PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Brandon Harper (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Flash Gordon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Flash Gordon is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Harper
vs
Gordon

187 cm
24
120 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

175 cm
25
141 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brandon Harper!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Flash Gordon!
The judges for this bout are Paulo Santos, Alexandre Firmino and Felipe Paraventi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gordon fails in his attempt to clinch.
Harper really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Harper is trying hard to land a takedown here. Gordon sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Flash Gordon seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gordon closes the distance looking to clinch
and Harper cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Gordon.
Gordon misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Harper lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Harper looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Gordon is fending him off so far but Harper persists. Nope, Gordon circles away and we're back to standing.
Harper fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Gordon avoids it really well and circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Harper. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Gordon has Harper up against the cage in a clinch.
Harper is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Gordon pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Gordon misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Harper.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Gordon breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Harper fails with the takedown.
Gordon misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

Gordon closes the distance and clinches.
Gordon keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Harper's efforts to push away.
Gordon has Harper pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Harper manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.

Gordon pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Harper tries to close the distance and clinch but Gordon swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Gordon gets a clinch.
Harper looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Gordon tries for a takedown but Harper manages to get underhooks.
Harper tries to pull guard but Gordon holds him up against the cage and eventually Harper drops back down to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Gordon pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
No luck for Gordon with that takedown attempt.

Gordon moves into the clinch.

Harper breaks the clinch.
Harper shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Gordon pinned against the cage. Gordon gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

Gordon gets in close and instigates a clinch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Harper tries to break the clinch but Gordon is controlling the position.

Harper pulls guard effortlessly.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Gordon trying to control the position from guard on top but Harper is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Harper wants to get back to his feet but Gordon is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gordon stopping the sweep attempt from Harper.
Gordon throwing strikes but missing.
Gordon loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Gordon tries to free his leg and advance position but Harper is retaining full guard.
Harper can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Gordon controls the pace.
Harper will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Harper utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harper wants to sweep here but Gordon controlling him for the moment.
Gordon throws a big elbow that misses.
Harper has a closed guard, preventing Gordon from standing up.
Gordon is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gordon tries to clinch up.

Gordon closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Gordon.

Gordon escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Harper looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Flash Gordon dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

A low kick from Gordon is predictable there
and Harper counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Harper misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Harper takes the fight into the clinch.
Gordon throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Harper blocks it with crossed arms.
Harper gets underhooks to prevent Gordon's takedown attempt.

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

Harper clinches up against the cage.
Harper fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Gordon lands a shoulder strike.
Gordon using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Gordon is trying to break free.

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

Harper decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Gordon, up you get!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gordon shoots in looking for a takedown. Harper tries to sprawl out of it but Gordon keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Harper manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Gordon tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Gordon looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Brandon Harper has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Flash Gordon.
Gordon looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Brandon Harper is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Gordon is breathing heavily.
Harper misses with a jab, cross combination.
Gordon tries a head kick but it misses.
Gordon shoots in and drives through. Harper sprawls well.
Harper tries to close the distance and clinch but Gordon swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Harper throws a series of punches but Gordon avoids them all with ease.
Harper is looking to clinch but Gordon is avoiding it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Harper looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gordon looks to clinch
and Harper counters with a nice uppercut.
Harper is looking to clinch.
Harper throws a wild body kick that Gordon sees coming a mile off.
Gordon tries to close the distance and clinch up but Harper swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Gordon is looking to clinch but Harper is avoiding it.
Gordon tries to clinch
and Harper counters with a three punch combo that has Gordon backing up. Gordon nods at Harper to acknowledge the strikes.
Harper misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Gordon shoots in looking for a takedown but Harper manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Gordon's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

Gordon has managed to clinch.
Gordon can't get the takedown.
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!
Gordon wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Harper trying to stall but Gordon improves his position.

Harper breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harper scores with a nice body kick.
Brandon Harper is winning the standup battle so far.
Gordon is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Gordon swats away the attempt to clinch by Harper.
Nice sprawl there from Harper as Gordon shoots in.
Harper fails to land the takedown.
Nice sprawl there from Gordon as Harper shoots in.
Harper slips under a jab.

Harper takes the fight into the clinch.

Harper drags the fight down to the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gordon wants to control from the top but Harper keeps moving.
Gordon stands and throws Harper's legs to the side, diving into side control.
The ground and pound from Gordon seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Harper struggling a bit here.
Gordon working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Harper is looking for a sweep.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Gordon stands up and beckons Harper 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!
Gordon is looking to clinch but Harper is avoiding it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Flash Gordon will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Gordon darts in trying to clinch
and Harper counters with a slapping leg kick.
Harper doesn't manage to clinch there - Gordon circles away.
Harper swats away the attempt to clinch by Gordon.
Gordon is looking to clinch.
Gordon shoots in but no luck this time.
Harper misses with a jab, cross combination.
Gordon shoots in but no luck this time.
Harper circles away from the clinch attempt.
Gordon tries to clinch up
and Harper counters with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Gordon.
Brandon Harper has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Flash Gordon.
Gordon tries to clinch up.
Gordon takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Harper closes the distance and clinches.
Harper tries to pull guard but Gordon won't allow it.
Gordon wants to get back to striking at distance but Harper won't allow it.
Flash Gordon seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Harper gets underhooks to prevent Gordon's takedown attempt.
Harper fails to pull the fight into his guard.

Gordon pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Gordon tries to clinch up but Harper circles away and keeps his distance.
Harper misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Horrible takedown by Gordon or perhaps it was just good defense by Harper which made him look bad.
Gordon looks for a takedown but Harper sprawls well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harper fails with a takedown attempt.
Gordon is looking to clinch.
Harper blocks the body kick.
Harper explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Gordon tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Harper manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Gordon shoots in for a takedown but Harper shows good takedown defense.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Harper.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Harper shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harper with a hook.
Gordon fails in his attempt to clinch.
Gordon tries to clinch up but Harper circles away and keeps his distance.
Gordon keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Harper listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Gordon has a takedown stuffed.
Gordon moves to clinch but Harper breaks away

and Harper counters by clinching up.
Gordon misses with an elbow strike.
Harper jumps guard but Gordon stands there with Harper around his waist. Harper gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Gordon darts in and clinches Harper up against the cage.
Gordon fails to pull guard.

Harper pulls guard effortlessly.
Gordon would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Harper being controlled here, momentarily.

Gordon decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Harper, up you get!
Brandon Harper has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Flash Gordon is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gordon tries to clinch
and Harper counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Flash Gordon.
I've got Gordon winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Paulo Santos scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 27:30
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Flash Gordon!