PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Badr Hari (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Igor Curcic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Hari
vs
Curcic

197 cm
18
240 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

225 cm
21
265 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Inexperienced

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Badr Hari!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Igor Curcic!
The judges for this bout are Radbod Blank, Paulsen Ambrosius and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hari fails with an attempt to clinch.
Curcic plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Hari moves in looking to clinch but Curcic pushes him off.
Curcic shoots for a takedown but Hari saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Hari throws a sloppy head kick

and Curcic counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Hari seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

Curcic stands and steps away. Hari gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Hari wants to clinch but Curcic slips to the side

and Curcic counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Curcic.
Curcic looking for a takedown.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hari pushes Curcic back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Hari lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

It looks like Igor Curcic has been cut.
Curcic tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Badr Hari has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Igor Curcic.
Hari throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

Hari breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Hari gets a clinch.
Hari's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Hari landing knees to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hari connects with a nasty looking knee right to Curcic's face.
Come on Curcic - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Curcic tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Curcic taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Curcic goes for a takedown attempt but Hari pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Curcic looks gassed!
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch up but Curcic swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Curcic misses with a straight left.
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch but Curcic swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch up but Curcic swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch up but Curcic swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Hari forces Curcic back against the cage and clinches.

Hari manages to break the clinch.
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Curcic paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A punch combination from Curcic misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Curcic takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.

Curcic closes the distance and pushes Hari back into the cage.
Hari lands an elbow that stopped Curcic in his tracks for a moment.
Hari tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Curcic tries to score a body lock takedown but Hari shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Curcic is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Hari scores with a knee to the head.
Hari prevents a body shot from Curcic.

Hari breaks the clinch.

Hari has managed to clinch.
Hari working Curcic over with knees to the body.

Hari escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Hari wants to clinch up but Curcic keeps it at a distance.
Hari misses with a head kick.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Hari with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Knees in the clinch landing for Hari.
Hari lands an elbow that stopped Curcic in his tracks for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hari landing knees to the body.
Hari misses with a knee strike.
Hari lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Curcic breaks from the clinch.
Curcic will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Hari wants to clinch.
Hari stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Hari wants it to stay on the feet.
Badr Hari seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Hari takes the fight into the clinch.

Curcic lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Curcic wants to stand but Hari has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.
Hari tries to kick Curcic off but Curcic keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Curcic tries to pass the half guard into mount. Hari knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Curcic decides to stand up.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hari tries a head kick but it misses.
Curcic fails with a takedown attempt.
Curcic keeps the fight on the outside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Badr Hari will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Igor Curcic's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Hari tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Curcic counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Hari wants to sweep here but Curcic controlling him for the moment.
Curcic pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hari is keeping the position for now.
Curcic wants to control from the top but Hari keeps moving.

Curcic stands up from Hari's guard - Curcic perhaps looking for a knockout.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Curcic shoots in for a takedown but Hari shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Hari darts in trying to clinch

and Curcic decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Hari's guard.
Hari trying to control the position.
Hari is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Curcic slips nicely into half guard.
Curcic seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Hari does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Hari wants to get back to his feet.
Curcic perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hari is looking for a sweep. Curcic is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Curcic in particular looking to stall.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Curcic lands a nice short elbow.
Curcic works his way into full mount!
Hari is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Curcic is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Hari can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Hari might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Curcic controlling from mount.
Curcic can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Hari is looking to escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Curcic showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Igor Curcic's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Curcic shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Hari defends it nicely.
Hari slaps away a takedown attempt from Curcic, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Hari displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Curcic.
Badr Hari has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Igor Curcic.
Hari throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Hari misses with a head kick.
Hari throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Hari clinches but Curcic breaks the clinch
and Curcic counters with a two punch combo.
Hari throws a nice head kick!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hari tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Curcic paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Curcic closes the distance looking to clinch
and Hari counters with a head kick. That will keep Curcic thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

Hari has taken the fight to the clinch.
Hari lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Curcic has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Hari avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Hari.

Hari is fighting off a takedown attempt but Curcic is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Hari to the mat. Hari regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Curcic content to stall in guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Igor Curcic has got the better of the ground game so far.
Hari wants to stand but Curcic is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Curcic pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hari is keeping the position for now.

Curcic stands up from Hari's guard - Curcic perhaps looking for a knockout.

Curcic scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Hari is staying active underneath Curcic, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Hari is trying to stand up here but Curcic is controlling him well.
Hari knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Curcic on the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Curcic thows a huge punch but Hari dodges it nicely.
Curcic wants to control but Hari is keeping him busy.
Curcic might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Hari kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Hari is trying to stand up here but Curcic is controlling him well.
Curcic tries to pass the half guard into mount. Hari knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Curcic gets the takedown into side control.

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 Badr Hari.
I think Hari 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 Radbod Blank scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Badr Hari!