PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between James Mcneilly (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ivan Matan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Matan has chosen Lijepa naša (croatian national Anthem) as his entrance music. We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Mcneilly
vs
Matan

190 cm
25
260 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

190 cm
18
265 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Brawler
Tends to cut

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, James Mcneilly!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ivan Matan!
The judges for this bout are Lou da Vinci, John Kavanagh and Bruno Lombardi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mcneilly misses with a takedown attempt
letting Matan counter with a right hand.

It looks like James Mcneilly has been cut.
Ivan Matan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Mcneilly misses with a low kick as Matan jumps back.
Matan misses with a wild combination.

Matan cracks Mcneilly with a big right hand that sends him to the floor! Mcneilly looks wobbly but he's sprung back up to his feet straight away… can Matan finish him?
A shot to the body from Matan misses
and Mcneilly counters with a straight right hand.
Mcneilly dodges the punch combination from Matan.
Mcneilly with a poor takedown
and Matan counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Mcneilly thinking.
Matan throws a right hand that Mcneilly ducks under and follows up with a left that Mcneilly also avoids with ease.
Nice takedown defense from Matan. No joy for Mcneilly on that attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Mcneilly. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mcneilly is breathing heavily.
Mcneilly looks for a takedown but Matan sprawls well.
Matan swinging wildly here.
Matan misses with a looping left.
Matan rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Mcneilly counters with a shoot takedown. Matan fights it but they end up in guard.
Mcneilly trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Mcneilly prevents Matan from getting back to his feet.
Mcneilly postures up in Matan's guard and throws a big left but Matan blocks it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mcneilly looking to pass the guard.
Matan keeping moving, preventing Mcneilly from controlling successfully.
Mcneilly has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Matan is proving hard to escape from.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Matan can do anything to dispel that myth.
Mcneilly prevents Matan from getting back to his feet.
Matan really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Mcneilly. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Mcneilly fails with a takedown attempt.
Mcneilly checks a low kick from Matan.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Mcneilly.
Mcneilly avoids the body shot from Matan.
Matan misses with a series of wild punches.
Matan throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mcneilly fails with the takedown.
Mcneilly tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Matan swivels and escapes.
Matan misses with a jab, cross combination.
Mcneilly pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Matan just misses with a punch to the body.
Mcneilly shoots in but no luck this time.
Matan throws a combination that misses

and Mcneilly counters with a single leg into guard. Matan didn't expect that.
Mcneilly trying to control but Matan is working from the bottom.
Mcneilly working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matan is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Mcneilly throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Matan works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Mcneilly prevents Matan from getting back to his feet.
Mcneilly wants to stand but Matan has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Mcneilly accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Mcneilly forces his way into half guard.
Matan wants to get back to his feet.

That's four 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.
Mcneilly missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

Mcneilly is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Matan sees it coming and defends easily.
Mcneilly looks to land a strike but Matan avoids it nicely and regains full guard.

Mcneilly drops back, looking for a kneebar! Matan looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Matan looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Matan!
Mcneilly is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Matan decides to stand back up. Matan steps back and let's Mcneilly get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Matan misses with a shot to the body
and Mcneilly counters with a left and a right that stings Matan.
Mcneilly shoots in but Matan avoids the takedown attempt easily.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Mcneilly.
Matan throws a combination that misses
and Mcneilly counters with a stiff right hand.
Nice takedown defense from Matan. No joy for Mcneilly on that attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Mcneilly. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Matan fails to land with a series of punches.
Matan misses with a wild combination.
Some wild striking there from Mcneilly.
Matan throws a good cross that connects.
Mcneilly looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Mcneilly shoots for a double leg takedown but Matan sprawls well. He's pushed Mcneilly's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Matan missing with a left hand there. Mcneilly was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Matan blocks a leg kick.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Matan scores with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matan swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Mcneilly will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
James Mcneilly is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Matan scores with a hook.
Mcneilly has his takedown stuffed
and Matan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Mcneilly closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Matan throws a right hand that Mcneilly ducks under and follows up with a left that Mcneilly also avoids with ease.
Matan avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ivan Matan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Matan stuffs the takedown attempt from Mcneilly. Mcneilly gets slowly back to his feet.
Matan misses with an uppercut. Mcneilly saw that one coming.
Mcneilly finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Matan rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Mcneilly connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Matan misses with a shot to the body
and Mcneilly counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Mcneilly throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Matan's waist but Matan gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Mcneilly off to one side.
Matan looks to land a left hand but Mcneilly moved out of range nicely.
Mcneilly's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Mcneilly duly obliges.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mcneilly dives in and grabs Matan's left leg, looking for a takedown. Matan pushes down on Mcneilly's head and hops out.
Nice sprawl there from Matan as Mcneilly shoots in.
Mcneilly uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Matan.
Mcneilly lands with a nice combination. Matan backs away looking to recover.
Mcneilly fails with a takedown attempt.
Danga de danga de dang - Mcneilly scores with a four punch combination!
Ivan Matan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Matan tries to bum rush Mcneilly with a series of wild strikes but Mcneilly uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Mcneilly shoots in for a double leg but Matan sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Mcneilly shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Matan pinned against the cage. Matan gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Mcneilly steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Matan.
Mcneilly avoids the body shot from Matan.
Matan is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Mcneilly.
Matan throws a predictable looking body shot
and Mcneilly counters with a stiff right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matan throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Mcneilly counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Matan!
You get the feeling that Matan really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Mcneilly throwing strikes here but Matan is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.

Mcneilly is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Matan is surviving well by controlling Mcneilly's body position as best he can.
Mcneilly has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Mcneilly is standing up out of mount! Strange tactic there - he must really want this one on the feet!
Mcneilly on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Mcneilly stalks Matan and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Matan's face. Matan staggers backwards, shaken.
Mcneilly fails with a takedown attempt.
A punch combination from Matan misses.
Matan misses with the combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mcneilly looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Mcneilly scores with a crisp jab that stopped Matan in his tracks.
Matan swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Mcneilly counters with a left and a right that stings Matan.
Mcneilly shoots in for a double leg but Matan sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Matan throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mcneilly shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Mcneilly tries to clinch but Matan moves out of range.
Matan misses with a double jab
and Mcneilly connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Matan throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Mcneilly fails with the takedown.
Matan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Mcneilly moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Matan throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Mcneilly counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Matan!
James Mcneilly overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Matan is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Mcneilly dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on James Mcneilly's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Matan swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Mcneilly counters with a single leg into guard. Matan didn't expect that.
Mcneilly looking to pass the guard.

Mcneilly drops back looking for a leg! Matan is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Matan manages to kick Mcneilly off! Mcneilly jumps back into Matan's guard.
Matan wants to stand up but Mcneilly is controlling him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Mcneilly trying to control but Matan is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mcneilly passes into half guard.
Matan blocking the ground and pound attempt from Mcneilly.

Mcneilly is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Mcneilly is trying to control. Matan wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Matan keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Mcneilly sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Matan defending well though.
Mcneilly stops Matan from getting back to his feet.

That's two 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.
Mcneilly works his way into side control.
Matan wants to get back to his feet but Mcneilly drags him back down.

Mcneilly is working to tighten is grip on Matan's neck. He's isolated an arm and is working for an arm triangle. Matan has recognised the danger and is trying to turn with the submission but Mcneilly is really squeezing tight and eventually Matan passes out! Mcneilly breaks the hold and jumps onto the cage to celebrate! Submission of the night, I'd say!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:45 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Arm Triangle). James Mcneilly!