PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Rolland Pierre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jami Balkan (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.

Pierre
vs
Balkan

169 cm
20
149 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

177 cm
20
152 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

BJJ Blue Belt
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

CEC Nutrition Q160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Rolland Pierre!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jami Balkan!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Johanna Lukiainen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Balkan uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Pierre has time to react.
Pierre changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Balkan tries to avoid it but Pierre manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Balkan to the ground. Balkan escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Pierre rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Balkan counters with a leg kick.
Balkan looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Balkan falls off balance throwing a combination

and Pierre counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Pierre.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balkan is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Balkan can do anything to dispel that myth.
Balkan has control of Pierre's left arm, preventing Pierre from doing any damage.
Pierre slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Pierre advances position into side control!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pierre trying to control the action but Balkan is working from the bottom.
Pierre controls the position.
Pierre tries to stand but Balkan is controlling his head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balkan is looking to regain half guard here but Pierre keeps moving and retains side control.
Pierre is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Balkan will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.

Rolland Pierre has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Pierre fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Pierre closes the distance and clinches up with Balkan, looking for a takedown. Pierre pushes Balkan against the cage but Balkan circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rolland Pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pierre fails with the takedown.
Balkan misses with a few strikes there.
Pierre misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Balkan jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pierre is looking to clinch but Balkan is avoiding it.
Pierre shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Balkan eats them both and turns towards Pierre to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt.
Balkan feints and then cracks Pierre's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Pierre down.
Balkan lands a jab to the nose.
Balkan bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.

Pierre closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Balkan quickly recovers to half guard.

Pierre is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Balkan has managed to free his arm - good work.
Pierre trying to control from half guard but Balkan is working away.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The referee calls for the fighters to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pierre moves nicely into side control.

Pierre decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Balkan throws a head kick but Pierre moves out of range.
Nice shot by Balkan.
Pierre misses with a takedown attempt - Balkan sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Pierre is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Balkan.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A looping hook to the body misses from Pierre. Balkan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Rolland Pierre seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Pierre misses with an uppercut.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rolland Pierre dominated that round.
That's time! Pierre's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Nice uppercut there from Balkan.
Pierre uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Balkan.
Balkan throws an overhand right that lands on Pierre's shoulder, as Pierre tries to avoid the shot.
Jami Balkan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Balkan moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Pierre looks for a takedown but Balkan sprawls well.
Balkan dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Pierre. That did some damage!
Pierre fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Balkan manages to avoid it.
Pierre shoots in for a takedown but Balkan shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Pierre tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Balkan paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Balkan.
Balkan has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Balkan avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
A head kick misses from Balkan.
Balkan lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Pierre tries to clinch but Balkan is having none of it.
Balkan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan thumps Pierre with a low kick.
Balkan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Pierre swings widly with a right hand
and Balkan counters with an outside leg kick.
Balkan feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Pierre's calf.
A big right from Pierre misses.
Pierre shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rolland Pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pierre shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Balkan pinned against the cage. Balkan gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Pierre looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Balkan is fending him off so far but Pierre persists. Nope, Balkan circles away and we're back to standing.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Pierre throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Pierre takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Pierre fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Balkan manages to avoid it.
Pierre shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Balkan pinned against the cage. Balkan gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balkan stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Balkan wants it to stay on the feet.
Pierre walks forward, straight into a front kick from Balkan.
Pierre is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Pierre shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Balkan defends it nicely.
Balkan connects with a leg kick. Pierre looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Pierre moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Balkan scores with a shot to the body.
Nice sprawl there from Balkan as Pierre shoots in.
Jab by Pierre.
Balkan feints a jab and as Pierre dips his head, Balkan unleashes a brutal head kick that catches Pierre right on the jaw! Timbeeer! Pierre falls backwards in slow motion, only propped up by the cage! Balkan smiles a psychotic smile as he stares down his unconscious opponent. That is a scary man.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:55 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Head Kick). Jami Balkan!
Jami Balkan is the new featherweight champion!
A victorious Jami Balkan thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.