PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov (ranked 5368 p4p, 25010 weight class) and David Morrell Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Morrell Jr has chosen Orishas A lo Cubano as his entrance music. David Morrell Jr has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Khabib Nurmagomedov's chin.

Nurmagomedov
vs
Morrell Jr

198 cm
18
218
1 - 0 - 0

190 cm
18
214
1 - 6 - 0

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Prefers standup

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

Helsinki Xtreme Fightwear

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, Khabib Nurmagomedov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, David Morrell Jr!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Matti Vanhoillinen and Arvi Lind.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The fighters circling - Nurmagomedov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A combination from Nurmagomedov does no damage.
Nurmagomedov misses with a wild combination.
Morrell Jr changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Morrell Jr avoids the head kick by Nurmagomedov.
And Morrell Jr tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Nurmagomedov throws a nice looking combination but Morrell Jr bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Nurmagomedov throws an overhand right that lands on Morrell Jr's shoulder, as Morrell Jr tries to avoid the shot.
A big right from Nurmagomedov misses.
Morrell Jr doesn't manage to clinch there - Nurmagomedov circles away.
Nurmagomedov misses with an uppercut.
Morrell Jr tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Khabib Nurmagomedov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up.
Nurmagomedov tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Morrell Jr was well out of range. Poor timing from Nurmagomedov.
And Morrell Jr tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Nurmagomedov looks to throw the jab but Morrell Jr is out of range.
Nurmagomedov looks to land a left hand but Morrell Jr moved out of range nicely.
Morrell Jr tests Nurmagomedov's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morrell Jr scores with a nice strike.
Morrell Jr avoids the head kick by Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Nurmagomedov throws a hook but Morrell Jr blocks it.
No joy there for Nurmagomedov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Morrell Jr tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Morrell Jr lands the left hand.
Nurmagomedov throws a body punch but Morrell Jr moves out of range.
Nurmagomedov throws a nice looking combination but Morrell Jr bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Nurmagomedov throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Morrell Jr has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Nurmagomedov is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Morrell Jr uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a jab when Morrell Jr was well out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov misses with a looping right.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Nurmagomedov manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Morrell Jr avoids the head kick by Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nurmagomedov paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Morrell Jr tries a head kick but it misses.
An attempted straight right counter from Nurmagomedov misses the target.
Nurmagomedov jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Morrell Jr changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nurmagomedov misses with a straight left.
Morrell Jr showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nurmagomedov.
And Morrell Jr tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Nurmagomedov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Nurmagomedov keeps the fight on the outside.
Nurmagomedov appears to be looking for a big counter.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov misses with an uppercut.
Nurmagomedov throws a right and a left that both miss.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up.
Morrell Jr lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov is having none of it.
Nurmagomedov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Morrell Jr slips under a jab from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a body shot but no joy.
Nurmagomedov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nurmagomedov misses with a hook. Morrell Jr ducked under it nicely.
Nurmagomedov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Morrell Jr drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov defends it well.
Nurmagomedov is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nurmagomedov went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nurmagomedov tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Morrell Jr blocks a head kick by Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov is breathing heavily.
Morrell Jr ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Morrell Jr lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Morrell Jr dodges the punch combination from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr with the counter takedown but Nurmagomedov avoids it easily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Morrell Jr throws a combination. Nurmagomedov tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Morrell Jr is looking to clinch but Nurmagomedov is avoiding it.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up but Nurmagomedov circles away and keeps his distance.
Nurmagomedov is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Morrell Jr.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated that round.
The cut man is working on David Morrell Jr's cut.
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.

Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov is having none of it.
A swing and a miss from Nurmagomedov.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with each other but Morrell Jr might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Nurmagomedov has got the better of the exchanges.
Nurmagomedov throws a jab but it's blocked by Morrell Jr.
Nurmagomedov swats away the attempt to clinch by Morrell Jr.
Nurmagomedov throws a counter high kick but Morrell Jr was just alert enough to avoid it.
Nurmagomedov is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Morrell Jr can do to turn this around?
Morrell Jr scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Morrell Jr moves out of range as Nurmagomedov strikes.
Morrell Jr ducks under a wild hook from Nurmagomedov.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morrell Jr keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Nurmagomedov pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Morrell Jr slips under a jab.
Nurmagomedov misses with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morrell Jr uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a body shot but no joy.
Nurmagomedov throws a sloppy head kick and Morrell Jr moves out of range easily.
Nurmagomedov throws a right and a left that Morrell Jr avoids nicely.
Morrell Jr avoids a punch combination nicely.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Nurmagomedov drops his hands momentarily and Morrell Jr takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Nurmagomedov misses with a straight left.
Morrell Jr slips a jab from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a jab but it's blocked by Morrell Jr.
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov throws a series of punches but Morrell Jr moves out of range.
Morrell Jr tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Morrell Jr ducks under a wild hook from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Nurmagomedov misses with a head kick.
Morrell Jr with the counter takedown but Nurmagomedov avoids it easily.
Nurmagomedov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Morrell Jr drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Nurmagomedov defends it well.
Good shot there by Morrell Jr.
Morrell Jr defending well as Nurmagomedov loads up on a big left hand.
Morrell Jr changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Morrell Jr moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Morrell Jr throws a head kick but Nurmagomedov moves out of range.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov is having none of it.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov is having none of it.
Nurmagomedov closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nurmagomedov swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Nurmagomedov misses with a body shot.
Morrell Jr feints the counter takedown.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nurmagomedov is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Nice defenses there by Morrell Jr.
Nurmagomedov avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
A big left from Nurmagomedov misses.
Nurmagomedov looks to land a right hand but Morrell Jr moved out of range.
Nurmagomedov throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Morrell Jr feints the counter takedown.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up.
Nurmagomedov misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Nurmagomedov takes a swing at Morrell Jr's ribcage but misses.
Nurmagomedov looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
No joy there for Nurmagomedov, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Morrell Jr feints the counter takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morrell Jr throws a one two combo.
Morrell Jr stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Morrell Jr doesn't manage to clinch there - Nurmagomedov circles away.
Nurmagomedov takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Morrell Jr steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch up but Nurmagomedov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Nurmagomedov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Morrell Jr.
Morrell Jr moves in looking to clinch but Nurmagomedov pushes him off.
Nurmagomedov went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Nurmagomedov lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Morrell Jr uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Morrell Jr slips a straight right by Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr fails in his attempt to clinch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on David Morrell Jr's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Nice defenses there by Morrell Jr.
Morrell Jr feints the counter takedown.
Morrell Jr avoids the body shot from Nurmagomedov.
A nice combination there by Morrell Jr.
Nurmagomedov misses with a hook.
Morrell Jr blocks a head kick by Nurmagomedov.
And Morrell Jr tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nurmagomedov paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nurmagomedov tries to bum rush Morrell Jr with a series of wild strikes but Morrell Jr uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Morrell Jr throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nurmagomedov misses with the combination.
Morrell Jr changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Morrell Jr scores with a head kick. Nurmagomedov tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Nurmagomedov looks to score with a jab to the body but Morrell Jr is just out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morrell Jr throws a head kick that misses.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Nurmagomedov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Morrell Jr sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Nurmagomedov throws a body punch but Morrell Jr moves out of range.
Nurmagomedov loads up on a big right hand but Morrell Jr slips the punch.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Morrell Jr throws a series of punches but Nurmagomedov avoids them all with ease.
Morrell Jr fails with an attempt to clinch.
Morrell Jr ducks under a wild hook from Nurmagomedov.
And Morrell Jr tries to counter it with a takedown but Nurmagomedov pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Nurmagomedov misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Morrell Jr.
Nurmagomedov throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Morrell Jr avoids the body shot from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Nurmagomedov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Morrell Jr.
Morrell Jr is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagomedov scores with a three punch combo!
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov is having none of it.
Morrell Jr avoids the body shot from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Morrell Jr looks to land a combination. Nurmagomedov sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
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!
A swing and a miss from Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws a shot from downtown. Morrell Jr moves away and avoids it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Morrell Jr moves in looking to clinch but Nurmagomedov pushes him off.
Morrell Jr lands a jab to Nurmagomedov's midsection.
Nurmagomedov circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morrell Jr ducks under a wild hook from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr moves away from the strike by Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr blocks a head kick by Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Morrell Jr throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Morrell Jr keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Nurmagomedov.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nurmagomedov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Morrell Jr manages to avoid it.
Nurmagomedov looks to land a combination but Morrell Jr avoids it well.
Morrell Jr tries to close the distance and clinch but Nurmagomedov swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nurmagomedov is looking to counter punch.
Nurmagomedov keeps the fight on the outside.
Nurmagomedov misses with a head kick.
Morrell Jr changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Morrell Jr looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
It looked like Nurmagomedov was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Nurmagomedov keeps the fight on the outside.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Morrell Jr fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nurmagomedov lands with an overhand left.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch up.
Morrell Jr tries to clinch but Nurmagomedov moves out of range.
David Morrell Jr has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
A nice combination there by Nurmagomedov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nurmagomedov throws a right and a left that Morrell Jr avoids nicely.
Morrell Jr connects with a solid leg kick.
Morrell Jr tries to bum rush Nurmagomedov with a series of wild strikes but Nurmagomedov uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
It looked like Nurmagomedov wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.

And that's the end of the fight!
Khabib Nurmagomedov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Nurmagomedov has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:27
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 30:27
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Khabib Nurmagomedov!
A relieved looking Khabib Nurmagomedov thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.