PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ian Maan (ranked 3261 p4p, 348 weight class) and James Harden (ranked 3526 p4p, 371 weight class). Maan comes to the cage accompanied by Someday. James Harden is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Maan
vs
Harden

190 cm
19
195 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

185 cm
21
192 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Granite chin

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ian Maan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, James Harden!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Summer Carpenter and Darius Henderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Harden misses with a short punch on the inside.
A frustrated look appears on Maan's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Maan looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Maan tries to break the clinch but Harden is controlling the position.
A short right from Maan.
Maan struggles to land a body shot inside as Harden controls his hands.

Maan breaks from the clinch.
Maan avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Harden pushes Maan up against the cage in a clinch.
Maan wants to break free but Harden has control.
Maan blocking some punches.
Harden misses with a hook to the ribs.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Harden.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harden lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Harden misses with a punch to the body.
Harden working aggressively here.
Maan misses with a hook from the clinch.
Harden misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A head punch on the inside from Harden fails to land.
Harden lands with a short head shot on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maan lands a right hand that snaps the head of Harden backwards.

It looks like James Harden has been cut.
Maan misses with a short punch on the inside.
Harden told us before the fight that he's been working on his elbows. An under utilised technique these days - let's see if it can sway the outcome of the fight.
Harden throws a head punch that misses.

Maan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Harden lands a nice shot to the body.
Harden drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Sloppy strikes from Harden. Those never looked like landing.
Harden jabs at Maan's body.
Harden uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Harden with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Maan to score with a decent uppercut.
Harden keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Harden moves in looking to clinch but Maan pushes him off.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Harden thows a left - swing and a miss!
Maan circles away from the clinch attempt
and Maan counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Harden comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harden drops his hands momentarily and Maan takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Maan lands with an overhand left.

That has opened up James Harden's cut even more.
Harden slips under a jab.
Maan has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Far-Q Fight Club in the buildup to the fight.
James Harden seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Harden tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A big left from Harden misses.
Harden tries to clinch
and Maan counters with a stiff right hand.
Sloppy strikes from Maan. Those never looked like landing.
Harden steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Maan.
Maan circles away from the clinch attempt.
Harden tries to clinch up but Maan circles away and keeps his distance.
Jab, jab by Harden - just one landing.
Good exchange - Harden coming out on top.
A clash of legs there as Harden blocks the low kick.
Maan cracks the inside of Harden's front leg.

Maan lands a big uppercut and Harden crumbles to the floor! The ref thinks about stopping the fight but Harden looks OK. Maan waves Harden back to his feet!

Harden is rocked!
No joy there for Maan, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Harden is still on wobbly legs! Can Maan finish him?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harden tries to clinch but Maan moves out of range.
As Harden looks to move away, Maan throws a big counter combo but Harden just gets out of the way.
Harden throws a nice looking combination but Maan bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Harden seems to have recovered his senses.

Maan gets tackled into the cage by Harden. Harden maintains the clinch.
Maan pushes Harden back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

The cut above James Harden's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Harden creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
A short uppercut from Harden.
Maan has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Harden misses with a hook to the ribs.

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

Harden clinches up against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Harden.
Harden swings wildly with an uppercut but Maan uses good head movement to avoid it.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Maan.
Harden tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Harden swings wildly with an uppercut but Maan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Harden misses with a hook to the ribs.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Maan.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maan lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
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!
Harden tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Maan's elbow.
Maan misses with a short punch on the inside.
Harden tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A right hook to the body lands for Harden.
Maan misses with a hook from the clinch.
Maan fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Maan's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Harden looks to land a left hand but Maan moved out of range nicely.
Maan throwing a counter right hand but Harden manages to avoid it.
Maan throws a right and a left that both miss.

Harden instigates a clinch.
Harden lands a body shot.

Maan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Maan takes a shot to the body in his stride.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Harden changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Harden pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Harden with a nice cross.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ian Maan will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on James Harden's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Harden clinches with his opponent.
Harden lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Maan lands a hook to the side of the head.
A head punch on the inside from Harden fails to land.
A short right from Maan on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Maan fails to land.
A right handed body shot lands from Harden.
Maan has a couple of punches blocked by Harden.
Maan scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Maan manages to break the clinch.
Maan pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Harden back to the cage. Maan follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Maan tries to keep at a distance but Harden has taken the fight into the clinch.
Maan blocking some punches.

Maan manages to break the clinch.

Harden closes the distance and clinches.

Maan breaks from the clinch.
Harden tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Maan paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harden ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

Maan lands a big uppercut and Harden crumbles to the floor! The ref thinks about stopping the fight but Harden looks OK. Maan waves Harden back to his feet!

James Harden's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.

The referee calls the doctor in to look at James Harden's cut. Oh no, the doctor has called an end to the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:14 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Cut). Ian Maan!
Ian Maan thanked the fans post fight for their support.
In defeat, James Harden stepped up to the mic, saying 'Back to the drawing board for me folks, this is just a bump in the road. I'll be back better than before soon!'.