PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Eddie Kekoa (ranked 1210 p4p, 1047 weight class) and Angel Morales (ranked 163 p4p, 138 weight class). The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Kekoa
vs
Morales

178 cm
28
170
9 - 5 - 0

171 cm
28
154
9 - 7 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Granite chin

Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Eddie Kekoa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Angel Morales!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Shirou Masuda and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kekoa shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Morales.
We've been informed that Morales has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
A nice leg kick from Morales, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kekoa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Kekoa throws the left hand but Morales avoids the punch easily.
Morales throws a low kick but it's checked well by Kekoa.
Kekoa throwing a counter right hand but Morales manages to avoid it.
Kekoa throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kekoa has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Morales.
Kekoa throws a combination that misses
and Morales counters with a stiff right hand.
Kekoa has been working on his boxing with his coaches at No Limit in the buildup to the fight.
Morales blocks a jab.
Morales jabs Kekoa right on the nose. Kekoa blinks but takes it well.
Morales thows a leg kick but Kekoa checks it
and Kekoa counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
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!
Kekoa looks to score with a jab to the body but Morales is just out of range.
Morales lands with a nice body punch.
Morales shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Kekoa was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kekoa misses with a straight right.
Morales connects with a right hand. Kekoa shakes it off.
Morales lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Morales connects with an inside leg kick.
Morales lands a right hook to the body.
Morales ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kekoa moves away.
Morales bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Kekoa stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Morales.
A lazy left from Morales finds it's target.
Morales scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Morales throws a nice outside leg kick.
Kekoa throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kekoa throws a hook but Morales blocks it.
Angel Morales seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A low kick lands for Morales.
Morales throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Kekoa throws a big shot that misses.
Morales throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A low kick from Morales is predictable there
and Kekoa counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Kekoa is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Morales.
Morales turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Kekoa misses with a hook
and Morales counters with a leg kick.
Morales throws a leg kick but Kekoa moved away.
Morales lands a body shot.
Morales thuds his shin into the meat of Kekoa's side.
Kekoa takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Morales takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morales scores with a nice strike.
Good leg kick by Morales.
Morales tries to bum rush Kekoa with a series of wild strikes but Kekoa uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Kekoa looks to score with a jab to the body but Morales is just out of range.
Morales appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Morales takes a jab right on the kisser.

It looks like Angel Morales has been cut.
Kekoa lands a right hook to the body.
Kekoa looks to land a right hand but Morales moved out of range.
Kekoa throws a body punch but Morales moves out of range.
Morales keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A jab from Morales does it's job there.
Kekoa throws a hook to the side of Morales's head but Morales sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kekoa gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Morales.
Kekoa is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Morales moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
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!
Kekoa misses the jab.
Morales misses with an uppercut
and Kekoa counters with a two punch combo.
Morales throws a leg kick which misses Kekoa's front leg but catches the back leg as Kekoa tries to avoid it.
Morales lands a leg kick that knocks Kekoa off balance momentarily.
Morales displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kekoa throws out the jab.
Kekoa takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Morales is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Kekoa had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
Kekoa looks to land a right hand but Morales moved out of range.
A solid body kick from Kekoa.
A swing and a miss from Kekoa.
Morales throws out a counter right but Kekoa avoids it with no problem.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Morales turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Morales tries to score with a low kick but Kekoa moves his leg out of the way.
Morales throws a leg kick
and Kekoa counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Angel Morales dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Angel Morales's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Morales lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Morales.
Kekoa has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Kekoa there as he acknowledges the shot.
Kekoa takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Kekoa might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.
A lazy left from Kekoa finds it's target.
Morales misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Kekoa to counter with a crisp jab.
Kekoa uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Morales.
Morales has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Morales moves out of range of the strikes.
Kekoa takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Morales buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Kekoa misses with a jab, cross combination.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kekoa misses with a hook. Morales ducked under it nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Morales! But no joy.
Kekoa throws a shot from downtown. Morales moves away and avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morales lands with a kick to the ribs.
Kekoa misses with a looping right.
Morales dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Kekoa. That did some damage!
Morales paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Kekoa tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Morales feints and then cracks Kekoa's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Kekoa down.
Kekoa moves out of range of the body kick.
Morales scoring well with a low kick there.
Kekoa with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Morales staying out of range there.
Morales misses with a kick to the body.
Kekoa connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Kekoa throws a body shot but no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kekoa showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Morales.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A solid body kick from Morales.
Morales throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Morales, as that shot connected.
Morales with the inside leg kick.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Morales in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Kekoa ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Morales moves away.
Morales looks to throw the jab but Kekoa is out of range.
Morales misses with a lunging right hand
and Kekoa cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Morales lands a nice looking kick to the body. Kekoa takes a step back to recover.
Morales misses with a body kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kekoa tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Morales lands with a right hand.
Morales misses with a left hand
and Morales takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Nice defenses there by Kekoa.
Kekoa throws a lazy uppercut
and Morales counters with a nice uppercut.
A nice inside leg kick there by Morales. That's going to slow Kekoa down.
Morales misses with a low kick.
A slapping leg kick lands for Morales.
Kekoa throws out a powerful jab.
Kekoa misses with a wild body shot.
Good exchange - Morales coming out on top.
Kekoa missing with a left hand there. Morales was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morales cracks Kekoa with a right hand to the side of the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kekoa is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Morales moves away from the strike by Kekoa.
Morales appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Morales tries to land a front kick but Kekoa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Kekoa throws a looping overhand right but Morales ducks down to avoid it.
Kekoa just misses with a punch to the body.
Kekoa on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Morales takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.

That has opened up Angel Morales's cut even more.
A slow jab from Kekoa misses its intended target.
Morales throws a leg kick but Kekoa checks it.
Kekoa moves out of range of the body kick.
A counter left hand to the body from Kekoa misses its target.
Kekoa looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Kekoa looks to score with a jab to the body but Morales is just out of range.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Angel Morales showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Angel Morales's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Morales throws a sloppy head kick and Kekoa moves out of range easily.
Morales looks to land a right hand but Kekoa moved out of range.
Kekoa clobbers Morales with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Kekoa has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Morales.
Morales uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kekoa.
Kekoa scores with a one two! Morales had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
A shot to the body from Morales misses
and Kekoa counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

Morales is rocked!
Morales connects with a looping right hand.
Kekoa looks to throw the jab but Morales is out of range.
Morales sizes up Kekoa with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kekoa. Morales does a little dance to reset his feet.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Morales lands with a nice body kick.
Kekoa takes a jab right on the kisser.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morales throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kekoa throwing a counter right hand but Morales manages to avoid it.
Morales takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
A head kick by Kekoa misses
letting Morales counter with a right hand.
Morales lands a nice looking kick to the body. Kekoa takes a step back to recover.
Morales connects with a leg kick.
Morales finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Kekoa blocks a jab.
Morales keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kekoa.
Morales misses the shot to the body.
Morales throws a quick inside leg kick.
Morales connects with a leg kick.
Eddie Kekoa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kekoa will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kekoa throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Morales sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Morales tries a quick counter leg kick but Kekoa is wise to it.
Kekoa walks into a jab.
Morales tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
A good leg kick by Morales.
Morales connects with the punch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Morales keeps Kekoa at a distance using the push kick.
Morales tries to land a front kick but Kekoa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Kekoa tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Morales was well out of range. Poor timing from Kekoa.
Morales misses with a leg kick.
Kekoa avoids the body shot from Morales.
Kekoa slips under a jab from Morales.
Morales explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morales clobbers Kekoa with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Kekoa checks a low kick from Morales.
A counter left hand to the body from Kekoa misses its target.
Kekoa throws a big shot that misses.
Morales ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Kekoa throws a good cross that connects.

The cut above Angel Morales's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Morales thows a body kick. Kekoa tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Angel Morales is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Kekoa on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Kekoa misses with a straight right.
Morales connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Kekoa rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Morales counters with a left to the body.
Good standup being displayed there by Morales as he connects with a hook.
Good exchange - Morales coming out on top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kekoa jabs Morales right on the nose. Morales blinks but takes it well.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Morales throws a leg kick
and Kekoa connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Kekoa takes a jab right on the kisser.
Kekoa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Morales throws out a loose jab but Kekoa uses good head movement to avoid it.
An attempted straight right counter from Kekoa misses the target.
Kekoa just misses with a punch to the body.
Kekoa uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Morales.
Kekoa swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Morales is looking to slow Kekoa down with leg kicks.
Morales is looking to slow Kekoa down with leg kicks.
Morales thows a left - swing and a miss!
Kekoa takes one on the button.

And that's the end of the fight!
Angel Morales comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Morales 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 Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Angel Morales!
Angel Morales was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.