PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Marco Natta (ranked 551 p4p, 4465 weight class) and Kadyn Mercer (ranked 27 p4p, 263 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Natta
vs
Mercer

170 cm
28
145
12 - 4 - 0

170 cm
25
145
4 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Marco Natta!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Kadyn Mercer!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, Yves DeLean and Dillan Fox.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mercer tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Natta manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Natta tries to counter by clinching up but Mercer breaks away and moves out of range.
Natta misses with a looping left.
Mercer fails with an attempt to clinch.
Mercer moves away from the strike by Natta.

Mercer closes the distance and clinches.
Mercer jumps guard but Natta turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Mercer fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Mercer fails to pull guard.
Marco Natta has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kadyn Mercer.
Mercer jumps guard but Natta stands there with Mercer around his waist. Mercer gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Natta misses with a hook to the ribs.

Natta manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.

Natta is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Mercer defends well.
Natta seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mercer 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.
Natta definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer trying to control but Natta is working from the bottom.
Natta trying to keep a closed guard but Mercer is proving a slippery customer.
Natta has Mercer pulled in close to control his posture.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

Natta throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Natta not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
A telegraphed right hand from Natta misses the target.
Natta takes a swing at Mercer's ribcage but misses.
Natta just misses with a punch to the body.
Mercer moves out of range as Natta strikes.
Mercer is looking to clinch but Natta is avoiding it.
Mercer moves in looking to clinch but Natta pushes him off.
Natta seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Mercer wants to clinch.
Natta is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Mercer.
Nice uppercut lands for Natta. That snapped Mercer's head back.
Mercer is looking to clinch but Natta is avoiding it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Mercer looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer is looking to clinch.
Natta looks to score with a jab to the body but Mercer is just out of range.
Natta avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Mercer wants to clinch up but Natta keeps it at a distance.
Natta is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Mercer.
Natta is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Mercer.
Mercer fails in his attempt to clinch.
Natta missing with a left hand there. Mercer was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Mercer fails with an attempt to clinch.
Natta misses with an uppercut.

Mercer has Natta up against the cage in a clinch.
Mercer tries to pull guard but Natta won't allow it.
Mercer jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Natta walks away with a smile on his face. Mercer gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Mercer tries to clinch but Natta is having none of it.
Mercer is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Natta forces Mercer back against the cage and clinches.
Mercer blocks a body shot from Natta.

Natta jumps guard.
Mercer trying to control the position from guard on top but Natta is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natta working a defensive guard here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Mercer's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Natta keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Natta looking to control.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Natta dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Mercer slips under a jab.
Natta circles away from the clinch attempt.
Mercer moves in looking to clinch but Natta pushes him off.

Mercer gets tackled into the cage by Natta. Natta maintains the clinch.

Natta successfully pulls guard.
Mercer wants to pass the guard but Natta is keeping the position.
Natta is trying to control the position but Mercer postures up.
Mercer 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.

Natta has an active guard here but Mercer has managed to pass into half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mercer performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Natta wants to improve his position but Mercer is controlling well.
Mercer wants to lay and pray for a moment but Natta keeps working.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Natta is trying to control but Mercer passes into side control!
Natta is looking for a sweep.
Mercer is looking to take a break and control but Natta is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Natta is looking for a sweep.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Kadyn Mercer seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Mercer fails with an attempt to clinch.
Natta throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Mercer avoids the body shot from Natta.
Mercer uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Natta.
Natta misses with a body shot.
Mercer is looking to clinch.
Mercer wants to clinch up but Natta keeps it at a distance.
Mercer tries to close the distance and clinch up but Natta swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Mercer tries to clinch up.
Natta avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Natta keeps the fight on the outside.
A jab from Natta misses.
Mercer tries to clinch there but Natta circles away.
Natta keeps the fight on the outside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natta keeps the fight on the outside.
Mercer tries to clinch but Natta is having none of it.
Natta tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Mercer manages to circle out of the way.
Natta circles away from the clinch attempt.
Mercer steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Natta.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Mercer tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Natta manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Mercer tries to close the distance and clinch up but Natta swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Natta throws a body punch but Mercer moves out of range.
Natta swats away the attempt to clinch by Mercer.
Mercer tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Mercer uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Natta.
Mercer tries to counter with a clinch but Natta shakes him off and moves away.
Mercer is looking to clinch but Natta is avoiding it.

Natta moves into the clinch successfully.

Natta pulls guard successfully.
Mercer being controlled here momentarily.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marco Natta dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Natta gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Natta is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Mercer can do to turn this around?

Natta successfully pulls guard.
Mercer is stalling in the full guard.
Natta is trying to control the position but Mercer postures up.
Natta keeping full guard, as Mercer tries to pass.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mercer's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Natta is trying to control the position but Mercer postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer wants to control from the top but Natta keeps moving.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Mercer tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Natta paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Mercer avoids the body shot from Natta.
Mercer moves away from the strike by Natta.
Natta missing with a left hand there. Mercer was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

Natta clinches up with Mercer and pushes him back against the cage.
Mercer jumps guard but Natta turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Natta manages to pull guard.
Mercer must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Natta keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.
Mercer controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Natta is trying to control the position but Mercer postures up.
Mercer trying to control the position from guard on top but Natta is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Natta pulls Mercer in close to his closed guard and prevents Mercer from doing any damage or advancing position.
Mercer trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Mercer trying to control but Natta is working from the bottom.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Mercer tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Natta manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer tries to clinch up.
Mercer tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
As Mercer tries to get set, Natta tries to push him back and clinch up but Mercer manages to avoid the attempt.
Natta throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Mercer tries to clinch up but Natta circles away and keeps his distance.
Mercer is looking to clinch but Natta is avoiding it.
Mercer tries to close the distance and clinch but Natta swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Natta closes the distance and pushes Mercer back into the cage.

Natta manages to pull guard.

Natta is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Mercer is aware though and is defending well.
Marco Natta is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Mercer trying to control but Natta is working from the bottom.
Natta looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Natta keeping full guard, as Mercer tries to pass.
Natta has his hands on Mercer's head, controlling the position.
Natta continues to stall.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Kadyn Mercer has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Mercer instigates a clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marco Natta showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Natta has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Steve Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 30:27
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 30:27

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