PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Zahabi St. Georges (ranked 910 p4p, 137 weight class) and Naoise Durnin (ranked 861 p4p, 127 weight class). Durnin has chosen I'm Shipping Up To Boston by The Dropkick Murphy's as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

St. Georges
vs
Durnin

191 cm
27
240 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

197 cm
25
270 lbs
11 - 5 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Zahabi St. Georges!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Naoise Durnin!
The judges for this bout are Robert Douchet, Elvis Blanc and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
St. Georges throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Durnin! But no joy.
Durnin uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Durnin takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Durnin lands a nice leg kick that just misses St. Georges's sensitive parts.
St. Georges ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Durnin moves away.
Durnin slips a straight right by St. Georges.
A slapping leg kick lands for Durnin.
Durnin misses with a hook. St. Georges ducked under it nicely.
St. Georges catches Durnin with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Durnin misses with a hook.
St. Georges takes one on the button.
Durnin connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between St. Georges's hands.
St. Georges moves in looking to clinch but Durnin pushes him off.
St. Georges lands a jab-cross combination.
Naoise Durnin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
St. Georges misses with a looping left.
St. Georges throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Durnin moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Durnin scores with a leg kick.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
St. Georges tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Durnin paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Durnin tries a low kick but St. Georges avoids it.
St. Georges throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice combination there by St. Georges.
Durnin takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
St. Georges cracks Durnin with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Durnin keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from St. Georges.
Durnin chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Durnin throws a wild body kick that St. Georges sees coming a mile off.
Durnin buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Durnin walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. St. Georges checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
St. Georges throws out a loose jab but Durnin uses good head movement to avoid it.
Durnin stuns St. Georges with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Nice uppercut there from St. Georges.
St. Georges moves away from the strike by Durnin.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Decent striking displayed by Durnin there.
Nice body punch from St. Georges.
Durnin's hands are dropping dangerously low here and St. Georges connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Durnin scrambles back to his feet.
Durnin lands with a nice body punch.
Durnin steps to the side to avoid the strikes from St. Georges.
St. Georges blocks the body kick.
St. Georges throwing a counter right hand but Durnin manages to avoid it.
St. Georges tries to clinch up.
St. Georges tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Durnin was well out of range. Poor timing from St. Georges.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Durnin connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
St. Georges misses with a shot to the body
and Durnin counters with a two punch combo.
St. Georges throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Jab by Durnin.
Durnin fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt St. Georges.
Durnin thows a leg kick but St. Georges checks it
and St. Georges cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Durnin swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Durnin jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
St. Georges throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Durnin sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Durnin bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Durnin is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by St. Georges.
Durnin throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
St. Georges moves out of range of the strikes.
St. Georges slips under a jab.
Durnin missing with a left hand there. St. Georges was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
St. Georges uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Durnin.
Durnin defending well as St. Georges loads up on a big left hand.
Durnin misses with a wild combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St. Georges missing with a left hand there. Durnin was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
St. Georges falls off balance throwing a combination
and Durnin counters with a nice leg kick.
Durnin jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Durnin throws a predictable looking body shot
and St. Georges counters with a nice uppercut.
St. Georges connects with a nice looking jab.
St. Georges misses with a looping left.
St. Georges walks into a jab.
St. Georges throws a hook to the side of Durnin's head but Durnin sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Sloppy strikes from Durnin. Those never looked like landing.
St. Georges misses with an uppercut. Durnin saw that one coming.
St. Georges lands a head shot.
Durnin attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Nice jab there from Durnin.
St. Georges is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.

St. Georges closes the distance and clinches.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A shot in the inside from St. Georges.
Durnin swings away with an uppercut that misses.
St. Georges working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Durnin misses with a shot to the kidneys.
St. Georges softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Durnin swings wildly with an uppercut but St. Georges uses good head movement to avoid it.
St. Georges swings wildly with an uppercut but Durnin uses good head movement to avoid it.
St. Georges working aggressively here.
Durnin doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Durnin stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
St. Georges is breathing heavily.
Durnin tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
St. Georges blocks a body shot from Durnin.
St. Georges blocks a body shot from Durnin.
Durnin lands a shot to the body.
Still in the clinch, Durnin scores with a nice short uppercut.
Durnin throws a head punch that misses.
St. Georges throws a head punch that misses.
Durnin misses with a punch to the body.
Durnin lands a shot to the body.
Durnin misses with a body punch.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Durnin has a couple of punches blocked by St. Georges.
Durnin scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Durnin tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
I was talking to St. Georges's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
St. Georges working aggressively here.
St. Georges is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
A right hook to the body lands for Durnin.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Naoise Durnin will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A decent looking cross lands there for Durnin.
Durnin lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but St. Georges circles away quickly and effectively.
A jab lands there for Durnin.
Durnin lands with a shot to the body.
Durnin connects with an inside leg kick.
Durnin ducks under a wild hook from St. Georges.

St. Georges takes the fight into the clinch.
Naoise Durnin seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Durnin lands a nice uppercut.
Durnin lands a nice uppercut.
A hook to the body from Durnin.
A short left from Durnin.
Durnin lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Durnin has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. St. Georges seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Durnin can turn it around.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Durnin lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down St. Georges.
A right handed body shot lands from Durnin.
Durnin lands with a left to the head.
Durnin stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
St. Georges prevents a body shot from Durnin.
Durnin goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Durnin lands on the inside with an uppercut.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Durnin creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Durnin misses with a hook to the ribs.
St. Georges misses with a hook to the ribs.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Durnin.
Durnin lands with a light punch inside.
Durnin lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Durnin goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Durnin scores with a nice hook to the head.
Durnin works on St. Georges's body with a couple of short punches.
Durnin tries a body shot but St. Georges blocks it.
Durnin lands with a left to the head.
Durnin lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of St. Georges backwards.
Durnin makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Durnin digs a right hand underneath St. Georges's ribcage. St. Georges let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Durnin misses with a hook to the ribs.
Durnin lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Durnin tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Durnin scores with an uppercut up the middle.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Durnin tried to land a shot to the body but connects with St. Georges's elbow.
Nice body punch from Durnin - that landed with a thud.
Durnin misses with a punch to the body.
Durnin scores with a shoulder strike.
Durnin goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Durnin tries to throw a body punch but St. Georges avoids it by throwing Durnin back against the cage.
Durnin working aggressively here.
Durnin lands a hook that snaps the head of St. Georges backwards.
Durnin swings wildly with an uppercut but St. Georges uses good head movement to avoid it.
Durnin scores with a shoulder strike.
Durnin throws a head punch that misses.
Durnin lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt St. Georges or not.
Durnin has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Durnin lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Durnin lands a body shot.
Durnin misses with a punch to the body.
Durnin working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

St. Georges is rocked!
Durnin lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of St. Georges backwards.
Oh St. Georges is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Durnin lands a nice shot to the body.
Durnin lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt St. Georges or not.
Durnin lands a left hand.
Durnin pushes St. Georges against the cage. Durnin is working some dirty boxing. Durnin pushes off with a quick right hook! St. Georges goes down! St. Georges tries to stand but stumbles back to his kness! Durnin moves in to finish and the ref steps in to prevent any more damage!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:52 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Naoise Durnin!
Naoise Durnin 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.