PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jagbir Bal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Goran Petric (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Goran Petric has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Bal
vs
Petric

181 cm
22
185 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

191 cm
23
184 lbs
2 - 4 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Big right hand

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent knees
Solid chin

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Jagbir Bal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Goran Petric!
The judges for this bout are Paulo Santos, Edson Gomes and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Petric tries to clinch up but Bal circles away and keeps his distance.
Petric is looking to land body kicks.
Petric is looking to clinch but Bal is avoiding it.
Petric dodges the punch combination from Bal.
Petric is looking to clinch but Bal is avoiding it.
Petric fails with an attempt to clinch.
Petric tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Bal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Petric is looking to clinch but Bal is avoiding it.
Bal throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Petric fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Petric misses with an attempted mid kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Petric tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Bal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bal lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Bal, as that shot connected.
Petric throws a head kick but Bal moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bal keeps the fight on the outside.
Bal catches Petric with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Bal misses with a kick to the body
and Petric makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Bal really felt that one!
Bal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Petric scores with a head kick.
Bal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bal throws a head kick that misses

and Petric counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Petric.
Petric wants to control from the top but Bal keeps moving.
Bal avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Petric loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Petric trying to stand up but can't free himself from Bal's guard.
Bal wants to stand and escape but Petric is having none of it.
Petric wants to get up but he can't break Bal's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Petric accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Petric throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Bal misses with a double jab.
Goran Petric seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bal will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Bal connects with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bal stuffs the takedown.
Petric throws the kick towards the body but Bal avoids it.
Bal misses with a wild combination.
Petric scoring well with a low kick there.
Petric throws the kick towards the body but Bal avoids it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Petric looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Petric scores with a spinning back kick!
A left and a right from Bal both land. Nice combination.
Bal misses with the combination.
Petric dodges the punch combination from Bal.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bal misses with a two punch combination.
Petric wants to clinch up but Bal keeps it at a distance.
Petric misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Petric buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Petric tries to clinch up but Bal circles away and keeps his distance.
Bal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bal misses with a leg kick
and Petric makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Bal really felt that one!
Bal swats away the attempt to clinch by Petric.
Bal throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Petric.
Petric slips a jab and a cross from Bal.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jagbir Bal dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Petric throws a body punch but Bal moves out of range.
Bal throws a nice looking combination but Petric bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Bal wants to slow Petric down by chopping away at his legs.
Jagbir Bal is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bal misses with a jab, cross combination.

Petric drives through and clinches with Bal against the ropes.
Petric connects with a nasty looking knee right to Bal's face.
Bal wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Petric tries a knee to the head but Bal blocks it.
Petric tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Bal avoids it.
Knees in the clinch landing for Petric.
Bal is trying to break the clinch but Petric has him pressed against the ropes.
Petric tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Bal just stands there and leans against the ropes.
Bal avoiding damage as Petric throws knees to the body.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Bal misses with a hook to the ribs.
Petric lands a nice knee to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Petric lands a nice knee to the body.
Petric is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Bal is keeping busy.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Petric is trying to trip Bal. He has hold of a leg but Bal is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Petric persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Petric thows a big elbow that misses.
Petric in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Petric postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Petric loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Petric working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Petric wants to pass the guard but Bal is keeping the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bal wants to stand and escape but Petric is having none of it.
Petric slips nicely into half guard.
Petric trying to control the action but Bal is working from the bottom.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
A big right from Petric misses.
Jagbir Bal is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Petric is looking to clinch but Bal is avoiding it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Bal. That snapped Petric's head back.
Petric is looking to clinch but Bal is avoiding it.
Petric tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Petric misses with a head kick.
Nice body kick from Petric.
Bal throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Bal wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Bal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bal circles away from the clinch attempt.
Petric tries to clinch but Bal moves out of range.
Petric steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Bal.

Petric bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bal wants to get back to his feet.
Bal avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Petric.
Bal is not content to let Petric control the position.
Petric tries to advance to mount but can't.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Goran Petric showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. This is the final round!

Petric shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bal defends it nicely.
Petric tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Bal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Petric tries to clinch up.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Petric.
A head kick misses from Petric.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Petric tries to close the distance and clinch but Bal swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Petric lands with a kick to the ribs.
Petric throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Petric misses with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bal misses with a hook.
Bal throws a sloppy head kick
and Petric counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Petric throws a front kick aimed at Bal's knee but Bal avoids it well.
Petric wants to clinch up but Bal keeps it at a distance.
Bal swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Petric has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
A combination from Bal does no damage.
Bal will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Petric looks for the body kick but Bal saw that one coming.
Petric looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Bal rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Petric moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A punch combination from Bal misses.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Petric.
Petric tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Petric misses with an attempted mid kick.
Petric avoids a punch combination nicely.
Petric pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Bal throws a sloppy head kick and Petric moves out of range easily.
Petric throws a head kick that misses.
Bal throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Petric counters with a nice kick to the body.

Petric clinches up with Bal and pushes him back against the ropes.
Petric with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Bal wants to break the clinch but can't.
Petric with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Bal is looking to break free of the clinch but Petric has double underhooks.
Petric with a knee to the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bal working aggressively here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Petric is trying to maintain a safe position but Bal gets an underhook and turns Petric into the ropes.
Petric connects with a knee to the head.
Petric with a knee to the head.
Petric throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Bal blocks it with crossed arms.
Petric has Bal pressed against the ropes, preventing Bal from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Petric using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Bal has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Petric keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Bal's efforts to push away.
Petric with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Petric has Bal pressed against the ropes, preventing Bal from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Petric misses with a knee to the head.
Bal creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
A frustrated look appears on Bal's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Petric misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Bal.
Petric tries a knee to the head but Bal blocks it.
Bal working hard to break the clinch.
Bal wants to break free but Petric has control.
Bal looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Petric tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Bal avoids it.
A frustrated look appears on Bal's face as he tries to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Bal wants to break the clinch but can't.
Petric looking to throw knees to the head but Bal is blocking nicely.
Bal is trying to force a seperation but Petric has the dominant position.
Petric tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Bal avoids it.
Bal wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Bal has had enough of the clinch but Petric keeps him there for the moment.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Petric lands a knee to the head.
Bal has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Bal wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Bal blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Bal wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Petric has him pressed against the ropes.
Bal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bal working hard to break the clinch.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Bal wants to break the clinch but can't.
Bal avoiding damage as Petric throws knees to the body.
Bal wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Bal wants to break the clinch but can't.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Goran Petric.
I think Petric has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Paulo Santos scores the fight 28:29
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 28:29
Judge Luis Engracia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Goran Petric!