PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Nick Nolty (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bas Rutten (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nolty's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, TUF. The key to victory for Nick Nolty has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Nolty
vs
Rutten

200 cm
25
192 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

185 cm
19
204 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Determined

Physical Entertainment Development Supplements

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Nick Nolty!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Bas Rutten!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Hirohito Nitta and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Rutten shoots in and gets a takedown into Nolty's guard.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Rutten trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nolty preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Nolty preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

Rutten drops back looking for a leg! Nolty is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Nolty manages to kick Rutten off! Rutten jumps back into Nolty's guard.
Rutten won't allow Nolty to get back to his feet.
Rutten trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Rutten stops Nolty from standing up.
Nolty will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Rutten has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

Rutten stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Nick Nolty seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nolty thows a left - swing and a miss!

Rutten forces Nolty back against the cage and clinches.
Nolty tries to break the clinch but Rutten is controlling the position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rutten keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Nolty's efforts to push away.

Rutten manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Nolty has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Rutten is proving hard to escape from.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutten lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Nolty!
Nolty wants to try and get back to his feet.

Rutten has hold of Nolty's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Nolty manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Rutten throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

Rutten is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Nolty has managed to escape the submission attempt.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nolty is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Rutten is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Nolty to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Nolty shrugs it off.
Nolty really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Nolty's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rutten looking to ground and pound but Nolty is blocking nicely.
Rutten thowing shots but they're missing.

Rutten is working for a guillotine from mount but Nolty frees his head quite easily.
Rutten trying to control but he's not successful this time.
You get the feeling that Nolty really doesn't like being in this position too much.

Rutten looking to secure an arm triangle but Nolty defends it well.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Rutten throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Nolty because Rutten loaded up on that one.
Rutten thowing shots but they're missing.
Nolty wants to try and get back to his feet.
Rutten trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Rutten looking to finish with strikes here!
Poor strikes thrown by Rutten there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Rutten misses with a head shot.
Rutten controlling from the full mount.
Rutten unloads with some shots from mount but Nolty bucks and avoids them well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nolty wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Rutten.
Nolty blocking the ground and pound.
Nolty tries to buck Rutten off but he can't manage it.
Rutten scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Rutten looking to finish with strikes here!
Rutten controlling his opponent.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rutten throws some wild stikes that Nolty manages to avoid easily.

Rutten working for a guillotine from mount but Nolty is in no mood to give up.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Nolty wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Rutten.
Nolty tries to buck Rutten off but he can't manage it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bas Rutten dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Rutten slips under a jab.
Rutten moves out of range as Nolty strikes.
Rutten throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Nolty's head.
Rutten tries to move into range but Nolty moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Nolty has had enough of the clinch but Rutten keeps him there for the moment.
Nolty is trying to break free.
Rutten tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Rutten scores with a knee to the head.

Rutten gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Rutten wants to control from the top but Nolty keeps moving.
Nolty knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Rutten on the ground.
Nolty working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Rutten.
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!
Rutten in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Rutten throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Rutten trying to control the position from guard on top but Nolty is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nolty being controlled here, momentarily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Rutten prevents Nolty from getting back to his feet.
Rutten's corner is telling him to maintain position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Bas Rutten hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Nolty misses with a two punch combination.
Nolty throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Rutten pushes Nolty up against the cage in a clinch.
Nolty wants to break the clinch but can't.
Rutten lands a good knee to the midsection. Nolty won't want to take too many of those.

Rutten breaks the clinch.
Nick Nolty is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Rutten shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Rutten is looking to work some ground and pound but Nolty has wrist control.
Rutten throwing strikes from guard but Nolty blocks nicely.
Nolty wants to stand but Rutten is controlling the position.
Nolty trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nolty is looking to stand back up but Rutten counters by passing into half guard. Oops... bit sloppy there by Nolty.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rutten throwing shots but Nolty is blocking nicely.
Nolty tries to kick Rutten off but Rutten keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Rutten controlling the pace.
Nolty is trying to stand.
Rutten missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Rutten stops Nolty from getting back to his feet.
Rutten throwing shots but Nolty is blocking nicely.
Rutten missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Rutten frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Rutten tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Nolty is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rutten looking to ground and pound but Nolty is blocking nicely.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Rutten sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Rutten throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Rutten looking to control and managing it successfully.
Poor strikes thrown by Rutten there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Rutten won't let Nolty get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Rutten thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Rutten thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Poor strikes thrown by Rutten there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Nolty really wants to buck Rutten off and get back to his feet.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rutten thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Rutten unloads with some shots from mount but Nolty bucks and avoids them well.
Rutten takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Rutten working Nolty over with strikes here.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rutten throws some wild stikes that Nolty manages to avoid easily.
Rutten unloads with some shots from mount but Nolty bucks and avoids them well.
Rutten sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Nolty is squirming around, avoiding Rutten's attempts to control the action.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Nolty is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

Rutten looking for a guillotine from mount but Nolty is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bas Rutten showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Nolty misses the jab.

Rutten gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Rutten.
Rutten has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Nolty is looking to break free of the clinch but Rutten has double underhooks.

Rutten pulls guard effortlessly.
Nolty wants to stand and escape but instead Rutten has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Nolty wants to stand but Rutten is controlling the position.
Rutten missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Rutten controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Rutten passes Nolty's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Rutten throwing shots but Nolty is blocking nicely.
Nolty pushes Rutten off but Rutten dives into side control.
Rutten is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Nolty will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rutten in side control, throwing shots but Nolty defends.
An elbow from Rutten crashes against the mat.
Rutten misses with an attempted head punch from side control.

Rutten wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Nolty, who protects the arm well.

Rutten tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Nolty managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Rutten.
Rutten in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.

Rutten thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Rutten controls the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nolty avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Rutten.
Nolty pushes Rutten away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Rutten gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Nolty tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Rutten looking for a guillotine from mount but Nolty is having none of it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rutten sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Nolty is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Rutten lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Rutten content just to control the position here.
Rutten trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Rutten sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Rutten looking for a guillotine from mount but Nolty is having none of it.
Rutten looking to control but Nolty is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Rutten has hold of Nolty's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Nolty manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Nolty really wants to buck Rutten off and get back to his feet.
Rutten trying to control but Nolty is having none of it.
Rutten content just to control the position here.
Nolty blocking the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rutten throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Nolty because Rutten loaded up on that one.
Nolty's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Nolty is squirming around, avoiding Rutten's attempts to control the action.
Nolty holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Rutten tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Nolty is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Rutten throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Nolty blocking the ground and pound.
Nolty is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nolty wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Rutten.
Nick Nolty has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rutten looking to control and managing it successfully.
Bas Rutten is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Rutten landing strikes, looking to finish!

And that's the end of the fight!
Bas Rutten comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Rutten 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 Taro Takaoka scores the fight 27:30
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bas Rutten!
After winning the bout, Bas Rutten thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.