PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rafael Da Neymar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Kerbouchard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Da Neymar
vs
Kerbouchard

189 cm
18
212 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

187 cm
19
224 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rafael Da Neymar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Matt Kerbouchard!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Russell Pearce and Chad Campbell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Da Neymar swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Da Neymar throws a body punch but Kerbouchard moves out of range.

Da Neymar fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Kerbouchard, pushing him back against the cage.
Kerbouchard looking to throw knees to the head but Da Neymar is blocking nicely.

Kerbouchard's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Da Neymar attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
A looping hook to the body misses from Da Neymar. Kerbouchard does a little dance to reset his feet.
Da Neymar throws a nice looking combination but Kerbouchard bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Da Neymar swings for the body but Kerbouchard moves out of range.

Kerbouchard clinches up with Da Neymar and pushes him back against the cage.
Da Neymar is trying to pull guard but Kerbouchard turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Kerbouchard lands a nice knee to the body.
Kerbouchard is trying to pull guard but Da Neymar has him pressed against the cage.
Kerbouchard scores with a knee to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kerbouchard throws a punch but it's blocked by Da Neymar.
Kerbouchard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Da Neymar prevents a takedown attempt there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kerbouchard lands a nice knee to the body.
Kerbouchard landing knees to the body.
Da Neymar is breathing heavily.
Da Neymar letting Kerbouchard take a breather here.
Da Neymar takes an elbow to the forehead.
Kerbouchard is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Da Neymar tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Kerbouchard's elbow.
Da Neymar looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Da Neymar avoiding damage as Kerbouchard throws knees to the body.
Da Neymar tries to break the clinch but Kerbouchard is controlling the position.
A bit of stalling here from Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar is trying to break the clinch but Kerbouchard has him pressed against the cage.

Kerbouchard breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Da Neymar throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kerbouchard avoids the head kick by Da Neymar.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Da Neymar misses with a lunging right hand

and Kerbouchard counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar wants to stall.
Stalling in the clinch from Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar blocks an uppercut.
Da Neymar tries to circle away but Kerbouchard has him pinned against the cage.
Kerbouchard scores with a knee to the head.
Da Neymar managing to block the knees to the body from Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Kerbouchard smiles and moves away.
Da Neymar fails with an attempt to clinch.

Da Neymar tries to keep at a distance but Kerbouchard has taken the fight into the clinch.
Kerbouchard misses with a knee strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Da Neymar misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Kerbouchard.
Kerbouchard tries for a takedown. No joy.
Rafael Da Neymar has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Kerbouchard is defending well for now.

Kerbouchard manages to pull guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Da Neymar wants to get up but he can't break Kerbouchard's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Da Neymar pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kerbouchard is keeping the position for now.
Da Neymar wants to control from the top but Kerbouchard keeps moving.
Da Neymar not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Rafael Da Neymar wasn't doing enough on the ground.
A big right from Da Neymar misses.
A leg kick checked by Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar fails to land with a series of punches.

Kerbouchard drives through and clinches with Da Neymar against the cage.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Da Neymar has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Kerbouchard is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Kerbouchard crunches a lovely knee into Da Neymar's ribcage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kerbouchard is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Kerbouchard tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kerbouchard with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Kerbouchard dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Da Neymar fails to land with a series of punches.
Da Neymar misses with a double jab.

Kerbouchard fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Da Neymar to the ground. Kerbouchard is now in Da Neymar's guard.
Da Neymar looking for a sweep. Not yet Da Neymar, not yet.
Da Neymar is looking to stand up but Kerbouchard isn't so interested in that idea.
Da Neymar trying to keep a closed guard but Kerbouchard is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kerbouchard stands up over Da Neymar, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Kerbouchard won't allow Da Neymar to get back to his feet.
Kerbouchard engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

Kerbouchard stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Da Neymar pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Da Neymar swats away the attempt to clinch by Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar misses with a series of wild punches.
Da Neymar swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Rafael Da Neymar seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Da Neymar stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Da Neymar wants it to stay on the feet.
Da Neymar swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Da Neymar tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Kerbouchard counters with a head kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Da Neymar tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kerbouchard was well out of range. Poor timing from Da Neymar.
Da Neymar moves in looking to clinch but Kerbouchard pushes him off.
Kerbouchard dives in for a single leg takedown but Da Neymar sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Kerbouchard has Da Neymar pressed against the cage, preventing Da Neymar from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Kerbouchard creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Da Neymar's defenses.
Kerbouchard avoiding damage as Da Neymar throws knees to the body.
Da Neymar has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Da Neymar can't break the clinch.
Kerbouchard wants a takedown.
Rafael Da Neymar has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar tries for a takedown but Kerbouchard manages to get underhooks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kerbouchard landing knees to the head.
Kerbouchard tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Da Neymar avoids it.
Da Neymar is trying to break the clinch but Kerbouchard is controlling him.
Da Neymar is trying to break the clinch but Kerbouchard has him pressed against the cage.
Da Neymar tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Kerbouchard keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Da Neymar's efforts to push away.
Kerbouchard unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Kerbouchard gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Kerbouchard tries to land knees in the clinch but Da Neymar avoids the damage to the body.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Kerbouchard.
Kerbouchard using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kerbouchard lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Kerbouchard scores a nice knee to the body.
Kerbouchard lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

Kerbouchard is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Da Neymar can't fight it off and eventually Kerbouchard manages to take the fight to the floor. Da Neymar looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kerbouchard with a flurry of punches that miss.
Kerbouchard makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Kerbouchard working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Kerbouchard postures up and lands a big shot to Da Neymar's brow.
Kerbouchard postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Da Neymar looking for a sweep. Not yet Da Neymar, not yet.
Kerbouchard has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kerbouchard trying to control but Da Neymar is working from the bottom.
Kerbouchard lands a couple of digs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Kerbouchard showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Da Neymar looks to land a combination but Kerbouchard avoids it well.
Kerbouchard bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Kerbouchard has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
A punch combination from Da Neymar misses.
Da Neymar misses with the body kick
and Kerbouchard counters with an inside leg kick.

Kerbouchard forces Da Neymar back against the cage and clinches.
Kerbouchard lands a good knee to the midsection. Da Neymar won't want to take too many of those.
Da Neymar is pressed up against the cage. Kerbouchard has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Da Neymar down to the mat. Da Neymar avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Da Neymar swings for the body but Kerbouchard moves out of range.
Da Neymar throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kerbouchard will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kerbouchard throws a hook to the side of Da Neymar's head but Da Neymar sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Da Neymar throws the left hand but Kerbouchard avoids the punch easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A punch combination from Da Neymar misses.

Da Neymar gets caught napping as Kerbouchard dives in and scores a takedown. Da Neymar manages to retain guard.
Kerbouchard makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Kerbouchard throws a big elbow that misses.
Kerbouchard keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Da Neymar's head.
Kerbouchard stops Da Neymar from standing up.
Da Neymar keeping moving, preventing Kerbouchard from controlling successfully.
Matt Kerbouchard has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kerbouchard controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Kerbouchard with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kerbouchard is working Da Neymar over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Kerbouchard trying to control the position from guard on top but Da Neymar is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kerbouchard controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Da Neymar is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Kerbouchard drops back looking for a leg! Da Neymar is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Da Neymar manages to kick Kerbouchard off! Kerbouchard jumps back into Da Neymar's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Da Neymar wants to stand up but Kerbouchard is controlling him.
Kerbouchard makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Da Neymar wants to sweep but no luck.
Kerbouchard works over Da Neymar with some ground and pound from guard.
Kerbouchard trying to control but Da Neymar is working from the bottom.
Kerbouchard lands a couple of digs.
Da Neymar keeping moving, preventing Kerbouchard from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kerbouchard is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Da Neymar is trying to control the position but Kerbouchard postures up.
Da Neymar keeping moving, preventing Kerbouchard from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Matt Kerbouchard.
Da Neymar misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kerbouchard has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Da Neymar.

Kerbouchard shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Da Neymar napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Rafael Da Neymar has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Matt Kerbouchard is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Da Neymar is trying to improve his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Kerbouchard comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Kerbouchard 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 John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Kerbouchard!