|
|
PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Chris Leben (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thomas Sankara (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chris Leben had real problems making weight for this fight. After initially coming in at 267.6lbs, he had two hours to make the official fight weight. He made it but it will have taken a lot out of him to cut those extra few pounds. 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?
 |
|
 |
| 200 cm
31
280 lbs
8 - 10 - 0 |
|
184 cm
18
230 lbs
0 - 0 - 0 |
Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Very strong |
|
Good wrestler
Counter striker
Granite chin |
|
| |
|
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
8 - 10 - 0, fighting out of New York, Chris Leben!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Thomas Sankara!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Lombardi, Anthony Taglia and Joseph Jones.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Some wild striking there from Leben.
Leben looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Leben misses with a few strikes there.
Leben misses with a jab, cross combination.
Sankara missing with a left hand there. Leben was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Leben throws a series of punches but Sankara avoids them all with ease.
Sankara should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Excellent takedown into side control there by Sankara.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Sankara looks up at the clock and then as Leben takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Sankara smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Sankara tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Leben managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Sankara.
Sankara misses with the ground and pound.
Leben taking a bit of punishment here - Sankara scoring with strikes.
Sankara postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Sankara misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Leben defending against the ground and pound.
Sankara landing a few strikes.
Sankara throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sankara lands a few punches from side control.
Leben dodges the ground and pound from Sankara.
Sankara throws an elbow but Leben slips to the side and avoids it well.
The strikes coming from Sankara are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Sankara is looking to take a break and control but Leben is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Sankara sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Leben is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
An elbow from Sankara crashes against the mat.
An elbow from Sankara crashes against the mat.
Sankara misses with the ground and pound.
Sankara cracks Leben with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Sloppy strikes there by Sankara.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sankara working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Sankara working the ground and pound but Leben is defending the strikes.
Leben on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Leben tries to get out of the position.
Sankara in side control lands a decent elbow.
An elbow from Sankara crashes against the mat.
Sankara wants to lay and pray for a moment but Leben keeps working.
Leben takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leben is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Sankara controls the position from side control.
Sankara cracks Leben with a big elbow.
Sankara lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Sankara is chipping away with strikes.
Leben parries the strikes from Sankara easily there. Sankara is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Leben to escape.
Leben defending against the ground and pound.
Leben is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Leben parries the strikes from Sankara easily there. Sankara is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Leben to escape.
Sankara scores with a couple of short elbows.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Sankara cracks Leben with a big right hand but Leben just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Sankara working the ground and pound.
Leben takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Leben avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Sankara.
Sankara creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Leben sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Sankara trying to control the action but Leben is working from the bottom.
Sankara scores with a couple of short elbows.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sankara wants to control but Leben is keeping him busy.
Sankara scoring with punches and elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Thomas Sankara 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.
Sankara looks to land a right hand but Leben moved out of range.
Leben tries a head kick but it misses.
Sankara pivots, looking for a leg kick but Leben is out of range and Sankara settles back down.
Sankara misses with a hook. Leben ducked under it nicely.
Sankara jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Sankara throws a hook but Leben blocks it.
Sankara throws a front kick aimed at Leben's knee but Leben avoids it well.
Sankara closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Sankara lands in his opponent's guard.
Sankara with a nice head shot there.
Leben keeping moving, preventing Sankara from controlling successfully.
Leben has momentary wrist control but Sankara slips an elbow through the middle.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sankara throws an elbow that misses. Leben uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Sankara's guard. Nice move by Leben!
That's one minute gone in the round.
Sankara utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Sankara pulls Leben in to control the position.
Let's hope that Sankara has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Leben stopping the sweep attempt from Sankara.
Sankara is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Sankara. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Sankara not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Leben loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Sankara has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Thomas Sankara has got the better of the ground game so far.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sankara's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
The ref stands the fighters back up. Thomas Sankara was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Leben ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
A looping hook to the body misses from Leben. Sankara does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sankara has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Sankara fails to land with a series of punches.
Leben blocks a low kick nicely.
Sankara fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Leben uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Sankara.
Sankara throws a jab when Leben was well out of range.
Leben just misses with a punch to the body.
Chris Leben is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sankara misses with a looping right.
Sankara dodges the punch combination from Leben.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leben slips a jab from Sankara.
Sankara misses with a low kick.
Leben misses with a straight left.
Leben missing with a left hand there. Sankara was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Leben keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Sankara.
Leben with a hook.
Sankara tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Sankara looks to land a combination but Leben avoids it well.
Sankara throws a series of punches but Leben moves out of range.
Leben throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Sankara is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Leben.
Sankara throws a front kick aimed at Leben's knee but Leben avoids it well.
Sankara shoots in for a takedown but Leben shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Sankara fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Leben manages to avoid it.
Sankara changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Leben tries to avoid it but Sankara manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Leben to the ground. Leben escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Chris Leben has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Thomas Sankara.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sankara tries a low kick but Leben avoids it.
Sankara is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Leben.
Sankara avoids the head kick by Leben.
Leben bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Leben misses with a head kick.
Leben staying out of range there.
Sankara fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Sankara shoots in for a double leg but Leben sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Sankara fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Leben throws a head kick but Sankara moves out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leben defending well as Sankara loads up on a big left hand.
Sankara shoots in for a takedown but Leben shows good takedown defense.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Excellent takedown into side control there by Sankara.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Thomas Sankara showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.
Leben misses with the combination.
Sankara is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Leben.
Leben pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Sankara throws an overhand right that lands on Leben's shoulder, as Leben tries to avoid the shot.
Leben will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Sankara showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Leben.
Leben avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A jab from Sankara misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Leben uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Sankara.
Leben throws a sloppy head kick and Sankara moves out of range easily.
Sankara throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Thomas Sankara seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Sankara decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Sankara wants to lay and pray for a moment but Leben keeps working.
Leben taking some punishment here, with Sankara in his half guard.
Sankara throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Sankara content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Leben is refusing to be controlled, as Sankara sits in half guard.
Sankara throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Sankara missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Chris Leben has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sankara throwing shots but Leben is blocking nicely.
Sankara stops Leben from getting back to his feet.
Sankara winds up and cracks Leben with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Sankara slips a nice elbow through Leben's hands, connecting with Leben's forehead.
Sankara not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sankara missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Leben blocking the ground and pound attempt from Sankara.
Sankara sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Leben defending well though.
Sankara not landing any meaningful shots this time.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sankara takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Leben trying to control from the bottom.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sankara wants to control but Leben is keeping him busy.
Leben avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sankara.
Leben avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sankara.
Sankara missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Sankara is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sankara seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Sankara is keen to just control but Leben is a slippery customer.
Sankara is nestled in close to Leben, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Sankara missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Sankara throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leben avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sankara.
Sankara working the head and body with strikes.
Sankara is trying to control the action in half guard but Leben is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Leben keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Leben keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Leben avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sankara.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sankara working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Sankara is keen to just control but Leben is a slippery customer.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sankara throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Sankara landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
And that's the end of the fight!
Thomas Sankara comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Sankara has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Lombardi scores the fight 26:30
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 26:30
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight 26:30
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thomas Sankara!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
|
S |
C |
G |
|
energy
A | B |
|
hype
A | B |
|
pop
A | B |
|
mgr
A | B |
|
FIGHT
RATING
78% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
