PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Bas Rutten (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gord Birds (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rutten's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, You Call My Name. The key to victory for Bas Rutten has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Rutten
vs
Birds

186 cm
22
205 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

186 cm
19
210 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Self confident

Dangerous GnP
Brawler
Determined

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 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Bas Rutten!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gord Birds!
The judges for this bout are , Jack Bonds and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Birds looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Rutten!
Rutten regains half guard.
Rutten slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

Birds is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Rutten is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Rutten has escaped and now he's on top!
Birds wants to sweep here but Rutten controlling him for the moment.
Rutten tries to free his leg and advance position but Birds is retaining full guard.
Rutten is working hard here to advance position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutten trying to control the position from guard on top but Birds is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Birds looking for a sweep. Not yet Birds, not yet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Birds pulls Rutten in close to prevent any damage.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Rutten.
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That's two minutes gone in the round.
Birds manages to get back to half guard.
Rutten is keen to just control but Birds is a slippery customer.
Rutten sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Birds defending well though.

Rutten is working for a submission of some sort.
Rutten wants to get back to his feet.
Rutten lands with a punch from half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rutten is trying to control. Birds wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Rutten takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Birds trying to control from the bottom.

Rutten is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Birds is just riding it out for now. Rutten eventually gives up the hold.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Rutten lands a nice short elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rutten stalling away here and it's allowed Birds to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Rutten stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Birds swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Birds throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Birds working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Rutten doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Rutten manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Rutten wants to control from the top but Birds keeps moving.
Rutten is working Birds over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bas Rutten dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Birds fails with an attempt to clinch.
Birds shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Rutten counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Rutten.
Birds wants to stand up but Rutten is controlling him.
Rutten missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Rutten trying to control the position from guard on top but Birds is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Rutten pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Birds is keeping the position for now.
Rutten is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutten tries to stand but Birds is controlling from the bottom.
Birds trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Rutten tries to clinch up but Birds circles away and keeps his distance.
Birds tries for a takedown but Rutten circles away easily

and Rutten counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Birds is breathing heavily.
Rutten perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Rutten is looking to stall here but Birds recovers full guard.
Rutten controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rutten wants to control from the top but Birds keeps moving.
Birds is trying to keep Rutten in close.
Birds working a defensive guard but Rutten passes into half guard.
Rutten seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Birds does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Rutten trying to pass the guard but Birds defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rutten moves into full mount! Birds won't be happy about that!
Rutten controlling from mount.
Birds tries to improve his position but instead Rutten has taken his back!
Rutten misses with punches from the back.
Rutten controlling well, preventing Birds from escaping the position.
Birds trying to control but not successfully.
Bas Rutten overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rutten wants to control but Birds is keeping busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Rutten is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.
Birds looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

Rutten is working hard for the rear naked choke here.
Rutten has his opponent trapped and is landing shots. Not a good position for Birds.

Birds preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Rutten.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bas Rutten 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!

Rutten misses with a few strikes there.
Rutten shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Birds counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Rutten's guard now.
Birds looking to sit in guard and control but Rutten gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Rutten trying to stand up but can't free himself from Birds's guard.
Rutten wants to control from the top but Birds keeps moving.

Birds looking for a guillotine here but Rutten defends easily.
Birds takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Birds looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Birds keeping moving, preventing Rutten from controlling successfully.
Rutten wants to pass the guard but Birds is keeping the position.
Rutten landing with the ground and pound.

That's two 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.

Rutten decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Rutten has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

Rutten shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Rutten showed some decent athleticism there.
Rutten tries to pass to full mount but Birds defends it.
Rutten is looking to take a break and control but Birds is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Rutten is working for a kimura but Birds is defending it quite comfortably.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Birds is trying to stand up here but Rutten is controlling him well.
Rutten throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Rutten tries to stand and escape but Birds is controlling the position.
Rutten is taking a breather. Birds says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Birds is trying to control but can't.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Rutten shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Birds keeps control of the position for the meantime.

Rutten is working for a submission of some sort.
Birds is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Rutten jumps into side control!

And that's the end of the fight!
Bas Rutten showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rutten, 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 Suge Night scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bas Rutten!