PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Tony Halme (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ljubisa Kurcubic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ljubisa Kurcubic will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Halme
vs
Kurcubic

191 cm
22
260 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

225 cm
20
283 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Powerful

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 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Tony Halme!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ljubisa Kurcubic!
The judges for this bout are , and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kurcubic moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

It looks like Tony Halme has been cut.

Kurcubic has managed to clinch.

Halme is trying to trip Kurcubic. He has hold of a leg but Kurcubic is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Halme persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Halme trying to control the position from guard on top but Kurcubic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Halme looking to pass the guard.
Halme preventing the sweep.
Kurcubic trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Halme is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

Kurcubic pushes Halme off and gets back to his feet.

Kurcubic moves into the clinch successfully.
A short right from Kurcubic.
Halme tries to score a body lock takedown but Kurcubic shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Kurcubic using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Halme has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
The referee is keeping an eye on Kurcubic - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Kurcubic crunches a lovely knee into Halme's ribcage.
Halme digs a right hand into Kurcubic's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Kurcubic's gas tank.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halme misses with a punch on the inside.
Kurcubic lands a left hand that snaps the head of Halme backwards.
Halme working hard to break the clinch.
Kurcubic lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Kurcubic landing knees to the body.
Halme is breathing heavily.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Kurcubic obliges.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kurcubic scores with a knee to the head.
Kurcubic landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Kurcubic obliges.
Kurcubic with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
A short body shot lands from Kurcubic as the two fighters clinch.
Kurcubic landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Kurcubic misses with a knee to the head.
Kurcubic connects with a nasty looking knee right to Halme's face.
Kurcubic landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Kurcubic throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Halme blocks it with crossed arms.
Kurcubic is trying to stall.
Kurcubic's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Kurcubic tries a knee to the head but Halme blocks it.

Halme pulls Kurcubic into guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kurcubic is looking to work some ground and pound but Halme has wrist control.
Halme utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Kurcubic stopping the sweep attempt from Halme.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kurcubic loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Halme has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Kurcubic wants to control from the top but Halme keeps moving.
Halme might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Halme is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Halme is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Kurcubic goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Kurcubic fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Halme misses with a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kurcubic moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Kurcubic, right into the meat.
Kurcubic looks to land a combination but Halme avoids it well.
Kurcubic misses with a jab, cross combination.
Kurcubic defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Halme.
Kurcubic tries to bum rush Halme with a series of wild strikes but Halme uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Halme showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kurcubic.

The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kurcubic moves into the clinch.
Kurcubic connects with a nasty looking knee right to Halme's face.
Kurcubic is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Kurcubic is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Halme on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Halme tries to pull guard but Kurcubic holds him up against the cage and eventually Halme drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tony Halme. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kurcubic pressing his opponent against the cage.
A nice right hand lands inside from Kurcubic.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halme wants a takedown but no success here.
Halme pressing his opponent against the cage.
Kurcubic lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Halme backwards.
Kurcubic connects with a nasty looking knee right to Halme's face.
Halme tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Kurcubic avoids it.
Kurcubic with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Halme tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Kurcubic just stands there and leans against the cage.
Kurcubic putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Halme in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Kurcubic tries to land knees in the clinch but Halme avoids the damage to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Kurcubic.
Halme using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Kurcubic blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Kurcubic misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Halme.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Halme lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Kurcubic throws an elbow but misses.

Halme breaks the clinch.
Kurcubic rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Halme moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kurcubic tries to close the distance and clinch up but Halme swats him away and circles back towards the center.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ljubisa Kurcubic dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Tony Halme's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Kurcubic fails to land with a series of punches.
Kurcubic misses with a wild combination.
Kurcubic fails with the takedown
and Halme counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Halme misses with the combination.
Kurcubic stuffs the takedown.
Kurcubic throws a combination that misses

and Halme counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Halme thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Halme trying to control the position from guard on top but Kurcubic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kurcubic will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Halme trying to control the position from guard on top but Kurcubic is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kurcubic is trying to keep Halme in close.
Kurcubic wants to sweep but no luck.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halme trying to stand up but can't free himself from Kurcubic's guard.
Kurcubic lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Halme!
Halme tries to lock up and control but Kurcubic gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Kurcubic can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Halme is looking to escape.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Kurcubic cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Halme is bucking up trying to escape but Kurcubic cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Kurcubic trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Kurcubic thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Kurcubic lands a nice shot to the head.
Kurcubic lands a nice shot to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halme is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Kurcubic putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Halme tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Kurcubic lands a nice shot to the head.
Halme is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Kurcubic is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Halme can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Halme bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Halme looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Kurcubic is trying to control the position but Halme postures up.
Kurcubic trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Halme wants to get up but he can't break Kurcubic's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halme trying to control but Kurcubic is working from the bottom.
Kurcubic trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Kurcubic holds on and takes a little breather.
Kurcubic trying to control the position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Halme throws a head kick but Kurcubic moves out of range.
Halme is looking to slow Kurcubic down with leg kicks.
Kurcubic throws a left and a right that both miss

and Halme counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Halme.
Halme postures up.
Halme has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Kurcubic is proving hard to escape from.
Halme has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kurcubic bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Halme's guard.
Kurcubic distracts Halme with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Kurcubic sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Halme's guard.
Kurcubic prevents Halme from improving his position.
Kurcubic landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Halme is looking to escape.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Kurcubic connects with a nice short shot to Halme's temple.
Halme taking some punishment here, with Kurcubic in his half guard.
Kurcubic has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kurcubic thows a huge punch but Halme dodges it nicely.
Kurcubic is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Halme trying to control here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Ljubisa Kurcubic will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Tony Halme's cut.
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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Kurcubic fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Kurcubic fakes the leg kick and cracks Halme in the body.
Ljubisa Kurcubic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Halme throws a right hand that Kurcubic ducks under and follows up with a left that Kurcubic also avoids with ease.
Kurcubic lands a slapping body shot.

Kurcubic closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Halme is looking to regain half guard here but Kurcubic keeps moving and retains side control.
Kurcubic is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Kurcubic is looking to take a break and control but Halme is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Kurcubic in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kurcubic working the ground and pound.
Halme is trying to get back to half guard.
Halme gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halme tries to kick Kurcubic off but Kurcubic keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Halme has hold of Kurcubic's hands but Kurcubic slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Kurcubic has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Halme is trying to stand up here but Kurcubic is controlling him well.
Halme is looking to improve his position.
Kurcubic is looking to take a break and control but Halme is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Kurcubic seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

Kurcubic decides to stand and escape the position.

Kurcubic drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Kurcubic lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Halme tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Halme controls the position for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Halme's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Kurcubic lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Halme down.
Halme on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Kurcubic working the ground and pound.
Halme sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Ljubisa Kurcubic has got the better of the ground game so far.
Halme is trying to stand back up but Kurcubic is controlling him

Halme looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Kurcubic is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Kurcubic seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Kurcubic lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Kurcubic not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Ljubisa Kurcubic is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halme is doing well to control the position and prevent Kurcubic from advancing to side control.
Kurcubic wants to pass the guard but Halme is defending well.
Halme looks like he's trying to stand up.
Halme is not content to let Kurcubic control the position.
Kurcubic thows a huge punch but Halme dodges it nicely.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Kurcubic fails with the takedown
and Halme counters with a good low kick that Kurcubic was not able to check.
Kurcubic blocks a head kick by Halme.
Kurcubic swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Halme counters with a takedown into side control.
Kurcubic gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Kurcubic is looking to control Halme's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Kurcubic avoid being mounted?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halme takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Tony Halme has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
It looks like Halme is going to stand back up.
Kurcubic slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Kurcubic throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Kurcubic is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Halme wants to stand but Kurcubic has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kurcubic trying to control the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ljubisa Kurcubic comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Kurcubic has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Suge Night scores the fight 27:30
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ljubisa Kurcubic!