PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Nick Campbell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kirk Sampson (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.

Campbell
vs
Sampson

187 cm
22
190 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

193 cm
22
195 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Big heart

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Likes ground

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Nick Campbell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Kirk Sampson!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Campbell closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Sampson tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Campbell smiles and moves away.
Campbell shoots for a takedown but Sampson saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Campbell shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sampson but Sampson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Sampson lunges at Campbell with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Campbell's hand.
Campbell looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sampson is fending him off so far but Campbell persists. Nope, Sampson circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Nick Campbell. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Campbell misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Sampson tries for a takedown but Campbell circles away easily

and Campbell counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Campbell passes Sampson's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Sampson punching from the bottom.
Sampson is trying to stand back up but Campbell is controlling him
Sampson works his way to full guard. Good work.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Campbell is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Sampson is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Sampson has escaped and now he's on top!
Sampson pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Campbell is keeping the position for now.

Campbell working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Sampson doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Sampson manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Campbell looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Campbell is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Campbell is breathing heavily.
Sampson wants to get back to full guard.

Campbell is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Sampson is trying to control but can't.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Campbell is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Sampson tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Sampson is trying to maintain the position but Campbell is very close to passing his half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Campbell is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Sampson doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Campbell.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Sampson doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Campbell counters with a nice double leg into side control. Sampson won't be happy with that.
Sampson gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!

Campbell is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Sampson has managed to escape the submission attempt.

Campbell has control of Sampson's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Sampson regains control of the situation pretty easily.

Campbell is working for a guillotine from mount but Sampson frees his head quite easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Campbell in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Sampson wants to control but Campbell is having none of it.
Sampson tries to reverse the position but Campbell maintains control.
Campbell scoring with strikes but Sampson is staying in there.
Campbell lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Sampson hang on?
Sampson is trying desperately to improve position.

Campbell with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.

Campbell looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Campbell misses with a takedown

and Sampson counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Sampson.
Sampson preventing the sweep.
Sampson pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Campbell is keeping the position for now.

Campbell had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Sampson is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Campbell Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Sampson's back instead.
Campbell avoiding Sampson 's attempts to control his hands.

Campbell working for a choke but Sampson reverses nicely into Campbell 's guard.
Sampson tries to stand but Campbell is controlling from the bottom.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nick Campbell overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Campbell fails with a takedown attempt.
Sampson is looking to clinch but Campbell is avoiding it.
Campbell with a poor takedown

and Sampson counters with a nice double leg into guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Nick Campbell. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Campbell throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

Campbell escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Sampson gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Campbell keeping busy on the bottom but Sampson has passed one foot through into half guard.
Campbell is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Sampson is trying to control the action in half guard but Campbell is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Campbell manages to get to full guard.
Campbell wants to sweep here but Sampson controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Sampson decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Campbell, up you get!
Sampson throws a right and a left that Campbell avoids nicely.
Nice takedown defense from Sampson. No joy for Campbell on that attempt.

Campbell gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Campbell tries to pull guard but Sampson holds him up against the cage and eventually Campbell drops back down to his feet.

Campbell gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Sampson regains guard.

Sampson is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Sampson keeping moving, preventing Campbell from controlling successfully.
Campbell has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Campbell postures up.
Campbell slips nicely into half guard.
Sampson tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Sampson makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Sampson.
Campbell wants to pass the guard but Sampson is keeping the position.

Sampson had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Campbell is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Sampson Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Campbell's back instead.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kirk Sampson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Campbell gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Sampson prevents a takedown attempt there.

Campbell pulls guard.

Campbell is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Sampson advances position into side control!
You can see the frustration on Campbell's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Campbell tries to get back to half guard but can't.

Sampson tries for a kimura but Campbell is defending well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Campbell tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Sampson wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

Sampson decides to stand back up.
Sampson throws a right hand that Campbell ducks under and follows up with a left that Campbell also avoids with ease.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Campbell.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sampson tries to get back to half guard but can't.

Campbell thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Campbell creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Sampson sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sampson manages to get back to half guard.
Sampson trying to hold on to Campbell's head to control him but Campbell postures up.

Campbell is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Sampson manages to get to full guard.
Campbell passes Sampson's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Campbell sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Sampson defending well though.

Campbell is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Campbell frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Campbell lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Sampson is trying desperately to improve position.

Campbell wants to finish this one by submission but Sampson is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Campbell.
Sampson wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Campbell.
Sampson working to try and regain half guard.
Campbell lands a big shot there that rocks Sampson but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

Campbell is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Sampson can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.

Campbell is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Sampson is surviving well by controlling Campbell's body position as best he can.
Sampson is looking to improve his position but Campbell isn't that keen on the idea.
Sampson tries to hold on but Campbell postures up.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nick Campbell showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Campbell 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nick Campbell!