PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Zlatko Zahovic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Floyd (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Zahovic
vs
Floyd

175 cm
23
160 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

179 cm
21
158 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Milwaukee's Best 160 (85% laundry)

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Zlatko Zahovic!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, John Floyd!
The judges for this bout are Wagner Zegers, Radbod Blank and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Zahovic misses with a takedown
and Floyd counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Floyd keeps the fight on the outside.
Zahovic connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Zahovic just misses with a punch to the body.
Floyd avoids the body shot from Zahovic.
Zahovic lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Floyd swats away the attempt to clinch by Zahovic.
Floyd lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Floyd has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Zahovic throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zahovic swings widly with a right hand
and Floyd counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Floyd scores with a leg kick.
Zahovic misses with a double jab
and Floyd counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Floyd tries to land a leg kick but Zahovic saw it coming and moves away.
Zlatko Zahovic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The fight stays on the outside here - Zahovic looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Zahovic shoots in looking for a takedown. Floyd tries to sprawl out of it but Zahovic keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Floyd manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Floyd throws a head kick that Zahovic semi-blocks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Floyd misses with a body shot.
Zahovic misses with a double jab.
Zahovic dives in for a single leg takedown but Floyd sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zlatko Zahovic. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Floyd misses with a short punch on the inside.
Floyd misses with a short punch on the inside.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A body shot lands from Zahovic.
Zahovic is struggling to control the position.
Floyd misses with the head strike.
Floyd tries to land a knee to the head but Zahovic blocks with his arms.
Zahovic misses with some punches.
Floyd tries a body shot but Zahovic blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Floyd throws a head punch that misses.
Zahovic misses with a body punch.
Zahovic jumps guard but Floyd stands there with Zahovic around his waist. Zahovic gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Zahovic misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Floyd.
Zahovic tries to throw a body punch but Floyd avoids it by throwing Zahovic back against the cage.
Floyd blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Zahovic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Zahovic misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Zahovic pushes Floyd back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Floyd doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Zahovic.

Zahovic jumps guard and drags Floyd to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Floyd content to stall in guard here.
Floyd trying to control the position from guard on top but Zahovic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Floyd avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Zahovic is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Floyd really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Zahovic. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Floyd is looking to stand up but Zahovic won't let him.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but John Floyd will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Floyd misses with a body kick.
Zahovic tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Floyd is looking to land body kicks.
Zahovic throws a looping overhand right but Floyd ducks down to avoid it.
A big left from Zahovic misses.
Zahovic misses the shot to the body.
Floyd tries a head kick but it misses.

Zahovic shoots in and bounces Floyd off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Zahovic trying to control but Floyd is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Floyd wants to stand but Zahovic is controlling the position.
Zahovic trying to control but Floyd is working from the bottom.
Floyd bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Zahovic's guard.
Zahovic seems keen to control Floyd's posture.

Floyd stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Zahovic lands a jab.
Zahovic rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Floyd counters with a nice body kick.
Floyd cracks Zahovic with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Floyd throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

Zahovic closes the distance and pushes Floyd back into the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Zahovic tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Floyd's elbow.
Zahovic blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Zahovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Floyd controls his hands.
Zahovic tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Floyd just stands there and leans against the cage.

Zahovic manages to break the clinch.
Floyd goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Zahovic shoots in looking for a takedown. Floyd tries to sprawl out of it but Zahovic keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Floyd manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
John Floyd is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Zahovic dives in and grabs Floyd's left leg, looking for a takedown. Floyd pushes down on Zahovic's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zlatko Zahovic. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Floyd dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Zahovic misses with a hook to the body
and Floyd counters with a thumping low kick.
Zahovic throws out a loose jab but Floyd uses good head movement to avoid it.
Floyd misses with a body shot.
Floyd tries a head kick but it misses.

Floyd lands a big head kick that sends Zahovic tumbling to the mat! Floyd takes a step backwards and waves Zahovic back to his feet - he wants the finish!

Zahovic is rocked!

It looks like Zlatko Zahovic has been cut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Zahovic tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Oh Zahovic is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Zahovic swings for the body but Floyd moves out of range.
Zahovic seems to have got his legs back now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zahovic lands a jab to the nose.
John Floyd seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Zahovic will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Floyd uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Zahovic.
Zahovic's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Floyd connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Zahovic scrambles back to his feet.
Floyd throws a head kick but Zahovic moves out of range.
Zahovic wants to clinch.
Zahovic misses with an uppercut. Floyd saw that one coming.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Zahovic.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Floyd showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Zlatko Zahovic's cut.
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!

Floyd misses with a head kick.
Zahovic jabs Floyd to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Zahovic throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
A swing and a miss from Zahovic.
Floyd takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Floyd dodges the punch combination from Zahovic.
Floyd moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Floyd throws out a leg kick but Zahovic moves out of range and Floyd only half commits.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zahovic looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Floyd!
Zahovic wants to lay and pray for a moment but Floyd keeps working.
Floyd struggling a bit here.
Floyd tries to bench press Zahovic off him but Zahovic keeps the position.
Floyd is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Zahovic's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Floyd is trying to control but can't.
Zahovic thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Zahovic working over Floyd with some ground and pound. Floyd looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Floyd has a hand on Zahovic's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Zahovic takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Zahovic is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Floyd can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Zahovic has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Floyd's face.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Zahovic controlling the pace for now.
Floyd wants to hold on but Zahovic pushes him away.
Floyd manages to regain half guard. Good work.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Zahovic working Floyd over with strikes.
Floyd trying to control from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zahovic wants to lay and pray for a moment but Floyd keeps working.
Zahovic not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Zahovic controlling the action here.
Zlatko Zahovic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Floyd wants to get back to full guard.
Floyd is controlling Zahovic's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Zahovic has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Floyd has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Zahovic is working away from the top position though.
Floyd wants to improve his position but Zahovic is controlling well.
John Floyd is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Zlatko Zahovic overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Floyd trying to control here.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. John Floyd wasn't active enough on the ground.
Zahovic swings for the body but Floyd moves out of range.
Zahovic misses with a straight right.
Floyd lands a leg kick that knocks Zahovic off balance momentarily.
Zahovic is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Floyd.
Zahovic looks to throw the jab but Floyd is out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Floyd throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Zahovic connects with a good right hand that stumbles Floyd. Floyd circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

And that's the end of the fight!
Zlatko Zahovic showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Floyd 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 Wagner Zegers scores the fight 28:29
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 29:29
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... John Floyd!
John Floyd was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.