PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between William O Leary (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dwayne Hicks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dwayne Hicks will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

O Leary
vs
Hicks

176 cm
22
199 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

186 cm
23
189 lbs
7 - 1 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, William O Leary!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dwayne Hicks !
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Robert Twigg and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
O Leary uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hicks .
Dwayne Hicks seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A right-left combo lands from Hicks .

O Leary clinches with his opponent.
A shot in the inside from O Leary.
O Leary slows down the pace here.
Hicks is pressed up against the cage. O Leary has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Hicks down to the mat. Hicks avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
O Leary moves away from the strike by Hicks .
O Leary tries to clinch up.
Hicks moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

It looks like William O Leary has been cut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as O Leary checks a leg kick.
Hicks tries a head kick but it misses.
O Leary fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Hicks will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Hicks keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
O Leary walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

O Leary has taken the fight to the clinch.
O Leary has a couple of punches blocked by Hicks .
O Leary tries for a takedown. No joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hicks is trying to break free.
O Leary blocks an uppercut.
O Leary lands a body punch in the clinch.
A short right hand to the side of the head by O Leary.
O Leary drops down looking for an ankle pick but Hicks pulls his leg out and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William O Leary. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice body punch from O Leary.
Hicks throws out a loose jab but O Leary uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hicks lands a nice shot that snaps O Leary's head back.

O Leary looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
O Leary lands strikes from half guard.
O Leary is taking a breather. Hicks says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
O Leary scoring with strikes to the body and head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hicks is trying to stand.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
O Leary is looking to advance position but Hicks won't allow it.
Hicks keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
O Leary working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
O Leary prevents Hicks from standing back up.
O Leary not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Hicks tries to kick O Leary off but O Leary keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

O Leary darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
O Leary has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Hicks pushes O Leary off but O Leary dives into side control.
Hicks looks gassed!
O Leary tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
O Leary is looking to take a break and control but Hicks is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sloppy strikes there by O Leary.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hicks is looking to work his way out of this bad position but O Leary is controlling him well.
Sloppy strikes there by O Leary.
O Leary in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Hicks swings and misses with a hook to the body.

O Leary looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
O Leary wants to free his trapped foot but Hicks is holding on for dear life with his legs.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
O Leary thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
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 William O Leary will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on William O Leary's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hicks uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by O Leary.
Hicks throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
O Leary blocks a low kick nicely.
O Leary shoots for a takedown but Hicks saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Hicks misses with a double jab.
Hicks lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but O Leary circles away quickly and effectively.
O Leary cracks Hicks with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Hicks scores with a nice right hand.
O Leary tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hicks paws at him with a jab and circles away.
O Leary connects with a nice looking jab.
Danga de danga de dang - Hicks scores with a four punch combination!
O Leary tests Hicks 's chin there with a solid looking shot.

O Leary has managed to clinch.
Hicks has had enough of the clinch but O Leary keeps him there for the moment.
O Leary looking for a takedown.
O Leary stalls.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hicks is looking to break free of the clinch but O Leary has double underhooks.
Hicks has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
O Leary tries for a takedown but Hicks manages to get underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William O Leary. That's going to take a lot out of him.
O Leary drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Hicks tries to circle away but O Leary has him pinned against the cage.
Hicks can't break the clinch.

O Leary is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Hicks can't fight it off and eventually O Leary manages to take the fight to the floor. Hicks looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Hicks keeping moving, preventing O Leary from controlling successfully.
Hicks utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Leary is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Hicks is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
O Leary is stalling in the full guard.
O Leary throws a big right hand that misses.
O Leary stops Hicks from standing up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Leary throws a strike but Hicks rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
O Leary looking to control.
Hicks must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Hicks is looking to stand up but O Leary won't let him.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Hicks throws an uppercut from half a mile away. O Leary sees it coming and avoids it easily.
O Leary misses with a series of wild punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Hicks moves out of range of the body kick.
Hicks stuffs the takedown attempt from O Leary. O Leary gets slowly back to his feet.

O Leary gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Hicks wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
O Leary swings away with an uppercut that misses.
O Leary working some nice short punches in the clinch.
A right handed body shot lands from O Leary.
O Leary swings wildly with an uppercut but Hicks uses good head movement to avoid it.
O Leary manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with O Leary for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
O Leary lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

William O Leary dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on William O Leary's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

No joy there for O Leary, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Hicks lands a head shot.
Hicks throws a jab when O Leary was well out of range.
Nice shot lands for Hicks .
Hicks misses with a wild body shot.
O Leary throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hicks .
Hicks is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by O Leary.
Hicks keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Hicks lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
O Leary walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Hicks looks to land a combination but O Leary avoids it well.

O Leary closes the distance and pushes Hicks back into the cage.
Hicks has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
O Leary misses with the head strike.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
O Leary has Hicks pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Hicks manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
O Leary prevents Hicks from breaking the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hicks tries to break the clinch but O Leary is controlling the position.
Hicks wants to break free but O Leary has control.

Hicks breaks from the clinch.
A clash of legs there as O Leary blocks the low kick.
O Leary shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Hicks defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William O Leary. That's going to take a lot out of him.
O Leary thows a body shot but no joy.
William O Leary is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
O Leary has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Hicks finds it's way round the side to connect with O Leary's head.
Hicks scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. O Leary doesn't seem bothered though.
Hicks throws the kick towards the body but O Leary avoids it.
Hicks throws a nice looking combination but O Leary bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
O Leary is looking to wear down Hicks with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Hicks scores with a body shot.
Hicks lands a two punch combo.
A right-left combo lands from Hicks .
O Leary is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Hicks throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and O Leary counters with a stiff right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hicks scores with a three punch combo!
Hicks throws a leg kick that misses.
Hicks throws a leg kick that misses.
A combination from Hicks does no damage.

Hicks tries to keep at a distance but O Leary has taken the fight into the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for O Leary.
O Leary wants a takedown.
A nice left hand lands by O Leary.
O Leary has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Hicks is trying to break the clinch but O Leary is controlling him.
Hicks wants to get back to striking at distance but O Leary won't allow it.
O Leary digs a right hand underneath Hicks 's ribcage. Hicks let out a lung full of air as it connected.
O Leary has Hicks pushed against the cage.
O Leary looking for a takedown.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hicks is trying to break the clinch but O Leary has him pressed against the cage.

O Leary breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Hicks lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Hicks cracks O Leary with a right hand to the side of the head.
Hicks throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Dwayne Hicks is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
O Leary looks to land a right hand but Hicks moved out of range.
Hicks avoids the body shot from O Leary.
O Leary swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Hicks lands a really nice looking cross but O Leary seems unphased.
O Leary uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hicks .
Hicks misses with a kick to the body.
O Leary misses with a telegraphed body shot
letting Hicks counter with a right hand.
O Leary misses with a wild body shot.
O Leary showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Hicks .
Hicks lands with a cross.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Leary swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hicks counters with a lovely straight right hand!
A telegraphed takedown attempt from O Leary is defended easily by Hicks .
Hicks misses with a leg kick.
A leg kick checked by O Leary.
O Leary rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hicks moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Hicks connects with a single shot there.
O Leary looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
O Leary throws a nice looking combination but Hicks bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
O Leary looks to score with a jab to the body but Hicks is just out of range.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
O Leary throws a predictable looking body shot
and Hicks counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Hicks falls off balance throwing a combination

and O Leary counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Hicks !
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
O Leary thowing shots but they're missing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dwayne Hicks really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on William O Leary's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

O Leary moves forwards but Hicks connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Hicks lands a jab to the nose.
Hicks slips under a jab.
Hicks scores with a body shot.
Hicks lands an overhand right.

O Leary decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Hicks is trying to stand.
O Leary thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Hicks wants to get back to his feet.
O Leary working Hicks over with strikes.
O Leary trying to pass the guard but Hicks defending well.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Hicks is trying to stand back up but O Leary is controlling him

That's one minute gone in the round.
O Leary working over Hicks with some ground and pound. Hicks looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Hicks keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
O Leary looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Hicks connects with a nice looking jab.
O Leary misses with a body shot.
Hicks misses the jab.
O Leary misses with a few strikes there.
Hicks closes the distance and lands a one-two.
O Leary dodges the punch combination from Hicks .
Hicks attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Hicks takes a jab right on the kisser.
Hicks on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Hicks displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from O Leary.
O Leary doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Hicks keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
O Leary misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William O Leary. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hicks scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Hicks throws a right and a left that both miss.
Hicks takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Hicks throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
O Leary lands with a nice combination. Hicks backs away looking to recover.
Hicks dodges the punch combination from O Leary.
Dwayne Hicks seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A big right from Hicks misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Leary closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Jab from O Leary.
O Leary keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Hicks tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and O Leary is able to avoid easily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
O Leary goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Nice body punch from O Leary.
O Leary lands with a short punch from the clinch.
O Leary digs a right hand into Hicks 's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Hicks 's gas tank.
A short right hand to the side of the head by O Leary.
O Leary crunches a lovely knee into Hicks 's ribcage.
A short body shot lands from O Leary as the two fighters clinch.
O Leary lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

O Leary turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Hicks wants to get back to his feet.
O Leary trying to control the position but Hicks is working away.
Hicks wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
O Leary in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

William O Leary had his way with Dwayne Hicks in that round.
The cut man is working on William O Leary's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. And we move into the final round!

Hicks stuns O Leary with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Hicks throws a good cross that connects.
Hicks lands with a straight right. O Leary didn't see that one coming.
O Leary moves away from the strike by Hicks .
O Leary throws a nice looking combination but Hicks bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
O Leary throws a body punch but Hicks moves out of range.
O Leary with a nice cross.
Hicks lands a two punch combo.
O Leary tries to bum rush Hicks with a series of wild strikes but Hicks uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
O Leary shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Hicks defends it nicely.
O Leary throws a looping overhand right but Hicks ducks down to avoid it.
O Leary stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
O Leary closes this distance looking for a takedown but Hicks circles away.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Hicks changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Hicks has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
O Leary is looking to clinch but Hicks is avoiding it.
Hicks connects with a single shot there.
Hicks connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
O Leary has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Hicks finds it's way round the side to connect with O Leary's head.
Hicks scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Hicks cracks O Leary with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Jab from Hicks .
O Leary on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Jab by Hicks .
Hicks waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract O Leary.
Hicks throws an uppercut from half a mile away. O Leary sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Hicks throws a combination. O Leary tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
O Leary moves out of range of the strikes.
O Leary lands a nice hook to Hicks 's body. Hicks takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

O Leary closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hicks is not content to let O Leary control the position.
Dwayne Hicks has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Leary controlling the position from side mount.
Hicks wants to get back to his feet.
O Leary looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Hicks is avoiding damage well.
Hicks is looking to get back to his feet here but O Leary is keeping cool and he's managed to take Hicks 's back.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hicks covers up after that shot from O Leary.

Hicks showing good submission defense here.
Hicks is trying to get back to his feet but O Leary has full control of the position and if anything, Hicks has just worked his way into a worse spot.
O Leary trying to control momentarily.
William O Leary is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Hicks manages to get to his feet, escaping the difficult position.
O Leary keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
O Leary checks a low kick from Hicks .
O Leary showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Hicks .

O Leary has closed the distance and engaged Hicks in a clinch.
A short left from O Leary.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
O Leary makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Hicks can't break the clinch.
O Leary softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dwayne Hicks comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think O Leary has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 48:47
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 48:47
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 48:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... William O Leary!
William O Leary retains his middleweight title!