PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Drax Bautista (ranked 537 p4p, 1096 weight class) and Liam James (ranked 80 p4p, 165 weight class). James has chosen Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Bautista
vs
James

190 cm
30
209
15 - 10 - 0

190 cm
37
215
22 - 20 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Drax Bautista!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 20 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Liam James!
The judges for this bout are Chris Dean, Darius Henderson and Summer Carpenter.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
James bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
James tests Bautista's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Bautista.
Bautista looks for the body kick but James saw that one coming.
Bautista cracks James with a good jab.
James throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A counter left hand to the body from Bautista misses its target.
Liam James seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bautista ducks right into an uppercut from James.
Bautista slips under a jab.
A good leg kick by Bautista.
Bautista tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but James was well out of range. Poor timing from Bautista.
James misses with an attempted mid kick.
James throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bautista sees it coming and avoids it easily.
James waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Bautista.
James scoring well with a low kick there.
James has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
James takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
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!
Bautista throws a body kick that misses.
James tries a quick counter leg kick but Bautista is wise to it.
Bautista checks the leg kick.
A little feinted left hand from Bautista on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Bautista staying out of range there.
Bautista misses with a wild body shot.
Bautista throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
It seemed like James was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bautista throws a hook to the side of James's head but James sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Bautista uses good head movement to avoid the hook from James.
Bautista swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.

James closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Bautista's guard.
James is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
James throws a big right hand that misses.
James slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
James is looking to work some ground and pound but Bautista has wrist control.
Bautista not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Bautista can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as James controls the pace.
James wants to control from the top but Bautista keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Bautista keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bautista scores with a spinning back kick!
James missing with a left hand there. Bautista was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bautista throws a front kick aimed at James's knee but James avoids it well.
James misses with a straight left.
Nice straight punches there by Bautista. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Bautista.
Bautista missing with a left hand there. James was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
James lands a really nice looking cross but Bautista seems unphased.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
James's jab looks to have found its range, popping Bautista under the eye.
Bautista misses with a kick to the body.
Bautista goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Bautista keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Drax Bautista is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bautista looks to throw the jab but James is out of range.
Bautista ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
James takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
James fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Bautista is out of range.
James misses with a body shot.
James throws a hook but Bautista avoids it easily.
Bautista with a hook.
James scores with the left hand. Bautista knows he should have avoided that one.
James ducks under a wild hook from Bautista.
Bautista misses with the combination.
Bautista looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
A chopping leg kick lands by Bautista.
James takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
James thumps Bautista with a low kick.
Bautista lands a slapping body shot.
A nice inside leg kick there by Bautista. That's going to slow James down.
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!
James throws a jab but it's blocked by Bautista.
James on the wrong end of a nice jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Bautista misses the target.
Bautista throws a jab when James was well out of range.
Bautista throws a looping overhand right but James ducks down to avoid it.
Bautista ducks under a wild hook from James.
Bautista throws a wild body kick that James sees coming a mile off.
James looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Bautista misses with a left hand
and James counters with an outside leg kick.
James pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
James swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Bautista counters with a straight right hand.
Bautista lands a leg kick that knocks James off balance momentarily.
Bautista throws an overhand right that lands on James's shoulder, as James tries to avoid the shot.
James throws a nice outside leg kick.
James steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Bautista.
James looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Bautista is fending him off so far but James persists. Nope, Bautista circles away and we're back to standing.
James cracks a nice hook into Bautista's ribs.
Bautista lands with a hook. James tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
James slips under a jab from Bautista.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Drax Bautista will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Bautista is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
James misses with a wild body shot.
Drax Bautista is winning the standup battle so far.
Bautista sizes up James with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
James bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
James misses with a looping right.
Bautista misses with a wild body shot.
James dodges the punch combination from Bautista.
James throws a hook but Bautista blocks it.
Bautista fakes the leg kick and cracks James in the body.
The crowd cheers as Bautista lands an impressive looking overhand right. James doesn't seem phased though.
James staying out of range there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bautista lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but James circles away quickly and effectively.
Bautista misses with a wild combination.
James throws out a counter right but Bautista avoids it with no problem.
James throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Bautista's waist but Bautista gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing James off to one side.
Bautista slips under a jab from James.

That's one minute gone in the round.
James throws a big shot that misses.
Bautista is looking to counter punch.
Some bone on bone action there as James checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Bautista.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Bautista!
Bautista throws out a loose jab but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bautista lands the left hand.
Bautista connects with a body shot.

James dives in and scores a takedown into Bautista's guard.
Bautista has his hands on James's head, controlling the position.
James throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Bautista works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
James is stalling in the full guard.
Bautista is pulling down on James's head. It's preventing any offense from James, at least for the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
James throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Bautista works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
James forces his way into half guard.
Bautista tries to roll over but James keeps him under control.
James is just content to waste time from the top position. Bautista takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
James is fighting to break Bautista's control of his arms but Bautista is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
James wants to control from the top but Bautista keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
James in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
James with a flurry of punches that miss.
James throws a big right hand that misses.
Bautista not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
James throwing strikes but missing.
Bautista is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
A shot to the liver by James. Beautiful body shot.
James fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Bautista looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Bautista thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bautista avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Bautista misses with a straight right.
James throws a body punch but Bautista moves out of range.
Bautista with a nice calf kick.
Bautista ducks down and throws a hook to the body but James moves away.
James blocks a jab.
James cracks a nice hook into Bautista's ribs.
James takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Nice defenses there by James.
James lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Bautista has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Bautista there as he acknowledges the shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bautista throws a hook but James avoids it easily.
Bautista scores with a kick to the body.
Bautista lets loose with a powerful body kick. James will feel that in the morning.
James just misses with a punch to the body.
Jab by Bautista.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Drax Bautista dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Bautista slips a straight right by James.
Bautista throws a body kick that misses.
Bautista scores with the left hand. James knows he should have avoided that one.

James feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
James trying to control but Bautista is working from the bottom.
James postures up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bautista keeping moving, preventing James from controlling successfully.
James chips away with some ground and pound.
James pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Bautista is keeping the position for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bautista has his hands on James's head, controlling the position.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
James in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
James not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Bautista listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
A big left from Bautista misses.
James now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Bautista throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
James scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
James attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
James gets cracked there but stands up to it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
James walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
The crowd cheers as James lands an impressive looking overhand right. Bautista doesn't seem phased though.
Nice defenses there by James.
Bautista lands a jab to James's midsection.
Nice jab there from James.
Bautista throws a lazy right hand but James sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bautista lands the left hand.
Bautista looks for the body kick but James saw that one coming.
Bautista stuffs the takedown.
Bautista scores with a hook.
James keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bautista.
James on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Bautista lands an overhand right.
Jab, jab by James - just one landing.
Nice jab there from Bautista.
James lands a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bautista takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
James throws a shot from downtown. Bautista moves away and avoids it.
James pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
James ducks under a wild hook from Bautista.
Bautista connects with a crisp jab.
Bautista avoids the body shot from James.
James misses the jab.
James lands with an uppercut that bounces Bautista off the cage and back into range.
Liam James has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bautista tests James's chin there with a solid looking shot.
A nice leg kick from James, right into the meat of the thigh.
James throws a shot from downtown. Bautista moves away and avoids it.
James misses with a low kick.
James throws a hook to the side of Bautista's head but Bautista sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Bautista looks to land a left hand but James moved out of range nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
James misses with a body shot.
Bautista half committed to a counter leg kick.
Bautista thumps James with a low kick.
James shoots in and drives through. Bautista sprawls well.
An attempted straight right counter from Bautista misses the target.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bautista lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
James walks into a jab.
A jab from Bautista finds it's way through James's defenses.
Bautista lands with a nice body punch.
Bautista connects with a single shot there.
James shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Bautista slips a straight right by James.
Bautista paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Bautista connects with a crisp jab.
James takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
James throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bautista connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between James's hands.
Bautista takes a jab right on the kisser.

And that's the end of the fight!
Drax Bautista showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Bautista, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Chris Dean scores the fight 30:27
Judge Darius Henderson scores the fight 30:27
Judge Summer Carpenter scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Drax Bautista!
Drax Bautista decided to hype himself up post fight. It was going well but he went on about it a bit too long and the crowd turned on him a little.
Liam James was interviewed post fight and said 'No one likes seeing their opponent's hand raised, but that just means that they were the better man today. My team at 3Band MMA and I will break down this match and make the proper changes for my next camp.'.