PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Akhmedov Nurmagedov (ranked 1972 p4p, 1458 weight class) and Dante Black (ranked 270 p4p, 195 weight class). Nurmagedov kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Marzenia. Black is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Mack the Knife. Dante Black has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Nurmagedov
vs
Black

184 cm
23
191
5 - 1 - 0

190 cm
23
190
3 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Conviction
Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing

Core Combat

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Akhmedov Nurmagedov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dante Black!
The judges for this bout are Joseph Jones, Steve Montenegro and Jorge Garcia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Black throws a right hand that misses
and Nurmagedov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Nurmagedov fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Nurmagedov keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Black slips under a jab.
Black missing with a left hand there. Nurmagedov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nurmagedov shoots in and drives through. Black sprawls well.
Black has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Black misses with an uppercut.
Nurmagedov throws a leg kick
and Black counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Nurmagedov slips a jab from Black.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Black sizes up Nurmagedov with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Nurmagedov seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Black displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Nurmagedov throws out the jab.
Black now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Black looks to land a body kick but Nurmagedov moved away.
Black misses with an uppercut. Nurmagedov saw that one coming.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Black gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Nice shot by Black.
Black on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Nurmagedov. Nurmagedov obviously looking to wear him down.
Black throws a nice outside leg kick.
Black throws an overhand right that lands on Nurmagedov's shoulder, as Nurmagedov tries to avoid the shot.
Black throws a low kick but Nurmagedov avoids it.
Black misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Nurmagedov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Nurmagedov looks to throw the jab but Black is out of range.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Black enables Nurmagedov to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Black manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Nurmagedov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Black has control of Nurmagedov's left arm, preventing Nurmagedov from doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Black avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Nurmagedov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Nurmagedov slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Black keeping moving, preventing Nurmagedov from controlling successfully.
Nurmagedov looking to pass the guard.
Nurmagedov is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Black wants to stand and escape but Nurmagedov is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov wants to pass the guard but Black is keeping the position.
Black managing to control the position.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Black tests Nurmagedov's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Good leg kick by Black.
Black ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Nurmagedov moves away.
Nurmagedov missing with a left hand there. Black was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nurmagedov scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Nurmagedov throws a shot from downtown. Black moves away and avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov ducks under a wild hook from Black.
Nurmagedov tries a head kick but it misses.
Nice defenses there by Black.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Black checks a leg kick.
Black waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Black.
Black thows a body kick. Nurmagedov tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Dante Black is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Nurmagedov throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Black was covering up waiting for the punch and Nurmagedov finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nurmagedov preventing the sweep.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Dante Black will probably get the nod.
That's time! Nurmagedov's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Black misses with an uppercut. Nurmagedov saw that one coming.
Black connects with a solid leg kick.
Dante Black seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Black swats away the attempt to clinch by Nurmagedov.
It seemed like Black was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Black ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Nurmagedov moves away.
Nurmagedov moves out of range as Black throws a body kick.
Nurmagedov misses with an uppercut. Black saw that one coming.
A nice side step and Black releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Nurmagedov rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Black moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Black throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Akhmedov Nurmagedov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nurmagedov thuds his right hand into Black's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Nurmagedov checks a low kick from Black.
Black misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nurmagedov.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmagedov getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Black is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Nurmagedov.
Black is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov doesn't manage to clinch there - Black circles away.
Black swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Black throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nurmagedov sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Black ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Nurmagedov moves away.
Nurmagedov lands with a straight right. Black didn't see that one coming.
Nurmagedov scores with a shot to the body.
Black throws a body shot but no joy.
Nurmagedov misses with a straight right.
Black let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov lands with a straight right. Black didn't see that one coming.
Nurmagedov swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Black.
Black circles away from the clinch attempt
and Nurmagedov takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Black tries to move into range but Nurmagedov moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Black missing with a left hand there. Nurmagedov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Black misses with an uppercut.
Nice body punch from Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Black.
Nurmagedov misses with a hook. Black ducked under it nicely.
Black appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Black connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Nurmagedov's hands.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov slips a jab from Black.
A jab lands there for Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov misses with a hook to the body
and Black connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Black stuffs the takedown attempt from Nurmagedov. Nurmagedov gets slowly back to his feet.
Nurmagedov works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Black looks to land a left hand but Nurmagedov moved out of range nicely.
Nurmagedov throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Black thows a left - swing and a miss!
Nurmagedov with the inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Black on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Black takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Black avoids the body shot from Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov throws an overhand right that lands on Black's shoulder, as Black tries to avoid the shot.
Nurmagedov will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nurmagedov misses the jab.
Black misses with an uppercut. Nurmagedov saw that one coming.

Black gets tackled into the cage by Nurmagedov. Nurmagedov maintains the clinch.
Nurmagedov tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Nurmagedov swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Nurmagedov wants a takedown but no success here.
Black lands with a right to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akhmedov Nurmagedov dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Black checks a low kick from Nurmagedov.
Nurmagedov throws a series of strikes that have Black backpedaling.
Nurmagedov just misses with a punch to the body.
Black swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Black misses with a hook. Nurmagedov ducked under it nicely.

Black tries to keep at a distance but Nurmagedov has taken the fight into the clinch.
Black lands a body shot.
Nurmagedov tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Black gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Nurmagedov.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Black prevents the takedown attempt.
Black lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A short left from Nurmagedov.
Still in the clinch, Black scores with a nice short uppercut.
Black lands an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Black lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Nurmagedov is looking to take this one to the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Akhmedov Nurmagedov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nurmagedov can't get the takedown.
Black lands with a short shot to the head.
Still in the clinch, Black scores with a nice short uppercut.

Nurmagedov is rocked!
A head punch on the inside from Black fails to land.
Oh Nurmagedov is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Black lands a right hand that snaps the head of Nurmagedov backwards.

Nurmagedov is trying to trip Black. He has hold of a leg but Black is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Nurmagedov persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Black is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Black's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Nurmagedov throws a strike but Black rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Black looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Nurmagedov seems to have got his legs back now.
Black has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Nurmagedov is proving hard to escape from.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Black forces his way into half guard.
Akhmedov Nurmagedov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Black moves nicely into side control.
Nurmagedov sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Black is looking to take a break and control but Nurmagedov is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Black trying to control the pace.
Black seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Nurmagedov does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Nurmagedov slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Nurmagedov not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Black won't allow Nurmagedov to sweep him here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmagedov keeping moving, preventing Black from controlling successfully.

Nurmagedov is working an open guard so Black takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

Black gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Nurmagedov to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Black 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.
Nurmagedov trying to control the position from guard on top but Black is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nurmagedov postures up.
Nurmagedov trying to control but Black is working from the bottom.
Black can't keep his opponent in guard - Nurmagedov advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Black is controlling Nurmagedov's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Nurmagedov drops an elbow to the side of Black's head.
Black wants to control but Nurmagedov is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Black works his way to full guard. Good work.
Nurmagedov trying to control the position from guard on top but Black is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nurmagedov throws a big elbow that misses.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Black keeping moving, preventing Nurmagedov from controlling successfully.
Black looking for a sweep. Not yet Black, not yet.
Nurmagedov postures up.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dante Black comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Black has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Joseph Jones scores the fight 28:29
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 29:29
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Dante Black!
Dante Black decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.