PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Derek Trucks (ranked 1205 p4p, 167 weight class) and Zoran Paunovic (ranked 3218 p4p, 367 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Trucks
vs
Paunovic

183 cm
21
196 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

186 cm
25
193 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Voodoo Nutrition
Venom Combat Sports

Project Mayhem

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Derek Trucks!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Zoran Paunovic!
The judges for this bout are Alec Ball, Gregory Folan and Robert Douchet.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Trucks tries to clinch up.
Paunovic checks the leg kick.
Trucks feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Paunovics jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
The fighters circling - Paunovic throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Paunovic works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.

It looks like Derek Trucks has been cut.
Trucks fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Paunovic manages to avoid it.
Paunovic tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Trucks manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Paunovic pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A jab from Paunovic misses.
Paunovic is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

It looks like Zoran Paunovic has been cut.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Paunovic - that will leave a mark!
Paunovic slips under a jab from Trucks.
Paunovic missing with a left hand there. Trucks was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Paunovic uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Trucks.
Paunovic swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Paunovic darts in trying to clinch
and Trucks counters with a nice body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Trucks fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paunovic tries a head kick but it misses.
Trucks throws out a powerful jab.
Sloppy strikes from Trucks. Those never looked like landing.

Trucks gets tackled into the cage by Paunovic. Paunovic maintains the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Paunovic.
Paunovic misses with some punches.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Paunovic's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Paunovic tries a body shot but Trucks blocks it.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Trucks.
Trucks blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Trucks working aggressively here.
Paunovic blocks a body shot from Trucks.
Trucks tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Paunovic's elbow.
Trucks struggles to land a body shot inside as Paunovic controls his hands.
Paunovic lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A short uppercut from Paunovic.
Trucks cracks Paunovic with a nice body shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Trucks blocks a body shot from Paunovic.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Still in the clinch, Trucks scores with a nice short uppercut.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Trucks.
Trucks fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Paunovic has a couple of punches blocked by Trucks.
A short left from Paunovic.
Trucks scores with a nice hook to the head.
Trucks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Trucks throws a punch but it's blocked by Paunovic.
We've been informed that Paunovic has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Trucks blocking some punches.
Paunovic lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Trucks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Paunovic lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Paunovic.
Paunovic working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Paunovic throws a head punch that misses.
Trucks blocks a body shot from Paunovic.
Paunovic tries to work over Trucks's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Trucks scores with a shoulder strike.
Trucks throws a head punch that misses.
Paunovic misses with a punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trucks makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Trucks scores with a shot to the side of Paunovic's head.
Paunovic lands with a left to the head.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Paunovic swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Paunovic doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A short right from Trucks.
Paunovic presses Trucks against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Paunovic misses with a body punch.
Trucks lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Paunovic.
Trucks working aggressively here.
Paunovic has a couple of punches blocked by Trucks.
Paunovic swings wildly with an uppercut but Trucks uses good head movement to avoid it.
I was talking to Trucks's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Trucks fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Paunovic misses with a punch to the body.
Paunovic misses with an elbow strike.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Paunovic.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A right hook to the body lands for Paunovic.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Paunovic misses with a short punch on the inside.
Trucks has a couple of punches blocked by Paunovic.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Paunovic.
Paunovic lands a left hand.
Trucks working aggressively here.
Paunovic tries to throw a body punch but Trucks avoids it by throwing Paunovic back against the cage.
Trucks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Paunovic.
Paunovic blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Trucks tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Paunovic works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Trucks misses with some punches.
Paunovic misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Paunovic scores with a hook to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Paunovic tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Trucks's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Paunovic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Paunovic.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Zoran Paunovic will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Trucks jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Paunovic scores with a hook.
Paunovic uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Trucks.
Trucks looks to throw the jab but Paunovic is out of range.
A swing and a miss from Paunovic.
Paunovic throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Trucks stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Paunovic misses with a head kick.
Paunovic steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Trucks.
Paunovic slips a straight right by Trucks.
Good shot there by Paunovic.
Trucks misses with a few strikes there.
Trucks avoids the body shot from Paunovic.
Derek Trucks is winning the standup battle so far.
Paunovic throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Trucks swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Paunovic throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Paunovic takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Paunovic misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Trucks.
Trucks misses with a straight right.
Paunovic lands a nice leg kick that just misses Trucks's sensitive parts.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paunovic fakes the leg kick and cracks Trucks in the body.
Paunovic scores with a shot to the body.
Trucks missing with a left hand there. Paunovic was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Paunovic throws a hook to the side of Trucks's head but Trucks sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Paunovic lands a nice shot to the body.
Trucks throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A little jabbing left from Paunovic on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Paunovic is looking to chop away at Trucks's legs.
Trucks misses with a hook. Paunovic ducked under it nicely.
Paunovic chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Paunovic displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Trucks throws out the jab.
That kick from Paunovic tenderised Trucks's leg. Trucks is trying to keep his angry face on.
Trucks takes a swing at Paunovic's ribcage but misses.
Trucks throws a body punch but Paunovic moves out of range.
Trucks takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Sloppy strikes from Paunovic. Those never looked like landing.
Trucks went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Paunovic takes the fight into the clinch.
Trucks tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Paunovic has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Paunovic tries to work over Trucks's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Trucks.
Paunovic can't find room to land a body shot as Trucks controls the action.
Paunovic is leaning against Trucks and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Trucks.
Paunovic lands with a short shot to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Trucks.
Paunovic working aggressively here.
Trucks misses with a body punch.
Paunovic misses with a punch on the inside.
Paunovic digs a right hand underneath Trucks's ribcage. Trucks let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Trucks throws a punch but it's blocked by Paunovic.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Paunovic misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Paunovic prevents a body shot from Trucks.
Paunovic blocks an uppercut.
Paunovic fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Trucks lands with a left to the head.
A body shot lands from Trucks.
Paunovic scores with a shot to the side of Trucks's head.
Still in the clinch, Trucks scores with a nice short uppercut.
Paunovic takes a shot to the head.
Trucks lands with a short shot to the head.
Trucks throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Paunovics head.
Paunovic fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Paunovic lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Trucks backwards.
Trucks lands a shoulder strike.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Paunovic.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Trucks lands with a left to the head.
Paunovic goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Paunovic swings wildly with an uppercut but Trucks uses good head movement to avoid it.
Trucks blocks an uppercut.
Trucks throws a head punch that misses.
Paunovic takes a shot to the head.
Trucks prevents a body shot from Paunovic.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Paunovic lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Nice body punch from Paunovic.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Paunovic.
Paunovic blocks an uppercut.
Paunovic working aggressively here.
Trucks misses with some punches.
Paunovic blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Trucks lands a shoulder strike.
Trucks makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Paunovic lands a shoulder strike.
Trucks blocking some punches.
A right hook to the body lands for Paunovic.
Trucks cracks Paunovic with a nice body shot.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Paunovic misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A short uppercut from Trucks.
Paunovic throws a head punch that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Trucks fails to land.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Zoran Paunovic will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Trucks takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Trucks walks into a left hand.

Paunovic moves into the clinch.
Paunovic scores with a shot to the side of Trucks's head.
Paunovic misses with the head strike.
Paunovic can't find room to land a body shot as Trucks controls the action.
Paunovic lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Trucks working aggressively here.
A shot in the inside from Paunovic.
Paunovic throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Truckss head.
Nice body punch from Paunovic - that landed with a thud.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Paunovic struggles to land a body shot inside as Trucks controls his hands.
Trucks fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Trucks's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Trucks fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Trucks misses with a short punch on the inside.
Trucks tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Trucks misses with the head strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paunovic goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Paunovic lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Paunovic misses with a punch on the inside.
Paunovic lands a body punch.
Paunovic misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Trucks throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Paunovics head.
Paunovic swings wildly with an uppercut but Trucks uses good head movement to avoid it.
Paunovic lands a nice uppercut.
Paunovic tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Paunovic swings wildly with an uppercut but Trucks uses good head movement to avoid it.
Trucks has a couple of punches blocked by Paunovic.
Paunovic lands with a short head shot on the inside.

Trucks is rocked!
A head punch blocked on the inside by Paunovic.
Oh Trucks is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Still in the clinch, Paunovic scores with a nice short uppercut.
Paunovic creates some distance for himself and unleashes a massive uppercut that sends Trucks's eyes rolling into the back of his head! Trucks drops to his knees and Paunovic pours it on with more strikes until the referee steps in to end the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:58 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Zoran Paunovic!
Zoran Paunovic tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.