PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Nicklas Bendtner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Giorges Papadopoulos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nicklas Bendtner has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Bendtner
vs
Papadopoulos

183 cm
21
186 lbs
5 - 6 - 0

186 cm
25
199 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very quick

Good wrestler
Brawler
Tends to cut

Reaper Combatwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Nicklas Bendtner!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Giorges Papadopoulos!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Anni Minnemäki and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bendtner scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Papadopoulos throws a hook but Bendtner avoids it easily.
Bendtner is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Papadopoulos misses with a looping left.
Bendtner tries to clinch up but Papadopoulos circles away and keeps his distance.
Bendtner is looking to clinch but Papadopoulos is avoiding it.
Papadopoulos shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bendtner defends it nicely.
Papadopoulos takes one to the chin there.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Papadopoulos.
Jab from Bendtner.

Bendtner clinches up with Papadopoulos and pushes him back against the cage.

Papadopoulos gets a trip takedown into half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Papadopoulos is trying to control the action in half guard but Bendtner is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Papadopoulos thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bendtner trying to hold on to Papadopoulos's head to control him but Papadopoulos postures up.
Papadopoulos trying to control from half guard but Bendtner is working away.
Papadopoulos throws a strike but Bendtner avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Papadopoulos must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Bendtner keeping moving, preventing Papadopoulos from controlling successfully.
Papadopoulosis looking to pass into half guard but Bendtner pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Bendtner is in guard.
Papadopoulos keeping moving, preventing Bendtner from controlling successfully.
Bendtner tries to free his leg and advance position but Papadopoulos is retaining full guard.
Bendtner is fighting to break Papadopoulos's control of his arms but Papadopoulos is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Papadopoulos keeping moving, preventing Bendtner from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Papadopoulos escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Bendtner gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Papadopoulos looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Bendtner drops back, looking for a kneebar! Papadopoulos looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Papadopoulos looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Papadopoulos!
Papadopoulos lands some shots froms side control.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bendtner takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Papadopoulos throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Papadopoulos working away.

Papadopoulos tries for a kimura but Bendtner is defending well.
Papadopoulos working the strikes but Bendtner uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Bendtner is positioning himself well to prevent Papadopoulos advancing to mount.
Bendtner avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Papadopoulos.
Bendtner works his way to full guard. Good work.
Papadopoulos works over Bendtner with some ground and pound from guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Papadopoulos accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Papadopoulos throwing strikes from guard but Bendtner blocks nicely.
Papadopoulos is in close to Bendtner's body, working some short punches and elbows.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bendtner not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Bendtner keeping moving, preventing Papadopoulos from controlling successfully.
Papadopoulos might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Bendtner kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Bendtner is trying to keep Papadopoulos in close.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bendtner working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Papadopoulos.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Papadopoulos dives in and grabs Bendtner's left leg, looking for a takedown. Bendtner pushes down on Papadopoulos's head and hops out.
Nicklas Bendtner has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Giorges Papadopoulos.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bendtner slips a straight right by Papadopoulos.
Nicklas Bendtner is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Papadopoulos throws an overhand right that lands on Bendtner's shoulder, as Bendtner tries to avoid the shot.
Bendtner wants to clinch up but Papadopoulos keeps it at a distance.
Bendtner darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Giorges Papadopoulos dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Papadopoulos shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Bendtner as he avoids it easily.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Papadopoulos is defended easily by Bendtner.
Bendtner keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos drives through with a takedown into guard.
Papadopoulos trying to control but Bendtner is working from the bottom.
Papadopoulos is fighting to break Bendtner's control of his arms but Bendtner is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Bendtner preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bendtner is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Nicklas Bendtner wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Bendtner is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Giorges Papadopoulos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Papadopoulos changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Bendtner looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Papadopoulos wants to control but Bendtner is keeping him busy.
Papadopoulos is working Bendtner over with some ground and pound from side control.
Papadopoulos throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Giorges Papadopoulos has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bendtner can't do much from the bottom here.
Papadopoulos throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Bendtner works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Papadopoulos is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Bendtner keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Bendtner wants to control but Papadopoulos is keeping busy.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Papadopoulos not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Papadopoulos is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Papadopoulos winds up and cracks Bendtner with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Bendtner avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Papadopoulos.
Papadopoulos wants to control but Bendtner is keeping him busy.
Papadopoulos missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bendtner controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Bendtner has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Papadopoulos is working away from the top position though.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Papadopoulos controlling the pace.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Nicklas Bendtner.
Papadopoulos swats away the attempt to clinch by Bendtner.
Bendtner tries to clinch but Papadopoulos is having none of it.
Bendtner tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Papadopoulos paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bendtner is looking to clinch.
Bendtner lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bendtner tries to close the distance and clinch up but Papadopoulos swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bendtner lands a jab.
Papadopoulos throws a big shot that misses.

Papadopoulos feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Papadopoulos throwing strikes from guard but Bendtner blocks nicely.
Papadopoulos preventing the sweep.
Papadopoulos showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Papadopoulos loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Papadopoulos trying to control the position from guard on top but Bendtner is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bendtner controls Papadopoulos momentarily but Papadopoulos frees himself.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Giorges Papadopoulos showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Papadopoulos misses with an uppercut
and Bendtner counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Papadopoulos thinking.
Papadopoulos misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Good standup being displayed there by Bendtner as he connects with a hook.
Papadopoulos shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Bendtner as he jumps to the side.
Donk. Bendtner catches Papadopoulos right on the button with a cross.
Papadopoulos shoots for a double leg takedown but Bendtner sprawls well. He's pushed Papadopoulos's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Nicklas Bendtner has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Giorges Papadopoulos.
Bendtner moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

Papadopoulos scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Papadopoulos trying to control from half guard but Bendtner is working away.
Papadopoulos prevents Bendtner from improving his position.
Papadopoulos takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Papadopoulos thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bendtner slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Bendtner working a defensive guard here.
Papadopoulos postures up in Bendtner's guard and throws a big left but Bendtner blocks it.
Papadopoulos throws a big right hand that misses.
Bendtner not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Papadopoulos trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Papadopoulos trying to control the position from guard on top but Bendtner is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bendtner controls Papadopoulos momentarily but Papadopoulos frees himself.
Papadopoulos working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Papadopoulos postures up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Nicklas Bendtner.
Papadopoulos fails with the takedown
and Bendtner counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Bendtner tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Bendtner tries to clinch up.
Bendtner doesn't manage to clinch there - Papadopoulos circles away.
Bendtner tries to clinch but Papadopoulos moves out of range.

Bendtner darts in and clinches Papadopoulos up against the cage.
Bendtner stops a takedown attempt from Papadopoulos.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Bendtner takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Papadopoulos goes for a takedown in the clinch but Bendtner prevents it.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Bendtner content to slow the pace in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with Bendtner for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
Bendtner prevents a body shot from Papadopoulos.
Bendtner prevents a takedown attempt there.
Bendtner stalling the fight.
Papadopoulos drops down looking for an ankle pick but Bendtner pulls his leg out and moves away.
Papadopoulos throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Bendtner's waist but Bendtner gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Papadopoulos off to one side.
Papadopoulos throws the left hand but Bendtner avoids the punch easily.
Papadopoulos keeps the fight on the outside.
Bendtner is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Papadopoulos doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Bendtner holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bendtner has Papadopoulos pressed against the cage.
Bendtner goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Good body shot from Bendtner.
Bendtner is working Papadopoulos over against the cage.
Papadopoulos goes for a takedown in the clinch but Bendtner prevents it.
Bendtner lands a nice shot to the body.
Giorges Papadopoulos is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bendtner stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Papadopoulos can't get the takedown.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bendtner avoiding damage.
Bendtner wants to stall.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nicklas Bendtner showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Papadopoulos 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 Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 28:29
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Giorges Papadopoulos!
An out of breath Giorges Papadopoulos thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.