PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Khadir Hadji (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gerald Warren (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.

Hadji
vs
Warren

172 cm
18
133 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
19
140 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 4 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Khadir Hadji!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Gerald Warren!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Donald Grub and Paul Tew.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hadji looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hadji slows the pace down in half guard.
Hadji tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
Warren is trying to get back to full guard.
Warren makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Warren.
Warren is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Hadji is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hadji looking to pass the guard.
Hadji showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Hadji trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Hadji trying to control the position from guard on top but Warren is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Hadji gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Hadji tries to close the distance and clinch up but Warren swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Warren.
Warren looks gassed!
Hadji is trying to control Warren's posture but Warren avoids it.
Hadji is looking for a sweep.
Warren wants to take a breather but Hadji manages to regain guard - a lesson learnt for Warren.
Hadji preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Warren stopping the sweep attempt from Hadji.

Warren avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hadji controls Warren momentarily but Warren frees himself.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Hadji is looking to clinch but Warren is avoiding it.
Hadji misses with a takedown attempt

and Warren counters with a single leg into guard. Hadji didn't expect that.
Hadji is trying to control the position but Warren postures up.
Warren not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Warren wants to control from the top but Hadji keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hadji avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Hadji preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Hadji has his hands on Warren's head, controlling the position.

Hadji looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Hadji looking for a guillotine here but Warren defends easily.
Warren postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Gerald Warren will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Warren shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Hadji tries to hold on but Warren pushes him away.
Warren is landing with some decent strikes but Hadji is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Hadji tries to hold on but Warren postures up.
Warren cracks Hadji with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Warren throwing strikes but Hadji uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hadji is trying to maintain the position but Warren is very close to passing his half guard.

Hadji kicks off Warren and gets to his feet.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hadji with a poor takedown

and Warren counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Hadji!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hadji tries to hold on but Warren postures up.
Warren controlling the position easily from mount.
Hadji sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Hadji trying to control here.
Warren prevents Hadji from standing back up.
Warren content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

Warren decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Warren keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Warren stuffs the takedown attempt from Hadji. Hadji gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khadir Hadji. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hadji tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Warren swivels and escapes.
Hadji is looking to clinch but Warren is avoiding it.

Warren rushes Hadji and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Hadji struggles to land a body shot inside as Warren controls his hands.
Hadji landing knees to the body.
Hadji is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Warren is keeping busy.
Warren is stalling here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

Warren breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Warren tries to clinch but Hadji is having none of it.
Khadir Hadji is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hadji shoots and misses

and Warren counters with a nice double leg into side control. Hadji won't be happy with that.
You can see the frustration on Hadji's face as Warren controls the position.
Hadji is looking for a sweep.
Warren looks up at the clock and then as Hadji takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Warren smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Warren working away.

Warren is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Hadji is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Hadji is looking to reverse the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hadji sneaks back into half guard.
Hadji is trying to maintain the position but Warren is very close to passing his half guard.

Warren is looking for a kimura here.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Hadji misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Hadji wants to clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gerald Warren showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Nice takedown defense from Warren. No joy for Hadji on that attempt.
Hadji misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Hadji misses with a takedown attempt

and Warren counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Hadji's guard now.
Hadji keeping moving, preventing Warren from controlling successfully.

Hadji working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Warren doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Warren manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Warren prevents Hadji from getting back to his feet.
Hadji controls Warren momentarily but Warren frees himself.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hadji wants to sweep but no luck.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Warren passes into half guard.
Hadji moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Warren scoring with punches to the head and body.
Hadji is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Hadji prevents Warren from improving his position.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Warren trying to control but Hadji postures up.
Warren is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Hadji is staying active.
Hadji works his foot free and advances to mount.
Hadji controlling the pace for now.

Hadji stands up from mount. Strange move.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hadji closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Hadji lands in his opponent's guard.

Warren escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Hadji gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Warren trying to control the position here.
Hadji stops Warren from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hadji is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Hadji scoring with punches to the head and body.
Hadji trying to control but Warren is working from the bottom.
Hadji is stalling in the full guard.
Warren wants to sweep but no luck.
Hadji controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Khadir Hadji did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Hadji has his takedown stuffed

and Warren counters with a single leg into guard. Hadji didn't expect that.
Gerald Warren has got the better of the ground game so far.
Warren stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Hadji swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Hadji looking for a sweep. Not yet Hadji, not yet.
Hadji manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Hadji with the ground and pound from mount.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Warren tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Hadji trying to control but he's not successful this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hadji is standing up out of mount! Strange tactic there - he must really want this one on the feet!

Warren scores a takedown into full mount!
Hadji can't escape the position.

Warren has control of Hadji's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Hadji regains control of the situation pretty easily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Warren throwing strikes but Hadji recovers to half guard. A much better position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hadji moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Warren wants to pass the guard but Hadji is keeping the position.

Hadji is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Hadji avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

Hadji is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Warren chips away with some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hadji is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Hadji is really struggling to control Warren but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Warren won't allow Hadji to sweep him here.
Warren trying to control but Hadji is working from the bottom.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Hadji misses with a takedown

and Warren counters with a takedown into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here.
Hadji is not content to let Warren control the position.
Hadji tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Warren wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Hadji is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Warren has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Hadji prevents Warren from improving position.
Hadji sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gerald Warren comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Warren has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge William Gold scores the fight 37:39
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 37:39
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 37:39

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gerald Warren!