PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Saul Goodman (ranked 1184 p4p, 1989 weight class) and Aleksander Balkan (ranked 48 p4p, 89 weight class). Aleksander Balkan has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Saul Goodman's chin.

Goodman
vs
Balkan

182 cm
23
279
4 - 2 - 0

198 cm
23
274
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Conviction

Conviction
Fenrir Fightgear - Anno 2013

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Saul Goodman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Aleksander Balkan!
The judges for this bout are Phil Schofield, James Glass and Sam Margolis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Balkan lands with a good body shot.
Balkan wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Goodman tries to close the distance and clinch but Balkan swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Balkan getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Goodman looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Goodman misses with a jab to the body
and Balkan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Goodman walks into a straight right hand from Balkan.
Goodman tries to work over Balkan's front leg with a kick but Balkan checks it.
Balkan swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Balkan. Goodman does a little dance to reset his feet.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt
letting Balkan counter with a right hand.
Balkan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Goodman.

Goodman moves into the clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A frustrated look appears on Balkan's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Goodman misses with a shot to the kidneys.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Goodman.
Goodman misses with a shot to the kidneys.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

Goodman clinches with his opponent.

Balkan manages to break the clinch.
Balkan lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Goodman keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Goodman darts in trying to clinch
enabling Balkan to counter with a crisp jab.
Balkan avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Goodman lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Goodman connects with a leg kick.
We've been informed that Balkan has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Goodman wants to clinch up but Balkan keeps it at a distance.
Goodman throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Balkan lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Goodman dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Goodman drives through and clinches with Balkan against the cage.
Goodman tries to throw a body punch but Balkan avoids it by throwing Goodman back against the cage.

Balkan breaks from the clinch.
Balkan swats away the attempt to clinch by Goodman.
A little jabbing left from Balkan on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.

Goodman fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Balkan, pushing him back against the cage.
Goodman misses with a punch on the inside.
Goodman misses with a body punch.
Balkan tries to circle away but Goodman has him pinned against the cage.
Goodman misses with a short punch on the inside.

Balkan breaks the clinch.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt.
Goodman looks to throw the jab but Balkan is out of range.
Balkan lands with a shot to the body.
Goodman misses the jab.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt.
Goodman wants to clinch
and Balkan counters with a straight right hand.
Goodman wants to clinch
and Balkan counters with a left to the body.
Goodman swings widly with a right hand
and Balkan counters with a stiff right hand.
Goodman tries to clinch up.
Balkan throws a shot to the body.
Balkan misses with a series of wild punches.

Goodman drives through and clinches with Balkan against the cage.

Balkan breaks the clinch.
A jab from Balkan does it's job there.
Goodman moves in looking to clinch but Balkan pushes him off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balkan just misses with a punch to the body.
Goodman will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Goodman digs a good hook to Balkan's body.
Balkan doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

Goodman moves into the clinch.
Balkan is trying to force a seperation but Goodman has the dominant position.
Goodman can't find room to land a body shot as Balkan controls the action.
Goodman tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Balkan's elbow.
Balkan has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Goodman has Balkan pressed against the cage, preventing Balkan from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Goodman misses with a short punch on the inside.
Balkan tries to break the clinch but Goodman is controlling the position.
Balkan wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Balkan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Goodman tries to clinch up but Balkan circles away and keeps his distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Aleksander Balkan will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Goodman fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Balkan, pushing him back against the cage.

Balkan's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Goodman is looking to chop away at Balkan's legs.

Balkan drops Goodman with a beautiful combination! Goodman stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Balkan is looking for the KO!

It looks like Saul Goodman has been cut.
Balkan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Goodman moves away.
Aleksander Balkan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Goodman tries to clinch but Balkan moves out of range.
Goodman connects with a crisp jab.
Saul Goodman seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Goodman's corner calls for a 1-2. Goodman obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Balkan is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A shot to the body from Goodman misses
and Balkan counters with a left to the body.
Balkan moves out of range of the body kick from Goodman.
Balkan slips a jab and a cross from Goodman.
Goodman is looking to clinch.
Goodman throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A slow jab from Goodman misses its intended target.
Goodman tries to clinch but Balkan moves away
and Goodman takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
A nice leg kick from Goodman, right into the meat of the thigh.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan takes one to the chin there.

Balkan is rocked!
Goodman throws a pinpoint strike between Balkan's hands that connects right on the jaw and sends Balkan crashing to the floor! He's out before he even hits the mat and Goodman scores a great knockout victory!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:14 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Saul Goodman!
After the fight, Saul Goodman was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.