PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Junior Brandon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Edmund Dorrance Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Brandon comes to the cage accompanied by Life Is Beautiful. Edmund Dorrance Jr will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Brandon
vs
Dorrance Jr

178 cm
41
215 lbs
19 - 21 - 0

196 cm
28
222 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
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 19 - 21 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Junior Brandon!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Edmund Dorrance Jr!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Dillan Fox and Yves DeLean.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Brandon tries to clinch there but Dorrance Jr circles away.
Nice uppercut lands for Dorrance Jr. That snapped Brandon's head back.

It looks like Junior Brandon has been cut.
Dorrance Jr tries to score with a low kick but Brandon moves his leg out of the way.

Brandon feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Brandon trying to control but Dorrance Jr is working from the bottom.
Brandon looking to sit in guard and control but Dorrance Jr gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dorrance Jr sitting in guard here, content to control.
Brandon looking to hit a scissor sweep but Dorrance Jr is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Brandon holds on and takes a little breather.
Brandon looking for a sweep. Not yet Brandon, not yet.
Dorrance Jr advances to half guard.
Dorrance Jr is thwarting Brandon's attempts to control the position.
Brandon trying to get back to full guard but Dorrance Jr takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Brandon is looking to improve his position but Dorrance Jr isn't that keen on the idea.
Brandon bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Brandon is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Dorrance Jr is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Brandon trying to control the position from guard on top but Dorrance Jr is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brandon tries to free his leg and advance position but Dorrance Jr is retaining full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Dorrance Jr keeping moving, preventing Brandon from controlling successfully.
Dorrance Jr wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Brandon trying to control the position from guard on top but Dorrance Jr is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Brandon tries to free his leg and advance position but Dorrance Jr is retaining full guard.
Brandon sitting in guard here, content to control.
Dorrance Jr managing to control the position.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Brandon drives through with a takedown into guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brandon is stalling in the full guard.
Brandon throws a big elbow that misses.
Dorrance Jr trying to keep a closed guard but Brandon is proving a slippery customer.
Brandon missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Dorrance Jr has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Brandon has passed into side control.
Brandon wants to lay and pray for a moment but Dorrance Jr keeps working.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Junior Brandon dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Junior Brandon's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Dorrance Jr tries to land a body kick

and Brandon counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Dorrance Jr!
Brandon trying to control the position but Dorrance Jr is working away.
Brandon scoring with punches and elbows.
Brandon trying to control the position but Dorrance Jr is working away.
Brandon is really struggling to control Dorrance Jr but he's trying to hold on to the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
You can see the frustration on Dorrance Jr's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
We've been hearing good reports from Brandon's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dorrance Jr is not content to let Brandon control the position.
Dorrance Jr tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Brandon is looking to take a break and control but Dorrance Jr is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
A lull in the action here as Brandon stalls from top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Brandon is looking to take a break and control but Dorrance Jr is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

Brandon goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Dorrance Jr has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Brandon but great work by Dorrance Jr.
Brandon is trying to control Dorrance Jr's posture but Dorrance Jr avoids it.
Brandon is looking for a sweep.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dorrance Jr happy to just control the position for now.
Brandon tries to buck Dorrance Jr off but Dorrance Jr is having none of it.
Dorrance Jr is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Brandon will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Dorrance Jr's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
You can see the frustration on Brandon's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Brandon is looking for a sweep.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
The fighters circling - Dorrance Jr throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Dorrance Jr looks to land a right hand but Brandon moved out of range.
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 Junior Brandon will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Junior Brandon's cut.
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!

Dorrance Jr lands with a straight right. Brandon didn't see that one coming.
A clash of legs there as Brandon blocks the low kick.
Dorrance Jr leaves Brandon with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Brandon fails with the takedown
and Dorrance Jr makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Dorrance Jr misses with a low kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Brandon tries to clinch
and Brandon takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Brandon shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
enabling Dorrance Jr to counter with a crisp jab.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Junior Brandon. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Dorrance Jr throws a front kick aimed at Brandon's knee but Brandon avoids it well.
Junior Brandon seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brandon darts in looking for a takedown but Dorrance Jr gets double underhooks and turns Brandon into the cage.
Crunch! Dorrance Jr slams his shin into Brandon's torso.
Horrible takedown attempt by Brandon or perhaps it was just good defense by Dorrance Jr, which made it look bad.
Brandon shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Dorrance Jr defends it nicely.
Dorrance Jr throws out a counter right but Brandon avoids it with no problem.
Dorrance Jr scores with a nice body kick.
Edmund Dorrance Jr has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dorrance Jr thows a left - swing and a miss!
A little feinted left hand from Brandon on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Brandon bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Dorrance Jr fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A slow jab from Dorrance Jr misses its intended target.
Brandon throws a big counter combination but Dorrance Jr scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.

Brandon bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Dorrance Jr tries to buck Brandon off but Brandon is having none of it.
Brandon controls the position.
Dorrance Jr is trying to get back to half guard.
Brandon in side control, throwing shots but Dorrance Jr defends.
Brandon trying to control the action but Dorrance Jr is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here.
Brandon tries to score with some ground and pound. Dorrance Jr controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Dorrance Jr can't do much from the bottom here.

Brandon is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Dorrance Jr is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Brandon working away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Brandon lands a few punches from side control.
Brandon scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Dorrance Jr to see if he's OK.
Dorrance Jr is looking to reverse the position.
Brandon lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Dorrance Jr down.
Dorrance Jr holds on to Brandon's head and controls the position momentarily.
Dorrance Jr is trying to get back to half guard.
Brandon remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Junior Brandon is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Brandon seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Dorrance Jr for as long as he can get away with.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Brandon trying to control the action but Dorrance Jr is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Edmund Dorrance Jr comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Brandon 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 William Peck scores the fight 29:28
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Junior Brandon!
A relieved looking Junior Brandon thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.