PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kerry Ward (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Semmy Vukovic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ward comes to the cage accompanied by People are strange by The Doors . Semmy Vukovic struggled to make weight for this fight. He only made it down to 266.5lbs at the first attempt and had to take the additional two hours to make the official bout weight. Let's see how much it's taken out of him. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Ward
vs
Vukovic

193 cm
21
263 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

212 cm
19
288 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Determined

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 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Kerry Ward!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Semmy Vukovic!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Chris Downing and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vukovic showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Ward.
Ward throws a sloppy head kick and Vukovic moves out of range easily.

Ward clinches up with Vukovic and pushes him back against the cage.
Ward swings wildly with an uppercut but Vukovic uses good head movement to avoid it.
Vukovic is trying to break the clinch but Ward has him pressed against the cage.
Ward tries to circle away but Vukovic has him pinned against the cage.

Vukovic manages to break the clinch.
Ward throws the left hand but Vukovic avoids the punch easily.
Vukovic lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!

Ward looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Vukovic!
Ward lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Vukovic really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Ward. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Ward jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Vukovic is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Vukovic and Ward has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.

Ward decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Ward misses with a kick to the body.
Ward fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vukovic takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

It looks like Semmy Vukovic has been cut.
Ward misses with the combination.
Vukovic throws a low kick, looking for Ward's leg but Ward calmly moves out of range.
Ward moves out of range of the body kick from Vukovic.
Ward ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Vukovic looks gassed!
Ward looks for a takedown but Vukovic sprawls well.

Ward shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Ward with good strikes from the mount here!
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

Ward moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Vukovic has worked his arm free - good work by Vukovic!

Ward decides to stand back up. Ward steps back and let's Vukovic get back to his feet.
Vukovic throws a shot from downtown. Ward moves away and avoids it.
Ward moves out of range of the body kick.
Ward tries to bum rush Vukovic with a series of wild strikes but Vukovic uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Ward to score with a decent uppercut.
Ward fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Vukovic slaps away a takedown attempt from Ward, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Semmy Vukovic seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Good leg kick by Ward there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Ward dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Ward looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Ward fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Vukovic looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Ward chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Ward fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

Ward closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

Ward stands up and beckons Vukovic to his feet.
Vukovic takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Ward avoids the body shot from Vukovic.
Ward throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Vukovic.

Ward closes the distance and clinches.

Ward pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Ward moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Ward has him pressed against the cage.
Ward prevents Vukovic from breaking the clinch.
Ward lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Vukovic.
Vukovic takes an elbow to the temple.
Ward fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kerry Ward. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Ward has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Vukovic uses from the top position.

Ward working for a triangle but Vukovic defends it easily.
Vukovic tries to free his leg and advance position but Ward is retaining full guard.
Ward wants to sweep here but Vukovic controlling him for the moment.

Ward kicks Vukovic off and gets to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic throws a lazy head kick
and Ward cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Ward swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Semmy Vukovic is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
No joy there for Ward, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Ward throws a one two combo.

That has opened up Semmy Vukovic's cut even more.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Ward closes the distance and clinches.

Ward breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Vukovic blocks a head kick by Ward.
Ward misses with a series of wild punches.
Vukovic slips under a jab from Ward.
Ward scores with a leg kick.
Vukovic misses with a head kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Ward pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Vukovic gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Vukovic wants to sweep here but Ward controlling him for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kerry Ward dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Semmy Vukovic's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ward scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Vukovic throws a leg kick that is checked
and Ward counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Ward fails with the takedown.
Vukovic moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.

Ward clinches up against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ward.

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

Ward drives through and clinches with Vukovic against the cage.

Ward manages to break the clinch.
A right-left combo lands from Ward.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Ward lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Vukovic backs up against the cage.

The cut above Semmy Vukovic's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Ward connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Ward tries a head kick but it misses.
A combination from Ward does no damage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Vukovic throws a leg kick that is checked
and Ward counters with a good low kick that Vukovic was not able to check.
Ward connects with a right hand. Vukovic shakes it off.
Vukovic fails to land with a series of punches.
Nice body punch from Ward.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Ward lands a nice hook to Vukovic's body. Vukovic takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Ward tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Ward misses with a series of wild punches.
Ward shoots in looking for a takedown. Vukovic tries to sprawl out of it but Ward keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Vukovic manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Vukovic pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Kerry Ward is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Ward shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Ward not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Vukovic is trying to control but can't.
Ward trying to control the action but Vukovic is working from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic is trying to get back to full guard.

Ward is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Vukovic is just riding it out for now. Ward eventually gives up the hold.
Vukovic is trying to control but can't.
Ward landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Vukovic trying to hold on to Ward's head to control him but Ward postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ward missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Ward is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.

Ward escapes and gets back to his feet.
Ward lands a right hook to the body.

Ward closes the distance and clinches.
Ward lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Vukovic or not.
Ward cracks Vukovic with a nice body shot.
Ward lands a nice uppercut.

Ward breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Ward is looking to wear down Vukovic with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Ward looks for a takedown but Vukovic sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kerry Ward. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ward closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Ward is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vukovic can do to turn this around?
Ward scores with a jab to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Ward moves into the clinch.

Ward breaks the clinch.
Vukovic looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Ward rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Vukovic moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

Ward shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The fighters are battling for position here. Vukovic manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Ward missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Kerry Ward overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Ward tries to stand but Vukovic is controlling from the bottom.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ward won't allow Vukovic to get back to his feet.

Ward decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kerry Ward dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Semmy Vukovic's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Vukovic throws a head kick that misses.
Jab, jab by Ward - just one landing.

Ward shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Vukovic napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Vukovic wants to control but Ward postures up.

Ward wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Vukovic, who protects the arm well.
Vukovic is looking for a sweep.
Ward working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ward decides to stand back up.
Ward lands with a shot to the body.
Ward throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ward throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Vukovic stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Ward explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Ward works over Vukovic's head and body with a nice combination.

Ward closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Vukovic did well to prevent Ward getting side control.
Vukovic wants to get back to full guard.
Ward looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Vukovic with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

Ward stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Vukovic to get to his feet.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Vukovic tries to land a body kick

and Ward counters by clinching up.
Ward lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

Ward wants the takedown. Vukovic is fighting it off but Ward persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Vukovic's guard against the cage.
Vukovic wants to sweep but no luck.
Vukovic is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward preventing the sweep.

Ward drops back looking for a leg! Vukovic is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Vukovic manages to kick Ward off! Ward jumps back into Vukovic's guard.
Ward has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Ward with a flurry of punches that miss.
Vukovic manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Ward sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Kerry Ward is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic is pressing down on Ward's thigh, looking to free his foot. Ward is holding on for now.
Ward regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Vukovic.

Ward kicks Vukovic off and gets to his feet.
Ward takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Vukovic tries a head kick but it misses.
Ward scores with a nice strike.
Vukovic takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.

Ward closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Vukovic did well to prevent Ward getting side control.
Ward content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

Ward decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vukovic throws a push kick but Ward slaps the foot to one side.
Ward buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
A solid leg kick lands there for Ward.
Ward misses with a head kick.
No joy there for Ward, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Ward doesn't manage to clinch there - Vukovic circles away.
Vukovic throws a lazy head kick

and Ward counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Vukovic!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vukovic is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Semmy Vukovic has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ward pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Ward controlling from the full mount.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Ward stands up from the dominant position, so we're back on the feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kerry Ward showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Ward 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 Cecil Peabody scores the fight 30:25
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 30:25
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 30:25

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kerry Ward!