PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Khalabib Nurmy (ranked 617 p4p, 87 weight class) and Roy Whitaker (ranked 754 p4p, 103 weight class). 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.

Nurmy
vs
Whitaker

169 cm
36
193 lbs
14 - 11 - 0

177 cm
26
175 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Urban Fighter
KOMBAT KLOTHING

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 14 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Khalabib Nurmy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Roy Whitaker !
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Stewart Dunkirk and George Francis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A big right from Whitaker misses.
Whitaker is looking to score with low kicks.
Whitaker connects with a jab.
Nurmy fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

Nurmy darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Nurmy thows a huge punch but Whitaker dodges it nicely.
Nurmy not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Whitaker is looking to improve his position.
Whitaker avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Nurmy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitaker tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Whitaker trying to hold on to Nurmy's head to control him but Nurmy postures up.
Nurmy throwing shots but Whitaker is blocking nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmy missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ground and pound from Nurmy.
Whitaker has found himself in a tricky position here. He's been working his transitions in training so let's see if he can work his way out of it.
Nurmy thows a huge punch but Whitaker dodges it nicely.
Nurmy prevents Whitaker from improving his position.

Nurmy is looking for a kimura here.
Nurmy seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Nurmy sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Whitaker defending well though.
Whitaker is looking to improve his position.
Nurmy sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Whitaker defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Nurmy.
Whitaker is trying to control but can't.
Nurmy looks to land a strike but Whitaker avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Nurmy missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Nurmy stopping the sweep attempt from Whitaker .
Nurmy with a flurry of punches that miss.
Nurmy postures up in Whitaker 's guard and throws a big left but Whitaker blocks it.
Nurmy tries to free his leg and advance position but Whitaker is retaining full guard.
Nurmy working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Whitaker utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Whitaker 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.
Nurmy scoring with punches to the head and body.
Nurmy trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy throws an elbow that misses. Whitaker uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Nurmy's guard. Nice move by Whitaker !

Whitaker won't allow Nurmy to sweep him here.
Nurmy not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Whitaker is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Whitaker trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nurmy can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Whitaker controls the pace.
Whitaker wants to control from the top but Nurmy keeps moving.
Whitaker loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Whitaker manages to get himself to full guard.

Nurmy makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Nurmy accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Nurmy working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Whitaker 's head.
Nurmy scoring with some ground and pound.
Nurmy throws a strike but Whitaker rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Nurmy looking for a sweep. Not yet Nurmy, not yet.
Nurmy is trying to keep Whitaker in close.
Whitaker throwing strikes from guard but Nurmy blocks nicely.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Whitaker trying to control the position from guard on top but Nurmy is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nurmy looking for a sweep. Not yet Nurmy, not yet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Khalabib Nurmy dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Nurmy avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Nurmy misses with a body shot.
Whitaker connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Whitaker showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nurmy.
Whitaker buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

Nurmy moves into the clinch successfully.
Nurmy lands with a left to the head.
Whitaker misses with a punch to the body.
Whitaker misses with a punch to the body.
Nurmy is looking for a takedown.
Nurmy is working for takedown but Whitaker is calmly controlling the position for now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitaker lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Nurmy missing with knees to the body.
Nurmy misses with a short punch on the inside.
Nurmy tries to score a body lock takedown but Whitaker shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Khalabib Nurmy. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Whitaker lands a hook that snaps the head of Nurmy backwards.
Nurmy swings wildly with an uppercut but Whitaker uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Whitaker misses with a punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmy lands with a left to the head.
Nurmy is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Nurmy misses with a punch on the inside.
Nurmy misses with a hook from the clinch.

Whitaker breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nurmy slips under a jab from Whitaker .
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nurmy.
Whitaker appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Whitaker throws a hook but Nurmy avoids it easily.
Whitaker uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Nurmy.
Nurmy blocks a jab.
Nurmy shoots in looking for a takedown. Whitaker tries to sprawl out of it but Nurmy keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Whitaker manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Whitaker throws a body shot but no joy.
Whitaker ducks under a wild hook from Nurmy.
Whitaker throws a leg kick but Nurmy sees it coming and moves out of range.
An attempted straight right counter from Nurmy misses the target.
A solid leg kick lands there for Whitaker .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker thumps Nurmy with a low kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Whitaker . Nurmy does a little dance to reset his feet.
Whitaker keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Whitaker scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Whitaker connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nurmy shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Whitaker pinned against the cage. Whitaker gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Nurmy ducks under a wild hook from Whitaker .
Nurmy closes the distance and clinches up with Whitaker , looking for a takedown. Nurmy pushes Whitaker against the cage but Whitaker circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Nurmy tries to close the distance and clinch but Whitaker swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nurmy throws a hook to the side of Whitaker 's head but Whitaker sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Nurmy throws a poor cross that misses
and Whitaker counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Nurmy swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Whitaker slips a jab from Nurmy.
Whitaker throws a jab but it's blocked by Nurmy.
Nurmy appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Nurmy defending well as Whitaker loads up on a big left hand.
Nurmy takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Whitaker throws a looping overhand right but Nurmy ducks down to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Whitaker uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Nurmy has time to react.
Whitaker jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Whitaker lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Whitaker misses the jab.
Whitaker scores with a nice head shot.
Whitaker connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Nurmy misses with an uppercut.
Nurmy misses with a hook to the body
and Whitaker counters with a straight right hand.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Whitaker . He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Nurmy takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Whitaker keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Whitaker looks like he wants to counter punch here.
A telegraphed right hand from Nurmy misses the target.
Nurmy misses with an uppercut
and Whitaker counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Whitaker sizes up Nurmy with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Whitaker misses with an uppercut. Nurmy saw that one coming.
Whitaker tests Nurmy's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Nurmy moves into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Whitaker tries a body shot but Nurmy blocks it.
Nurmy can't find room to land a body shot as Whitaker controls the action.
Whitaker is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Nurmy is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Whitaker 's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Nurmy misses with a hook to the ribs.
Nurmy tries to throw a body punch but Whitaker avoids it by throwing Nurmy back against the cage.
Whitaker has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Whitaker blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Nurmy drops down looking for an ankle pick but Whitaker pulls his leg out and moves away.
Nurmy slips a jab from Whitaker .
Whitaker lands a slapping body shot.
Whitaker throws a shot from downtown. Nurmy moves away and avoids it.
Whitaker lands with an uppercut that bounces Nurmy off the cage and back into range.
Roy Whitaker seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Whitaker looks to land a left hand but Nurmy moved out of range nicely.
A cross from Whitaker lands.
Whitaker misses with a straight right.
Nurmy moves out of range as Whitaker strikes.
Nurmy swings for the body but Whitaker moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Roy Whitaker showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Donk. Whitaker catches Nurmy right on the button with a cross.
Nurmy takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Whitaker takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Whitaker throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Whitaker throws a big shot that misses.
Whitaker throws a solid leg kick but Nurmy takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Whitaker .
Whitaker has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Whitaker misses with a body shot.
Whitaker lands a jab.
Nurmy takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Nice defenses there by Nurmy.
Whitaker keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Nurmy defending well as Whitaker loads up on a big left hand.
Whitaker takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Whitaker connects with a nice looking jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nurmy looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Whitaker is fending him off so far but Nurmy persists. Nope, Whitaker circles away and we're back to standing.
Whitaker paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nurmy slips under a jab.
Whitaker cracks the inside of Nurmy's front leg.
Nurmy bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A good leg kick by Whitaker .
Whitaker misses with a body shot.
Whitaker lands a nice shot that snaps Nurmy's head back.
Whitaker throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nurmy sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Whitaker fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Nurmy on the side of the head.
Whitaker wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.

Nurmy shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Whitaker blocking the ground and pound attempt from Nurmy.
Nurmy takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Nurmy throwing shots but Whitaker is blocking nicely.
Nurmy thows a huge punch but Whitaker dodges it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Whitaker punching from the bottom.
Whitaker blocking the ground and pound attempt from Nurmy.
Whitaker blocking the ground and pound attempt from Nurmy.
Whitaker is trying to control but can't.
Nurmy lands strikes from half guard.
Nurmy thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Whitaker 's head.
Nurmy is nestled in close to Whitaker , controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Nurmy working the head and body with strikes.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Nurmy connects with a nice short shot to Whitaker 's temple.
Nurmy lands with a punch from half guard.

Whitaker is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nurmy lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Whitaker is still in real trouble! Can Nurmy finish him?
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nurmy lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Whitaker desperately trying to maintain half guard.
Whitaker is looking for a sweep. Nurmy is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Nurmy not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Whitaker is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Nurmy's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Nurmy's back!
Nurmy manages to reverse the position and now he's in Whitaker 's guard. Nice work there by Nurmy.
Whitaker seems to have recovered his senses.
Whitaker doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Whitaker working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Nurmy.
Whitaker is adopting a defensive guard.
Whitaker avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker is adopting a defensive guard.
Nurmy won't allow Whitaker to sweep him here.
Nurmy chips away with some ground and pound.
Nurmy stopping the sweep attempt from Whitaker .
Whitaker controlling Nurmy's posture.
Nurmy won't allow Whitaker to sweep him here.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Roy Whitaker .
I think Whitaker 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 28:29
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 28:29
Judge George Francis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Roy Whitaker !
Roy Whitaker managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Urban Fighter, into his post fight interview.