PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Claudios Nero (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sheldon Penn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Nero
vs
Penn

190 cm
19
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

189 cm
19
220 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Determined

[MMABR]: Vaninico's Nutrition
[MMABR]: Vaninico's Nutrition

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Claudios Nero!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Sheldon Penn!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Blasius, Aafke Stam and Patrick Alders.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nero tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A punch combination from Penn misses.
Penn lands the left hand.

Nero closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Penn tries to bench press Nero off him but Nero keeps the position.
Nero controlling the position from side mount.
Penn is looking for a sweep.
Penn wants to control but Nero postures up.
Penn is looking to reverse the position.
Nero creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Penn sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Nero tries to advance to mount but can't.
Nero scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Penn to see if he's OK.
Penn is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Nero's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Penn trying to control from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn wants to improve his position but Nero is controlling well.
Nero wants to pass the guard but Penn is defending well.
Penn gets back to full guard.
Nero trying to control the position from guard on top but Penn is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Penn not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Nero working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Penn's head.
Nero is looking to work some ground and pound but Penn has wrist control.
Nero is looking to advance position but Penn has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!
Nero is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Penn tries to control but Nero wriggling away.
Nero is controlling an arm, preventing Penn from taking his back. Although keeping him in mount is no better to be honest.
Penn wants to control the pace but Nero is squirming around nicely.

Penn moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Nero has worked his arm free - good work by Nero!
Nero is breathing heavily.
Penn tries to advance to mount but can't.
Nero knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Penn on the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Penn tries for a kimura but Nero is defending well.
Penn wants to control but Nero is keeping him busy.
Nero is looking to reverse the position.
Penn has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Nero!
Nero prevents Penn from taking his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Nero is squirming around, avoiding Penn's attempts to control the action.

Penn working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Penn wants to take Nero's back here but Nero is holding on to an arm, himself looking to escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Claudios Nero 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.

Penn connects with the punch.
Penn cracks a nice hook into Nero's ribs.

Nero looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Penn looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Penn manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Nero manages to get himself to full guard.
Nero keeping moving, preventing Penn from controlling successfully.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Penn looking to sit in guard and control but Nero gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Despite being in the dominant position, Sheldon Penn just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Penn tries to keep at a distance but Nero has taken the fight into the clinch.
Penn is pressed up against the cage. Nero has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Penn down to the mat. Penn avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

That's two 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.
Penn connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Claudios Nero is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Penn misses with a two punch combination.
Penn stalks Nero and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Nero's face. Nero staggers backwards, shaken.
Penn looks to land a combination. Nero sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Penn throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Nero.
Penn works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Nice jab there from Penn.
Penn swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Nero.
Penn digs a good body shot into Nero's ribs.
Nero fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Penn lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Penn's corner calls for a 1-2. Penn obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Penn lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Penn scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Nero circles away quickly and effectively.
Nice uppercut lands for Penn. That snapped Nero's head back.
Penn lands with a hook. Nero tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Penn scores with the left hand. Nero knows he should have avoided that one.
Nero takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Penn cracks a nice hook into Nero's ribs.
Penn jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Penn throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Nero on the side of the head.
Penn connects with a looping right hand.
A left lands for Penn.
Penn throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Penn lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Penn.
Penn moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Penn swinging wilding here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
A left and a right from Penn both land. Nice combination.

Nero feints and as Penn raises his hands in defense, Nero changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Nero stopping the sweep attempt from Penn.
Nero pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Penn is keeping the position for now.
Penn trying to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Claudios Nero will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Penn cracks Nero with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Penn scores with a jab to the jaw.

Nero has taken the fight to the clinch.
Penn wants to break the clinch but can't.

Nero is trying to trip Penn. He has hold of a leg but Penn is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Nero persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Penn looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Penn is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Nero won't allow Penn to sweep him here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nero is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn trying to control the position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Penn wants to sweep here but Nero controlling him for the moment.
Nero postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Nice takedown defense from Penn. No joy for Nero on that attempt.
Sheldon Penn is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Penn lands a nice shot that snaps Nero's head back.
Penn punishes Nero's body with a nice straight punch.
Nero takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Nero on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Nero takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Penn dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Penn lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Penn misses with a series of wild punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Penn lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Penn lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Penn.
Penn scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Penn jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Nero takes a shot to the body in his stride.

Nero clinches with his opponent.
Penn is looking to break free of the clinch but Nero has double underhooks.
Penn looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

Nero breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Penn throws a series of strikes that have Nero backpedaling.

Nero rushes Penn and presses him up against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Penn's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Nero breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Nero backs up against the cage.
Nero tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Penn swivels and escapes.
Penn connects with a jab.
Penn fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Nero on the side of the head.
Nero misses with a shot to the body
and Penn counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Penn looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Penn looks to land a left hand but Nero moved out of range nicely.
Nero is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Penn.
Nero takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.

Nero shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Nero wants to pass the guard but Penn is keeping the position.
Nero postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nero sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Penn's guard.
Penn tries to roll over but Nero keeps him under control.
Nero performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

Nero decides to return to a standing position.
Sheldon Penn has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Claudios Nero is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Penn throws a right hand that Nero ducks under and follows up with a left that Nero also avoids with ease.

And that's the end of the fight!
Claudios Nero showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Nero, 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 Daniel Blasius scores the fight 30:28
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 30:28
Judge Patrick Alders scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Claudios Nero!