PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Joe Ball (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Mayer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ball kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Hammer Smashed Face. Mayer is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: I´m shipping out to Boston - Dropkick Murphys. 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?

Ball
vs
Mayer

199 cm
28
280 lbs
13 - 7 - 0

212 cm
23
280 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Zentrope Fighting Universe

PEGASUS FIGHT WEAR ( $ 7 and Laundering 90% )

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 7 - 0, fighting out of London, Joe Ball!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, John Mayer!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Chris Edwards and Daniel Bishop.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ball throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ball tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Mayer takes a swing at Ball's ribcage but misses.
Mayer avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Mayer throws a body punch but Ball moves out of range.
Ball tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Mayer manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Mayer blocks a head kick by Ball.
Ball looks to land a combination but Mayer avoids it well.
Mayer moves away from the strike by Ball.
Ball thuds his right hand into Mayer's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

It looks like John Mayer has been cut.
Ball shoots for a takedown but Mayer saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Mayer scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Ball doesn't seem bothered though.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mayer. Ball does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ball shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Mayer as he jumps to the side.
Joe Ball seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ball avoids the body shot from Mayer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mayer ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ball moves away.
Ball connects with a single shot there.
Ball connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Nice uppercut there from Ball.
John Mayer is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ball throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Mayer sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Ball throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Mayer keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A left lands for Ball.
Ball wants to clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ball pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Ball gets a clinch.
Ball jumps guard but Mayer stands there with Ball around his waist. Ball gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Ball. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ball's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Mayer lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Ball or not.
Mayer goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Mayer throws a punch but it's blocked by Ball.
Ball is trying to break the clinch but Mayer has him pressed against the cage.
A short left from Mayer.
Mayer lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Mayer tries to work over Ball's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Mayer tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

Ball pulls guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Ball is pulling down on Mayer's head to control his posture.
Mayer slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Mayer must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Ball trying to keep a closed guard but Mayer is proving a slippery customer.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mayer wanted to stand there but Ball had control of the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Mayer fails to land with a series of punches.
Mayer uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Ball.
Ball avoids the body shot from Mayer.
Some bone on bone action there as Ball checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Mayer is looking to score with low kicks.
Mayer just misses with a punch to the body.

Ball gets a double leg takedown into Mayer's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mayer is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Mayer keeping moving, preventing Ball from controlling successfully.
Ball lands a couple of digs.
Mayer is trying to keep Ball in close.
Ball might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Ball trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Ball 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.
Ball preventing the sweep.
Ball postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ball with a flurry of punches that miss.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Ball dominated that round.
The cut man is working on John Mayer's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Mayer throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Ball is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Mayer.
Ball tries to close the distance and clinch but Mayer swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Ball tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Mayer counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

It looks like Joe Ball has been cut.
Ball scores with a punch to the head.
Mayer slips under a jab.
Ball is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Ball thows a body shot but no joy.
Mayer jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Ball throws a poor cross that misses
and Mayer cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Mayer ducks right into an uppercut from Ball.
A slow jab from Ball misses its intended target.
Ball misses with a looping left.
Ball wants to land a leg kick but Mayer is out of range.
Joe Ball is winning the standup battle so far.
Mayer blocks a head kick by Ball.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mayer takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.

That has opened up John Mayer's cut even more.
A slapping leg kick lands for Ball.
Ball shoots in and drives through. Mayer sprawls well.
Mayer listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Mayer throws a body punch but Ball moves out of range.
Ball misses with a wild combination.
Ball listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ball with a nice cross.

The cut above John Mayer's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Ball throws a poor cross that misses
and Mayer counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Ball thinking.
Ball fails with an attempt to clinch.
Mayer tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ball was well out of range. Poor timing from Mayer.
Mayer lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Ball throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ball lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.

Ball fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Mayer sprawls well initially but Ball persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Mayer tries to get to full guard but Ball has control of the leg.
Ball is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Mayer reverses the position - he's now on top in Ball's guard.
Mayer wants to stand but Ball is controlling his posture from full guard.
Mayer controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mayer wants to pass the guard but Ball is keeping the position.
Mayer passes Ball's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Ball is refusing to be controlled, as Mayer sits in half guard.
Mayer is pressing down on Ball's thigh, looking to free his foot. Ball is holding on for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Ball tries to get to full guard but Mayer has control of the leg.
Ball gets back to full guard.
Mayer stopping the sweep attempt from Ball.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Ball trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Ball dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
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!

Ball shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Ball was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Mayer is in a horrible position here. Ball smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.

Ball goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Mayer turns into him and now he's in Ball's guard.
Ball pulls Mayer in close to prevent any damage.
Mayer tries to stand but Ball is controlling from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ball managing to control the position.

Ball working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Mayer doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Mayer manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Joe Ball overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Ball looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Mayer puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.
John Mayer has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ball tries to roll over but Mayer keeps him under control.
Nice strikes from Mayer there.
Ball is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Ball is trying to maintain the position but Mayer is very close to passing his half guard.
Mayer is trying to control. Ball wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ball holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Ball tries to clinch
and Mayer counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Mayer misses with a leg kick

and Ball decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Mayer's guard.
Ball looking to sit in guard and control but Mayer gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Mayer with a flurry of punches that miss.
Ball looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Ball controls Mayer momentarily but Mayer frees himself.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ball looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Ball bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Mayer's guard.
Ball 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.
Ball throwing strikes from guard but Mayer blocks nicely.
Ball wants to pass the guard but Mayer is keeping the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe Ball showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Ball, 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe Ball!