PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kieth Liddell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ras Butten (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Butten is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Damian Marley - It Was Written (Chasing Shadows Remix) DUBSTEP REMIX. Kieth Liddell could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Ras Butten's chin.

Liddell
vs
Butten

195 cm
20
205 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

192 cm
21
202 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Prefers standup

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Likes ground

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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Kieth Liddell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ras Butten!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Robert Twigg and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Liddell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Butten swats away the attempt to clinch by Liddell.
Liddell throws a head kick but Butten moves out of range.
Liddell throws a nice looking combination but Butten bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Butten darts in trying to clinch
and Liddell counters with a good low kick that Butten was not able to check.
Liddell closes the distance but Butten moves to the side
and Butten counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Liddell wants to clinch
and Butten counters with a two punch combo.

Butten darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Liddell looks like he's trying to stand up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liddell is not content to let Butten control the position.

Liddell kicks Butten off and gets back to his feet.
Liddell misses the jab.
Liddell blocks a head kick by Butten.
Butten goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Liddell is looking to clinch.

Butten scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Liddell is trying to stand back up but Butten is controlling him

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Butten wants to lay and pray for a moment but Liddell keeps working.

Liddell kicks off Butten and gets to his feet.
Liddell is looking to land body kicks.
Liddell wants to clinch.
Butten blocks a head kick by Liddell.
Liddell tries to clinch up
and Butten counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Butten misses with a series of wild punches.

Liddell has taken the fight to the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Butten on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Butten drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Liddell throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Butten blocks it with crossed arms.
Liddell taking a breather.

Liddell manages to break the clinch.
Butten avoids the head kick by Liddell.
Butten tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Liddell swivels and escapes.

Butten closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Liddell gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
Butten wants to control the pace but Liddell is squirming around nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Butten controlling his opponent.
Butten looks gassed!
Butten wants to control the action but instead Liddell gets a body lock and reverses into Butten's guard! Nice work!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Liddell trying to stand up but can't free himself from Butten's guard.

Butten looking for a guillotine here but Liddell defends easily.
Liddell preventing the sweep.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ras Butten dominated that round.
That's time! Liddell's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Liddell scoring well with a low kick there.
Liddell tries to clinch
and Butten counters with a three punch combo that has Liddell backing up. Liddell nods at Butten to acknowledge the strikes.
Butten gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Liddell misses with a two punch combination.
Liddell tries to clinch but Butten moves away
and Butten counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Butten circles away from the clinch attempt
and Butten counters with a two punch combo.
Butten keeps the fight on the outside.
Liddell throws a lazy head kick

and Butten moves into the clinch.
Liddell lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Butten tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Liddell unloads a knee to the mid-section. Butten lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.

Liddell breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Butten is breathing heavily.
Liddell tries to clinch but Butten moves away
and Butten counters with an inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liddell lands with a slapping head kick.
Liddell tries to clinch but Butten moves away
letting Butten counter with a right hand.
Liddell goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Liddell wants to clinch

and Butten counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Butten pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Liddell is keeping the position for now.
Liddell is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Butten is controlling him.

Butten gets to his feet. Liddell looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Butten throws a combination that misses
and Liddell counters with a one-two to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Butten misses with the combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Liddell throws a body kick that misses.
Butten shoots in looking for a takedown. Liddell tries to sprawl out of it but Butten keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Liddell manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Butten swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Butten keeps the fight on the outside.

Butten gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Butten tries to pull guard but Liddell holds him up against the cage and eventually Butten drops back down to his feet.
Kieth Liddell has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ras Butten.
Liddell scores a nice knee to the body.
Butten can't break the clinch.
Butten drops down looking for an ankle pick but Liddell pulls his leg out and moves away.
Liddell darts in trying to clinch

and Butten counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Butten is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Butten looking to control but Liddell is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Liddell knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Butten on the ground.
Poor strikes thrown by Butten there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!

Butten looking for a guillotine from mount but Liddell is having none of it.
Ras Butten has got the better of the ground game so far.
Liddell is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

Butten jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Liddell is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Liddell and Butten has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Butten working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Butten throwing shots but missing, from side control.

Butten tries for a kimura but Liddell is defending well.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Butten wants to control but Liddell is keeping him busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Ras Butten will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Butten misses with a two punch combination.
Liddell tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Butten counters with a slapping leg kick.

Liddell has managed to clinch.
Butten can't get the takedown.
Liddell looking to throw knees to the head but Butten is blocking nicely.

Butten pulls Liddell into guard.
Butten is pulling down on Liddell's head. It's preventing any offense from Liddell, at least for the moment.

Butten looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Liddell wanted to stand there but Butten had control of the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Butten has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Liddell can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Butten looking for a sweep. Not yet Butten, not yet.
Butten trying to keep a closed guard but Liddell is proving a slippery customer.
Liddell wants to stand but Butten is controlling his posture from full guard.
Liddell preventing the sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Liddell trying to stand up but can't free himself from Butten's guard.
Liddell trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Butten is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Liddell tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Butten counters with a two punch combo.
Both fighters circling a little - Liddell finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.

Liddell clinches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Butten successfully pulls guard.

Butten had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Liddell is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Butten Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Liddell's back instead.

Butten is persistently looking for the submission but Liddell is defending it well.
Liddell wants to get back to his feet.

Butten has his opponent's back but Liddell is looking to stand. He manages to get to his feet and shakes off Butten.
Butten has a takedown stuffed.
Butten throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Butten is looking to score with low kicks.
Butten looks for a takedown but Liddell sprawls well.
Kieth Liddell has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ras Butten.

Liddell has managed to clinch.
Liddell's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Liddell lands an elbow inside that Butten shrugs off.
Kieth Liddell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Liddell breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Liddell is looking to clinch but Butten is avoiding it.
Liddell avoids the body shot from Butten.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kieth Liddell showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Butten 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 Wesley Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ras Butten!