PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Lionel Messi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Yap (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Yap has chosen go the distance as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Messi
vs
Yap

170 cm
19
133 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

170 cm
23
133 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Lionel Messi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, James Yap!
The judges for this bout are Yves DeLean, Ian Loll and Robert Douchet.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yap misses with a few strikes there.
Messi chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Yap can pounce on him.
Yap circles away from the clinch attempt
and Yap counters with a slapping leg kick.
Messi jabs at Yap's body.
Messi takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch but Yap swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Yap misses with a double jab.
Messi is looking to clinch.
Yap throws a head kick but Messi moves out of range.
Messi tries to clinch up but Yap circles away and keeps his distance.
Yap lands a head kick. Messi smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Yap throws a nice outside leg kick.
Yap misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Yap looks gassed!

Messi closes the distance and clinches.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Yap wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Yap breaks from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Messi misses with a head kick.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yap swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Messi doesn't manage to clinch there - Yap circles away.
Messi throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Yap pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Yap swats away the attempt to clinch by Messi.
Messi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Yap waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Messi.
Yap lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Messi circles away quickly and effectively.
Yap tries to bum rush Messi with a series of wild strikes but Messi uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Messi moves into the clinch.
Yap is looking to break free of the clinch but Messi has double underhooks.
Messi keeps control of Yap as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yap working hard to break the clinch.
Yap tries to break free but Messi pushes him back against the cage.
Messi is trying to break the clinch but Yap is controlling him.
Yap wants to break the clinch but can't.
Messi stalling.
Messi is trying to break free.
Messi controlling the action here for a moment.
Messi looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Yap is trying to break free.
Yap is trying to force a seperation but Messi has the dominant position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Yap pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Messi tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yap throws a nice head kick!
Messi wants to clinch up but Yap keeps it at a distance.
Messi misses with a two punch combination.
James Yap seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yap throws a series of punches but Messi avoids them all with ease.
Yap takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Messi tries to clinch but Yap is having none of it.

Messi moves into the clinch.
Messi pressing his opponent against the cage.
Messi wants to break free but Yap has control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yap wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Messi breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Yap throws a nice looking combination but Messi bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Some wild striking there from Messi.
Messi looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Yap circles away from the clinch attempt.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Yap's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
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.
Messi wants to clinch.
Yap avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
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 Lionel Messi will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Yap avoids the head kick by Messi.
Messi tries to clinch but Yap moves out of range.
Messi slips a jab and a cross from Yap.
Yap fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Yap dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Messi showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Yap.
Messi slips a jab and a cross from Yap.
Yap tries to land a front kick but Messi steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Yap swats away the attempt to clinch by Messi.
Messi is looking to clinch but Yap is avoiding it.
Messi tries to clinch but Yap is having none of it.
Yap is breathing heavily.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yap swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Yap misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Messi fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yap throws a nice looking combination but Messi bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Messi looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yap swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Yap paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Yap paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Messi throws a leg kick which misses Yap's front leg but catches the back leg as Yap tries to avoid it.

Messi has Yap up against the cage in a clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Yap's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Yap has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Messi stalling in the clinch but Yap improves position.
Yap has had enough of the clinch but Messi keeps him there for the moment.
Yap is looking to break free of the clinch but Messi has double underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A frustrated look appears on Yap's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Messi wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Yap has him pressed against the cage.
Messi wants to break the clinch but can't.
Yap is trying to break the clinch but Messi is controlling him.
Yap is trying to push Messi away but Messi has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Yap is trying to break free.
Yap wants to break free but Messi has control.
Yap tries to break free but Messi pushes him back against the cage.
Messi slows down the pace here.
Messi wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Messi stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Messi is trying to break the clinch but Yap is controlling him.
Yap wants to get back to striking at distance but Messi won't allow it.
Yap wants to get back to striking at distance but Messi won't allow it.
Yap is trying to break the clinch but Messi is controlling him.

Yap breaks the clinch.
Messi tries to clinch there but Yap circles away.
Messi tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yap keeps the fight on the outside.
Yap avoids the body shot from Messi.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Messi dodges the punch combination from Yap.
Yap fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Messi is out of range.
Messi throws a sloppy head kick
and Yap counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Messi doesn't manage to clinch there - Yap circles away.
Messi fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Yap checks it well.
Messi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Yap manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Messi tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yap takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Yap checks a low kick from Messi.
Messi thows a left - swing and a miss!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Messi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Yap keeps the fight on the outside.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Yap paws at him with a jab and circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lionel Messi dominated that second 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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Messi tries to clinch but Yap moves out of range.
Messi throws a right and a left that Yap avoids nicely.
Yap throws a series of punches but Messi avoids them all with ease.
Yap is looking to slow Messi down with leg kicks.
A thudding body kick lands there by Yap!
Messi tries to clinch but Yap is having none of it.
Messi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Yap throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Yap looks for the body kick but Messi saw that one coming.
Yap swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Yap swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Yap takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Messi swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yap swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Messi rushes Yap and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Messi is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Yap is keeping busy.
Yap is trying to break the clinch but Messi has him pressed against the cage.

Yap escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yap swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Messi wants to clinch.
Messi throws a big shot that misses.
Messi keeps Yap at a distance using the push kick.
Messi tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yap throws a head kick that misses.
Messi doesn't manage to clinch there - Yap circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Messi fails in his attempt to clinch.
Messi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Yap manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Messi moves in looking to clinch but Yap pushes him off.
Yap throws an overhand right that lands on Messi's shoulder, as Messi tries to avoid the shot.
Messi throws a nice outside leg kick.
Lionel Messi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Messi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Yap paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Yap slips a jab and a cross from Messi.
Messi doesn't manage to clinch there - Yap circles away.
A head kick misses from Messi.
Messi has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.

Messi gets in close and instigates a clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Yap's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Messi trying to control the position but instead, Yap has worked for underhooks and has pushed Messi into the cage.
Yap looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Messi is stalling here.
Yap tries to break free but Messi pushes him back against the cage.
Yap is trying to force a seperation but Messi has the dominant position.
Yap working hard to break the clinch.
Yap tries to circle away but Messi has him pinned against the cage.
James Yap has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Lionel Messi has scored more points in the clinch so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Messi breaks from the clinch.
A telegraphed right hand from Yap misses the target.
Yap wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Yap tries to break free but Messi pushes him back against the cage.
Yap tries to circle away but Messi has him pinned against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Yap's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Messi dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Yap is trying to break free.
Lionel Messi is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Yap doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Lionel Messi.
Well Messi has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Yves DeLean scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 29:28
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lionel Messi!