PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Nikolai Dzhumagaliev (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Johnny Reach (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Reach has chosen Rich Like Me as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Dzhumagaliev
vs
Reach

185 cm
28
190 lbs
22 - 9 - 0

195 cm
30
189 lbs
21 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Perkele!
FinnFighter Nutrition (Five 160Q supps!)

Grand Champion Apparel

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 22 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Nikolai Dzhumagaliev!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 7 - 0, fighting out of New York, Johnny Reach!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Reach scores with a nice strike.
Reach darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Dzhumagaliev lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Jab, jab by Reach - just one landing.
Dzhumagaliev fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Reach is out of range.
Reach blocks a head kick by Dzhumagaliev.
Reach lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Dzhumagaliev at a distance.
Dzhumagaliev throws a nice looking combination but Reach bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Good shot there by Reach.
Reach scores with a punch to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a head kick.
Reach feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Dzhumagaliev's calf.
Dzhumagaliev has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Reach is looking to clinch but Dzhumagaliev is avoiding it.
Reach waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Dzhumagaliev.

Reach fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Dzhumagaliev, pushing him back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dzhumagaliev wants to stall.

Dzhumagaliev breaks the clinch.
Dzhumagaliev plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Johnny Reach seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Reach lands a head shot.
Reach scores with a nice body kick.
Reach defending well as Dzhumagaliev loads up on a big left hand.
Reach connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Dzhumagaliev lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Dzhumagaliev throws a sloppy head kick and Reach moves out of range easily.
Reach feints and then cracks Dzhumagaliev's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Dzhumagaliev down.
Reach lands with a slapping head kick.
Reach tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Dzhumagaliev is able to avoid easily.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a hook
enabling Reach to counter with a crisp jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Reach scoring well with a low kick there.
A combination from Reach does no damage.
Reach jabs at Dzhumagaliev's body.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a kick to the body.
A little jabbing left from Reach on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Reach throws a sloppy head kick and Dzhumagaliev moves out of range easily.
Dzhumagaliev slips a jab from Reach.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Reach, right into the meat.
Dzhumagaliev ducks right into an uppercut from Reach.
Reach throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A counter left hand to the body from Dzhumagaliev misses its target.
Reach lands a lovely overhand right.
Reach lands with a cross.
Dzhumagaliev throws a jab when Reach was well out of range.
Dzhumagaliev walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reach throws a hook but Dzhumagaliev blocks it.
Reach scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Reach slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Dzhumagaliev checks the leg kick.
Reach throws a head kick that Dzhumagaliev semi-blocks.
Dzhumagaliev throws a head kick but Reach moves out of range.
Reach is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Dzhumagaliev.
Reach thumps Dzhumagaliev with a low kick.
Reach explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Reach chopping away at his opponent's legs.
A head kick misses from Dzhumagaliev.
Reach swings for the body but Dzhumagaliev moves out of range.
Dzhumagaliev looked to counter with a high kick but didn't commit.
Dzhumagaliev throws a sloppy head kick and Reach moves out of range easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dzhumagaliev connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Reach's hands.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Reach lands with a straight right. Dzhumagaliev didn't see that one coming.
Dzhumagaliev looks to land a body kick but Reach moved away.
Reach pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Dzhumagaliev pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Reach throws a wild body kick that Dzhumagaliev sees coming a mile off.
Dzhumagaliev takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Dzhumagaliev misses with a body shot.
Dzhumagaliev drops his hands momentarily and Reach takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dzhumagaliev tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Reach manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
A shot to the liver by Reach. Beautiful body shot.
Reach tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Dzhumagaliev was well out of range. Poor timing from Reach.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Reach dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Reach jabs at Dzhumagaliev's body.
Dzhumagaliev throws a combination that misses
and Reach counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Both fighters circling a little - Dzhumagaliev finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Dzhumagaliev tries to score with a low kick but Reach moves his leg out of the way.
Reach has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Dzhumagaliev takes a kick to the side of the head.
Dzhumagaliev digs a good hook to Reach's body.
Reach misses with a hook. Dzhumagaliev ducked under it nicely.
Reach feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Dzhumagaliev's calf.
Dzhumagaliev throws a sloppy head kick and Reach moves out of range easily.
Dzhumagaliev throws a body shot but no joy.
Reach lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Dzhumagaliev swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Reach ducks under a wild hook from Dzhumagaliev.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reach thows a left - swing and a miss!
Reach waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Dzhumagaliev.
No joy there for Reach, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Dzhumagaliev looks to land a right hand but Reach moved out of range.
A looping hook to the body misses from Reach. Dzhumagaliev does a little dance to reset his feet.
Reach throws out a leg kick but Dzhumagaliev moves out of range and Reach only half commits.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Dzhumagaliev swings widly with a right hand
and Reach cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Good shot there by Reach.
A thudding body kick lands there by Reach!
Johnny Reach seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Reach bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Reach misses with a wild combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reach fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Dzhumagaliev manages to avoid it.
Reach misses with an uppercut.
Reach does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Reach misses with a looping left.
Dzhumagaliev throws a head kick but Reach moves out of range.
Reach is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Reach scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Dzhumagaliev doesn't seem bothered though.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Reach scores with a hook to the body. Dzhumagaliev takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Dzhumagaliev is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Reach misses with a body shot.
Dzhumagaliev swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Dzhumagaliev swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Reach fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Dzhumagaliev checks it well.
Reach throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Dzhumagaliev tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reach pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A big right from Reach misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Reach misses the target.
An attempted straight right counter from Dzhumagaliev misses the target.
A swing and a miss from Reach.
Dzhumagaliev throws a sloppy head kick
enabling Reach to counter with a crisp jab.
Reach has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
A big left from Reach misses.
Dzhumagaliev takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
A swing and a miss from Dzhumagaliev.
Dzhumagaliev throws a head kick but Reach moves out of range.
Reach stuns Dzhumagaliev with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Reach throws a right hand that misses
and Dzhumagaliev cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Dzhumagaliev throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Reach misses.
An attempted straight right counter from Dzhumagaliev misses the target.
A jab from Reach misses.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a body kick.
Reach throws a shot from downtown. Dzhumagaliev moves away and avoids it.
Dzhumagaliev avoids a punch combination nicely.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Reach just misses with a punch to the body.
Reach doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Reach jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Reach blocks a head kick by Dzhumagaliev.
Reach tries to counter with a clinch but Dzhumagaliev shakes him off and moves away.
Dzhumagaliev darts in trying to clinch
and Reach counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Reach 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!

Reach ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Dzhumagaliev lands with a kick to the ribs.
Dzhumagaliev pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Reach moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Reach looks to score with a jab to the body but Dzhumagaliev is just out of range.
Reach moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Dzhumagaliev lands a body shot.
Dzhumagaliev pulls out of a head kick attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Reach connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Reach cracks Dzhumagaliev with a good jab.

Dzhumagaliev rushes Reach and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A hook to the body from Dzhumagaliev.
Dzhumagaliev lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Reach swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Dzhumagaliev breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Dzhumagaliev looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Dzhumagaliev throws a big shot that misses.

Dzhumagaliev has managed to clinch.
Dzhumagaliev just leaning against Reach, taking a breather.
Dzhumagaliev is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Reach lands with a light punch inside.
Reach throws a punch but it's blocked by Dzhumagaliev.
A short right from Dzhumagaliev.
Dzhumagaliev is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Reach is keeping busy.
Dzhumagaliev tries to throw a body punch but Reach avoids it by throwing Dzhumagaliev back against the cage.
Dzhumagaliev wants to break the clinch but can't.
Nikolai Dzhumagaliev has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reach blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Dzhumagaliev wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Reach tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dzhumagaliev avoids it.
Reach looking to stall.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Dzhumagaliev.
Reach tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Dzhumagaliev's elbow.
Reach lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Dzhumagaliev is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Dzhumagaliev displaying some good clinch control by pressing Reach up against the cage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Reach throws a head punch that misses.
Dzhumagaliev throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Reachs head.
Dzhumagaliev tries to throw a body punch but Reach avoids it by throwing Dzhumagaliev back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dzhumagaliev is trying to force a seperation but Reach has the dominant position.
Dzhumagaliev takes an elbow to the forehead.

It looks like Nikolai Dzhumagaliev has been cut.
Reach struggles to land a body shot inside as Dzhumagaliev controls his hands.
Reach blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Reach scores with a shoulder strike.
Reach avoids a wild elbow strike from Dzhumagaliev.
Dzhumagaliev misses with a punch to the body.
Reach swings wildly with an uppercut but Dzhumagaliev uses good head movement to avoid it.
Reach tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Dzhumagaliev's elbow.
Reach swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Reach takes an elbow to the temple.
Dzhumagaliev scores with a hook to the body.

Reach manages to break the clinch.
Dzhumagaliev throws a lazy head kick
and Reach counters with a stiff right hand.
Dzhumagaliev is looking to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reach digs a good hook to Dzhumagaliev's body.
Reach with a jab.
Dzhumagaliev moves away from the strike by Reach.
Dzhumagaliev tries a head kick but it misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Dzhumagaliev throws a wild body kick that Reach sees coming a mile off.
Dzhumagaliev tries to close the distance and clinch but Reach swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Dzhumagaliev moves into range and connects with a jab.
Johnny Reach is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Dzhumagaliev walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Dzhumagaliev ducks under a wild hook from Reach.
Reach avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Reach walks into a jab.
Reach lands a nice shot that snaps Dzhumagaliev's head back.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Nikolai Dzhumagaliev.
I think Reach has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Johnny Reach!
Johnny Reach seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.