PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Xavier Bane (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sanouk Fairtex (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bane comes to the cage accompanied by Ego Draconis. Fairtex has chosen Illusion-DJ Tiesto as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Bane
vs
Fairtex

180 cm
22
150 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

170 cm
26
150 lbs
16 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Powerful

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Empire Threads - The Best $15 You've Ever Spent!

HGH Nutrients London Franchise

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Xavier Bane!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Sanouk Fairtex!
The judges for this bout are Jonathan Paton, Chad Campbell and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bane fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Fairtex looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
A big left from Bane misses.
Fairtex connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Bane scores with a jab to the body.

Bane tries to keep at a distance but Fairtex has taken the fight into the clinch.
Fairtex misses with a short punch on the inside.
Fairtex lands an elbow inside.
Bane blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Fairtex lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Bane backwards.
Fairtex blocking some punches.
Bane tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Fairtex misses with a hook to the ribs.
Fairtex stops a takedown attempt from Bane.
Fairtex blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Bane makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Bane tries to pull guard but Fairtex forces him back to his feet, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knees to the body from Fairtex.
Fairtex lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Bane scores with a hook to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Fairtex.
A short uppercut from Fairtex.
Fairtex misses with a body punch.
Bane lands a nice uppercut.
Bane working hard to break the clinch.
Fairtex blocks an uppercut.
Bane misses with a hook to the ribs.
Fairtex tries a body shot but Bane blocks it.
Fairtex tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Bane avoids it.
Bane blocks the elbow strike.
Fairtex lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Bane drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Fairtex gets the underhooks and prevents it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Xavier Bane. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex tries a knee to the head but Bane blocks it.
Bane avoiding damage as Fairtex throws knees to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bane misses with a hook to the ribs.
Fairtex is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Fairtex tries to work over Bane's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Fairtex has Bane pressed against the cage, preventing Bane from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Bane wants a takedown but no success here.
Fairtex tries a body shot but Bane blocks it.

Bane lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Fairtex is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Bane scores with a couple of nice shots.
Bane thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Fairtex's head.
Bane 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.
Bane not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Bane looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Bane thows a huge punch but Fairtex dodges it nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bane is pressing down on Fairtex's thigh, looking to free his foot. Fairtex is holding on for now.
Bane throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Fairtex trying to control here.
Fairtex wants to improve his position but Bane is controlling well.
Bane looks to land a strike but Fairtex avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Fairtex keeping moving, preventing Bane from controlling successfully.
Bane content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Fairtex is trying to control the position but Bane postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bane is looking to work some ground and pound but Fairtex has wrist control.
Fairtex trying to keep a closed guard but Bane is proving a slippery customer.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Fairtex holds on and takes a little breather.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex keeping full guard, as Bane tries to pass.
Bane wants to control from the top but Fairtex keeps moving.

Sanouk Fairtex has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
A leg kick checked by Bane.
Fairtex is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bane ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Fairtex moves away.
Bane shoots for a double leg takedown but Fairtex sprawls well. He's pushed Bane's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Bane throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Fairtex works Bane's body with a nice hook.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A telegraphed right hand from Bane misses the target.
Fairtex is looking to chop away at Bane's legs.
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 Xavier Bane will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Fairtex throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Bane lands a jab to Fairtex's midsection.
Bane scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Fairtex doesn't seem bothered though.
Fairtex misses with a low kick.
Fairtex throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Fairtex swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Fairtex lands a head kick!
Fairtex is looking to chop away at Bane's legs.
The fight stays on the outside here - Fairtex looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Fairtex lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Bane blocks a head kick by Fairtex.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fairtex misses with a low kick.
Fairtex has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Bane finds it's way round the side to connect with Fairtex's head.
Bane is looking to wear down Fairtex with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Fairtex moves away from the strike by Bane.
Fairtex scores with a leg kick.
Bane fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Fairtex misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Fairtex keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bane.
Sanouk Fairtex seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
An inside leg kick lands from Fairtex.
Fairtex throws a sloppy body shot
and Bane counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Fairtex connects with a leg kick. Bane looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Fairtex avoids the body shot from Bane.
Fairtex throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bane throws a right and a left that Fairtex avoids nicely.
Bane checks a leg kick.
Sanouk Fairtex seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Fairtex moves out of range as Bane strikes.
Fairtex tries to clinch up but Bane circles away and keeps his distance.
Fairtex dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Bane. That did some damage!
Fairtex throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bane cracks Fairtex with a good jab.
Bane throws out a powerful jab.
Fairtex fails with an attempt to clinch.

Bane gets a takedown into half guard.
Bane controlling the pace.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex is trying to stand.
Bane missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Bane seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Bane looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Bane seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Fairtex is refusing to be controlled, as Bane sits in half guard.
Bane trying to mount his opponent but Fairtex defends it.
Bane landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Fairtex is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Bane thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Fairtex's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bane prevents Fairtex from standing back up.
Bane throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Bane looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Fairtex with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bane throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Fairtex to regain full guard.
Bane looking to sit in guard and control but Fairtex gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Bane wants to sweep here but Fairtex controlling him for the moment.
Fairtex looking to pass the guard.
Fairtex trying to control but Bane is working from the bottom.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Bane is working an open guard so Fairtex takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Fairtex fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Bane on the side of the head.
Fairtex throws a leg kick that misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Xavier Bane will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Fairtex connects with a body shot.
Fairtex takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Bane throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bane shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Fairtex defends it nicely.
Bane tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Fairtex swivels and escapes.
Fairtex walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Bane checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Bane chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Fairtex can pounce on him.
Fairtex swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Some bone on bone action there as Bane checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.

Fairtex clinches up against the cage.
Bane misses with a body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bane misses with a short punch on the inside.
Fairtex gets underhooks to prevent Bane's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Xavier Bane. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head punch on the inside from Bane fails to land.
Fairtex fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Fairtex gets underhooks to prevent Bane's takedown attempt.
Fairtex scores with a knee to the head.

Fairtex breaks the clinch.
Fairtex takes a swing at Bane's ribcage but misses.
Fairtex misses with a head kick.
Good work by Bane as he checks the leg kick.
Bane blocks a head kick by Fairtex.
Bane sizes up Fairtex with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Fairtex slips under a jab from Bane.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Bane avoids the head kick by Fairtex.
Bane fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fairtex manages to avoid it.
Bane throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Fairtex takes a swing at Bane's ribcage but misses.

Bane scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Fairtex keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Bane throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Bane is thwarting Fairtex's attempts to control the position.
Bane not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Fairtex wants to get back to full guard.
Bane lands with a punch from half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Bane.
Fairtex regains full guard. Nicely done.
Bane postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bane pushing down on Fairtex's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Bane prevents Fairtex from improving his position.
Fairtex takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Bane throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Fairtex is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Bane scores with a couple of nice shots.
Fairtex moves into full guard.
Bane postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Xavier Bane overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bane accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Bane not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Bane throws an elbow that misses. Fairtex uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Bane's guard. Nice move by Fairtex!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex won't allow Bane to sweep him here.
Bane has Fairtex pulled in close to control his posture.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bane has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Bane keeping full guard, as Fairtex tries to pass.
Bane has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

We're going to have a standup here because Xavier Bane wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Bane throws the left hand but Fairtex avoids the punch easily.
Bane looks to score with a jab to the body but Fairtex is just out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Xavier Bane clearly takes that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Bane swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Fairtex closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Bane throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bane misses the shot to the body.
Fairtex uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bane.
Bane loads up on a big right hand but Fairtex slips the punch.
Bane tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Fairtex was well out of range. Poor timing from Bane.
Bane misses with a hook.
Fairtex gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Bane lands with a right hand.
Fairtex pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fairtex misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Bane.
That kick from Fairtex tenderised Bane's leg. Bane is trying to keep his angry face on.
Sanouk Fairtex is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bane shoots in for a takedown but Fairtex shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Bane fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Fairtex throws a low kick, looking for Bane's leg but Bane calmly moves out of range.
Danga de danga de dang - Bane scores with a four punch combination!
Jab from Bane.
Bane throws a nice looking combination but Fairtex bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Bane crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Fairtex - the referee stops the clock and Bane gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Fairtex. Bane manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Fairtex thumps Bane with a low kick.
Fairtex throws a leg kick but Bane checks it.
Fairtex connects with a leg kick. Bane looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bane drives through with a takedown into Fairtex's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Fairtex trying to control the position.
Bane throws an elbow that misses. Fairtex uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Bane's guard. Nice move by Fairtex!
Bane is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Fairtex won't allow Bane to sweep him here.
Fairtex tries to free his leg and advance position but Bane is retaining full guard.
Fairtex wants to control from the top but Bane keeps moving.
Fairtex must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Bane bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Fairtex's guard.
Fairtex trying to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bane wants to control from the top but Fairtex keeps moving.
Bane throws a big elbow that misses.
Bane controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Fairtex keeping moving, preventing Bane from controlling successfully.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Nice sprawl there from Fairtex as Bane shoots in.
Bane is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Fairtex pivots, looking for a leg kick but Bane is out of range and Fairtex settles back down.
Fairtex ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Bane moves out of range as Fairtex throws a body kick.
Bane slips under a jab from Fairtex.
A low kick from Fairtex misses
enabling Bane to counter with a crisp jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex ducks right into an uppercut from Bane.
Bane is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Fairtex throws a head kick that misses.
Fairtex fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Bane.
Bane tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Fairtex was well out of range. Poor timing from Bane.
Bane fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fairtex manages to avoid it.
Fairtex ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

Bane throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Fairtex was covering up waiting for the punch and Bane finishes the takedown easily into guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bane trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bane wants to control from the top but Fairtex keeps moving.
Bane trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Xavier Bane had his way with Sanouk Fairtex in that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Bane throws a right and a left that Fairtex avoids nicely.
An inside leg kick lands from Fairtex.
Fairtex thows a left - swing and a miss!
Fairtex is looking to chop away at Bane's legs.
Bane checks a low kick from Fairtex.
Bane misses with a straight right.
Fairtex walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Bane checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Bane throws out a loose jab but Fairtex uses good head movement to avoid it.
Fairtex looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Fairtex does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Bane keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bane lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fairtex displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Bane throws out the jab.
Fairtex slips a jab from Bane.
Fairtex chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Fairtex throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Bane feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Bane showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Bane wants to control from the top but Fairtex keeps moving.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Fairtex is trying to control the position but Bane postures up.
Sanouk Fairtex has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex keeping moving, preventing Bane from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Xavier Bane just wasn't active enough.
Bane loads up on a big right hand but Fairtex slips the punch.
Fairtex throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Fairtex wants to land a leg kick but Bane is out of range.
Fairtex connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Fairtex throws a low kick but it's checked well by Bane.

Bane bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Fairtex can't do much from the bottom here.
Bane throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Bane controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bane landing strikes.
Bane postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Bane misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Bane staying calm.
Fairtex gets back to half guard.
Bane missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Fairtex pushes Bane off looking to stand but Bane dives back in and keeps control.
Fairtex missing with punches from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fairtex on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Bane scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Fairtex is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Fairtex is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Bane throwing shots but Fairtex is blocking nicely.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Bane connects with a nice short shot to Fairtex's temple.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Well, if Bane is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Ground and pound from Bane.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bane lands with a punch from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Fairtex is looking to improve his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Xavier Bane showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Bane, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Jonathan Paton scores the fight 50:45
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 50:45
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Xavier Bane!
Xavier Bane is the new featherweight champion!
Xavier Bane made sure to mention his sponsor, Empire Threads - The Best $15 You've Ever Spent! in his post fight interview.