PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Khabib Nurma Jr (ranked 3982 p4p, 455 weight class) and Jhin Markell (ranked 4818 p4p, 531 weight class). Khabib Nurma Jr could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Jhin Markell's chin.

Nurma Jr
vs
Markell

191 cm
25
193 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

182 cm
25
182 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Big right hand

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
Determined

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 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Khabib Nurma Jr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Jhin Markell!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Don Winkell and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nurma Jr lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Markell on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Markell stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Markell wants it to stay on the feet.
Jab by Markell.
Markell steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nurma Jr.
Markell looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Markell throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nurma Jr sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Markell misses the shot to the body.
Nurma Jr scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Markell doesn't seem bothered though.
Markell throws a body punch but Nurma Jr moves out of range.
Nurma Jr uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Nurma Jr is trying hard to land a takedown here. Markell sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Nurma Jr sets himself, and Markell steps forward looking for the clinch! Nurma Jr avoids it this time.
Nurma Jr scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Nurma Jr tests Markell's chin there with a solid looking shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nurma Jr connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Markell's hands.
Nurma Jr is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Nurma Jr drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Nurma Jr wants to control but Markell is keeping him busy.
Markell manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Markell is looking to advance position but Nurma Jr won't allow it.
In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Markell working his ground and pound in the gym. He isn't landing a great percentage of his ground strikes so far though.
Nurma Jr wants to get back to full guard.
Nurma Jr pushes Markell off looking to stand but Markell dives back in and keeps control.
Markell is figuring out what he wants to do next.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Nurma Jr is trying to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurma Jr is working hard here to advance position.
Nurma Jr on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Nurma Jr tries to get out of the position.
Nurma Jr trying to control but Markell postures up.
Nurma Jr controlling the position for now.
Nurma Jr is trying to stand.
Nurma Jr trying to control here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Markell trying to control the pace.
Nurma Jr wants to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Markell controlling the pace.
Nurma Jr is in a tricky position but he's been working on his transitions down at Elite, so we'll see if he gets out of it.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Markell takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Nurma Jr swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Markell.
Nurma Jr with a nice cross.
Nice jab there from Nurma Jr.
Nurma Jr throws a lazy right hand but Markell sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Markell feints the counter takedown.
Nurma Jr connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Markell momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Markell throws a hook but Nurma Jr blocks it.
Markell ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Good shot there by Nurma Jr.
Markell slips a straight right by Nurma Jr.
Markell misses with an attempted mid kick.
Markell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nurma Jr connects with a body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nurma Jr with a jab.
Markell throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Nurma Jr is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Markell takes one on the button.
Nurma Jr jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Nurma Jr works the jab nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Khabib Nurma Jr dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Markell loads up on a big right hand but Nurma Jr slips the punch.
Markell uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nurma Jr.
The fighters circling - Nurma Jr throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Markell tries to counter with a clinch but Nurma Jr shakes him off and moves away.
Nurma Jr scores with a body shot.

Nurma Jr scores with a takedown into Markell's guard.
Nurma Jr trying to control but Markell is working from the bottom.
Markell is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Nurma Jr tries to get to full guard but Markell has control of the leg.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Markell slows the pace down in half guard.
Nurma Jr tries to roll over but Markell keeps him under control.
Well, if Markell 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.

That's two 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.
Jhin Markell has got the better of the ground game so far.
Nurma Jr pushes Markell off looking to stand but Markell dives back in and keeps control.
Nurma Jr tries to push off, looking to stand up, but Markell manages to move to mount!
Markell controlling his opponent.
Nurma Jr is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Markell can do to turn this around?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Markell sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Markell content just to control the position here.
Markell dominating with strikes here.
Markell takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Nurma Jr holds on for dear life, controlling Markell's posture momentarily.
Nurma Jr trying desperately to get to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurma Jr is wriggling around trying to escape.
Markell raining down shots from the mount!
Nurma Jr is trying to escape the mount.
Markell controlling the pace for now.
Markell prevents Nurma Jr from getting the reversal.
Markell controlling his opponent.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jhin Markell showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Markell swings for the body but Nurma Jr moves out of range.
Nurma Jr connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Markell's hands.
Nurma Jr lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Markell at a distance.
Markell throws out a loose jab but Nurma Jr uses good head movement to avoid it.

Nurma Jr shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Nurma Jr is just content to waste time from the top position. Markell takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nurma Jr pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Markell is keeping the position for now.
Markell looking for a sweep. Not yet Markell, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurma Jr postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Nurma Jr accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Nurma Jr wants to pass the guard but Markell is keeping the position.
Nurma Jr throwing strikes but missing.
Markell is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Markell keeping moving, preventing Nurma Jr from controlling successfully.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Markell misses with a low kick.
Markell misses with a body shot
and Nurma Jr counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Markell feints and as Nurma Jr raises his hands in defense, Markell changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Markell stays in close to Nurma Jr's body and controls the position.
Nurma Jr looking for a sweep. Not yet Nurma Jr, not yet.
Markell prevents Nurma Jr from getting back to his feet.
Nurma Jr keeping full guard, as Markell tries to pass.
Markell is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Markell stops Nurma Jr from standing up.
Markell stays in close to Nurma Jr's body and controls the position.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Nurma Jr with a hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurma Jr throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Markell swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Nurma Jr with a hook.
Nurma Jr dips to his left and cracks Markell with an uppercut!
Nurma Jr scores with a jab.
Nurma Jr dives in and grabs Markell's left leg, looking for a takedown. Markell pushes down on Nurma Jr's head and hops out.
Khabib Nurma Jr is winning the standup battle so far.
Nurma Jr scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Nurma Jr fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Markell manages to avoid it.
Markell with the counter takedown but Nurma Jr avoids it easily.
Nurma Jr swings for the body but Markell moves out of range.
Nurma Jr ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Markell takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurma Jr scores with a crisp jab that stopped Markell in his tracks.

Markell scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Markell is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Nurma Jr's shoulder. That is not cool.
Markell takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Nurma Jr is trying to control Markell's posture but Markell avoids it.
Markell advances nicely into full mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Khabib Nurma Jr showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Nurma Jr 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Khabib Nurma Jr!