PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between David Judah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Benji Cheshire (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Judah
vs
Cheshire

185 cm
28
212 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

189 cm
26
220 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Great elbows
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, David Judah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Benji Cheshire!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Cheshire clinches.
A short right from Judah.
Cheshire lands a damaging elbow.
Cheshire prevents a body shot from Judah.
Cheshire stalling the fight.
Judah lands with a left to the head.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Judah.
Cheshire utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Cheshire just misses with a elbow thrown towards Judah's brow.
Judah trying to land knees to the body.
Judah misses with some punches.
Cheshire pushes off an throws an elbow but Judah leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Cheshire tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Judah's elbow.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cheshire blocking some punches.
Judah creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Cheshire's defenses.
Judah gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Judah pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
With the fighters up against the cage, Cheshire throws an elbow but misses.
Judah is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Cheshire is defending well for now.
Cheshire throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Cheshire blocking some punches.
Cheshire trying to land knees to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Judah fails to land.
Cheshire blocks an uppercut.
Cheshire displaying some good clinch control by pressing Judah up against the cage.
Cheshire lands a nice elbow.
Cheshire pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Cheshire looking to stall.
Judah lands a nice uppercut.
Cheshire has Judah pressed against the cage, preventing Judah from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Judah has had enough of the clinch but Cheshire keeps him there for the moment.
Judah misses with a punch on the inside.
Judah blocks the elbow strike.
Judah has a couple of punches blocked by Cheshire.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Judah pushes Cheshire back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Cheshire blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Judah has a couple of punches blocked by Cheshire.
Judah tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Judah avoiding damage as Cheshire throws knees to the body.
Judah lands with a light punch inside.
Cheshire is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Judah trying to land knees to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Come on Cheshire - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Judah pushes Cheshire back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

Cheshire gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Judah keeping moving, preventing Cheshire from controlling successfully.
Cheshire is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Benji Cheshire wasn't active enough on the ground.
Cheshire shoots in for a double leg but Judah sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Cheshire closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Judah did well to prevent Cheshire getting side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Cheshire in particular looking to stall.
Cheshire is trying to control. Judah wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Cheshire is thwarting Judah's attempts to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire trying to control the pace.
Let's hope that Cheshire 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.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Benji Cheshire was stalling too much, according to the referee.

Cheshire fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Judah, pushing him back against the cage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Cheshire.
Cheshire misses with a punch to the body.
Judah tries to work over Cheshire's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cheshire pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Judah lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benji Cheshire 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.

Cheshire closes the distance and clinches.
Cheshire is looking to take this one to the mat.
Judah takes an elbow to the forehead.

It looks like David Judah has been cut.

Judah's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cheshire throws a push kick but Judah slaps the foot to one side.
Judah tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Cheshire swivels and escapes.
Cheshire wants to clinch.
Cheshire tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Judah paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Benji Cheshire seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Judah shoots and misses

and Cheshire counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Cheshire throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cheshire trying to control but Judah is working from the bottom.
Cheshire stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Judah swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cheshire sitting in guard here, content to control.
Cheshire chips away with some ground and pound.
Cheshire slips nicely into half guard.
Judah wants to improve his position but Cheshire is controlling well.
Cheshire is looking to stall here but Judah recovers full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Cheshire happy to just control the position for now.
Judah is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Cheshire looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Judah is avoiding damage well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire is looking to take a break and control but Judah is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Cheshire just content to control the position.
The ground and pound from Cheshire seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Judah regains half guard, as Cheshire was trying to land strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire slows the pace down in half guard.
Cheshire trying to control the action but Judah is working from the bottom.
Benji Cheshire has got the better of the ground game so far.
Cheshire is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Benji Cheshire hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Cheshire throws the kick towards the body but Judah avoids it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benji Cheshire showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on David Judah's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Cheshire displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Judah.
Cheshire tries to clinch there but Judah circles away.
Judah is trying hard to land a takedown here. Cheshire sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Judah gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Cheshire counters with a nice low kick that buckles Judah's knee momentarily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for David Judah. That's going to take a lot out of him.
No luck for Judah with that takedown attempt.
Cheshire dives in and grabs Judah's left leg, looking for a takedown. Judah pushes down on Cheshire's head and hops out.
Cheshire fails in his attempt to clinch.
David Judah is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Cheshire pivots, looking for a leg kick but Judah is out of range and Cheshire settles back down.
Judah fails with a takedown attempt.

Cheshire moves into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice elbow from Cheshire.
Cheshire avoids the elbow strike from Judah, against the cage.
A short right from Cheshire.
Cheshire pushes off an throws an elbow but Judah leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Cheshire wants to stall.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Judah avoids a wild elbow strike from Cheshire.
Judah blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Judah fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Judah fails to land.
Judah dodges an elbow strike from Cheshire.
Cheshire changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Judah fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Cheshire tries to close the distance and clinch but Judah swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice sprawl there from Cheshire as Judah shoots in.
Nice sprawl there from Cheshire as Judah shoots in.
Judah tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Cheshire swivels and escapes.
Cheshire fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Judah manages to avoid it.
Cheshire tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Judah with a lazy takedown attempt

and Cheshire counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cheshire keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Judah is refusing to be controlled, as Cheshire sits in half guard.
Cheshire is figuring out what he wants to do next.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Judah is staying active underneath Cheshire, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Benji Cheshire hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Judah circles away from the clinch attempt.
Cheshire is looking to clinch.
Cheshire has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Judah fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Judah doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Cheshire counters with a good low kick that Judah was not able to check.

Judah gets a takedown into half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Cheshire trying to control here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire moves into full guard.
Cheshire is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Judah stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Cheshire swivels though and keeps the full guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Judah sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Cheshire's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benji Cheshire really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on David Judah's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Judah circles away from the clinch attempt.
Cheshire tries to clinch there but Judah circles away.
Cheshire tries to close the distance and clinch but Judah swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Judah shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Cheshire counters with a body kick.
Judah swats away the attempt to clinch by Cheshire.
Cheshire doesn't manage to clinch there - Judah circles away.
Cheshire darts in looking for a takedown but Judah gets double underhooks and turns Cheshire into the cage.
Cheshire trying to land knees to the body.
Cheshire tries to land knees in the clinch but Judah avoids the damage to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Judah just misses with a elbow thrown towards Cheshire's brow.
Judah takes an elbow to the temple.
Judah looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Cheshire is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Judah is defending well for now.
Benji Cheshire seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Judah misses with a hook from the clinch.
Cheshire dodges an elbow strike from Judah.
Cheshire is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Judah is defending well for now.
Judah creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Cheshire's defenses.
Judah swings wildly with an uppercut but Cheshire uses good head movement to avoid it.
Cheshire is trying to drag Judah to the mat but Judah just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Judah blocks an elbow strike from Cheshire.
Cheshire blocks an uppercut.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Cheshire just misses with a elbow thrown towards Judah's brow.
With the fighters up against the cage, Judah throws an elbow but misses.
Judah throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Judah throws an elbow but it misses.
Judah lands a body shot.
Cheshire unloads a knee to the mid-section. Judah lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Judah lands a damaging elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Judah lands a left hand.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Judah lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Cheshire lands a nice elbow.
Cheshire lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Cheshire takes an elbow to the forehead.
Judah misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Cheshire.
Judah tries a body shot but Cheshire blocks it.
Cheshire tries to land knees in the clinch but Judah avoids the damage to the body.
Judah tries to work over Cheshire's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Judah.
Judah stops a takedown attempt from Cheshire.
David Judah has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Benji Cheshire.
A head punch on the inside from Cheshire fails to land.
Judah creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Cheshire's defenses.
Cheshire looking to throw knees to the head but Judah is blocking nicely.
Cheshire trying to stall but Judah improves his position.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Cheshire.
Judah throws a head punch that misses.
Cheshire tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Judah's elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Judah tries to work over Cheshire's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Cheshire with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Judah.
Cheshire stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Judah.
Cheshire blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Judah pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Cheshire shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Judah defends it nicely.
Horrible takedown by Cheshire or perhaps it was just good defense by Judah which made him look bad.
Cheshire is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Judah is trying hard to land a takedown here. Cheshire sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire darts in trying to clinch
and Judah counters with a nice uppercut.

Judah drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Judah is looking to take a break and control but Cheshire is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
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!
Judah working away.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Cheshire is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Judah working away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

David Judah had his way with Benji Cheshire in that round.
The cut man is working on David Judah's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Cheshire tries to clinch but Judah moves out of range.
Judah circles away from the clinch attempt
and Judah counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Judah misses with a takedown
and Cheshire finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Cheshire shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Cheshire moves in looking to clinch but Judah pushes him off.
Cheshire stuffs the takedown.
Judah shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Cheshire defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for David Judah. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cheshire moves to clinch but Judah breaks away
and Judah counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Cheshire looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Judah is fending him off so far but Cheshire persists. Nope, Judah circles away and we're back to standing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Judah misses with a takedown attempt - Cheshire sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Cheshire fails to land the takedown.
Cheshire tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Judah manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Judah fails to land the takedown.
Cheshire tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Judah paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Judah swats away the attempt to clinch by Cheshire.
Cheshire fails with an attempt to clinch.
Cheshire lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cheshire darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Judah is trying to get back to full guard.
Cheshire seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Cheshire scores with a couple of good hammerfists.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cheshire trying to control the pace.
Cheshire trying to control the action but Judah is working from the bottom.
David Judah has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Cheshire slows the pace down in half guard.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Benji Cheshire hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.

Cheshire has closed the distance and engaged Judah in a clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Judah swings wildly with an uppercut but Cheshire uses good head movement to avoid it.
A short right from Judah.
Judah trying to land knees to the body.
Cheshire tries for a takedown but Judah manages to get underhooks.
Judah misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Cheshire.
Judah takes an elbow to the temple.
With the fighters up against the cage, Cheshire throws an elbow but misses.
Cheshire's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
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!
Judah scores with a nice hook to the head.
Judah dodges an elbow strike from Cheshire.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Judah.
Cheshire tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Judah on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Judah working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Judah tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Cheshire blocks a body shot from Judah.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Benji Cheshire.
I think Cheshire 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight for Benji Cheshire!
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight for Benji Cheshire!
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight for Benji Cheshire!

Benji Cheshire wins by unanimous decision!
After winning the bout, Benji Cheshire thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.