PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between DJ Penn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Wayne Rooney (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Wayne Rooney will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Penn
vs
Rooney

175 cm
28
160 lbs
15 - 9 - 1

190 cm
22
165 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, DJ Penn!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Wayne Rooney!
The judges for this bout are Alexandre Firmino, Leandro Rodrigues and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Penn moves out of range as Rooney strikes.
Penn wants to clinch up but Rooney keeps it at a distance.
Rooney swats away the attempt to clinch by Penn.
Rooney is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Rooney lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Penn at a distance.
Penn tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Penn doesn't manage to clinch there - Rooney circles away.
Rooney swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Rooney takes a swing at Penn's ribcage but misses.
Penn tries to close the distance and clinch but Rooney swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Some wild striking there from Penn.
Rooney looks to land a left hand but Penn moved out of range nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rooney misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Penn.
Penn moves away from the strike by Rooney.
Wayne Rooney is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rooney swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Penn.
Rooney takes one to the side of the head.
Rooney misses with a wild body shot.
Rooney throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Rooney fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Penn manages to avoid it.
Rooney circles away from the clinch attempt.
Rooney tries to move into range but Penn moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Rooney throws a nice looking combination but Penn bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Penn misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Rooney with a jab.
Rooney blocks a jab.
Penn is looking to clinch.
Penn pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Penn has managed to clinch.
A short right from Rooney on the inside.
Penn looking for a takedown.
Rooney letting Penn take a breather here.
Penn looking to slow down the pace here.
Penn is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Rooney gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Rooney pulls him back up using the underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for DJ Penn. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rooney works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Penn drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Rooney gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Penn tries to score a body lock takedown but Rooney shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Rooney.
Rooney makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Rooney lands a right hand.
Penn is working for takedown but Rooney is calmly controlling the position for now.
Rooney presses Penn against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Penn tries to score a body lock takedown but Rooney shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Penn drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Rooney gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Penn is breathing heavily.
Penn is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Rooney lands a body shot in the clinch.
Penn can't get the takedown.
Rooney lands a hook that snaps the head of Penn backwards.
Rooney lands with a short punch from the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Still in the clinch, Rooney scores with a nice short uppercut.
Rooney throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Penns head.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Rooney creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Penn changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Rooney fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Rooney tries to clinch up.
Rooney scores with the left hand. Penn knows he should have avoided that one.
Rooney takes a swing at Penn's ribcage but misses.
Rooney pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Penn throws a series of punches but Rooney avoids them all with ease.

Rooney moves into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Wayne Rooney dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Rooney avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Rooney tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Penn was well out of range. Poor timing from Rooney.
Rooney throws a body punch but Penn moves out of range.
Wayne Rooney seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Penn shoots in but Rooney avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Penn wants to clinch.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Rooney enables Penn to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Rooney manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.

Penn drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Penn jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

Penn is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Rooney swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Penn trying to control but Rooney is working from the bottom.
Penn stopping the sweep attempt from Rooney.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rooney is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Penn might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Penn tries to free his leg and advance position but Rooney is retaining full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Rooney tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Penn is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Rooney is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Rooney has escaped and now he's on top!
Rooney wants to pass the guard but Penn is keeping the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rooney advances to half guard.
Penn wants to control but Rooney is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Penn is staying active underneath Rooney, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Penn looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Rooney is trying to control. Penn wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Rooney throwing shots but Penn is blocking nicely.
Penn slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

Penn is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Rooney defends well.

Penn looking for a guillotine here but Rooney defends easily.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Penn is working an open guard so Rooney takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Penn ducks under a wild hook from Rooney.
Penn throws an overhand right that lands on Rooney's shoulder, as Rooney tries to avoid the shot.
Rooney lunges at Penn with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Penn's hand.
Rooney ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Penn moves away.
Penn misses the shot to the body.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Rooney uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Penn.
Rooney throws a hook but Penn blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Wayne Rooney showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Rooney swats away the attempt to clinch by Penn.
Penn moves in looking to clinch but Rooney pushes him off.
Rooney throws a jab but it's blocked by Penn.

Rooney moves into range and clinches up with Penn.
Rooney misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Penn tries to score a body lock takedown but Rooney shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Penn fails to pull guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Penn tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for DJ Penn. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rooney pushes Penn back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Rooney prevents a takedown attempt there.
Penn drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Penn drops down looking for an ankle pick but Rooney pulls his leg out and moves away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rooney looks to land a left hand but Penn moved out of range nicely.
A swing and a miss from Rooney.
Penn fails with an attempt to clinch.
Rooney looks to land a left hand but Penn moved out of range nicely.
Rooney throws a lazy right hand but Penn sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

Penn shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.

Penn with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Wayne Rooney is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rooney tries to lock up and control but Penn gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

Penn jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Rooney manages to avoid the submission attempt.
Rooney tries to improve position but can't.
Sloppy strikes there by Penn.

Penn is trying to get an arm triangle but Rooney is defending well.
Rooney controls the position for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Penn looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.

Penn is trying to get an arm triangle but Rooney is defending well.
Rooney holding on.
Rooney takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.

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.
Rooney is looking for a sweep.
Penn tries to advance to mount but Rooney denies him.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Rooney can do anything to dispel that myth.

Penn tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Penn has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

Penn is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Rooney has escaped the position, nice work there.
DJ Penn has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Penn working away.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to DJ Penn.
I think Rooney 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 Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 28:29
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Wayne Rooney!