PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between James Howlett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ok Ko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). James Howlett has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Howlett
vs
Ko

160 cm
25
182 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

190 cm
27
180 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Great elbows
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Dangerous knees
Determined

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 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, James Howlett!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ok Ko!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Alan Glass and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ko with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Howlett swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Ko counters with a good low kick that Howlett was not able to check.
Ko scoring well with a low kick there.

Ko drives through and clinches with Howlett against the cage.
Ko scores a nice knee to the body.
Ko controlling the action here for a moment.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Howlett missing with knees to the body.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Howlett is breathing heavily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Howlett tries to land knees in the clinch but Ko avoids the damage to the body.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Ko just leaning against Howlett, taking a breather.
Ko using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Ko crunches a lovely knee into Howlett's ribcage.
Ko lands a knee to the body.
Ko effectively controlling the action here.
Ko works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Howlett takes a knee right on the jaw!
Ko stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Ko with a knee to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ko utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Ko using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Ko avoiding damage.
Ko lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howlett lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ko is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Ko using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.

Ko pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Ko gets a clinch.
Howlett taking a breather.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ko is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Ko has Howlett pushed against the cage.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howlett lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ko with a knee to the head.
Ko scores a nice knee to the body.
Ko working Howlett over with knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The referee calls for Ko to work.
Ko lands a knee to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ko is stalling here.
Ko lands a nice knee to the body.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Ko will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Howlett up against the cage.
Ko scores a nice knee to the body.
Ko with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Ko lands a nice knee to the body.
Ko with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Ko.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Ko lands a knee to the head.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howlett lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ko lands a knee to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stalling in the clinch from Ko.
Howlett misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
The referee calls for Ko to work.
Ko landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

Howlett pulls Ko into guard.
Ko seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Ko wants to pass the guard but Howlett is keeping the position.
Howlett might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Ko is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

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.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Let's hope that Ko has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Ok Ko hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
An inside leg kick lands from Ko.
Howlett tries for a takedown but Ko circles away easily

and Ko holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Ko takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ok Ko dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Howlett tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ko was well out of range. Poor timing from Howlett.
Howlett with a poor takedown

and Ko counters by clinching up.
Ko lands a nice knee to the body.
Ko lands a nice knee to the body.
Ko stalls.

Ko breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Ko scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

Ko closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Ko lands a knee to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Ko lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Howlett or not.
Ko is struggling to control the position.
Ko lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Howlett or not.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Howlett takes a knee to the side of the body.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Ko presses Howlett against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Ko putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Howlett in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Ko lands a knee to the head.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Ko obliges.
Ko'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.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Ko.
Ko landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Howlett looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Ok Ko seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Ko lands a nice uppercut.
Ko connects with a knee to the head.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ko.
Howlett takes a knee to the side of the body.
Ko lands a good knee to the midsection. Howlett won't want to take too many of those.
Ko landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Ko utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Ko.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Howlett swings wildly with an uppercut but Ko uses good head movement to avoid it.
Ko using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ko putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Howlett in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Ko connects with a knee to the head.
Ko lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Ko landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Howlett tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ko just stands there and leans against the cage.
Howlett takes a knee right on the jaw!
Ko putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Howlett in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Ko stalling in the clinch.
Ko misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Howlett.
Howlett tries a body shot but Ko blocks it.
Howlett pushes off an throws an elbow but Ko leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ko on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Howlett on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Ko is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Ko lands a knee to the body.
Ko scores a nice knee to the body.
Ko tries to land knees in the clinch but Howlett avoids the damage to the body.
Howlett changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Ko fights it off and pushes away nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Howlett. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head kick by Howlett misses

and Ko counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Ko.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ko.
Ko putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Howlett in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
A right handed body shot lands from Ko.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howlett lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ko has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Ko utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Ko taking a breather.
Howlett pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Howlett misses with an elbow over the top.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Knees to the body from Ko.
Ko connects with a knee to the head.
Ko holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Howlett is trying to maintain a safe position but Ko gets an underhook and turns Howlett into the cage.
Howlett creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Ko leaning his opponent against the cage.
Howlett tries to pull guard but Ko holds him up against the cage and eventually Howlett drops back down to his feet.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ko avoiding damage.
Howlett is looking to control Ko's arms but Ko gets an underhook and turns him. Now Howlett has his back to the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ok Ko showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Ko lands a nice looking body kick.
Howlett tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

Howlett tries to keep at a distance but Ko has taken the fight into the clinch.
Ko avoiding damage as Howlett throws knees to the body.
Ko with a knee to the head.
The referee is keeping an eye on Ko - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Howlett takes a knee to the side of the body.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howlett lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Ko.
Ko lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Howlett or not.
A bit of stalling here from Ko.
Ko landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Howlett wants to get back to striking at distance but Ko won't allow it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ko lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ko cracks Howlett with a nice body shot.
Howlett throws a head punch that misses.
Ko lands a knee to the body.
Ko pressing his opponent against the cage.
Howlett drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Ko gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Ko using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Howlett is trying to maintain a safe position but Ko gets an underhook and turns Howlett into the cage.
Ko landing knees to the body.
Howlett is trying to break the clinch but Ko is controlling him.
Ko landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Ko stalling the fight.
Ko continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ko landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Howlett misses with some punches.
Ko is pushing Howlett up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Ko landing knees to the body.
Howlett can't find room to land a body shot as Ko controls the action.
Howlett being controlled against the cage.
Ko misses with a body punch.
Ko connects with a nasty looking knee right to Howlett's face.
Howlett blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Howlett is looking to break free of the clinch but Ko has double underhooks.
Howlett goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Howlett managing to block the knees to the body from Ko.
Ko blocks the elbow strike.
Ko stalling in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Ko pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Ok Ko is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Howlett swinging wildly here.
Ko throws a leg kick which misses Howlett's front leg but catches the back leg as Howlett tries to avoid it.
Ko connects with an inside leg kick.
Howlett on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Ko. Ko obviously looking to wear him down.
Howlett tries for a takedown but Ko circles away easily

and Ko counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Ko.
Howlett misses with an elbow over the top.
Ko unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ko lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Ko crunches a lovely knee into Howlett's ribcage.
Ko prevents a takedown attempt there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Howlett. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ko crunches a lovely knee into Howlett's ribcage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ko lands a nice knee to the body.
Ko scores with a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Ko.
Ko landing knees to the head.
Howlett is trying to stall.
Ko stalling.
Ko avoiding damage as Howlett throws knees to the body.
James Howlett has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Stalling in the clinch from Ko.
Howlett misses with an elbow over the top.
Ok Ko is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ko scores a nice knee to the body.
Howlett drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Ko gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Ko putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Howlett in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ok Ko comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Ko 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 Gwen Towbar scores the fight 24:30
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 24:30
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 24:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ok Ko!