PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dave Gomes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dusan Kikovic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gomes's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Roadhouse Blues. Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Gomes
vs
Kikovic

170 cm
31
138 lbs
16 - 7 - 0

168 cm
33
143 lbs
17 - 10 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Spartan Nutrition

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 16 - 7 - 0, fighting out of London, Dave Gomes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 10 - 1, fighting out of New York, Dusan Kikovic!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Jack Bonds and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Gomes fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Kikovic to the ground. Gomes is now in Kikovic's guard.
Gomes in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Kikovic working a defensive guard here.
Gomes pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kikovic is keeping the position for now.
Gomes wants to control from the top but Kikovic keeps moving.
Gomes trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gomes tries to free his leg and advance position but Kikovic is retaining full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gomes not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Kikovic wants to sweep but no luck.

Kikovic has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Gomes is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Kikovic.
We've been hearing that Gomes has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gomes has knee on belly momentarily but Kikovic bucks him off and regains half guard.
Well, if Gomes is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Kikovic is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Gomes's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Gomes's back!
Gomes tries to escape but Kikovic has the hooks in and won't let him break free.

Kikovic working for a choke but Gomes is defending well.
Gomes trying to control the hands but Kikovic breaks the grip.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gomes manages to reverse the position and now he's in Kikovic's guard. Nice work there by Gomes.
Kikovic trying to control the position here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Gomes stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Kikovic swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Kikovic avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Gomes pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kikovic is keeping the position for now.
Gomes is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Gomes tries to free his leg and advance position but Kikovic is retaining full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kikovic keeping moving, preventing Gomes from controlling successfully.
Kikovic controlling Gomes's posture.
Kikovic being controlled here, momentarily.
Kikovic working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Gomes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Gomes postures up.
Gomes pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kikovic is keeping the position for now.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Gomes trying to control but Kikovic is working from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
The fighters circle momentarily. Kikovic darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Gomes avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kikovic dives in and grabs Gomes's left leg, looking for a takedown. Gomes pushes down on Kikovic's head and hops out.
Gomes takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Gomes fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Kikovic checks it well.
A big right from Kikovic misses.
Kikovic scores with a jab. Gomes acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Kikovic tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dave Gomes will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Gomes has his takedown stuffed
and Kikovic makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Gomes keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kikovic.
Kikovic shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Gomes.
Kikovic walks into a straight right hand from Gomes.
Kikovic throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gomes throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Kikovic throws out a counter right but Gomes avoids it with no problem.
Kikovic swings for the body but Gomes moves out of range.
Gomes throws a front kick aimed at Kikovic's knee but Kikovic avoids it well.
Kikovic only half commits to the counter leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kikovic keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Gomes.
Gomes shoots for a takedown but Kikovic saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Gomes missing with a left hand there. Kikovic was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gomes is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gomes fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Gomes throws a body punch but Kikovic moves out of range.
Kikovic fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Gomes cracks Kikovic with a right hand to the side of the head.
Gomes throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Gomes throws a shot from downtown. Kikovic moves away and avoids it.
And Kikovic tries to counter it with a takedown but Gomes pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Gomes motions for Kikovic to come forward. Gomes throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Gomes throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Gomes misses the body punch
and Kikovic counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Kikovic takes one to the chin there.
Gomes will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dave Gomes. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gomes scores with a shot to the body.
Gomes misses with a body shot

and Kikovic counters with a shoot takedown. Gomes fights it but they end up in guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gomes manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Kikovic manages to get himself to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gomes pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kikovic is keeping the position for now.
Dave Gomes overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Gomes not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Gomes wants to control from the top but Kikovic keeps moving.
Gomes slips nicely into half guard.
Kikovic is controlling Gomes's trapped leg to prevent Gomes from advancing to side control.
Gomes missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kikovic is trying to get back to full guard.
Gomes is looking to stall here but Kikovic recovers full guard.
Kikovic keeping moving, preventing Gomes from controlling successfully.
Kikovic is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Gomes advances to half guard.

Gomes seems to be working for a kimura but Kikovic defends the submission attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Kikovic keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Kikovic is looking to control Gomes's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Kikovic avoid being mounted?
Gomes is looking to advance position but Kikovic won't allow it.

Gomes is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Kikovic has managed to free his arm - good work.

Gomes is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Kikovic sees it coming and defends easily.
Kikovic is trying to maintain the position but Gomes is very close to passing his half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dave Gomes dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! And we move into the final round!

No luck for Kikovic with that takedown attempt.
Gomes lands a lovely overhand right.
Gomes blocks a jab.
Gomes finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Gomes lands a nice hook to Kikovic's body. Kikovic takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Gomes is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Gomes shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Kikovic's coach down at Academy of Martial Arts was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Kikovic's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A big right from Gomes misses.
Kikovic looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Kikovic steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gomes.
A bone on bone clash there as Kikovic blocks the leg kick.
Gomes goes for a double leg but Kikovic avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Kikovic continues to drive forward.
Kikovic scores with a punch to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gomes throws a shot to the body.
Kikovic shoots in for a takedown but Gomes shows good takedown defense.
Gomes cracks Kikovic with an open hand slap.
Gomes throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Kikovic stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Kikovic blocks a jab.
Gomes wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Gomes is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Kikovic can do to turn this around?
Gomes is looking to slow Kikovic down with leg kicks.
Dave Gomes is winning the standup battle so far.
Gomes shoots in for a takedown but Kikovic shows good takedown defense.
Gomes slips a straight right by Kikovic.
Kikovic connects with a leg kick. Gomes looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Kikovic with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Gomes to score with a decent uppercut.
Dave Gomes seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gomes dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Gomes misses.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kikovic throws a leg kick but Gomes sees it coming and moves out of range.
Gomes wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Gomes's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kikovic connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Gomes scrambles back to his feet.
Gomes throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Kikovic stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Nice sprawl there from Kikovic as Gomes shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dave Gomes. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gomes uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kikovic.
Gomes throws a nice outside leg kick.
Kikovic scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Gomes doesn't seem bothered though.
Gomes fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Good leg kick by Gomes there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Gomes throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gomes looks to score with a jab to the body but Kikovic is just out of range.
Kikovic avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gomes ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kikovic moves away.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Gomes.
Gomes with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Kikovic to score with a decent uppercut.
Gomes with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Kikovic checks the leg kick nicely there.
Gomes slips a jab and a cross from Kikovic.
Gomes misses with an uppercut.
Kikovic scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Kikovic lands the left hand.
Kikovic takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kikovic misses with a takedown attempt - Gomes sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Some bone on bone action there as Kikovic checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gomes gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Kikovic counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Gomes lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Kikovic at a distance.
Dusan Kikovic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gomes takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Jab by Gomes.
Gomes connects with a looping right hand.
Nice sprawl there from Gomes as Kikovic shoots in.
Kikovic closes the distance and clinches up with Gomes, looking for a takedown. Kikovic pushes Gomes against the cage but Gomes circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Kikovic takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Gomes misses the shot to the body.
Gomes takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Kikovic blocks the body kick.

Gomes shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Kikovic's guard.

Kikovic is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. Gomes presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dusan Kikovic comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Gomes has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Dave Gomes!
A very excited looking Dave Gomes made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.