PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Nickolas Bryant (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mariuz Taurosevicius (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Bryant
vs
Taurosevicius

170 cm
25
184 lbs
11 - 7 - 0

175 cm
23
175 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Nickolas Bryant!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Mariuz Taurosevicius!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bryant connects with a leg kick. Taurosevicius looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Taurosevicius pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Taurosevicius attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Bryant bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Taurosevicius swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Bryant counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Taurosevicius swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Taurosevicius throws a wild body kick that Bryant sees coming a mile off.
Bryant throws a body punch but Taurosevicius moves out of range.
Bryant throws a looping overhand right but Taurosevicius ducks down to avoid it.
Bryant scores with a punch to the head.

It looks like Mariuz Taurosevicius has been cut.
Bryant scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Good shot there by Bryant.
A head kick by Taurosevicius misses
and Bryant counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Taurosevicius throws a head kick but Bryant moves out of range.
Bryant misses with a hook. Taurosevicius ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taurosevicius misses with a low kick.
Bryant throws a leg kick but Taurosevicius sees it coming and moves out of range.
Bryant connects with a body shot.
Taurosevicius swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Bryant counters with a thumping low kick.
Bryant misses the shot to the body.
Taurosevicius misses with a combination
and Bryant counters with a right hand to the body.
Taurosevicius throws a right hand that Bryant ducks under and follows up with a left that Bryant also avoids with ease.
Bryant blocks the body kick.
Bryant avoids a punch combination nicely.
Taurosevicius misses with a kick to the body

and Bryant counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Taurosevicius looks gassed!
Bryant prevents Taurosevicius from getting back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Taurosevicius avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bryant controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Bryant lands a couple of elbows.
Bryant keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Taurosevicius's head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bryant is looking to work some ground and pound but Taurosevicius has wrist control.
Taurosevicius seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Bryant trying to control but Taurosevicius is working from the bottom.
Taurosevicius avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bryant accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Bryant content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Bryant throws a strike but Taurosevicius rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Bryant throws his legs up looking for a submission but Taurosevicius uses it to pass to side control.
Bryant is not content to let Taurosevicius control the position.
Taurosevicius misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bryant manages to get back to half guard.
Taurosevicius tries to stand and escape but Bryant is controlling the position.
Taurosevicius wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bryant keeps working.

Taurosevicius is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Taurosevicius keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nickolas Bryant dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Mariuz Taurosevicius's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Taurosevicius throws a sloppy head kick and Bryant moves out of range easily.
Bryant moves out of range as Taurosevicius strikes.
Jab from Bryant.
A leg kick checked by Bryant.
Taurosevicius throws a leg kick
and Bryant cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
A looping hook to the body misses from Taurosevicius. Bryant does a little dance to reset his feet.
Bryant will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Taurosevicius misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Bryant showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Taurosevicius.
Taurosevicius fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bryant manages to avoid it.
Taurosevicius throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A head kick by Taurosevicius misses

and Bryant counters with a single leg into guard. Taurosevicius didn't expect that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bryant prevents Taurosevicius from getting back to his feet.
Bryant controlling from the top position.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Taurosevicius holds on and takes a little breather.
Bryant trying to control but Taurosevicius is working from the bottom.
Taurosevicius is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Taurosevicius seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

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.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Nickolas Bryant wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Bryant misses with a left hand
and Taurosevicius counters with a three punch combo that has Bryant backing up. Bryant nods at Taurosevicius to acknowledge the strikes.
Bryant is looking to score with low kicks.
Bryant throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Mariuz Taurosevicius is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Taurosevicius tries to work over Bryant's front leg with a kick but Bryant checks it.
Taurosevicius tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A head kick misses from Bryant.
Bryant lands a nice looking body shot.
Taurosevicius lands with a hook. Bryant tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

It looks like Nickolas Bryant has been cut.
Taurosevicius looks to land a body kick but Bryant moved away.
Some wild striking there from Taurosevicius.
Bryant sizes up Taurosevicius with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taurosevicius throws a good cross that connects.
Bryant blocks a head kick by Taurosevicius.
Taurosevicius throws a right hand that Bryant ducks under and follows up with a left that Bryant also avoids with ease.
Bryant uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Taurosevicius.
Bryant scores with a decent looking hook.
Bryant throws a leg kick but Taurosevicius checks it.
Taurosevicius throws a combination that misses
and Bryant counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Taurosevicius is breathing heavily.
Taurosevicius lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Bryant circles away quickly and effectively.
Nickolas Bryant is winning the standup battle so far.
A clash of legs there as Bryant blocks the low kick.
Taurosevicius throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Bryant's head.
A big right from Bryant misses.
Mariuz Taurosevicius seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bryant throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Taurosevicius throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Bryant misses the shot to the body.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Bryant crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Taurosevicius - the referee stops the clock and Bryant gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Taurosevicius. Bryant manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Bryant blocks the body kick.
Taurosevicius tries to land a front kick but Bryant steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
A head kick by Bryant misses
and Taurosevicius counters with a left to the body.
Bryant is looking to clinch but Taurosevicius is avoiding it.
The crowd cheers as Bryant lands an impressive looking overhand right. Taurosevicius doesn't seem phased though.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Decent striking displayed by Bryant there.
Taurosevicius slips under a jab from Bryant.
A solid body kick from Taurosevicius.
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 Nickolas Bryant will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Bryant slips under a jab.
Taurosevicius moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Taurosevicius throws a series of strikes that have Bryant backpedaling.
Taurosevicius throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Taurosevicius throws a right and a left that both miss.
Bryant uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Taurosevicius.
Taurosevicius misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bryant.
Taurosevicius misses with a few strikes there.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Taurosevicius defending well as Bryant loads up on a big left hand.
Taurosevicius looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Taurosevicius lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Taurosevicius.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taurosevicius throws a series of punches but Bryant avoids them all with ease.
Taurosevicius throws a sloppy head kick

and Bryant counters with a nice double leg into side control. Taurosevicius won't be happy with that.
Taurosevicius is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Bryant's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Taurosevicius is trying to get back to full guard.
Taurosevicius is trying to maintain the position but Bryant is very close to passing his half guard.
Bryant is trying to control. Taurosevicius wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Bryant sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Taurosevicius defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taurosevicius wants to control but Bryant is keeping busy.
Taurosevicius wants to improve his position but Bryant is controlling well.
Taurosevicius trying to control here.
Bryant is taking a breather. Taurosevicius 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.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Bryant moves out of range of the strikes.
Taurosevicius misses with a wild combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taurosevicius throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Bryant works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Bryant sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Taurosevicius tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bryant scores with a hook to the body. Taurosevicius takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Nickolas Bryant is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Taurosevicius lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Bryant throws a low kick but it's checked well by Taurosevicius.
A slapping leg kick lands for Taurosevicius.
Taurosevicius misses with a double jab
and Bryant counters with an outside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taurosevicius misses with a combination
and Bryant counters with a good low kick that Taurosevicius was not able to check.
Taurosevicius throws a solid leg kick but Bryant takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Taurosevicius.
Taurosevicius throws a combination that misses
enabling Bryant to counter with a crisp jab.
Taurosevicius throws an off balance right hand
and Bryant counters with a nice low kick that buckles Taurosevicius's knee momentarily.
Bryant swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Taurosevicius fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Bryant jabs at Taurosevicius's body.
Bryant lands with a shot to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A nice inside leg kick there by Bryant. That's going to slow Taurosevicius down.
Bryant misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Taurosevicius to counter with a crisp jab.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mariuz Taurosevicius comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Bryant 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Andi Peters scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 29:29
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 28:29

The fight is ruled a draw!