PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dominic Fauatea (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zapp Brannigan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Brannigan's choice of entrance music: Jackyl -- The Lumberjack. Dominic Fauatea had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Fauatea
vs
Brannigan

196 cm
22
275 lbs
14 - 0 - 0

195 cm
25
245 lbs
12 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

Springfield HW Nutrition
Hades ®

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dominic Fauatea !
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Zapp Brannigan!
The judges for this bout are Alan Glass, Stewart Dunkirk and Chris Downing.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Brannigan doesn't manage to clinch there - Fauatea circles away.
Brannigan lands a slapping body shot.
Brannigan misses with a body shot.
Nice defenses there by Brannigan.
Fauatea throws a hook to the side of Brannigan's head but Brannigan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Brannigan throws a sloppy body shot
and Fauatea counters with a nice kick to the body.
Brannigan fails in his attempt to clinch.
Fauatea misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Brannigan counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Fauatea fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Brannigan has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fauatea works Brannigan's body with a nice hook.
Fauatea thows a leg kick but Brannigan checks it
and Brannigan counters with a lovely shot to the body.

Brannigan takes the fight into the clinch.
Fauatea taking a breather.
Brannigan misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Fauatea taking a breather.
Fauatea is struggling to control the position.
Fauatea tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea lands with a light punch inside.
Fauatea wants to stall.
Fauatea lands with a left to the head.
Fauatea controlling the action here for a moment.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Dominic Fauatea .
No luck for Brannigan with that takedown attempt.
Brannigan checks a low kick from Fauatea .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brannigan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fauatea manages to avoid it.
Fauatea uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Brannigan.
Brannigan blocks a low kick nicely.
Fauatea throws a body kick the misses
and Brannigan counters with a right hand to the body.
Brannigan with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Fauatea throws a leg kick
and Brannigan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Fauatea takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.

It looks like Dominic Fauatea has been cut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Fauatea throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Fauatea fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Brannigan checks it well.
Brannigan throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Fauatea .
Good leg kick by Fauatea there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Brannigan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Brannigan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fauatea manages to avoid it.
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 Dominic Fauatea will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Dominic Fauatea 's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

A thudding body kick lands there by Brannigan!
Fauatea misses with a right hand
and Brannigan finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Fauatea waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Brannigan.
Brannigan throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Brannigan throws a right hand that Fauatea ducks under and follows up with a left that Fauatea also avoids with ease.
Brannigan throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Fauatea counters with an inside leg kick.
Fauatea misses with a lunging right hand

and Brannigan counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brannigan trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Fauatea wants to stand up but Brannigan is controlling him.
Brannigan sitting in guard here, content to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

We're going to have a standup here because Dominic Fauatea wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Fauatea tries a head kick but it misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
A low kick from Fauatea misses
and Brannigan counters with a nice body shot.
A low kick from Fauatea misses
and Brannigan counters with a head kick. That will keep Fauatea thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Brannigan is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Fauatea rather than just go for the knockout.
Brannigan fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Fauatea throws a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a body kick.
Brannigan steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Fauatea .
Fauatea misses with a hook.
Brannigan is looking to clinch but Fauatea is avoiding it.
Dominic Fauatea is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea misses with a body shot
letting Brannigan counter with a right hand.
Brannigan lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Fauatea throws a body kick that misses.
Brannigan paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Brannigan moves away from the strike by Fauatea .
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Brannigan. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Fauatea thows a leg kick but Brannigan checks it
and Brannigan counters with a nice body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea throws a jab but it's blocked by Brannigan.
Fauatea throws a looping overhand right but Brannigan ducks down to avoid it.
Fauatea blocks the body kick.
Fauatea throws a lazy uppercut
and Brannigan counters with a leg kick.
Brannigan cracks a nice hook into Fauatea 's ribs.
A looping hook to the body misses from Brannigan. Fauatea does a little dance to reset his feet.
Brannigan scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zapp Brannigan showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Dominic Fauatea 's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Brannigan lands a jab to the nose.
Brannigan avoids a punch combination nicely.
Fauatea throws a right hand that misses
and Brannigan counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Fauatea waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Brannigan.
Fauatea keeps the fight on the outside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Brannigan misses with a combination
and Fauatea counters with a nice body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brannigan misses with a wild body shot.
Brannigan avoids a kick to the body.
Brannigan misses the body punch
and Fauatea counters with a low kick, right behind Brannigan 's knee.
Fauatea ducks under a wild hook from Brannigan.
Brannigan pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Fauatea misses with a hook to the body
and Brannigan counters with a right hand to the body.
Brannigan throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea blocks the body kick.
Fauatea throws a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a left to the body.
Fauatea looks to throw a body kick
and Brannigan counters with a three punch combo that has Fauatea backing up. Fauatea nods at Brannigan to acknowledge the strikes.
A good leg kick by Fauatea .
Brannigan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fauatea manages to avoid it.
Fauatea looks for the body kick but Brannigan saw that one coming.
Brannigan throws a nice looking combination but Fauatea bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Brannigan swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Brannigan throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Fauatea bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Brannigan's head.
Fauatea throws a lazy uppercut
and Brannigan counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Brannigan fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brannigan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fauatea manages to avoid it.
Zapp Brannigan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Fauatea is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Brannigan.
Fauatea rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Brannigan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Brannigan misses with a wild body shot.
Brannigan looks to score with a jab to the body but Fauatea is just out of range.
Fauatea throws a left and a right that both miss
and Brannigan makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Fauatea thows a leg kick but Brannigan checks it
and Brannigan counters with a lovely straight right hand!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zapp Brannigan really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dominic Fauatea 's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Fauatea throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Brannigan throws a nice outside leg kick.
Fauatea throws a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a left to the body.
Brannigan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Fauatea throws a lazy uppercut
and Brannigan counters with a straight right hand.
Fauatea takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Fauatea throws a sloppy head kick and Brannigan moves out of range easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Brannigan checks a leg kick.
Brannigan misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Fauatea makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Brannigan feints and then cracks Fauatea 's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Fauatea down.
A jab from Fauatea finds it's way through Brannigan's defenses.
Fauatea waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Brannigan.
A big left from Fauatea misses.
Fauatea keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fauatea throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Fauatea misses with a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Fauatea misses with a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a left to the body.
Brannigan throws a push kick but Fauatea slaps the foot to one side.
Fauatea scores with a leg kick.

Brannigan instigates a clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Fauatea fails to land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Brannigan - that landed with a thud.
Fauatea looking to stall.
Fauatea throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Brannigan blocks it with crossed arms.
Brannigan is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Fauatea pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Fauatea throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Brannigan blocks it with crossed arms.

Brannigan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Fauatea will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Brannigan misses with a body shot
and Fauatea counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Brannigan misses with a left hand
and Fauatea counters with a head kick.
Brannigan swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Fauatea counters with a right hand to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brannigan stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Fauatea .
Brannigan ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Fauatea turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Brannigan fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A looping hook to the body misses from Brannigan. Fauatea does a little dance to reset his feet.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Brannigan slips a straight right by Fauatea .
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Dominic Fauatea will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Dominic Fauatea 's cut.
That's time! Fauatea 's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Fauatea misses with an attempted mid kick.
Brannigan connects with a crisp jab.
Fauatea goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Fauatea throws out a loose jab but Brannigan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Fauatea showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Brannigan.
Brannigan doesn't manage to clinch there - Fauatea circles away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fauatea is looking to clinch but Brannigan is avoiding it.
Brannigan connects with a solid leg kick.
Fauatea tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Fauatea throws a leg kick that is checked
and Brannigan makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Fauatea throws a lazy right hand but Brannigan sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Brannigan throws a series of punches but Fauatea avoids them all with ease.

That's two 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.
Fauatea tries to clinch but Brannigan is having none of it.
Fauatea walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Brannigan checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Brannigan on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Brannigan lands a nice leg kick that just misses Fauatea 's sensitive parts.
Fauatea throws a leg kick that is checked
letting Brannigan counter with a right hand.
Brannigan with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Fauatea to score with a decent uppercut.
Brannigan misses with a leg kick
and Fauatea counters with a big head kick but Brannigan shrugs it off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brannigan takes a swing at Fauatea 's ribcage but misses.
Brannigan waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Fauatea .
Fauatea throws a right hand that Brannigan ducks under and follows up with a left that Brannigan also avoids with ease.
Fauatea throws a leg kick that is checked
and Brannigan counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Fauatea misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Fauatea is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Brannigan looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's four 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.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Fauatea , right into the meat.
Fauatea throws a front kick aimed at Brannigan's knee but Brannigan avoids it well.
Fauatea connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Brannigan bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Fauatea 's head backwards.
Brannigan scores with a shot to the body.
Fauatea misses with a leg kick
and Brannigan counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Fauatea throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Brannigan makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Fauatea really felt that one!

And that's the end of the fight!
Dominic Fauatea showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Fauatea 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 Alan Glass scores the fight 48:47
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 48:47
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 48:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dominic Fauatea !
Dominic Fauatea retains his heavyweight title!