PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Muhammed Lawal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Fehrzad Najafi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Lawal has a slight injury, which hopefully won't affect the fight too much. Muhammed Lawal has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Lawal
vs
Najafi

190 cm
25
190 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

178 cm
25
184 lbs
0 - 0 - 1

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Intelligent

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 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Muhammed Lawal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Fehrzad Najafi!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Blasius, Radbod Blank and Paul Aken.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Najafi is looking to clinch but Lawal is avoiding it.
A jab from Lawal misses.
Najafi misses with a takedown
letting Lawal counter with a right hand.
Najafi moves away from the strike by Lawal.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Najafi pulls guard effortlessly.
Lawal trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Najafi manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
Najafi postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Lawal on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Lawal tries to get out of the position.
Lawal is breathing heavily.
Lawal is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Najafi gets to his feet - Lawal follows without any prompting.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Najafi closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lawal circles away.
No luck for Najafi with that takedown attempt.
Muhammed Lawal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Fehrzad Najafi.
A big left from Lawal misses.
Najafi is looking to clinch.
Najafi tries to land a leg kick but Lawal saw it coming and moves away.
Najafi throws a right hand that Lawal ducks under and follows up with a left that Lawal also avoids with ease.
Lawal scores with a hook to the body. Najafi takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Lawal dodges the punch combination from Najafi.

Najafi pushes Lawal up against the cage in a clinch.
Najafi tries for a takedown. No joy.

Najafi breaks from the clinch.
Nice takedown defense from Lawal. No joy for Najafi on that attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Najafi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lawal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Najafi needs to keep his hands up - Lawal had a free shot at his head there.
Nice takedown defense from Lawal. No joy for Najafi on that attempt.
A cross from Lawal lands.
Lawal with a jab.
Najafi will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Lawal scores with a nice head shot.
Lawal connects with a jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lawal misses with a looping right.
Najafi with a jab.
Najafi tries to clinch but Lawal moves away
and Lawal counters with a two punch combo.
Najafi misses with a two punch combination.
Najafi throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Muhammed Lawal seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawal bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Najafi's head.
Najafi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lawal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Najafi shoots in but Lawal avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Lawal is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Lawal stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Lawal wants it to stay on the feet.
Lawal throws a hook but Najafi blocks it.
Najafi fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Najafi with a lazy takedown attempt
and Lawal cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Lawal is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Najafi tries to clinch up but Lawal circles away and keeps his distance.
Lawal lands a nice shot that snaps Najafi's head back.
Najafi shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Lawal as he avoids it easily.
Lawal goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Lawal throws out a loose jab but Najafi uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Najafi closes the distance and clinches up with Lawal, looking for a takedown. Najafi pushes Lawal against the cage but Lawal circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Najafi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Lawal manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Lawal feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Najafis jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Najafi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lawal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Najafi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lawal paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Najafi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Lawal swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Najafi is looking to clinch.
Muhammed Lawal is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Najafi tries to clinch up.
Najafi misses with a leg kick.
Najafi bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Najafi is looking to clinch but Lawal is avoiding it.
Najafi tries to clinch up but Lawal circles away and keeps his distance.
A head kick misses from Najafi.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fehrzad Najafi dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Najafi shoots in looking for a takedown but Lawal manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Najafi's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Lawal lands a nice looking body shot.
Najafi closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lawal circles away.
Lawal throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Najafi sees it coming and avoids it easily.
A jab lands there for Lawal.
A head kick misses from Najafi.
Lawal looks to land a left hand but Najafi moved out of range nicely.
Najafi staying out of range there.
Lawal throws a jab but it's blocked by Najafi.
Lawal is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Lawal uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Najafi.
Najafi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Najafi fails to land with a series of punches.
Lawal looks to land a right hand but Najafi moved out of range.
Najafi tries to clinch up.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Najafi slips under a jab from Lawal.
Najafi staying out of range there.
Lawal takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Najafi misses with an attempted mid kick.
Lawal swats away the attempt to clinch by Najafi.
Horrible takedown by Najafi or perhaps it was just good defense by Lawal which made him look bad.
Muhammed Lawal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Fehrzad Najafi.
Najafi shoots in and drives through. Lawal sprawls well.
Lawal lands with a straight right. Najafi didn't see that one coming.
Najafi doesn't manage to clinch there - Lawal circles away.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Najafi.
Fehrzad Najafi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Horrible takedown by Najafi or perhaps it was just good defense by Lawal which made him look bad.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Najafi misses with a takedown attempt
and Najafi takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Lawal lands a nice shot that snaps Najafi's head back.
Najafi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Najafi shoots in looking for a takedown. Lawal tries to sprawl out of it but Najafi keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Lawal manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Najafi tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Lawal cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Najafi keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Lawal.
Najafi changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Lawal tries to avoid it but Najafi manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Lawal to the ground. Lawal escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Najafi closes the distance and clinches up with Lawal, looking for a takedown. Najafi pushes Lawal against the cage but Lawal circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Lawal swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Najafi pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Lawal back to the cage. Najafi follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Najafi has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Najafi instigates a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Najafi stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Najafi escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Najafi doesn't manage to clinch there - Lawal circles away.
Najafi wants to clinch.
Lawal ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Najafi moves away.
Lawal takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Najafi misses with the combination.
Lawal jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Najafi shoots for a takedown but Lawal saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Lawal throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Najafi closes this distance looking for a takedown but Lawal circles away.
Najafi tries to clinch up but Lawal circles away and keeps his distance.
Lawal throws out a loose jab but Najafi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lawal rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Najafi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Najafi moves in looking to clinch but Lawal pushes him off.

Najafi fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Lawal to the ground. Najafi is now in Lawal's guard.
Najafi seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Najafi throws a big elbow that misses.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Lawal wants to improve his position but instead Najafi has moved into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fehrzad Najafi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Najafi tries to clinch but Lawal moves out of range.
Lawal lands a nice shot that snaps Najafi's head back.
Lawal throws a lazy uppercut
and Najafi counters with a stiff right hand.
Lawal throws an off balance right hand
and Najafi counters with a slapping leg kick.
Najafi looks for a takedown but Lawal sprawls well.
Nice takedown defense from Lawal. No joy for Najafi on that attempt.
Najafi takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Lawal swats away the attempt to clinch by Najafi.

Najafi gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Najafi wants to break the clinch but can't.
Najafi leaning against his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawal missing with knees to the body.
Lawal tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Najafi looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Lawal fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Najafi goes for a takedown in the clinch but Lawal prevents it.
Muhammed Lawal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Fehrzad Najafi.
A short left from Najafi.

Lawal manages to pull guard.
Najafi has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lawal can't keep his opponent in guard - Najafi advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Najafi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Lawal keeps working.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawal wants to control but Najafi is keeping busy.
Lawal blocking the ground and pound attempt from Najafi.
Lawal is refusing to be controlled, as Najafi sits in half guard.

Najafi gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
Najafi shoots for a takedown but Lawal saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Fehrzad Najafi seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Najafi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Najafi moves in looking to clinch but Lawal pushes him off.
Najafi fails in his attempt to clinch.
Lawal displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Najafi.
Lawal comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
A big right from Lawal misses.
Najafi rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Lawal moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Lawal throws a series of punches but Najafi moves out of range.
Najafi fails with the takedown
and Lawal counters with a nice uppercut.
Najafi has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A slow jab from Lawal misses its intended target.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Najafi!
Lawal throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Najafi tried to score with a low kick but Lawal checks it.
Najafi shoots in for a takedown but Lawal shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Lawal swings for the body but Najafi moves out of range.
Najafi looks to land a combination. Lawal sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Lawal swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Najafi with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Lawal to score with a decent uppercut.
Muhammed Lawal has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Najafi.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Lawal throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Najafi sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Fehrzad Najafi is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Najafi throws a sloppy head kick and Lawal moves out of range easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
Fehrzad Najafi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Najafi 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 Daniel Blasius scores the fight 27:30
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Fehrzad Najafi!