PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dark Dutch (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zhang Xianfa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dutch comes to the cage accompanied by feuer frei. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Dutch
vs
Xianfa

168 cm
24
147 lbs
10 - 2 - 0

164 cm
24
146 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Damnfield clothing
Go 2 Sleep Fight Gear

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 10 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Dark Dutch!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Zhang Xianfa!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dutch lands with an overhand left.
Dutch throws a big shot that misses.
Xianfa throws a leg kick that is checked
and Dutch counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Xianfa is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Dutch lands a front kick.

Dutch has managed to clinch.
Dutch lands a hook to the side of the head.
Dutch lands a shoulder strike.
Nice body punch from Xianfa.
Dutch using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Xianfa has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Xianfa lands with a short punch from the clinch.
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!
Dutch misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Xianfa.
Dutch misses with a short punch on the inside.
Dutch struggles to land a body shot inside as Xianfa controls his hands.
Dutch throws a knee to the head but misses.
Dutch scores with a knee to the head.
Dutch gets through Xianfa's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.

Xianfa is rocked!
Xianfa blocks an elbow strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dutch tries to work over Xianfa's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Xianfa misses with the head strike.
Dutch is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Xianfa fails to land.
A shot in the inside from Xianfa.

Dutch breaks from the clinch.
Dutch lands with a thumping leg kick.
Dutch has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Xianfa.
Xianfa moves out of range of the body kick.
Xianfa throws an overhand right that lands on Dutch's shoulder, as Dutch tries to avoid the shot.
Xianfa swinging wildly here.

Dutch darts in and clinches Xianfa up against the cage.
Xianfa wants to stall.
Dutch tries to land knees in the clinch but Xianfa avoids the damage to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dutch looking to throw knees to the head but Xianfa is blocking nicely.
Xianfa avoiding damage as Dutch throws knees to the body.
Xianfa throws a punch but it's blocked by Dutch.
Xianfa avoids the elbow strike from Dutch, against the cage.
Dutch lands an uppercut.
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!
Dutch is leaning against Xianfa and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Xianfa is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
A head punch on the inside from Xianfa fails to land.
Dutch is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Xianfa is defending well for now.
Dutch has a couple of punches blocked by Xianfa.
Dutch looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Dutch taking a breather.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Dutch creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
A short right from Dutch on the inside.
Dutch tries to circle away but Xianfa has him pinned against the cage.
Dutch tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Dutch utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Xianfa blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Dutch lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Xianfa fails to land.
Dutch struggles to land a body shot inside as Xianfa controls his hands.
Dutch lands a nice elbow.
Dutch with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Dutch pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xianfa can't find room to land a body shot as Dutch controls the action.
Xianfa scores with a shot to the side of Dutch's head.
Xianfa tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Xianfa misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Dutch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Xianfa works on Dutch's body with a couple of short punches.
Dutch blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Dutch can't find room to land a body shot as Xianfa controls the action.
Nice elbow from Dutch.
Dutch looking to throw knees to the head but Xianfa is blocking nicely.
Xianfa looking to slow down the pace here.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Xianfa pushes Dutch back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Dutch lands an elbow inside.
Dutch scores a nice knee to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dark Dutch dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Dutch fails to land with a series of punches.
Xianfa uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Dutch.
Dutch lands a glancing blow to the side of Xianfa's head.
Xianfa dodges the punch combination from Dutch.
Xianfa on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Dutch pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Dutch lands a jab to the nose.
Dutch lands with a nice body kick.
Xianfa takes a swing at Dutch's ribcage but misses.
Xianfa motions for Dutch to come forward. Xianfa throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
The fight stays on the outside here - Dutch looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Dutch misses with a wild body shot.
Xianfa misses with a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dutch slips a straight right by Xianfa.
Xianfa moves forwards but Dutch connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Xianfa slips a jab and a cross from Dutch.
Dutch slips a jab from Xianfa.
Xianfa tries to land a leg kick but Dutch saw it coming and moves away.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Good shot there by Dutch.
Dutch works the jab nicely.
Left hook, right uppercut from Xianfa.

It looks like Dark Dutch has been cut.
Xianfa takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Xianfa throws a front kick aimed at Dutch's knee but Dutch avoids it well.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dutch shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Xianfa eats them both and turns towards Dutch to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Xianfa is still on wobbly legs! Can Dutch finish him?
Xianfa lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Dutch jabs Xianfa to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Xianfa seems to have recovered his senses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dutch looks to clinch
and Xianfa counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Xianfa keeps the fight on the outside.
Dutch throws a low kick, looking for Xianfa's leg but Xianfa calmly moves out of range.
Xianfa tries to land a leg kick but Dutch saw it coming and moves away.
Dutch buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Dutch bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Dutch lunges at Xianfa with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Xianfa's hand.

Xianfa gets tackled into the cage by Dutch. Dutch maintains the clinch.
Dutch tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Dutch blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Xianfa has Dutch pressed against the cage, preventing Dutch from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Dutch working some nice short punches in the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Dutch throws an elbow but misses.
Dutch connects with a nasty looking knee right to Xianfa's face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dutch throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Xianfa lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Dutch misses with an elbow over the top.

Dutch breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Dutch throws a head kick that misses.
Dutch scores with a jab to the head.
Dutch throws a half hearted mid kick.
Dutch tries to clinch up but Xianfa circles away and keeps his distance.
Dutch throws a sloppy head kick and Xianfa moves out of range easily.
Dutch throws a head kick that misses.
Dutch is looking to clinch but Xianfa is avoiding it.
Dutch tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Xianfa was well out of range. Poor timing from Dutch.
Dutch scores with a nice head shot.
Dutch checks a leg kick.
Dutch slips a jab and a cross from Xianfa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Dutch.
Dutch fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Xianfa manages to avoid it.
Nice defenses there by Dutch.
Xianfa moves out of range as Dutch throws a body kick.
Xianfa lands a right hook to the body.
Dutch walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dutch misses with the combination.

Dutch has managed to clinch.
Dutch tries a knee to the head but Xianfa blocks it.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Dutch misses with the head strike.
Xianfa tries a body shot but Dutch blocks it.
Dutch is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Dutch tries a body shot but Xianfa blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dark Dutch dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Dark Dutch's cut.
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. This is the final round!

Jab from Dutch.
Dutch is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Xianfa looks to land a right hand but Dutch moved out of range.
Dutch thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Xianfa if he has to take too many more of those.
Dutch doesn't manage to clinch there - Xianfa circles away.
Dutch misses with a few strikes there.
Dutch misses with a wild body shot.
Dutch tries to clinch up.
Xianfa tries a low kick but Dutch avoids it.
Xianfa misses with an uppercut.
Dutch tries to close the distance and clinch up but Xianfa swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Dutch looks to throw the jab but Xianfa is out of range.
Dutch tries to close the distance and clinch but Xianfa swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Xianfa.
Xianfa swings for the body but Dutch moves out of range.
Dutch tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Nice jab there from Dutch.
Xianfa moves out of range as Dutch strikes.
Dark Dutch is winning the standup battle so far.
Dutch is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Xianfa chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Xianfa is looking to score with low kicks.
Dutch misses with a body shot
and Xianfa counters with a nice uppercut.
Dutch throws a left and a right that both miss
and Xianfa counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Dutch throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Xianfa on the side of the head.
Xianfa looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Dutch rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Xianfa moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Zhang Xianfa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dutch swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Dutch on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Xianfa. Xianfa obviously looking to wear him down.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Xianfa avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Dutch tries to clinch up
and Xianfa counters with a stiff right hand.
Dutch walks into a left hand.
Dutch misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Dutch swings widly with a right hand
and Xianfa counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Xianfa throws a right and a left that Dutch avoids nicely.
Dutch throws a push kick but Xianfa slaps the foot to one side.
Dutch goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Dutch ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Xianfa moves away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Xianfa misses the target.
Dutch slips under a jab.
Xianfa has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Dutch.
Xianfa takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Xianfa ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Dutch moves away.
Dutch fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Xianfa manages to avoid it.
Dutch lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Dutch with a nice cross.
Xianfa tries a head kick but it misses.
Dutch checks a leg kick nicely.
Dutch is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Dutch gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Dark Dutch is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xianfa dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Dutch working hard to break the clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Xianfa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

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 Dark Dutch.
Well Dutch 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 30:27
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dark Dutch!
During a confident post fight interview, Dark Dutch thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.