PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Thomas Benjamin Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bryan Leigh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Benjamin Jr's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Sans Pression - Numéro 1. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Benjamin Jr
vs
Leigh

180 cm
23
185 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

180 cm
24
178 lbs
18 - 2 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Thomas Benjamin Jr!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Bryan Leigh!
The judges for this bout are Donatello Bradman, Steve Erwin and John Mangel.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Leigh throws a body kick, spinning off balance

and Benjamin Jr counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Benjamin Jr.
Leigh working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Benjamin Jr.
Benjamin Jr is fighting to break Leigh's control of his arms but Leigh is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Benjamin Jr 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.
Benjamin Jr postures up in Leigh's guard and throws a big left but Leigh blocks it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Leigh has control of Benjamin Jr's left arm, preventing Benjamin Jr from doing any damage.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Bryan Leigh wasn't active enough on the ground.
Leigh buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Benjamin Jr fails with a takedown attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leigh thows a leg kick but Benjamin Jr checks it
and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice body kick.
Leigh throws a leg kick that is checked
and Benjamin Jr counters with a solid body kick.
Bryan Leigh is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Leigh misses with a body kick.
Leigh throws a lazy body kick
and Benjamin Jr connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Benjamin Jr misses with a wild body shot.
Leigh misses with a hook

and Benjamin Jr decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Leigh's guard.
Benjamin Jr wants to control from the top but Leigh keeps moving.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Leigh is on top in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leigh trying to control the position from guard on top but Benjamin Jr is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Leigh must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Leigh postures up.

We're going to have a standup here because Thomas Benjamin Jr wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Leigh throws a lazy uppercut
and Benjamin Jr counters with a right hand to the body.
Leigh looks to throw a body kick

and Benjamin Jr decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Leigh's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leigh trying to control the position.
Leigh utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Benjamin Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Leigh is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Leigh wants to improve his position but instead Benjamin Jr has moved into half guard.
Leigh is doing well to control the position and prevent Benjamin Jr from advancing to side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Leigh avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Benjamin Jr.
Leigh is looking to control Benjamin Jr's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Leigh avoid being mounted?

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Bryan Leigh.
Benjamin Jr throws a shot to the body.
Leigh gets off balance looking for a body kick

and Benjamin Jr counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Benjamin Jr.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Benjamin Jr 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.

Benjamin Jr takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Benjamin Jr swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Leigh throws the kick towards the body but Benjamin Jr avoids it.
Leigh lands with a thumping leg kick.
Benjamin Jr shoots in for a takedown but Leigh shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Leigh looks for the body kick but Benjamin Jr saw that one coming.
Benjamin Jr on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Leigh. Leigh obviously looking to wear him down.
Leigh throws a leg kick

and Benjamin Jr counters with a shoot takedown. Leigh fights it but they end up in guard.
Leigh is controlling Benjamin Jr's posture.
Leigh wants to stand but Benjamin Jr is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leigh wants to sweep here but Benjamin Jr controlling him for the moment.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Benjamin Jr trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Bryan Leigh.
Benjamin Jr misses the body punch
and Leigh counters with a low kick, right behind Benjamin Jr 's knee.
Leigh looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Benjamin Jr is looking to wear down Leigh with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Benjamin Jr fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Leigh manages to avoid it.
Leigh displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Benjamin Jr.
Leigh lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.

It looks like Thomas Benjamin Jr has been cut.
Leigh lands a nice leg kick that just misses Benjamin Jr's sensitive parts.
Leigh displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Benjamin Jr throws out the jab.
Benjamin Jr tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Leigh is able to avoid easily.
A low kick from Leigh misses
and Benjamin Jr counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Leigh throws a front kick aimed at Benjamin Jr's knee but Benjamin Jr avoids it well.
Leigh gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Benjamin Jr counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leigh swings for the body but Benjamin Jr moves out of range.
Leigh ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nice uppercut lands for Leigh. That snapped Benjamin Jr's head back.
Benjamin Jr blocks the body kick.
Leigh tries to land a body kick

and Benjamin Jr counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Benjamin Jr.
Benjamin Jr tries to free his leg and advance position but Leigh is retaining full guard.
Leigh wants to get back to his feet but Benjamin Jr is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Benjamin Jr is looking to work some ground and pound but Leigh has wrist control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leigh keeping moving, preventing Benjamin Jr from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Benjamin Jr wants to pass the guard but Leigh is keeping the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Thomas Benjamin Jr just wasn't active enough.
Leigh looks for the body kick but Benjamin Jr saw that one coming.
Bryan Leigh seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Benjamin Jr misses with a lunging right hand
and Leigh counters with a lovely shot to the body.
A low kick from Leigh misses
and Benjamin Jr counters with an outside leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bryan Leigh showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Thomas Benjamin Jr'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.

Leigh punishes Benjamin Jr's body with a nice straight punch.
Leigh throws a sloppy head kick

and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice double leg into side control. Leigh won't be happy with that.
Leigh tries to improve position but can't.
Benjamin Jr tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Leigh can't do much from the bottom here.
Leigh is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leigh is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Benjamin Jr tries to advance to mount but Leigh denies him.

That's two 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.
Leigh sneaks back into half guard.
Leigh keeping control of the position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Bryan Leigh hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Leigh tries to land a body kick

and Benjamin Jr decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Leigh's guard.
Leigh wants to stand up but Benjamin Jr is controlling him.
Leigh working a defensive guard here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benjamin Jr stopping the sweep attempt from Leigh.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Bryan Leigh hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.

Leigh gets caught napping as Benjamin Jr dives in and scores a takedown. Leigh manages to retain guard.
Leigh is trying to keep Benjamin Jr in close.
Benjamin Jr wants to control from the top but Leigh keeps moving.
Leigh controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Benjamin Jr clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Thomas Benjamin Jr's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Leigh throws a leg kick
and Benjamin Jr counters with a right hand to the body.
Leigh throws a body kick despite being completely out of range

and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice double leg into side control. Leigh won't be happy with that.
Benjamin Jr wants to lay and pray for a moment but Leigh keeps working.

Leigh throws his opponent off and manages to get back to his feet! Nicely done!
Leigh throws a leg kick that is checked
and Benjamin Jr counters with a straight right hand.
Leigh throws a head kick that misses
and Benjamin Jr counters with a good, hard body kick but Leigh shrugs it off.
Leigh throws a lazy body kick

and Benjamin Jr counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Leigh moves into full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benjamin Jr wants to control from the top but Leigh keeps moving.
Leigh not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Leigh is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Benjamin Jr works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Leigh tries to stand but Benjamin Jr is controlling from the bottom.
Leigh looking to pass the guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Bryan Leigh was stalling too much, according to the referee.
A low kick from Leigh is predictable there

and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice double leg into side control. Leigh won't be happy with that.
Leigh is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Benjamin Jr is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Leigh wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Benjamin Jr.
Leigh is looking to improve his position but Benjamin Jr isn't that keen on the idea.
Benjamin Jr looking to control but Leigh is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benjamin Jr is really struggling to control Leigh but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Leigh is bucking up trying to escape but Benjamin Jr cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Leigh doing his best to control the position. Can he escape?
Leigh manages to regain half guard. Good work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Benjamin Jr had his way with Bryan Leigh in that round.
The cut man is working on Thomas Benjamin Jr'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!

A head kick by Leigh misses

and Benjamin Jr counters with a takedown into side control.
Benjamin Jr is looking to take a break and control but Leigh is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Benjamin Jr misses with the ground and pound.
Benjamin Jr is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Leigh is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Benjamin Jr is controlling him well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leigh sneaks back into half guard.
Benjamin Jr throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Benjamin Jr is trying to control the action in half guard but Leigh is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's two 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.
Leigh keeping hold of Benjamin Jr's head, controlling as best he can.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Thomas Benjamin Jr wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Leigh tries to land a body kick
and Benjamin Jr counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Leigh misses with a leg kick
and Benjamin Jr connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A head kick by Leigh misses
and Benjamin Jr counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Leigh tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Leigh swings widly with a right hand
and Benjamin Jr counters with a left to the body.
Leigh buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Leigh misses with a body shot
and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benjamin Jr takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Leigh throws a body kick the misses
and Benjamin Jr counters with a stiff right hand.
Leigh throws a lazy head kick
and Benjamin Jr counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Bryan Leigh seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Leigh throws a body kick despite being completely out of range

and Benjamin Jr counters with a nice double leg into side control. Leigh won't be happy with that.
Benjamin Jr has control of an arm but Leigh manages to advance to Benjamin Jr's back!
Thomas Benjamin Jr is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Benjamin Jr is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
Benjamin Jr wants to control his opponent's hands but Leigh gets his hands free.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Leigh's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.
Leigh keeps control of the position easily here as Benjamin Jr tries to buck him off.
Bryan Leigh has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Benjamin Jr trying to control but he's just got himself in more trouble.

And that's the end of the fight!
Thomas Benjamin Jr showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Benjamin Jr 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 Donatello Bradman scores the fight 49:46
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 49:46
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 49:46

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thomas Benjamin Jr!
Thomas Benjamin Jr retains his welterweight title!