PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Efren Baird (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nathan Maskrey (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Baird
vs
Maskrey

176 cm
24
141 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

195 cm
25
135 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Efren Baird!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Nathan Maskrey!
The judges for this bout are Richard Clark, Colin Fotheringham and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Baird closes the distance and clinches.

Baird breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Maskrey ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Baird moves away.

Baird clinches with his opponent.
Maskrey is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Maskrey pressing his opponent against the cage.

Baird pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Baird pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Maskrey back to the cage. Baird follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Baird rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Maskrey moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Maskrey fails with a takedown attempt.

Maskrey darts in and clinches Baird up against the cage.
Maskrey pressing his opponent against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baird tries for a takedown. No joy.
Baird has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Maskrey after a bit of a struggle.
Maskrey wants to stall.
Maskrey is trying to pull guard but Baird has him pressed against the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Maskrey is stalling here.
Baird tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Maskrey smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Efren Baird. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baird dives in and grabs Maskrey's left leg, looking for a takedown. Maskrey pushes down on Baird's head and hops out.
Baird shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Maskrey counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Baird!
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Maskrey decides to stand back up.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A head kick misses from Maskrey.
Maskrey throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Good exchange - Baird coming out on top.
Baird circles away from the clinch attempt.
Baird shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Maskrey as he avoids it easily.
Maskrey throws a right and a left that both miss.
Baird lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Maskrey circles away quickly and effectively.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
No luck for Baird with that takedown attempt.
Maskrey fails with an attempt to clinch.

Maskrey feints and as Baird raises his hands in defense, Maskrey changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Baird is breathing heavily.
Baird keeping moving, preventing Maskrey from controlling successfully.
Baird wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Baird can't keep his opponent in guard - Maskrey advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Maskrey in particular looking to stall.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baird wants to sweep but Maskrey has passed to side control!
Baird might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Maskrey wants to lay and pray for a moment but Baird keeps working.
Maskrey tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Maskrey working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.

Maskrey working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Maskrey has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nathan Maskrey dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Nice sprawl there from Maskrey as Baird shoots in.
Baird shoots in and drives through. Maskrey sprawls well.
Baird tries for a takedown but Maskrey sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Efren Baird. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Baird gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Maskrey is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Maskrey stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Baird swivels though and keeps the full guard.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Nathan Maskrey wasn't active enough on the ground.
Maskrey takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Maskrey tries to close the distance and clinch but Baird swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Maskrey throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Baird was covering up waiting for the punch and Maskrey finishes the takedown easily into guard.

Maskrey gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maskrey wants to clinch up but Baird keeps it at a distance.
Maskrey is looking to clinch.
Maskrey fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Baird looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Maskrey is fending him off so far but Baird persists. Nope, Maskrey circles away and we're back to standing.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Baird is defended easily by Maskrey.
Baird tries to clinch up.
Efren Baird is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Maskrey is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Baird is looking to clinch but Maskrey is avoiding it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maskrey tries to score a power double leg takedown but Baird sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Maskrey somewhat.
Maskrey misses with a body kick.
Maskrey tries to clinch but Baird moves away
and Baird finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Maskrey wants to clinch.
Maskrey tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Baird swivels and escapes.
Maskrey stuffs the takedown attempt from Baird. Baird gets slowly back to his feet.
Baird shoots in for a takedown but Maskrey shows good takedown defense.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maskrey tries to land a leg kick but Baird saw it coming and moves away.
Baird shoots for a double leg takedown but Maskrey sprawls well. He's pushed Baird's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Maskrey dodges the punch combination from Baird.

Maskrey gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Baird using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Maskrey blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Maskrey tries to pull guard but Baird holds him up against the cage and eventually Maskrey drops back down to his feet.

Maskrey gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Baird is trying to keep Maskrey in close.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nathan Maskrey showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Maskrey shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Maskrey looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Baird wants to control but Maskrey is keeping busy.
Maskrey is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Baird is trying to control but can't.
Maskrey trying to control from half guard but Baird is working away.
Baird has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Maskrey is working away from the top position though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maskrey looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Maskrey looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Maskrey throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Baird is staying active underneath Maskrey, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Baird preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Baird tries to get to full guard but Maskrey has control of the leg.

Baird looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baird tries to roll over but Maskrey keeps him under control.
Baird is staying active underneath Maskrey, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Maskrey throwing shots but Baird is blocking nicely.
Baird is refusing to be controlled, as Maskrey sits in half guard.
Baird has his hands clasped together around Maskrey's back. He's all about the action.
Maskrey scoring with strikes to the body and head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maskrey is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Maskrey is thwarting Baird's attempts to control the position.
Maskrey wants to stand up but Baird has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Baird wants to control the action here but instead Maskrey manages to pass to full mount!
Maskrey controlling from the full mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maskrey trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Baird is trying to stand up.
Maskrey trying to control but Baird is having none of it.

Maskrey moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Baird has worked his arm free - good work by Baird!

And that's the end of the fight!
Nathan Maskrey comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Maskrey winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 27:30
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nathan Maskrey!