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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Nuriel Leonard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Connor Kelly (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kelly has chosen (When) Your Middle Name Is Danger as his entrance music. 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?
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| 168 cm
28
147 lbs
20 - 6 - 0 |
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183 cm
30
145 lbs
23 - 9 - 1 |
Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank |
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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
20 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Nuriel Leonard!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
23 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Connor Kelly!
The judges for this bout are Trevor Gratis, Yves DeLean and Dillan Fox.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Leonard leaves Kelly with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Kelly throws a head kick but Leonard moves out of range.
A looping hook to the body misses from Leonard. Kelly does a little dance to reset his feet.
Leonard throws a left and a right that both miss
and Kelly counters with an outside leg kick.
Kelly keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Leonard moves in looking to clinch but Kelly pushes him off.
Leonard swings widly with a right hand
and Kelly counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Kelly lands a head shot.
Nice takedown defense from Leonard. No joy for Kelly on that attempt.
Kelly is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Leonard misses with a right hand
and Kelly counters with a thumping low kick.
Kelly uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Leonard has time to react.
Leonard swings for the body but Kelly moves out of range.
A big right from Leonard misses.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly throws out a loose jab but Leonard uses good head movement to avoid it.
Leonard darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Leonard throws a shot to the body.
Kelly throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Leonard's waist but Leonard gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Kelly off to one side.
Nuriel Leonard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Connor Kelly.
A big right from Leonard misses.
Leonard connects with a right hand. Kelly shakes it off.
Leonard misses with a body shot.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Leonard checks a leg kick.
Leonard misses with a straight right.
Leonard tries to clinch but Kelly is having none of it.
Leonard has managed to clinch.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonard with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Leonard drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Leonard stalling in the clinch.
Kelly tries to work over Leonard's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Leonard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Kelly lands an uppercut.
Kelly lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Leonard or not.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Kelly stalling in the clinch.
Kelly lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Leonard or not.
Leonard using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Kelly has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Leonard doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kelly lands a body shot in the clinch.
Kelly has Leonard pushed against the cage.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kelly lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Leonard backwards.
Kelly works on Leonard's body with a couple of short punches.
Leonard missing with knees to the body.
Nice body punch from Kelly.
Kelly misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kelly has a couple of punches blocked by Leonard.
Kelly stalling in the clinch but Leonard improves position.
Kelly lands a left hand that snaps the head of Leonard backwards.
Leonard lands a left hand that snaps the head of Kelly backwards.
A head punch on the inside from Kelly fails to land.
Leonard misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kelly misses with a punch to the body.
Leonard connects with a knee to the head.
Kelly trying to stall but Leonard improves his position.
Kelly misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kelly lands an uppercut.
Kelly tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Leonard's elbow.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Leonard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Leonard tries to work over Kelly's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Leonard turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Leonard manages to end up in side control.
Kelly struggling a bit here.
Kelly is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Leonard off and has taken his back!
Kelly is punishing Leonard with strikes - can he finish him?!
Leonard prevents Kelly from getting a body triangle.
Leonard is covering up but some of the strikes from Kelly are getting through and doing damage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kelly tries to keep control of the position but Leonard is staying busy.
Leonard covering up well under a series of strikes from Kelly.
Leonard can't escape the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Connor Kelly dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.
Kelly fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Leonard looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Leonard takes a swing at Kelly's ribcage but misses.
Kelly looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Leonard misses with a combination
and Kelly makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Leonard really felt that one!
Kelly scores with a nice right hand.
Leonard tries to clinch there but Kelly circles away.
Kelly ducks under a wild hook from Leonard.
Leonard scores with a hook.
A left and a right from Kelly both land. Nice combination.
Leonard lands a right hook to the body.
Kelly looks to land a combination. Leonard sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly shoots in for a double leg but Leonard sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Leonard connects with a jab.
Leonard throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Kelly.
Kelly throws a chopping leg kick but Leonard manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Horrible takedown by Leonard or perhaps it was just good defense by Kelly which made him look bad.
Leonard displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kelly throws out the jab.
Decent striking displayed by Leonard there.
Kelly misses with a series of wild punches.
Leonard moves out of range of the strikes.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonard throws a right hand that misses
and Kelly cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Decent striking displayed by Kelly there.
Leonard throws a jab when Kelly was well out of range.
Leonard stuns Kelly with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Leonard looks to land a right hand but Kelly moved out of range.
Leonard throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Leonard misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Kelly.
Leonard swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kelly shoots for a double leg takedown but Leonard sprawls well. He's pushed Kelly's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Kelly throws a right and a left that Leonard avoids nicely.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kelly bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kelly displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Leonard throws out the jab.
Kelly shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Leonard as he jumps to the side.
Nuriel Leonard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Connor Kelly.
Leonard shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Leonard might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Leonard throws a big elbow that misses.
Leonard postures up in Kelly's guard and throws a big left but Kelly blocks it.
Kelly is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Leonard working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Kelly controls Leonard momentarily but Leonard frees himself.
Kelly looking for a sweep. Not yet Kelly, not yet.
Kelly has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Kelly is trying to control the position from the bottom.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
OK we're going to have a standup here. Connor Kelly hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Leonard thows a body shot but no joy.
Kelly avoids the body shot from Leonard.
Leonard throws a right hand that misses
and Kelly counters with a series of strikes. Leonard will be more careful next time no doubt.
Leonard shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Kelly pinned against the cage. Kelly gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Leonard moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Nuriel Leonard seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leonard throws a right hand that misses
and Kelly counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Leonard wants to clinch.
Kelly staying out of range there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Nuriel Leonard dominated that second round.
That's time! Leonard's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Kelly.
Leonard throws a poor cross that misses
and Kelly cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Kelly lands a lovely overhand right.
The fight stays on the outside here - Leonard looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Leonard swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kelly bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Leonard is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Leonard struggling a bit here.
Kelly controls the position from side control.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Kelly wants to lay and pray for a moment but Leonard keeps working.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Kelly tries for a kimura but Leonard is defending well.
Kelly trying to control the position but Leonard is working away.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonard manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Leonard is looking to improve his position.
Connor Kelly has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kelly sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Leonard blocking the ground and pound attempt from Kelly.
Kelly wants to pass to mount but Leonard is defending the position.
Leonard looks like he's trying to stand up.
Kelly throwing shots but Leonard is blocking nicely.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonard is staying active underneath Kelly, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Leonard is trying to stand up here but Kelly is controlling him well.
Kelly winds up and cracks Leonard with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Kelly trying to control from Leonard's half guard. Leonard has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Leonard wants to sweep here but Kelly controlling him for the moment.
Kelly is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly preventing the sweep.
Leonard kicks Kelly off and gets to his feet.
Nuriel Leonard is winning the standup battle so far.
That kick from Kelly tenderised Leonard's leg. Leonard is trying to keep his angry face on.
Kelly throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
so Leonard counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Leonard pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kelly is keeping the position for now.
Leonard is looking to work some ground and pound but Kelly has wrist control.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leonard trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Kelly holds on and takes a little breather.
Kelly trying to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close round but Nuriel Leonard did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
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.
Leonard thows a body shot but no joy.
Kelly avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Kelly walks into a stiff left hand from Leonard.
Kelly lands a jab-cross combination.
Kelly swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Leonard connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Leonard stuffs the takedown attempt from Kelly. Kelly gets slowly back to his feet.
Leonard throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Kelly counters with an outside leg kick.
Nice takedown defense from Leonard. No joy for Kelly on that attempt.
Leonard jabs Kelly to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Leonard rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Kelly counters with a lovely straight right hand!
That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly lands a glancing blow to the side of Leonard's head.
Kelly keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kelly uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Leonard.
Leonard throws an off balance right hand
and Kelly counters with a low kick, right behind Leonard 's knee.
Kelly displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Leonard.
Kelly scores with a sloppy right hand. Leonard should have avoided that one.
Kelly shoots in but Leonard avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Nuriel Leonard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Connor Kelly.
Leonard looks to throw the jab but Kelly is out of range.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonard checks a leg kick.
Leonard closes the distance and clinches.
Leonard misses with a knee strike.
Connor Kelly seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Kelly lands a nice uppercut.
Kelly working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Kelly lands a body punch in the clinch.
Kelly will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Leonard up against the cage.
A shot in the inside from Leonard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Leonard changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Kelly fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Leonard tries to clinch but Kelly moves out of range.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonard lands a glancing blow to the side of Kelly's head.
A jab from Leonard misses.
Kelly defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Leonard.
Leonard misses with a left hand
and Kelly counters with a slapping leg kick.
Kelly moves away from the strike by Leonard.
Leonard attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Leonard throws a right hand that misses
enabling Kelly to counter with a crisp jab.
Leonard throws a right hand that misses
and Kelly counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Kelly scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Leonard is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Kelly asserts his dominance and retains side control.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly stands up.
Leonard takes a swing at Kelly's ribcage but misses.
Good leg kick by Kelly there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Leonard tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Kelly counters with a flying knee. Nice.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leonard throws an off balance right hand
and Kelly counters with a nice uppercut.
Kelly fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Leonard manages to avoid it.
Horrible takedown by Kelly or perhaps it was just good defense by Leonard which made him look bad.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Connor Kelly dominated that fourth round.
That's time! Leonard's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!
Kelly displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Leonard throws out the jab.
A cross from Kelly lands.
Kelly darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Kelly fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Kelly looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Kelly postures up and lands a big shot to Leonard's brow.
Kelly wants to control from the top but Leonard keeps moving.
Leonard has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Leonard bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kelly's guard.
Kelly tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Leonard in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Kelly trying to control the position.
Kelly wants to sweep but no luck.
Leonard throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Leonard has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Kelly controls Leonard momentarily but Leonard frees himself.
The ref stands the fighters back up. Connor Kelly was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Kelly stuffs the takedown.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leonard cracks Kelly with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Leonard looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Leonard walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Kelly has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Nice shot lands for Leonard.
Leonard gets caught flat footed, as Kelly shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Leonard can't keep his opponent in guard - Kelly advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Kelly is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Leonard has managed to free his arm - good work.
Kelly is trying to control the action in half guard but Leonard is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Leonard is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Leonard is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Kelly's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Kelly's back!
Kelly tries to escape the position.
Leonard punishes Kelly with strikes from the back mount.
Kelly trying to control the action but Leonard just sinks the hooks in.
Leonard loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Kelly hold on?
Leonard lands a punch that was close to the back of the head but the ref thinks it's OK.
Leonard missing with strikes from the back.
Kelly tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
Leonard postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Kelly looks a forlorn figure.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly is desperately trying to improve his position but Leonard has a good base and remains in mount.
Leonard looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Leonard avoids the attempt from Kelly to control.
Kelly is desperately trying to improve his position but Leonard has a good base and remains in mount.
Kelly is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Leonard controlling the position easily from mount.
And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Connor Kelly.
I think Kelly has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Trevor Gratis scores the fight 47:49
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 48:48
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 47:48
In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Connor Kelly!
Connor Kelly is the new featherweight champion!
An out of breath Connor Kelly thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
100% |
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