PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Stanton Wong (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rowen Fire (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rowen Fire will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Wong
vs
Fire

167 cm
18
278 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

222 cm
25
250 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

Good takedowns
Brawler
Solid 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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Stanton Wong!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rowen Fire!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Frank Dennis and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Fire lunges at Wong with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Wong's hand.

Fire has closed the distance and engaged Wong in a clinch.
Wong could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Wong wants to get back to striking at distance but Fire won't allow it.
Fire being controlled against the cage.
Fire tries to pull guard but Wong forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Fire is looking to take this one to the mat.
Fire prevents Wong from breaking the clinch.
Fire jumps guard but Wong turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Stanton Wong has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Rowen Fire.
Wong looking to stall.

Fire pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Fire looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Fire 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.
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!
Fire wants to get up but he can't break Wong's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Fire drops back, looking for a kneebar! Wong looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Wong looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Wong!
Fire keeps Wong under control for a moment.
Fire is looking to reverse the position.
Wong knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Fire on the ground.
Wong working the head with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fire bucks up and tries to throw Wong off but instead Wong has got his back!
Fire trying to control the hands but Wong breaks the grip.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Wong has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Fire has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
Wong is hanging on to Fire's back as he tries to escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fire trying to control the hands but Wong breaks the grip.
Fire is really stuck here.
Fire is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Fire trying to control but not successfully.
Fire is really stuck here.
Wong doesn't have the hooks in and Fire manages to turn into his guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Fire got a little sloppy there for a moment and Wong has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Fire has managed to get both his arms back between Wong's legs - danger averted.
Fire's corner is telling him to maintain position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Rowen Fire hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Wong displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Fire throws out the jab.
Wong rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Fire moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Wong tries for a takedown but Fire circles away easily
and Fire counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Fire shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Wong manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Wong is breathing heavily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Fire wants to get up but he can't break Wong's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rowen Fire 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.

Fire looking to score a takedown here. Wong is defending well but Fire drives through and ends up in Wong's guard.

Wong looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Fire is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Fire wants to stand but Wong is controlling his posture from full guard.
Fire showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

Rowen Fire has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.

Wong gets tackled into the cage by Fire. Fire maintains the clinch.
Fire is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Fire working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Fire tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Wong avoids it.

Wong breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Fire drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Wong gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Fire's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wong fails to land the takedown.

Fire closes the distance and clinches.
Fire can't find room to land a body shot as Wong controls the action.

Fire has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Wong uses from the top position.
Fire wants to sweep but no luck.
Fire trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Fire manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Wong manages to get himself to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Fire engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Wong looking to hit a scissor sweep but Fire is one step ahead there.
Fire wants to control from the top but Wong keeps moving.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Rowen Fire wasn't active enough on the ground.
Fire throws a head kick that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.

Fire shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.

Fire is working for a submission of some sort.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Fire. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Wong is staying active underneath Fire, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rowen Fire showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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!

Wong closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Fire to the mat! Fire manages to get full guard.

Fire looking for a guillotine here but Wong defends easily.
Wong throws a strike but Fire rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Fire trying to control the position from guard on top but Wong is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fire trying to stand up but can't free himself from Wong's guard.
Fire is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Rowen Fire wasn't active enough on the ground.

Fire clinches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wong is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Fire is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Wong to keep the fight standing.

Fire breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Wong shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Wong.
Wong throwing strikes but Fire manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Fire cracks Wong with a big right hand but Wong just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fire is staying tight to Wong's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Rowen Fire has got the better of the ground game so far.
Fire wants to control but Wong is keeping him busy.
Fire wants to stand but Wong is controlling his arm.
Wong is letting Fire control him for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

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

Wong closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Fire to the mat! Fire manages to get full guard.
Fire seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Rowen Fire was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Fire lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Wong has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Wong and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rowen Fire comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Fire 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Dennis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rowen Fire!