PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Maxx Shepard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ray Zaharn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Zaharn comes into a darkened arena with his song building. 28 Days Later kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Ray Zaharn has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Shepard
vs
Zaharn

170 cm
22
155 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

175 cm
22
158 lbs
6 - 9 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Decent elbows
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Maxx Shepard!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ray Zaharn!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Frank Antenori and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Zaharn lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Zaharn looks to land a combination but Shepard avoids it well.
Zaharn listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Good shot there by Zaharn.
Zaharn with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Shepard tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Zaharn paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Zaharn throws a leg kick

and Shepard moves into the clinch.
Shepard lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Zaharn tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Shepard's elbow.
Zaharn swings wildly with an uppercut but Shepard uses good head movement to avoid it.
Zaharn misses with the head strike.

Shepard pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Zaharn throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Shepard tries to close the distance and clinch up but Zaharn swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zaharn swats away the attempt to clinch by Shepard.
Zaharn throws a series of punches but Shepard moves out of range.
Shepard blocks a head kick by Zaharn.
Jab from Zaharn.
Zaharn tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Shepard was well out of range. Poor timing from Zaharn.
Zaharn connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Zaharn misses with the combination.
Zaharn tries a low kick but Shepard avoids it.
Zaharn jabs Shepard to the body, keeping him at a distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Shepard closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Zaharn looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A head punch on the inside from Shepard fails to land.

Shepard's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Some wild striking there from Zaharn.
Zaharn scores with a decent looking hook.
Shepard slips under a jab.
Ray Zaharn is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Shepard misses with a takedown attempt
letting Zaharn counter with a right hand.
Shepard fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Shepard closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Shepard lands in his opponent's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Shepard got a little sloppy there for a moment and Zaharn has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Shepard has managed to get both his arms back between Zaharn's legs - danger averted.
Shepard postures up in Zaharn's guard and throws a big left but Zaharn blocks it.
Zaharn utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Shepard tries to free his leg and advance position but Zaharn is retaining full guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Zaharn is on top in guard.
Shepard keeping moving, preventing Zaharn from controlling successfully.
Zaharn trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shepard looking for a sweep. Not yet Shepard, not yet.
Shepard preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Shepard is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Zaharn wants to control from the top but Shepard keeps moving.

Shepard looking for a guillotine here but Zaharn defends easily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Zaharn looking to pass the guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Zaharn dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Zaharn dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Shepard takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

Shepard moves into the clinch.
Zaharn is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Zaharn misses with a hook from the clinch.
Shepard blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Zaharn stalling.
Zaharn working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Shepard is trying to pull guard but Zaharn has him pressed against the cage.

Shepard's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The fight stays on the outside here - Shepard looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Shepard fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shepard wants to clinch up but Zaharn keeps it at a distance.
Ray Zaharn seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Zaharn scores with a nice head shot.
Zaharn throws a hook to the side of Shepard's head but Shepard sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Shepard is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Zaharn lands a leg kick that knocks Shepard off balance momentarily.
Zaharn fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Shepard looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Zaharn stuffs the takedown attempt from Shepard. Shepard gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Maxx Shepard. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shepard defending well as Zaharn loads up on a big left hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zaharn throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Shepard stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Shepard misses with a series of wild punches.
Shepard tries to clinch up but Zaharn circles away and keeps his distance.
Shepard ducks under a wild hook from Zaharn.

Shepard moves into the clinch.
Shepard tries to pull guard but Zaharn forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Zaharn is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Shepard can't get the takedown.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Shepard is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Zaharn has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Shepard tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Zaharn just stands there and leans against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Zaharn creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

Shepard manages to break the clinch.
Zaharn misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Shepard.
Zaharn dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Shepard will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Zaharn throws a leg kick but Shepard sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Zaharn ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Shepard moves away.
Zaharn throws a jab when Shepard was well out of range.
Shepard tries to close the distance and clinch but Zaharn swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Shepard scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Zaharn has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Shepard is working away from the top position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shepard is nestled in close to Zaharn, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

Zaharn looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Shepard takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.

Shepard decides to stand up.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shepard tries to clinch but Zaharn is having none of it.

Shepard has taken the fight to the clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Zaharn stops a takedown attempt from Shepard.
Shepard tries to pull guard but Zaharn won't allow it.
Zaharn wants to get back to striking at distance but Shepard won't allow it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Ray Zaharn will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Shepard throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Zaharn's waist but Zaharn gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Shepard off to one side.
Zaharn tries a low kick but Shepard avoids it.
Shepard fails with the takedown.

Shepard changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Zaharn looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Zaharn is looking to regain half guard here but Shepard keeps moving and retains side control.
Zaharn regains half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Zaharn manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Shepard landing with the ground and pound.
Shepard trying to stand up but can't free himself from Zaharn's guard.
Shepard working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Shepard has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zaharn has his foot on Shepard's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Shepard works his way back into a safe position though.
Shepard throws a big elbow that misses.

Zaharn had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Shepard defends it easily.
Shepard advances position into side control!
Zaharn takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
You can see the frustration on Zaharn's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Shepard is looking to take a break and control but Zaharn is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Zaharn wants to get back to his feet but Shepard drags him back down.

Shepard has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Zaharn with a hook.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zaharn scores with a sloppy right hand. Shepard should have avoided that one.
Zaharn misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Shepard.
Shepard is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Shepard walks into a left hand.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Zaharn thows a body shot but no joy.
Shepard slips a jab from Zaharn.
Zaharn misses with a wild body shot.
Zaharn misses with a straight left.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shepard misses with a wild combination.
Shepard fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Maxx Shepard. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Zaharn attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Shepard shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Zaharn sprawls well. Zaharn wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Shepard gets slowly back to his feet.
Zaharn digs a good body shot into Shepard's ribs.
Shepard misses with a double jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jab, jab by Zaharn - just one landing.
Zaharn misses with a wild combination.

Shepard scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Zaharn is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Zaharn can't do much from the bottom here.
Zaharn tries to buck Shepard off but Shepard is having none of it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Zaharn regains half guard.

Shepard seems to be working for a kimura but Zaharn defends the submission attempt.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Shepard lands strikes from half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Ray Zaharn just about did enough to take it.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Zaharn gets caught flat footed, as Shepard shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Shepard accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Zaharn not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Zaharn keeping moving, preventing Shepard from controlling successfully.
Zaharn wants to sweep here but Shepard controlling him for the moment.
Shepard trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

Zaharn is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Shepard looking to pass the guard.
Maxx Shepard overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Shepard trying to control the position from guard on top but Zaharn is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shepard pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Zaharn is keeping the position for now.
Shepard is pushing down on Zaharn's leg trying to pass to half guard. Zaharn is fighting to maintain full guard but Shepard has managed to sneak the leg through.
Zaharn is looking for a sweep. Shepard is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Shepard stops Zaharn from getting back to his feet.
Zaharn is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Shepard is trying to control. Zaharn wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Shepard tries to pass the half guard into mount. Zaharn knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Zaharn is looking to improve his position.
Zaharn keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Shepard landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shepard wants to control but Zaharn is keeping him busy.
Shepard prevents Zaharn from standing back up.
Shepard is looking to advance position but Zaharn won't allow it.
Zaharn is refusing to be controlled, as Shepard sits in half guard.
Zaharn regains full guard. Nicely done.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Shepard decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Zaharn, up you get!
Maxx Shepard is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Shepard shoots in for a double leg but Zaharn sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Zaharn defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Shepard.
Zaharn throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Shepard stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
A shot to the liver by Zaharn. Beautiful body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Zaharn throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A left and a right from Shepard both land. Nice combination.
Shepard jabs Zaharn right on the nose. Zaharn blinks but takes it well.
Shepard looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Zaharn throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Shepard.
Zaharn misses with the combination.
Zaharn stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Maxx Shepard. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Zaharn swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zaharn ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Shepard moves away.
Sloppy strikes from Zaharn. Those never looked like landing.

Shepard darts in and clinches Zaharn up against the cage.
Shepard tries to pull guard but Zaharn forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Shepard is trying to pull guard but Zaharn has him pressed against the cage.

Zaharn breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Shepard keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Zaharn dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Shepard. That did some damage!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Zaharn misses with a leg kick

and Shepard holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Shepard is trying to pull guard but Zaharn has him pressed against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Shepard wants a takedown.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Maxx Shepard had his way with Ray Zaharn in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Shepard connects with a high kick.
Shepard shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Zaharn but Zaharn pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Zaharn stuffs the takedown.
Zaharn throws a jab but it's blocked by Shepard.
Shepard tries to close the distance and clinch up but Zaharn swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Zaharn dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Shepard takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Shepard tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Zaharn manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Zaharn throws a big shot that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shepard shoots in but Zaharn avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Maxx Shepard. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A shot to the liver by Zaharn. Beautiful body shot.
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.
Some wild striking there from Zaharn.
Zaharn swats away the attempt to clinch by Shepard.
Zaharn with a jab.
A telegraphed right hand from Zaharn misses the target.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Shepard moves into range and clinches up with Zaharn.
Zaharn looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Zaharn has had enough of the clinch but Shepard keeps him there for the moment.
Shepard is working for takedown but Zaharn is calmly controlling the position for now.
Shepard blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Shepard fails to pull guard.
Zaharn wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Shepard pulls guard effortlessly.
Zaharn looking to sit in guard and control but Shepard gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shepard cracks Zaharn with a solid left hand.
Shepard distracts Zaharn with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Shepard has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Zaharn is proving hard to escape from.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Zaharn is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Zaharn seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Shepard does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Shepard looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Zaharn is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Shepard sees it coming and defends easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zaharn works his foot free and advances to mount.
Shepard avoids a series of strikes thrown by Zaharn.
Shepard manages to work a leg through to get back to half guard here. Good work there by Shepard, under a barage of strikes from Zaharn.
Zaharn is keen to just control but Shepard is a slippery customer.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Zaharn wants to work for an arm triangle but Shepard is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Zaharn is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Shepard has managed to free his arm - good work.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ray Zaharn comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Zaharn 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.

Judge Don Winkell scores the fight for Ray Zaharn!
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight for Ray Zaharn!
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight for Ray Zaharn!

Ray Zaharn wins by unanimous decision!
A relieved looking Ray Zaharn thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.