PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Nich DiMag (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bj Penn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

DiMag
vs
Penn

175 cm
25
165 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

185 cm
25
170 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Prefers standup

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Nich DiMag!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Bj Penn!
The judges for this bout are Santiago Holmes, David Hoff and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

DiMag closes the distance and pushes Penn back into the cage.
DiMag avoiding damage as Penn throws knees to the body.
DiMag with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Penn wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Penn makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
DiMag misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Penn.
Penn has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Penn wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but DiMag has him pressed against the cage.
DiMag tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Penn avoids it.
DiMag lands a hook that snaps the head of Penn backwards.
DiMag landing knees to the head.

It looks like Bj Penn has been cut.
Penn is trying to break the clinch but DiMag has him pressed against the cage.
DiMag throws a knee to the head but misses.
Penn blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
DiMag putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Penn in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
DiMag utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
DiMag lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Penn is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Penn looks winded!
DiMag with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
DiMag managing to block the knees to the body from Penn.
DiMag with a knee to the head.
Penn is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
DiMag has Penn pressed against the cage.
A knee to the head by Penn.
Penn working aggressively here.
Penn blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
DiMag connects with a knee to the head.
Penn misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from DiMag.
Penn missing with knees to the body.
Penn trying to land knees to the body.
The referee is keeping an eye on DiMag - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
DiMag tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Penn managing to block the knees to the body from DiMag.
Penn struggles to land a body shot inside as DiMag controls his hands.
DiMag unloads a knee to the mid-section.
DiMag missing with knees to the body.
DiMag scores with a nice hook to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
DiMag stalling the fight.
A short right hand to the side of the head by DiMag.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Penn.
Penn misses with an elbow over the top.
Penn pushes off an throws an elbow but DiMag leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Penn can't find room to land a body shot as DiMag controls the action.
DiMag stalling in the clinch.
Penn can't find room to land a body shot as DiMag controls the action.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn is trying to break the clinch but DiMag is controlling him.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Penn landing some nice looking knees to the body.
DiMag lands a nice uppercut.
DiMag lands a good knee to the midsection. Penn won't want to take too many of those.
Penn avoiding damage as DiMag throws knees to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for DiMag.
A shot in the inside from DiMag.
Knees to the body from DiMag.
DiMag landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
DiMag missing with knees to the body.
Penn connects with a nasty looking knee right to DiMag's face.
Penn is trying to force a seperation but DiMag has the dominant position.
DiMag with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Penn lands a hook that snaps the head of DiMag backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
DiMag misses with a knee to the head.
Penn wants to break the clinch but can't.
Penn is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Penn using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Penn fails to land.
DiMag blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
DiMag tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Penn avoids it.
DiMag blocks an uppercut.
DiMag landing some nice looking knees to the body.
DiMag looking to stall.
Knees to the body from Penn.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Penn tries to stall but DiMag uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
DiMag tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Penn avoids it.
A frustrated look appears on Penn's face as he tries to break the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nich DiMag dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Bj Penn's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Penn closes the distance and clinches.
DiMag connects with a nasty looking knee right to Penn's face.
Penn missing with knees to the body.
Penn is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. DiMag is defending well for now.
DiMag scores a nice knee to the body.
DiMag landing some nice looking knees to the body.
DiMag working Penn over with knees to the body.
DiMag effectively controlling the action here.
DiMag lands a good knee to the midsection. Penn won't want to take too many of those.
DiMag's Muay Thai looks sharper than normal. He has obviously been working on it in the gym.
DiMag connects with a nasty looking knee right to Penn's face.
DiMag using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
DiMag throws a knee to the head but misses.
Penn is looking to control DiMag's arms but DiMag gets an underhook and turns him. Now Penn has his back to the cage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
DiMag displaying some good clinch control by pressing Penn up against the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Penn working hard to break the clinch.
A nice left hand lands by Penn.
Penn on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Penn lands with a left to the head.
DiMag tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Penn creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Penn tries to circle away but DiMag has him pinned against the cage.
Penn taking a breather.
Nich DiMag has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Penn takes a knee to the side of the body.
DiMag fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Penn tries to land knees in the clinch but DiMag avoids the damage to the body.
DiMag swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Penn using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Penn manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Penn goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Penn wants to stall.
DiMag misses with a knee to the head.
Penn tries to break the clinch but DiMag is controlling the position.
Penn managing to block the knees to the body from DiMag.
DiMag lands a good knee to the midsection. Penn won't want to take too many of those.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Penn.
Penn is trying to stall.
DiMag misses with a knee to the head.
Penn tried to land a shot to the body but connects with DiMag's elbow.
DiMag using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Penn has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Penn misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from DiMag.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
DiMag blocks an elbow strike from Penn.
Penn lands a body punch in the clinch.
Penn wants to stall.
DiMag missing with knees to the body.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by DiMag as Penn tries to tie him up.
Penn landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
DiMag throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Penn blocks it with crossed arms.
Penn gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Penn lands an elbow inside.
DiMag prevents a body shot from Penn.
Penn misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from DiMag.
Knees in the clinch landing for Penn.
Penn is looking to control DiMag's arms but DiMag gets an underhook and turns him. Now Penn has his back to the cage.
DiMag pressing his opponent against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Penn wants to get back to striking at distance but DiMag won't allow it.
DiMag landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Penn with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Penn can't find room to land a body shot as DiMag controls the action.
DiMag crunches a lovely knee into Penn's ribcage.
DiMag looking to throw knees to the head but Penn is blocking nicely.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
DiMag tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Penn managing to block the knees to the body from DiMag.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Penn trying to control the position but instead, DiMag has worked for underhooks and has pushed Penn into the cage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
DiMag tries a knee to the head but Penn blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Nich DiMag will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Bj Penn's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

DiMag doesn't manage to clinch there - Penn circles away.
Penn moves away from the strike by DiMag.
DiMag fails with an attempt to clinch.
Penn looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Penn moves into the clinch.
Penn struggles to land a body shot inside as DiMag controls his hands.
Penn managing to block the knees to the body from DiMag.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Come on DiMag - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Penn landing knees to the body.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Penn throws an elbow but it misses.
DiMag missing with knees to the body.
Penn unloads a knee to the mid-section. DiMag lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Penn breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
DiMag tries to clinch but Penn is having none of it.
The fight stays on the outside here - DiMag looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Knees in the clinch landing for Penn.
Penn blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Penn takes a knee to the side of the body.
DiMag avoiding damage as Penn throws knees to the body.
Come on DiMag - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
DiMag takes an elbow to the temple.
DiMag looking to slow down the pace here.
Penn tries a body shot but DiMag blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
DiMag blocks a body shot from Penn.
DiMag landing knees to the body.
Penn lands a shoulder strike.
Penn stalling in the clinch but DiMag improves position.
DiMag misses with the head strike.
Penn takes a knee to the side of the body.
Penn scores a nice knee to the body.
Penn working hard to break the clinch.
Penn is trying to break the clinch but DiMag is controlling him.
Penn throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but DiMag blocks it with crossed arms.
DiMag pressing his opponent against the cage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
DiMag misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Penn.
DiMag keeps control of Penn as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
DiMag blocks an uppercut.
DiMag misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Penn.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Penn breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
DiMag tries to clinch up but Penn circles away and keeps his distance.
Penn avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
DiMag takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Sloppy strikes from DiMag. Those never looked like landing.

Penn takes the fight into the clinch.
Penn wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Penn wants to stall.
DiMag misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Penn.
Penn doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Penn tries to circle away but DiMag has him pinned against the cage.
DiMag using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Penn has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Penn stalling in the clinch but DiMag improves position.
Penn wants to get back to striking at distance but DiMag won't allow it.
DiMag using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Penn wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Penn as DiMag tries to tie him up.
Penn lands a nice knee to the body.
Penn lands a good knee to the midsection. DiMag won't want to take too many of those.
Penn trying to land knees to the body.
Penn wants to break the clinch but can't.
DiMag is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Penn trying to stall but DiMag improves his position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
DiMag trying to land knees to the body.
Penn is trying to push DiMag away but DiMag has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Penn can't find room to land a body shot as DiMag controls the action.
Bj Penn has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nich DiMag is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
DiMag tries to land knees in the clinch but Penn avoids the damage to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bj Penn comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think DiMag has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Santiago Holmes scores the fight 29:28
Judge David Hoff scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nich DiMag!