PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Brandon Vera (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Brad Snarke (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Brad Snarke has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Vera
vs
Snarke

178 cm
24
166 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

180 cm
23
168 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Experienced

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Brandon Vera!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Brad Snarke!
The judges for this bout are Nard Betker, Paul Aken and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vera shoots in looking for a takedown. Snarke tries to sprawl out of it but Vera keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Snarke manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Snarke misses with a low kick.
Snarke misses with a wild combination.
Vera will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Brad Snarke seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Snarke pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Vera shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Snarke as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Vera. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Vera throws a leg kick but Snarke moved away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vera lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Snarke pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Vera dives in and grabs Snarke's left leg, looking for a takedown. Snarke pushes down on Vera's head and hops out.

Snarke lands a big head kick that sends Vera tumbling to the mat! Snarke takes a step backwards and waves Vera back to his feet - he wants the finish!

Vera is rocked!

It looks like Brandon Vera has been cut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Snarke swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Oh Vera is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Snarke thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Vera if he has to take too many more of those.
Vera seems to have got his legs back now.
Snarke throws a leg kick but Vera sees it coming and moves out of range.
Snarke tries to clinch there but Vera circles away.
Snarke tries to clinch up.
Snarke goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Snarke is looking to clinch but Vera is avoiding it.
Snarke throws a front kick that sends Vera stumbling back into the ropes.
Vera is breathing heavily.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Snarke.
Snarke tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Snarke fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Vera is out of range.
Vera wants to slow Snarke down by chopping away at his legs.
Snarke looks for the body kick but Vera saw that one coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Snarke defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Vera.
Brad Snarke is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Vera fails with a takedown attempt.

Snarke has Vera up against the ropes in a clinch.

Snarke breaks the clinch.
Vera throws a series of punches but Snarke avoids them all with ease.
Vera looks for a takedown but Snarke sprawls well.
Snarke tries to close the distance and clinch but Vera swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Vera avoids the head kick by Snarke.
Vera closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Snarke stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Snarke wants it to stay on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vera shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Snarke defends it nicely.
Snarke fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Vera.
Snarke thumps Vera with a low kick.
Snarke lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Vera circles away quickly and effectively.
Vera avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Vera looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Snarke is fending him off so far but Vera persists. Nope, Snarke circles away and we're back to standing.
Snarke tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Snarke tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Vera throws a right and a left that Snarke avoids nicely.
Vera circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Snarke bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Snarke throws a head kick that misses.
Snarke tries to close the distance and clinch up but Vera swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Snarke lands a nice looking body shot.
Snarke fails with an attempt to clinch.
Snarke fakes the leg kick and cracks Vera in the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Snarke throws a half hearted mid kick.
Snarke with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Snarke tries to close the distance and clinch but Vera swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Snarke tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Vera was well out of range. Poor timing from Snarke.
A left lands for Snarke.
Snarke walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Vera checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Brad Snarke dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Brandon Vera's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Vera takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Vera blocks a head kick by Snarke.
Snarke pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A right-left combo lands from Vera.
Snarke throws a body kick that misses.
Snarke pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Vera misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Snarke throws a sloppy head kick and Vera moves out of range easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Snarke scores with a head kick.
Snarke is breathing heavily.
Snarke swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vera shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Snarke defends it nicely.
Some wild striking there from Vera.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Snarke fails in his attempt to clinch.
Snarke digs a good body shot into Vera's ribs.
Vera avoids the head kick by Snarke.
Brad Snarke seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Snarke moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Snarke throws a sloppy head kick and Vera moves out of range easily.
The fight stays on the outside here - Snarke looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Vera avoids the head kick by Snarke.
Snarke tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Vera paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's two 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.
Vera shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Nice defenses there by Vera.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Snarke.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Vera. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Vera with a hook.
Snarke looks to land a body kick but Vera moved away.
Snarke is looking to clinch.
Snarke misses with a body shot.
Brandon Vera is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Vera closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Snarke scores with a knee to the head.

Vera pulls guard successfully.

Vera escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Snarke gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Snarke tries to stand but Vera is controlling from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vera is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Vera striking off his back but it's not causing Snarke any problems.
Snarke wants to control from the top but Vera keeps moving.

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.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Vera has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Snarke can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

Snarke got a little sloppy there for a moment and Vera has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Snarke has managed to get both his arms back between Vera's legs - danger averted.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Vera looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Brandon Vera dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Brandon Vera's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Snarke lands a nice leg kick that just misses Vera's sensitive parts.
Snarke throws a wild body kick that Vera sees coming a mile off.
Snarke defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Vera.

Vera fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Snarke sprawls well initially but Vera persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Snarke blocking the ground and pound attempt from Vera.

Snarke is defending against the submission attempts here by Vera.
Vera stops Snarke from getting back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vera seems to be working for a kimura but Snarke defends the submission attempt.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Snarke is trying to stand up here but Vera is controlling him well.

Vera is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Vera has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.

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.
Snarke is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Snarke is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Snarke in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Vera misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Vera is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Snarke can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Vera throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Snarke is in a horrible position here. Vera smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.

It looks like Brad Snarke has been cut.
Snarke wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Vera.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Poor strikes thrown by Vera there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Vera cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Snarke holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Vera tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

Vera with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Brandon Vera clearly takes that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Snarke leaves Vera with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Snarke wants to clinch up but Vera keeps it at a distance.
Snarke scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Snarke looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Vera.
Snarke pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Snarke fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Vera is out of range.
Snarke throws a leg kick

and Vera counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Snarke's guard now.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vera thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Snarke can do anything to dispel that myth.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Vera seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Brandon Vera overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Snarke is looking to stand up but Vera isn't so interested in that idea.

Vera thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Vera throwing strikes from guard but Snarke blocks nicely.
Vera chips away with some ground and pound.
Vera trying to control but Snarke is working from the bottom.
Vera seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vera missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Snarke really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Vera. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Vera throwing strikes from guard but Snarke blocks nicely.
Vera throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Snarke works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

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.
Snarke preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Vera trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

Vera drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Snarke dives on top into guard.

Vera looking for a guillotine here but Snarke defends easily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Snarke postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Brandon Vera had his way with Brad Snarke in that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's time! Back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Vera shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Vera lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Snarke backs up against the ropes.
Snarke throws a head kick that half lands.
Vera shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Snarke but Snarke pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Vera dives in and grabs Snarke's left leg, looking for a takedown. Snarke pushes down on Vera's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Vera. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Snarke tries to clinch but fails miserably

so Vera counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Vera won't allow Snarke to get back to his feet.
Vera wanted to stand there but Snarke had control of the position.
Vera throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Snarke works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vera throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Snarke preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Vera is looking to stand up but Snarke won't let him.
Vera wants to control from the top but Snarke keeps moving.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Vera accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Brandon Vera is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Snarke is looking to stand up but Vera isn't so interested in that idea.
Snarke avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Vera throws a big right hand that misses.
Vera trying to control the position from guard on top but Snarke is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Vera is looking to stand up but Snarke won't let him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Vera wants to control from the top but Snarke keeps moving.

We're going to have a standup here because Brandon Vera wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Vera gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

Snarke breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Snarke walks into a jab.
Vera misses the body punch
and Snarke counters with a low kick, right behind Vera 's knee.

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.
Snarke is looking to chop away at Vera's legs.
Vera dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Snarke looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Brad Snarke has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Snarke tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Snarke is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Vera rather than just go for the knockout.
Snarke darts in trying to clinch

and Vera counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Vera controlling the action here.
Vera wants to take a breather but Snarke is having none of it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Brandon Vera showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Vera has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Nard Betker scores the fight 48:46
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 48:46
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 48:46

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Brandon Vera!
Brandon Vera retains his lightweight title!