PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ben Dover (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Fajtah Thaijtah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dover's entrance music is I'm Shipping up to Boston. A fine choice. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Dover
vs
Thaijtah

175 cm
24
155 lbs
10 - 9 - 1

180 cm
26
165 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, Ben Dover!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Fajtah Thaijtah!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thaijtah throws a head kick that Dover semi-blocks.

It looks like Ben Dover has been cut.

Dover clinches with his opponent.
Dover misses with some punches.
Thaijtah working Dover over with knees to the body.
Dover tries to land knees in the clinch but Thaijtah avoids the damage to the body.
Dover tries to pull guard but Thaijtah holds him up against the cage and eventually Dover drops back down to his feet.
Thaijtah connects with a nasty looking knee right to Dover's face.
Thaijtah stalling in the clinch.
Thaijtah is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Thaijtah throws a knee to the head but misses.

Thaijtah pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Fajtah Thaijtah seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thaijtah tries a low kick but Dover avoids it.

Dover moves into range and clinches up with Thaijtah.
Dover tries to break free but Thaijtah pushes him back against the cage.
Dover drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Thaijtah gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Dover takes an elbow to the temple.
Thaijtah landing knees to the head.
Thaijtah with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Thaijtah working Dover over with knees to the body.
Dover takes a knee right on the jaw!
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!
Thaijtah unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Thaijtah prevents Dover from breaking the clinch.
Thaijtah tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Thaijtah throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Dover blocks it with crossed arms.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thaijtah has Dover pushed against the cage.
Thaijtah trying to stall but Dover improves his position.
Dover lands a body shot in the clinch.
Thaijtah looks gassed!
Still in the clinch, Dover scores with a nice short uppercut.
Dover is trying to break the clinch but Thaijtah has him pressed against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Thaijtah.
Dover has a couple of punches blocked by Thaijtah.

Thaijtah manages to break the clinch.
Thaijtah tries a head kick but it misses.
Thaijtah pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Dover clinches with his opponent.
Dover lands a body punch.
Dover lands a left hand.
Thaijtah creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Thaijtah lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Dover takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.

Thaijtah manages to break the clinch.
Thaijtah throws a leg kick that misses.
A head kick misses from Thaijtah.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dover has a takedown stuffed.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Dover. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Dover clinches up against the cage.
Dover looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Thaijtah.
Dover wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Thaijtah has him pressed against the cage.
Dover lands a body shot.
Thaijtah landing knees to the body.
Thaijtah stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Thaijtah breaks the clinch.
Thaijtah misses with a head kick.

Dover moves into the clinch successfully.
Dover missing with knees to the body.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Dover cracks Thaijtah with a nice body shot.
Thaijtah tries a knee to the head but Dover blocks it.
Dover misses with some punches.
Thaijtah wants to break free but Dover has control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thaijtah unloads a knee to the mid-section.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Dover.
Thaijtah is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Dover gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Dover lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Dover is trying to push Thaijtah away but Thaijtah has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Dover tries to stall but Thaijtah uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Dover lands a right hand.
Dover lands a left hand that snaps the head of Thaijtah backwards.
Dover working hard to break the clinch.
Dover stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Thaijtah with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Thaijtah tries to break the clinch but Dover is controlling the position.
Thaijtah using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Thaijtah looking to stall.
Good body shot from Dover.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Dover.
Dover pushes Thaijtah back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Thaijtah tries to break free but Dover pushes him back against the cage.
Dover is trying to drag Thaijtah to the mat but Thaijtah just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Thaijtah misses with an elbow over the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dover is looking to break free of the clinch but Thaijtah has double underhooks.

Thaijtah breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Dover looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Thaijtah misses with a low kick as Dover jumps back.
Thaijtah looking to land some kicks to the body here.

Dover instigates a clinch.
Dover stalling against the cage.
Dover lands a body punch.
Thaijtah with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Dover jumps guard but Thaijtah stands there with Dover around his waist. Dover gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Thaijtah lands a good knee to the midsection. Dover won't want to take too many of those.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Dover effectively controlling the action here.
Dover takes an elbow to the temple.
Dover is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Dover lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Thaijtah backwards.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fajtah Thaijtah dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ben Dover'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.

Thaijtah scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Dover dives in and grabs Thaijtah's left leg, looking for a takedown. Thaijtah pushes down on Dover's head and hops out.
Thaijtah tries a head kick but it misses.
A clash of legs there as Dover blocks the low kick.
Ben Dover is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thaijtah connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Thaijtah scores with a push kick.
Thaijtah is looking to land body kicks.
Thaijtah throws a wild body kick that Dover sees coming a mile off.
Thaijtah throws a head kick that misses.
Thaijtah tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Dover is able to avoid easily.
Thaijtah throws a sloppy head kick and Dover moves out of range easily.
Dover will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Thaijtah tries a low kick but Dover avoids it.
Thaijtah is breathing heavily.
Some bone on bone action there as Dover checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thaijtah pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Fajtah Thaijtah is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Dover avoids the head kick by Thaijtah.
Dover moves out of range as Thaijtah throws a body kick.
Dover lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.

Dover moves into range and clinches up with Thaijtah.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Dover lands with a right to the head.
Dover misses with a knee to the head.
Thaijtah tries to land knees in the clinch but Dover avoids the damage to the body.
A short left from Dover.
Thaijtah working hard to break the clinch.
Thaijtah looking to slow down the pace here.

Dover's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Dover has taken the fight to the clinch.
Dover blocks the elbow strike.
Thaijtah has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

Dover drags the fight down to the ground.

Dover has his feet on Thaijtah's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dover scores with a hook to the body. Thaijtah takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Dover shoots for a takedown but Thaijtah saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Dover moves out of range of the leg kick from Thaijtah.

Dover gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Fajtah Thaijtah seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Thaijtah throws an elbow that misses.
A frustrated look appears on Thaijtah's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Thaijtah creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Dover's defenses.
Thaijtah wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Dover has him pressed against the cage.
Dover tries to break the clinch but Thaijtah is controlling the position.
Thaijtah landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Dover misses with a punch on the inside.
Dover misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Thaijtah.
Dover dodges an elbow strike from Thaijtah.
A knee to the head by Thaijtah.
A body shot lands from Dover.
Dover changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Thaijtah fights it off and pushes away nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Dover. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thaijtah fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Dover manages to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thaijtah takes a swing at Dover's ribcage but misses.

Thaijtah tries to keep at a distance but Dover has taken the fight into the clinch.
Dover lands a shot to the body.
Dover tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Thaijtah just stands there and leans against the cage.
Dover lands a hook to the side of the head.
Thaijtah tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

Thaijtah's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Dover fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

Dover clinches with his opponent.
Dover lands a right hand that snaps the head of Thaijtah backwards.
Dover is working Thaijtah over against the cage.
Dover can't get the takedown.
Dover throws a head punch that misses.

Thaijtah breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Dover avoids the head kick by Thaijtah.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dover blocks a low kick nicely.
Dover cracks Thaijtah with a right hand to the side of the head.

Dover takes the fight into the clinch.
Thaijtah with an attempt at a knee that misses.

Thaijtah breaks from the clinch.

Dover gets in close and instigates a clinch.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Dover creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Dover is looking to control Thaijtah's arms but Thaijtah gets an underhook and turns him. Now Dover has his back to the cage.
Thaijtah misses with an elbow over the top.
Thaijtah throws an elbow but it's blocked.

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

Dover moves into the clinch successfully.
A nice left hand lands by Dover.
Dover tries to stall but Thaijtah uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
A nice left hand lands by Dover.
Thaijtah lands an elbow inside that Dover shrugs off.

Thaijtah escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Thaijtah gets tackled into the cage by Dover. Dover maintains the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Dover dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ben Dover'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. This is the final round!

Thaijtah throws a low kick, looking for Dover's leg but Dover calmly moves out of range.
Dover is trying hard to land a takedown here. Thaijtah sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Thaijtah misses with a head kick.
Thaijtah throws a leg kick but Dover moved away.

Dover clinches.
Dover scores with a hook to the body.
Dover is looking to break free of the clinch but Thaijtah has double underhooks.
Dover throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.

Dover breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Dover instigates a clinch.
Thaijtah is looking to break free of the clinch but Dover has double underhooks.
Dover slows down the pace here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Dover.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Thaijtah tries to land a knee to the head but Dover blocks with his arms.
Dover jumps guard but Thaijtah stands there with Dover around his waist. Dover gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Thaijtah's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dover tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Dover. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thaijtah using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Dover has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Thaijtah blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Dover is leaning against Thaijtah and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Dover.
Thaijtah missing with knees to the body.
Dover taking a breather.
Thaijtah is pressed up against the cage. Dover has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Thaijtah down to the mat. Thaijtah avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

Dover darts in and clinches Thaijtah up against the cage.
Thaijtah lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Thaijtah looking to stall.
Thaijtah tries to land knees in the clinch but Dover avoids the damage to the body.
Dover lands a hook to the side of the head.
A left hand lands to the body for Dover.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Thaijtah landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Dover pushes Thaijtah back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Dover on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Dover scores with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dover leaning his opponent against the cage.
Thaijtah stops a takedown attempt from Dover.
Dover works on Thaijtah's body with a couple of short punches.
Dover holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Dover has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Thaijtah uses from the top position.
Thaijtah is looking to stand up but Dover won't let him.

Dover pushes Thaijtah off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.

Dover gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Dover taking a breather.

Thaijtah breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
A head kick misses from Thaijtah.
Dover looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Dover lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Thaijtah circles away quickly and effectively.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thaijtah looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Thaijtah pivots, looking for a leg kick but Dover is out of range and Thaijtah settles back down.
Dover avoids a kick to the body.
Thaijtah is looking to chop away at Dover's legs.

Dover has Thaijtah up against the cage in a clinch.
Thaijtah is pushing Dover up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Dover softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Thaijtah trying to stall but Dover improves his position.
Dover looking to stall.
Dover keeps control of Thaijtah as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Dover scores with a nice hook to the head.
Dover blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Dover lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

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.
Dover lands a left hand.
Thaijtah throws an elbow that misses.
Thaijtah lands an elbow inside.
Thaijtah missing with knees to the body.
Dover lands with a right to the head.
Dover lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Dover presses Thaijtah against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Dover lands with a right to the head.
Dover lands an uppercut.
Dover lands a body punch in the clinch.
Dover is trying to break the clinch but Thaijtah is controlling him.
Dover scores with a shoulder strike.
Dover lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Thaijtah or not.
A nice left hand lands by Dover.
Dover lands with a short shot to the head.
Dover lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Thaijtah.
Thaijtah looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Dover throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Dover lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Dover makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Dover lands a hook that snaps the head of Thaijtah backwards.
Thaijtah tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dover avoids it.
Still in the clinch, Dover scores with a nice short uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ben Dover showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Dover 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Andi Peters scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ben Dover!