makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Freeman swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Rotchburns counters with a two punch combo.
Mike Rotchburns is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Freeman is breathing heavily.
Rotchburns pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Freeman back to the cage. Rotchburns follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Freeman with a lazy takedown attempt
and Rotchburns connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
No joy there for Rotchburns, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Freeman half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
No joy there for Rotchburns, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Freeman dodges the punch combination from Rotchburns.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rotchburns scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Freeman tries for a takedown but Rotchburns circles away easily
and Rotchburns counters with a three punch combo that has Freeman backing up. Freeman nods at Rotchburns to acknowledge the strikes.
Freeman goes for a double leg but Rotchburns avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Rotchburns continues to drive forward.
Rotchburns swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Freeman.
Rotchburns throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Freeman avoids a punch combination nicely.
Rotchburns throws a nice looking combination but Freeman bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Freeman takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.

Freeman moves into the clinch.
Rotchburns wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Freeman has him pressed against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mike Rotchburns 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.

Rotchburns fails to land with a series of punches.
A head kick misses from Freeman.
Rotchburns showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Freeman.
Freeman throws a combination that misses
and Rotchburns counters with a left and a right that stings Freeman.

Freeman clinches with his opponent.
Rotchburns is trying to break the clinch but Freeman has him pressed against the cage.
Rotchburns prevents a takedown attempt there.
Freeman goes for a takedown attempt but Rotchburns pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rotchburns throws a combination. Freeman tries to block but a couple of punches get through.

Freeman closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Rotchburns's guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rotchburns is looking to stand up but Freeman isn't so interested in that idea.
Rotchburns is wriggling around but Freeman manages to pass to half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Freeman in particular looking to stall.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rotchburns is trying to stand up here but Freeman is controlling him well.
Freeman content to control rather than advance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Freeman missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Freeman keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Freeman's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Rotchburns scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rotchburns fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Rotchburns misses with a series of wild punches.

Freeman looking to score a takedown here. Rotchburns is defending well but Freeman drives through and ends up in Rotchburns's guard.

Freeman drops back looking for a leg! Rotchburns is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Rotchburns manages to kick Freeman off! Freeman jumps back into Rotchburns's guard.
Freeman looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rotchburns wants to stand but Freeman is controlling the position.
Freeman trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Rotchburns is looking to stand up but Freeman isn't so interested in that idea.
Freeman looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Rotchburns wants to get back to his feet but Freeman is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Mike Rotchburns will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Freeman dodges the punch combination from Rotchburns.
Freeman throws a right hand that Rotchburns ducks under and follows up with a left that Rotchburns also avoids with ease.
Rotchburns is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Rotchburns throws a right and a left that both miss.
Freeman pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Rotchburns has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Rotchburns throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Freeman.
Freeman walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

Freeman closes the distance and pushes Rotchburns back into the cage.
Freeman keeps control of Rotchburns as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman keeps control of Rotchburns as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Freeman manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Freeman seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

Freeman has his foot on Rotchburns's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Rotchburns works his way back into a safe position though.
Rotchburns really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Freeman. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Freeman is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Rotchburns has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Freeman is proving hard to escape from.

Freeman scrambles and gets back to his feet.
Rotchburns lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Mike Rotchburns seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Freeman gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Rotchburns wants to get back to striking at distance but Freeman won't allow it.
Freeman drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Rotchburns gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Freeman using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Rotchburns has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Freeman has dropped down and is working for a takedown. Rotchburns is trying to keep an underhook but Freeman manages to get the takedown into half guard.
Freeman is controlling the pace.
Freeman is pressing down on Rotchburns's thigh, looking to free his foot. Rotchburns is holding on for now.
Rotchburns tries to kick Freeman off but Freeman keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Freeman looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Freeman throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rotchburns tries to kick Freeman off but Freeman keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Freeman is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Rotchburns wants to get back to his feet.
Freeman controlling the pace.
Freeman seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Rotchburns for as long as he can get away with.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Rotchburns misses with a jab, cross combination.
Freeman has his takedown stuffed
and Rotchburns counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
A nice combination there by Rotchburns.
Rotchburns lands a nice shot to the body.
Freeman fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dean Freeman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rotchburns throws a one two combo.
Freeman misses with an uppercut
and Rotchburns counters with a one-two to the body.
Rotchburns closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Dean Freeman has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mike Rotchburns is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Rotchburns throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Freeman.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mike Rotchburns comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Rotchburns winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Roger Salmon scores the fight 27:30
Judge Colin Fray scores the fight 28:30
Judge Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mike Rotchburns!