PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ramsey Nijem (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Buckner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Nijem
vs
Buckner

180 cm
24
170 lbs
6 - 4 - 0

160 cm
26
150 lbs
16 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Hopkins Athletics

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 6 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ramsey Nijem!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Matt Buckner!
The judges for this bout are Igor Prikhodko, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Buckner uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Nijem.
Buckner slips a jab and a cross from Nijem.
Ramsey Nijem seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Buckner misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Nijem moves out of range of the leg kick from Buckner.
Buckner lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Nijem circles away quickly and effectively.
Buckner throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Buckner stuffs the takedown.
Nijem cracks Buckner with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A nice inside leg kick there by Buckner. That's going to slow Nijem down.
Buckner connects with a looping right hand.
Nijem waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Buckner.
Jab, jab by Nijem - just one landing.
Nijem lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Buckner slips a jab from Nijem.
Buckner needs to keep his hands up - Nijem had a free shot at his head there.
Buckner wants to clinch up but Nijem keeps it at a distance.
Nijem tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Buckner was well out of range. Poor timing from Nijem.
Buckner blocks a head kick by Nijem.
Nijem is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Nijem pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Buckner scores with the left hand. Nijem knows he should have avoided that one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckner moves out of range of the strikes.
Buckner misses with a head kick.
Nijem throws a head kick that misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Nijem misses the target.
Nijem takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Matt Buckner is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Buckner connects with a solid leg kick.
Nijem lands a really nice looking cross but Buckner seems unphased.
Some wild striking there from Buckner.
Buckner displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nijem throws out the jab.
Buckner lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Nijem misses with an uppercut.
Buckner fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Nijem checks it well.
Nijem fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Nijem catches Buckner with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Buckner avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Nijem is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Nice cross by Nijem.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Buckner bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Buckner throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nijem misses with a looping left.
Buckner swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Nijem tries a head kick but it misses.
Nijem pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Nijem keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Buckner bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Nijem's head backwards.
Buckner fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Buckner misses with a body kick.
Nijem thows a body shot but no joy.
Nijem keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Buckner tries to work over Nijem's front leg with a kick but Nijem checks it.
Nijem pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Buckner ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nijem ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Buckner moves away.
Donk. Buckner catches Nijem right on the button with a cross.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Buckner cracks the inside of Nijem's front leg.
Good shot there by Nijem.
Nijem fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Nijem is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Buckner pivots, looking for a leg kick but Nijem is out of range and Buckner settles back down.
Nijem shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Buckner as he avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ramsey Nijem. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nijem wants to land a leg kick but Buckner is out of range.

Nijem scores with a takedown into Buckner's guard.
Buckner is trying to keep Nijem in close.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Buckner holds on and takes a little breather.
Buckner utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nijem prevents Buckner from getting back to his feet.
Nijem passes Buckner's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Buckner makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Buckner.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Buckner keeping moving, preventing Nijem from controlling successfully.
Buckner looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Nijem accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Buckner not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Nijem controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Nijem trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ramsey Nijem will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

A big left from Nijem misses.
Nijem misses with a double jab.
Buckner thows a body shot but no joy.
Buckner slips a jab and a cross from Nijem.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nijem.
Buckner leaves Nijem with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Buckner misses with a two punch combination.
Nijem checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Buckner takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Nijem throws a head kick but Buckner moves out of range.
Nijem swinging wildly here.
Buckner scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Nijem doesn't seem bothered though.
Nijem moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Buckner ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Buckner throws a low kick but Nijem moves out of range easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckner misses with a hook.
Buckner misses with the combination.
Buckner rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Nijem moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Nijem throws a shot to the body.
Buckner lands a jab-cross combination.
Nijem uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Buckner has time to react.
Buckner lands with a kick to the ribs.
Nijem swings away with a body shot that misses
and Buckner counters with a slapping leg kick.
Buckner throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nijem just misses with a punch to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Nijem. Buckner does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nijem tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Buckner is able to avoid easily.
Buckner tries to clinch there but Nijem circles away.
Buckner throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nijem throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Buckner sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Buckner lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Nijem circles away quickly and effectively.
Buckner misses the shot to the body.
A big left from Nijem misses.
Buckner checks the leg kick.
Nijem scores with a jab to the jaw.
Nijem lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nijem stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Buckner.
A bone on bone clash there as Nijem blocks the leg kick.
Nijem moves out of range of the strikes.
A lazy body kick from Nijem
and Buckner counters with a three punch combo that has Nijem backing up. Nijem nods at Buckner to acknowledge the strikes.

Buckner gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Nijem to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Buckner controlling the position.
Nijem won't allow Buckner to sweep him here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nijem trying to control the position from guard on top but Buckner is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nijem will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Ramsey Nijem just wasn't active enough.
Buckner wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Nijem looks to land a right hand but Buckner moved out of range.
A right-left combo lands from Nijem.
Nijem checks the leg kick.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Buckner lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Nijem has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Nijem and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Buckner is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Nijem rather than just go for the knockout.
Nijem misses with a hook. Buckner ducked under it nicely.
Buckner tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Nijem paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Matt Buckner seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckner tries to land a leg kick but Nijem saw it coming and moves away.
Buckner tries to work over Nijem's front leg with a kick but Nijem checks it.
Buckner just misses with a punch to the body.
Buckner throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Nijem's head.
Nijem fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Buckner looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Nijem fails with the takedown
and Buckner counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ramsey Nijem. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Buckner takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Buckner takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
A slow jab from Nijem misses its intended target.
Buckner ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nijem defending well as Buckner loads up on a big left hand.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Nijem fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Buckner sprawls well initially but Nijem persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Buckner controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Buckner is trying to maintain the position but Nijem is very close to passing his half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Matt Buckner will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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!

Buckner lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Nijem circles away quickly and effectively.
Buckner throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nijem thows a leg kick but Buckner checks it
and Buckner counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Buckner checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Buckner displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nijem throws out the jab.
Nijem throws out a loose jab but Buckner uses good head movement to avoid it.
Buckner throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nijem lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Buckner throws out a leg kick but Nijem moves out of range and Buckner only half commits.
Nijem connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Buckner works Nijem's body with a nice hook.
Nijem lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Nijem misses with a looping left.
Nijem misses with a head kick.
Buckner ducks under a wild hook from Nijem.
Buckner fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Nijem manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nijem throws a one two combo.
Nijem throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Nijem throws a half hearted mid kick.
Buckner throws a series of punches but Nijem moves out of range.
A telegraphed right hand from Nijem misses the target.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Nijem checks a leg kick.
Nijem shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Buckner as he jumps to the side.
Nijem fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nijem throws a head kick but Buckner moves out of range.
Nijem swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Buckner gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Buckner walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Nijem shoots in but no luck this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Buckner wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Nijem misses with a kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nijem takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Buckner avoids a punch combination nicely.
Nijem tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Buckner was well out of range. Poor timing from Nijem.
Buckner checks a low kick from Nijem.
Nijem slips under a jab from Buckner.
Buckner waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nijem.
Buckner slips under a jab.
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!
Buckner throws a low kick, looking for Nijem's leg but Nijem calmly moves out of range.
Nijem jabs Buckner right on the nose. Buckner blinks but takes it well.
Buckner lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Horrible takedown by Nijem or perhaps it was just good defense by Buckner which made him look bad.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ramsey Nijem. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nijem thows a body shot but no joy.
Nijem tries to score with a low kick but Buckner moves his leg out of the way.
Buckner throws a head kick that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Some bone on bone action there as Buckner checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Buckner dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Buckner chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Buckner on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Buckner misses with a series of wild punches.
Nijem takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Buckner keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Buckner lands a glancing blow to the side of Nijem's head.
Nijem fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Buckner lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Nijem has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Nijem and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Horrible takedown by Nijem or perhaps it was just good defense by Buckner which made him look bad.
Nijem is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Buckner keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckner takes a swing at Nijem's ribcage but misses.
Nijem on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Buckner. Buckner obviously looking to wear him down.
Nijem fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Buckner manages to avoid it.
Buckner staying out of range there.
Buckner scores with a body shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Buckner defending well as Nijem loads up on a big left hand.
Buckner misses with an attempted mid kick.
Buckner throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
An inside leg kick from Buckner misses.
Nijem moves away from the strike by Buckner.
Buckner throws a low kick but Nijem avoids it.
Nijem connects with a single shot there.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nijem scores with a hook to the body. Buckner takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.

Buckner gets caught flat footed, as Nijem shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Buckner working a defensive guard here.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Matt Buckner.
I think Buckner 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 Igor Prikhodko scores the fight as a draw!
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight as a draw!
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight for Matt Buckner!

The fight ends as a draw!