PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Benny Faroni (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Eck Vongkhamchanh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Faroni
vs
Vongkhamchanh

180 cm
29
181 lbs
9 - 9 - 0

175 cm
27
190 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Benny Faroni!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Eck Vongkhamchanh!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Hogan, Hugh Johnson and Summer Carpenter.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vongkhamchanh tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Faroni swivels and escapes.
A telegraphed right hand from Faroni misses the target.
Vongkhamchanh lands a nice leg kick that just misses Faroni's sensitive parts.
Faroni looks to score with a jab to the body but Vongkhamchanh is just out of range.
Vongkhamchanh scores with a head kick.
Vongkhamchanh connects with a body shot that sends Faroni's belly button to the back.
Faroni fails with a takedown attempt.
Faroni shoots in for a takedown but Vongkhamchanh shows good takedown defense.
Faroni throws a series of punches but Vongkhamchanh moves out of range.
A head kick from Vongkhamchanh lands but Faroni takes it in his stride.
Faroni misses the jab.
Faroni just misses with a punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Faroni cracks a nice hook into Vongkhamchanh's ribs.
Faroni misses with the combination.
Faroni throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Vongkhamchanh.
Vongkhamchanh tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Faroni falls off balance throwing a combination
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a leg kick.
Faroni connects with a single shot there.
Vongkhamchanh bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Faroni swinging wildly here.
Some wild striking there from Faroni.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Faroni swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a leg kick.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Vongkhamchanh.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Vongkhamchanh is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Faroni has escaped the position, nice work there.

Vongkhamchanh is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Faroni knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Vongkhamchanh misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Vongkhamchanh is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Faroni has escaped the position, nice work there.
Faroni is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Faroni is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Vongkhamchanh's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Faroni manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Benny Faroni seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Faroni is trying hard to land a takedown here. Vongkhamchanh sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Benny Faroni. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Faroni throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Vongkhamchanh tries to bum rush Faroni with a series of wild strikes but Faroni uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Faroni swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Faroni fails with a takedown attempt.
Faroni swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Faroni takes a swing at Vongkhamchanh's ribcage but misses.
A decent looking cross lands there for Vongkhamchanh.
Vongkhamchanh walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vongkhamchanh is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Faroni.
Faroni throws a series of punches but Vongkhamchanh avoids them all with ease.
Vongkhamchanh misses with a double jab.
Nice takedown defense from Vongkhamchanh. No joy for Faroni on that attempt.
Faroni throws a series of punches but Vongkhamchanh moves out of range.
Faroni looks to land a right hand but Vongkhamchanh moved out of range.
Faroni thows a body shot but no joy.
Donk. Faroni catches Vongkhamchanh right on the button with a cross.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Faroni throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Vongkhamchanh.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Vongkhamchanh slips a jab and a cross from Faroni.
Faroni misses with the combination.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benny Faroni dominated that round.
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.

Vongkhamchanh slips a jab and a cross from Faroni.
Benny Faroni is winning the standup battle so far.
Nice defenses there by Vongkhamchanh.
Sloppy strikes from Faroni. Those never looked like landing.
Faroni shoots in and drives through. Vongkhamchanh sprawls well.
Faroni throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Faroni listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Vongkhamchanh misses with a head kick.
Faroni misses with a straight right.
Faroni throws a series of punches but Vongkhamchanh avoids them all with ease.
Vongkhamchanh rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Faroni moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Faroni ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Vongkhamchanh moves away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick from Vongkhamchanh lands but Faroni takes it in his stride.
Vongkhamchanh tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Vongkhamchanh misses with a series of wild punches.
Vongkhamchanh throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Faroni shoots for a double leg takedown but Vongkhamchanh sprawls well. He's pushed Faroni's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Faroni feints a jab promting Vongkhamchanh to slip. Faroni then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Vongkhamchanh slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.

It looks like Eck Vongkhamchanh has been cut.
Vongkhamchanh tries a head kick but it misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Faroni misses the target.
Vongkhamchanh avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vongkhamchanh goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Faroni 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.
Faroni rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Faroni scores with a jab to the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vongkhamchanh throws a sloppy head kick and Faroni moves out of range easily.
Faroni misses with a double jab.
Faroni lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Faroni misses with a combination

and Vongkhamchanh counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Vongkhamchanh.

Faroni is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Faroni had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Vongkhamchanh defends it easily.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Vongkhamchanh drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Vongkhamchanh jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Faroni looking for a sweep. Not yet Faroni, not yet.
Faroni has momentary wrist control but Vongkhamchanh slips an elbow through the middle.
Faroni is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Faroni is working an open guard so Vongkhamchanh takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Faroni throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Vongkhamchanh counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Faroni is trying to get back to full guard.

Faroni looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Vongkhamchanh is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vongkhamchanh wants to stand up but Faroni is controlling the position.
Faroni wants to improve his position but Vongkhamchanh is controlling well.

Vongkhamchanh wants to work for an arm triangle but Faroni is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Faroni is trying to get back to full guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Faroni regains full guard. Nicely done.

Vongkhamchanh stands up from guard. Let's bang!

Faroni closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Vongkhamchanh looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Faroni is working for a submission of some sort.
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 Benny Faroni will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Eck Vongkhamchanh's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Faroni misses with a few strikes there.
A swing and a miss from Faroni.
Faroni bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Faroni misses the shot to the body.
Faroni throws a body punch but Vongkhamchanh moves out of range.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Faroni!
Faroni throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a low kick, right behind Faroni 's knee.
Faroni will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vongkhamchanh connects with a high kick.
Vongkhamchanh showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Faroni.
Faroni misses with a combination
and Vongkhamchanh finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Faroni misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a nice low kick that buckles Faroni's knee momentarily.
Vongkhamchanh stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Vongkhamchanh wants it to stay on the feet.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Vongkhamchanh. Faroni shrugs it off though.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Faroni is defended easily by Vongkhamchanh.
Vongkhamchanh thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Faroni if he has to take too many more of those.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Faroni misses with a body punch
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a leg kick.
Faroni misses with the combination.
Faroni 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.
Faroni throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a low kick, right behind Faroni 's knee.
Faroni sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Faroni fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A nice combination there by Vongkhamchanh.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Faroni swings for the body but Vongkhamchanh moves out of range.
Faroni misses the shot to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Faroni looks to score with a jab to the body but Vongkhamchanh is just out of range.
Vongkhamchanh chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Faroni gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Vongkhamchanh counters with a two punch combo.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Benny Faroni. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Faroni misses the jab.
Vongkhamchanh pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Faroni connects with the punch.
Vongkhamchanh ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Faroni displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Vongkhamchanh.
Vongkhamchanh fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Eck Vongkhamchanh has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Faroni displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Faroni shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Vongkhamchanh eats them both and turns towards Faroni to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Faroni misses with the combination.
Faroni fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Faroni is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Vongkhamchanh uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Faroni.
Crunch! Vongkhamchanh slams his shin into Faroni's torso.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

A head kick lands from Vongkhamchanh that sends Faroni to the canvas. Faroni tries to scramble back to his feet but Vongkhamchanh brings him back down into side control.

It looks like Benny Faroni has been cut.
Faroni is trying to improve his position.
Benny Faroni is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
An elbow from Vongkhamchanh crashes against the mat.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eck Vongkhamchanh comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Faroni 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 Bruno Hogan scores the fight 29:28
Judge Hugh Johnson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Summer Carpenter scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Benny Faroni!
A relieved looking Benny Faroni thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.