PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dave Dias (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kai Diao (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!

Dias
vs
Diao

185 cm
26
180 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

173 cm
25
173 lbs
8 - 7 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Dave Dias!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 7 - 1, fighting out of London, Kai Diao!
The judges for this bout are James Atkins, Richard Clark and Sam Margolis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Diao fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Dias throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Diao.
Diao lands a head kick. Dias smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

It looks like Dave Dias has been cut.
Diao tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Diao feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Dias's calf.
A left and a right from Dias both land. Nice combination.
Dias ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Diao throws the kick towards the body but Dias avoids it.
Kai Diao seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Diao connects with an inside leg kick.
Diao throws a head kick but Dias moves out of range.
Diao wants to clinch.
Diao tries to close the distance and clinch but Dias swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Diao avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Diao.
Diao connects with a leg kick. Dias looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Diao fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Dias.
Dias throws a right and a left that both miss.
Diao tries a head kick but it misses.
Diao fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Dias has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Diao, right into the meat.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Diao. Dias shrugs it off though.
Dias looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
A left lands for Diao.
Diao misses with a head kick.
Dias throws a combination that misses
and Diao finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diao throws a nice outside leg kick.
A head kick misses from Diao.
Dias tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Diao throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Dias.
Dias throws a left and a right that both miss
and Diao counters with a leg kick.
Dias tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Dias is breathing heavily.
Diao throws a sloppy head kick and Dias moves out of range easily.
Dias takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Diao tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The fight stays on the outside here - Diao looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Diao looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Diao. Dias does a little dance to reset his feet.
Diao tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Diao dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Dias swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Diao thumps Dias with a low kick.
Diao wants to clinch up but Dias keeps it at a distance.

Diao gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Diao landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Diao is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Dias takes a knee right on the jaw!
Stalling in the clinch from Diao.
Diao landing knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diao throws a knee to the head but misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Diao.
Diao tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dias avoids it.
Diao with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Diao tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Diao.
Dias wants to break the clinch but can't.
Diao lands a body punch in the clinch.
Diao tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dias avoids it.
Diao missing with knees to the body.
Diao misses with a knee to the head.
Dias has had enough of the clinch but Diao keeps him there for the moment.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Dias wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Diao leaning his opponent against the cage.
Diao trying to land knees to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kai Diao dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dave Dias's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

A slow jab from Dias misses its intended target.
Dias with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Diao to score with a decent uppercut.
Dias takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Kai Diao seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Diao throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Diao turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Diao tries to clinch up but Dias circles away and keeps his distance.
A solid leg kick lands there for Diao.
Dias swats away the attempt to clinch by Diao.
Diao thows a body kick. Dias tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Diao throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Diao throws a head kick that looked like it stung.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dias keeps the fight on the outside.
Diao connects with a solid leg kick.

Diao clinches up against the cage.
Diao trying to land knees to the body.
Diao lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Diao is stalling here.
Diao tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dias avoids it.
Diao throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Dias wants to get back to striking at distance but Diao won't allow it.
Diao is working Dias over against the cage.
Diao tries to land knees in the clinch but Dias avoids the damage to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Diao.
Dias is trying to push Diao away but Diao has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Dias being controlled against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diao continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.
Dias wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Diao has him pressed against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Diao.
Diao landing knees to the body.
Dias looking to stall.
Diao throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Diao landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Diao has Dias pressed against the cage, preventing Dias from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Diao obliges.
Dias is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Diao obliges.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Diao - that landed with a thud.
Diao unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Diao lands a good knee to the midsection. Dias won't want to take too many of those.
Diao content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Dias can't break the clinch.
Diao'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.
Diao lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Diao stalling.
Diao prevents Dias from breaking the clinch.
Nice body punch from Diao.
Diao misses with a knee strike.
Diao unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Diao is breathing heavily.
Dias is trying to break the clinch but Diao is controlling him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Come on Diao - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Diao scores a nice knee to the body.
Diao landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A head punch on the inside from Diao fails to land.
Dias prevents a body shot from Diao.
Dias working hard to break the clinch.
Diao trying to land knees to the body.
Diao is stalling here.
Diao lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Diao.
Dias avoiding damage as Diao throws knees to the body.
Diao tries to land knees in the clinch but Dias avoids the damage to the body.
Diao tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dias avoids it.
Diao missing with knees to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kai Diao showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Dave Dias's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

An inside leg kick from Diao misses.
Diao throws a nice inside leg kick.
Dias lands a slapping body shot.
Dias throws a right and a left that both miss.
Diao tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Dias paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Diao missing with a left hand there. Dias was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Diao takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Diao wants to clinch up but Dias keeps it at a distance.
Dias misses with an uppercut. Diao saw that one coming.
Diao lands an overhand right.
Dias avoids the head kick by Diao.
Diao takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Dias lands with an uppercut that bounces Diao off the cage and back into rage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Diao tries a head kick but it misses.
Diao connects with a leg kick. Dias looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Diao connects with a leg kick. Dias looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Diao has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Diao misses with an uppercut
and Dias makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Dias lands the left hand.
Dias misses with a wild combination.
Diao avoids a punch combination nicely.
Diao throws a sloppy head kick and Dias moves out of range easily.
Dias scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diao misses with a head kick.
Dias throws a right and a left that Diao avoids nicely.
Diao fails with an attempt to clinch.
Dias misses with a two punch combination.
Diao throws a poor cross that misses
and Dias counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Dave Dias is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Dias misses with a few strikes there.
Diao feints and then cracks Dias's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Dias down.
A shot to the body from Diao misses
and Diao takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Diao tries to clinch but Dias is having none of it.
Diao takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Diao throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dias misses with a jab, cross combination.
Diao misses with a hook
and Dias counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Dias throws a right and a left that both miss.
Diao misses with a low kick.
Diao throws a lazy right hand but Dias sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A combination from Dias does no damage.
Diao lands a nice leg kick that just misses Dias's sensitive parts.
Dias is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Diao feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Dias's calf.
Diao lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Dias throws a right and a left that both miss.
Diao is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Dias.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diao misses with a hook
and Dias counters with a three punch combo that has Diao backing up. Diao nods at Dias to acknowledge the strikes.
Kai Diao is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Dias's corner calls for a 1-2. Dias obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Diao tries to clinch but Dias is having none of it.
Diao lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Dias takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Dias blocks a leg kick.
Diao plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Diao pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Diao throws a leg kick but Dias checks it.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Diao misses with a body shot.
Dave Dias has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Diao misses with a low kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dave Dias showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Diao 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 James Atkins scores the fight 27:29
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 26:29
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 27:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kai Diao!