PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Muhammad Ali (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and King Hippo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Ali
vs
Hippo

196 cm
25
267 lbs
14 - 4 - 0

190 cm
21
273 lbs
9 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Syndicate Drugs

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Muhammad Ali!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, King Hippo!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Matheus Silva and Leandro Rodrigues.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jab from Hippo.
Hippo throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ali.
Ali walks into a left hand.
Ali is looking to slow Hippo down with leg kicks.

Hippo lands a left and a right that send Ali crashing to the mat, dazed. Hippo thinks about following him to the mat but decides to wave him back up to his feet!

It looks like Muhammad Ali has been cut.
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!
A telegraphed right hand from Hippo misses the target.
Hippo scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Hippo throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ali.
Ali moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Hippo fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Hippo blocks a jab.
Ali looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Ali needs to keep his hands up - Hippo had a free shot at his head there.
Ali 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.
A solid leg kick lands there for Ali.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Hippo just misses with a punch to the body.
Hippo moves into range and connects with a jab.
Hippo pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Ali uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hippo.
Ali slips under a jab.
Ali getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Ali getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Hippo swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ali lands with an overhand left.
Hippo tries to bum rush Ali with a series of wild strikes but Ali uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Ali misses with a hook. Hippo ducked under it nicely.
Ali lands a glancing blow to the side of Hippo's head.
Hippo misses with a wild combination.
A telegraphed right hand from Hippo misses the target.
Hippo takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Hippo misses with an uppercut. Ali saw that one coming.
Hippo gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
A swing and a miss from Ali.
King Hippo is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Some wild striking there from Hippo.
Hippo throws a big shot that misses.
Ali is looking to chop away at Hippo's legs.
Hippo swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ali slips under a jab.
Ali cracks Hippo with a good jab.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hippo throws the left hand but Ali avoids the punch easily.
Ali ducks under a wild hook from Hippo.

Ali scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ali works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Ali working the ground and pound but Hippo is defending the strikes.
The ground and pound from Ali seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Hippo managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Ali.
Ali fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Hippo wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Ali wants to lay and pray for a moment but Hippo keeps working.
Ali scoring with punches from side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ali working the ground and pound from side control.
Ali tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Hippo can do anything to dispel that myth.
Ali sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Hippo is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Ali tries to score with some ground and pound. Hippo controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Ali creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
The ground and pound from Ali seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Ali throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Ali scores with a couple of short elbows.
Ali wants to lay and pray for a moment but Hippo keeps working.
Ali with the ground and pound but Hippo regains half guard under the barage of strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ali not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Ali missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Hippo keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Ali throws a strike but Hippo avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Hippo preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ali missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Ali shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Hippo as he avoids it easily.
Ali scores with a nice right hand.
Hippo needs to keep his hands up - Ali had a free shot at his head there.

Ali shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hippo is not content to let Ali control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Muhammad Ali dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Muhammad Ali's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Ali moves away from the strike by Hippo.
Ali connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Hippo might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Good shot there by Ali.
Hippo steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ali.
Hippo misses with a wild combination.
Hippo misses the jab.
Ali throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Hippo on the side of the head.
Hippo just misses with a punch to the body.
Hippo jabs Ali right on the nose. Ali blinks but takes it well.
Ali throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ali keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Ali keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Hippo lands a jab to the nose.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ali uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hippo.
Hippo throws out a loose jab but Ali uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hippo slips a straight right by Ali.
Ali throws the left hand but Hippo avoids the punch easily.
Ali scores with a jab to the head.
Hippo misses with a few strikes there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ali throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

Hippo clinches up with Ali and pushes him back against the cage.
Hippo is trying to break free.
A head punch on the inside from Ali fails to land.
A nice left hand lands by Ali.
Ali fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Ali tries to stall but Hippo uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Ali misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Ali tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Hippo smiles and moves away.
Hippo getting the better of the striking in that exchange.

Hippo darts in and clinches Ali up against the cage.
Ali lands with a left to the head.
Ali lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

Ali breaks from the clinch.
Hippo takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Good shot there by Hippo.
Ali fails with the takedown.

Ali shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Ali was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Hippo regains half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ali throwing shots but Hippo is blocking nicely.
Hippo is in trouble now - Ali has advanced to mount!
Ali punching from mount but Hippo doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Ali landing strikes from the mount and Hippo is in trouble!
Ali landing punches.
Ali sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Hippo wants to control but Ali is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ali throwing strikes here but Hippo is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Ali 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.
Hippo squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Ali has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Hippo's face.
Hippo is breathing heavily.
Hippo is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Ali lands with some strikes.
Ali landing strikes from the mount.
Ali looking to finish with strikes here!
Muhammad Ali overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Ali in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hippo wants to control but Ali is having none of it.
Hippo wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Ali.
Ali looking to ground and pound but Hippo is blocking nicely.
Hippo can't escape the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ali lands with some strikes.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ali lands a heavy elbow.
Ali working the ground and pound effectively.
Ali throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Hippo because Ali loaded up on that one.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Muhammad Ali dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Muhammad Ali's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Ali fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Muhammad Ali is winning the standup battle so far.
Hippo throws a left and a right that both miss
and Ali makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Hippo connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Ali shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Ali lands a nice leg kick that just misses Hippo's sensitive parts.
Ali uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Hippo.
Donk. Ali catches Hippo right on the button with a cross.
Hippo throws a big shot that misses.
Hippo walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Ali cracks Hippo with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ali moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Ali throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Ali scores with a sloppy right hand. Hippo should have avoided that one.
Hippo takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Hippo takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

Ali looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hippo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ali throwing shots but Hippo is blocking nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ali missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ali throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Hippo avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Ali.
Ali wants to free his trapped foot but Hippo is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Ali thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ali thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hippo's head.
Ali tries to pass to full mount but Hippo defends it.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Ali 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.
Ali throws a big right hand that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ali throwing strikes but missing.
Ali stands up over Hippo, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Ali stops Hippo from standing up.
Hippo working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Ali.
Ali thows a big elbow that misses.
Ali content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Hippo working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Ali.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ali throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Hippo works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Muhammad Ali is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Ali accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Ali postures up in Hippo's guard and throws a big left but Hippo blocks it.
Ali pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hippo is keeping the position for now.
Ali trying to control the position from guard on top but Hippo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Ali missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Ali postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Ali lands a jab to the head.
Hippo throws a sloppy body shot
and Ali counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Ali connects with a single shot there.

Ali looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hippo is trying to stand.
King Hippo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ali thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hippo's head.
Ali trying to control the pace.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ali throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

And that's the end of the fight!
Muhammad Ali showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Ali has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:26
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 30:26
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Muhammad Ali!