PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Cathal Tiernan (ranked 1263 p4p, 1676 weight class) and Nasir Prince (ranked 89 p4p, 121 weight class). Prince has chosen Nas- N.Y. State of Mind as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Tiernan
vs
Prince

175 cm
28
130
7 - 1 - 1

171 cm
33
145
21 - 16 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

NARCOS

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 7 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Cathal Tiernan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 16 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Nasir Prince!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Shigeki Sano.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tiernan takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Prince throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A jab from Tiernan misses.
Prince misses with a low kick.
Prince misses with a lunging right hand
and Tiernan counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Prince misses with an uppercut.
Tiernan tests Prince's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Tiernan throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Tiernan throws a jab but it's blocked by Prince.
Tiernan throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Prince misses with a two punch combination.
Prince tries to clinch up but Tiernan circles away and keeps his distance.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
The fighters circling - Tiernan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Prince connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Prince misses with a looping right.
Nasir Prince seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Prince misses the jab.
Tiernan gets cracked there but stands up to it.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Prince tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Tiernan manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Donk. Prince catches Tiernan right on the button with a cross.
Prince slips a jab from Tiernan.
Prince connects with a good right hand that stumbles Tiernan. Tiernan circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
The fighters circle momentarily. Prince darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Prince ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Prince thows a left - swing and a miss!
Tiernan rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Prince counters with an inside leg kick.
Prince uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tiernan.
A swing and a miss from Tiernan.
Prince pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Tiernan looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Tiernan swats away the attempt to clinch by Prince.
Prince looks to throw the jab but Tiernan is out of range.
Prince misses the jab.
Prince stuns Tiernan with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Tiernan throws a hook but Prince avoids it easily.
A big left from Prince misses.
Prince moves out of range of the strikes.
Tiernan throws a head kick but Prince moves out of range.
Prince throws a hook but Tiernan avoids it easily.
Tiernan misses with a looping right.
Tiernan ducks under a wild hook from Prince.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Prince misses with an uppercut.
Tiernan really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Tiernan swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Prince counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Tiernan thinking.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Prince just misses with a punch to the body.
A clash of legs there as Tiernan blocks the low kick.
Tiernan is looking to counter punch.
A leg kick checked by Tiernan.
Tiernan definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Tiernan's corner calls for a 1-2. Tiernan obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Prince looks to throw the jab but Tiernan is out of range.
Tiernan is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Prince fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Tiernan.
Tiernan avoids the head kick by Prince.
Tiernan was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Prince attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Prince has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Tiernan.
Prince uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tiernan.
Tiernan ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Tiernan ducks under a wild hook from Prince.
Prince with a nice calf kick.
Tiernan swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Prince blocks a jab.
Tiernan blocks a head kick by Prince.
Tiernan is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Prince.
Nice defenses there by Prince.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Prince slips under a jab from Tiernan.
Prince keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Tiernan uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Prince has time to react.
Tiernan throws a hook but Prince blocks it.
Prince looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Prince swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Prince takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Prince doesn't manage to clinch there - Tiernan circles away.
Tiernan waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Prince.
Prince misses the jab.
Tiernan swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Prince needs to keep his hands up - Tiernan had a free shot at his head there.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Tiernan blocks an uppercut.
Prince has a couple of punches blocked by Tiernan.
Tiernan takes a shot to the head.
Tiernan blocking some punches.
Tiernan is leaning against Prince and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Tiernan lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tiernan wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Prince has him pressed against the cage.

Tiernan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Tiernan looks to throw the jab but Prince is out of range.
A looping hook to the body misses from Tiernan. Prince does a little dance to reset his feet.
Prince slips under a jab from Tiernan.
Tiernan drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Tiernan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Prince.
Prince is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Tiernan had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
Prince uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Tiernan.
Prince keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tiernan.
Tiernan lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Tiernan chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Prince can pounce on him.
Tiernan throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Prince avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tiernan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Prince.
Prince appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Tiernan keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Prince.
Prince lands a body shot.
Prince ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Tiernan scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

Prince clinches with his opponent.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Nasir Prince will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Prince scores with a jab.
Tiernan throws a hook to the side of Prince's head but Prince sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Prince looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Prince fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Tiernan is out of range.
Prince tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Tiernan was well out of range. Poor timing from Prince.
Prince misses with an uppercut.
A swing and a miss from Tiernan.
Prince misses with a looping right.
Prince missing with a left hand there. Tiernan was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
It looked like Tiernan was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Prince.
Tiernan scores with a decent looking hook.
Tiernan throws a jab when Prince was well out of range.
Tiernan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Prince.
Prince throws a hook but Tiernan avoids it easily.
Prince uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tiernan.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tiernan will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Prince throws an off balance right hand
and Prince takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Tiernan looks to score with a jab to the body but Prince is just out of range.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Prince, as that shot connected.
Tiernan scores with the left hand. Prince knows he should have avoided that one.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Prince swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Tiernan.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Prince slips a straight right by Tiernan.
Prince throws out a counter right but Tiernan avoids it with no problem.
Tiernan is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Prince.
Tiernan will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
A telegraphed right hand from Tiernan misses the target.
A looping hook to the body misses from Tiernan. Prince does a little dance to reset his feet.
Tiernan ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Prince is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Tiernan is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Prince smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Prince connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Prince slips under a jab.
Tiernan scores with a sloppy right hand. Prince should have avoided that one.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Tiernan, as that shot connected.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Prince keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tiernan.
Tiernan misses with an uppercut.
Tiernan sizes up Prince with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Prince keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tiernan.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Prince throws a body punch but Tiernan moves out of range.
Prince pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Prince has managed to clinch.

Tiernan escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Tiernan misses with a hook.
Prince lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.

Prince closes the distance and clinches.
A head punch on the inside from Tiernan fails to land.
Prince prevents Tiernan from breaking the clinch.

Prince's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Prince takes the fight into the clinch.
Tiernan tries a body shot but Prince blocks it.

Tiernan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Prince fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tiernan manages to avoid it.
Prince lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Tiernan lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Prince tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Tiernan counters with a right hand to the body.
Prince lands with an uppercut that bounces Tiernan off the cage and back into range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tiernan loads up on a big right hand but Prince slips the punch.
A jab from Tiernan finds it's way through Prince's defenses.
Tiernan walks into a jab.
Prince looks to land a right hand but Tiernan moved out of range.
Prince missing with a left hand there. Tiernan was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Tiernan punishes Prince's body with a nice straight punch.
Tiernan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tiernan scores with a shot to the body.
Tiernan moves away from the strike by Prince.
Tiernan ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Prince staying out of range there.
Prince buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Tiernan is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Tiernan with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Prince to score with a decent uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tiernan pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A big left from Tiernan misses.
Tiernan sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Prince pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tiernan has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Prince.
Prince tries to clinch up.
Tiernan checks a leg kick nicely.
Tiernan misses with an uppercut. Prince saw that one coming.
Tiernan walks into a straight right hand from Prince.
Tiernan throws out a loose jab but Prince uses good head movement to avoid it.
Prince thows a left - swing and a miss!
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Prince in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Prince fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.

Prince clinches.
Tiernan is working Prince over against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Tiernan as Prince tries to tie him up.
Tiernan misses with a punch on the inside.
Prince misses with a punch on the inside.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tiernan.
A head punch on the inside from Tiernan fails to land.
Tiernan stalling in the clinch but Prince improves position.
Prince dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Nasir Prince will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Tiernan connects with a looping right hand.
Cathal Tiernan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Prince blocks a jab.
Tiernan takes a jab right on the kisser.
Prince tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Prince misses with a looping right.
Tiernan is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Prince fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tiernan manages to avoid it.
Tiernan looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Nice straight punches there by Prince. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Prince.
Prince throws a hook but Tiernan blocks it.
Prince swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Prince takes one to the chin there.
Prince throws a jab when Tiernan was well out of range.
Prince moves away from the strike by Tiernan.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Prince slips a straight right by Tiernan.
Tiernan throws a lazy right hand but Prince sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Prince keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tiernan.
Tiernan's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Prince connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Tiernan scrambles back to his feet.
Prince uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Tiernan.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tiernan looks to throw the jab but Prince is out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tiernan throws a hook to the side of Prince's head but Prince sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Prince misses with a straight left.
Tiernan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tiernan scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Prince doesn't seem bothered though.
Tiernan thuds his right hand into Prince's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Prince takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Tiernan looks to land a left hand but Prince moved out of range nicely.
Prince is looking to clinch.
A decent looking cross lands there for Prince.
Prince blocks a jab.
Tiernan swings for the body but Prince moves out of range.
Donk. Tiernan catches Prince right on the button with a cross.
Tiernan takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Prince tries to clinch but Tiernan moves out of range.
Tiernan takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Prince cracks a nice hook into Tiernan's ribs.
Tiernan throws a body punch but Prince moves out of range.
A jab from Tiernan misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tiernan uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Prince.
Prince scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Prince looks to land a left hand but Tiernan moved out of range nicely.
Prince uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Tiernan lunges at Prince with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Prince's hand.
Prince lands a glancing blow to the side of Tiernan's head.
Prince slips under a jab from Tiernan.
Tiernan takes one to the chin there.
Tiernan on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Prince lands a jab.
Tiernan takes a jab right on the kisser.
Decent striking displayed by Tiernan there.
Tiernan takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Prince moves away from the strike by Tiernan.
Prince smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Prince throws out a loose jab but Tiernan uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Prince stuns Tiernan with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Tiernan lands a jab to the nose.
Tiernan on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Prince throws an overhand right that lands on Tiernan's shoulder, as Tiernan tries to avoid the shot.
A little feinted left hand from Tiernan on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Tiernan misses with a straight right.
Tiernan looks to land a left hand but Prince moved out of range nicely.
The fighters circling - Tiernan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Prince defending well as Tiernan loads up on a big left hand.
Tiernan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Prince.
Prince blocks a jab.
Nice defenses there by Prince.
Tiernan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Prince was well out of range. Poor timing from Tiernan.
Prince tries to clinch there but Tiernan circles away.
Prince fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Tiernan throws a hook but Prince avoids it easily.
Prince fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Tiernan throws a head kick that misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tiernan slips a jab from Prince.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tiernan keeps the fight on the outside.
Tiernan throws a lazy right hand but Prince sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Prince misses with a straight left.
Prince scores with a jab to the head.
Tiernan getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Nasir Prince seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Prince clinches with his opponent.

Tiernan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Tiernan pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A jab from Tiernan finds it's way through Prince's defenses.
Tiernan takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Tiernan moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Tiernan throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Prince.
Prince tries to clinch but Tiernan moves out of range.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Prince avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tiernan works Prince's body with a nice hook.
Prince looks to throw the jab but Tiernan is out of range.
Nasir Prince is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
A slow jab from Tiernan misses its intended target.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Cathal Tiernan.
I think Prince 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 Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 30:28
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Nasir Prince!