PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Yang Tao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gary Player (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tao comes to the cage accompanied by Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting. Player has chosen Jeezy - Foul Play as his entrance music. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Tao
vs
Player

175 cm
34
170 lbs
33 - 11 - 0

178 cm
33
173 lbs
22 - 7 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Zipp Zapp
Hellbent

Heisenberg
Australian Xtreme Elite Supplements 160Q

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 33 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Yang Tao!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gary Player!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Timothy Bukovac and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tao throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

Tao gets tackled into the cage by Player. Player maintains the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tao.
Tao lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Player misses with some punches.
Tao blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Player's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A short right from Player on the inside.
Tao misses with a body punch.
Player tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tao throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Players head.
Tao blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Player throws a head punch that misses.
Player lands with a short head shot on the inside.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tao tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Player works on Tao's body with a couple of short punches.
Tao misses with a punch on the inside.
Tao lands a hook to the side of the head.
Player lands a nice uppercut.
Tao gets through Player's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Tao's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A short body shot lands from Player as the two fighters clinch.
Player tries to throw a body punch but Tao avoids it by throwing Player back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tao blocks an uppercut.
Player misses with the head strike.
Player struggles to land a body shot inside as Tao controls his hands.
Tao blocks an uppercut.
Player goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Tao.
Tao is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Tao looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Tao tries to work over Player's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Player.
Tao misses with a body punch.
Player doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A right handed body shot lands from Tao.
Tao lands a shoulder strike.
Player scores with a shoulder strike.
Player blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Player fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Player has a couple of punches blocked by Tao.
Tao is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Player blocking some punches.
Tao blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Player misses with a short punch on the inside.
Tao misses with a body punch.
Player doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Player lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Player tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tao scores with a shoulder strike.
Player lands a right hand that snaps the head of Tao backwards.
Player presses Tao against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Player tries to throw a body punch but Tao avoids it by throwing Player back against the cage.
Player working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Player can't find room to land a body shot as Tao controls the action.
Player scores with a shot to the side of Tao's head.
Player blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Tao pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Player gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Tao counters with a leg kick.
Player swings for the body but Tao moves out of range.
Player misses with a hook
and Tao counters with a good low kick that Player was not able to check.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tao displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Player throws out the jab.
Tao connects with a solid leg kick.
Tao fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Player.
Tao fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Player misses with a leg kick.
Player takes one to the chin there.
Player takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Player misses with a head kick.
We've been informed that Player has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Player throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Tao, right into the meat.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Tao 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 Player has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Player and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Player checks a leg kick.
Player tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Tao thumps Player with a low kick.
Player throws a front kick aimed at Tao's knee but Tao avoids it well.
Tao tries a low kick but Player avoids it.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Player tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Player swings widly with a right hand
and Tao connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
An inside leg kick lands from Tao.
Player ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Tao moves away.
Player thuds his shin into the meat of Tao's side.
Tao takes one to the side of the head.
An inside leg kick from Player misses.
Player misses with a straight left.
Tao throws a leg kick but Player checks it.
Tao does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Tao throws a nice outside leg kick.
Tao thows a body kick. Player tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Player pulls out of a head kick attempt.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tao explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Player is looking to clinch.
Player misses with a straight right.
Player motions for Tao to come forward. Player throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Tao blocks a head kick by Player.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Gary Player will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Player throws a lazy head kick
and Tao counters with a nice uppercut.
Tao avoids a kick to the body.
Player fails in his attempt to clinch.
Player tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Player takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Player in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Player fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Tao uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Player.
Player dips to his left and cracks Tao with an uppercut!
Tao defending well as Player loads up on a big left hand.
Player moves out of range of the body kick.
Tao misses with an uppercut.
Tao misses with a kick to the body.
Tao misses with a low kick.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Player walks into a jab.
Player throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Player misses with a head kick.
A good leg kick by Player.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Player takes a swing at Tao's ribcage but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tao misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Player.
Gary Player seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Player checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Player is looking to chop away at Tao's legs.
Player connects with an inside leg kick.
Tao turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Yang Tao is winning the standup battle so far.
Tao checks a low kick from Player.
Tao tries to score with a low kick but Player moves his leg out of the way.
Player on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Tao. Tao obviously looking to wear him down.
Player throws a lazy body kick
letting Tao counter with a right hand.
Player goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Tao moves out of range of the body kick.
Tao cracks the inside of Player's front leg.
Player jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Tao throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Player sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Player checks a leg kick.
Tao scores with a kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Player tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Tao was well out of range. Poor timing from Player.
A low kick from Player misses
and Tao counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Player thinking.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Player throws a body punch but Tao moves out of range.
Crunch! Tao slams his shin into Player's torso.
Player thuds his right hand into Tao's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
A low kick from Player is predictable there
and Tao counters with a low kick, right behind Player 's knee.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Tao.
Player throws a hook but Tao blocks it.
Tao avoids the head kick by Player.
A punch lands to the side of Player 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Player scoring well with a low kick there.
Player throws a head kick that half lands.
Player looks to land a body kick but Tao moved away.
A jab from Player misses.
Player throws out a leg kick but Tao moves out of range and Player only half commits.
A nice leg kick lands there from Tao.
Player misses with a straight right.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Player cracks a nice hook into Tao's ribs.
Tao lands a jab to the head.
Tao checks a low kick from Player.
A nice inside leg kick there by Tao. That's going to slow Player down.
Tao lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Tao misses with an uppercut. Player saw that one coming.
Player misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Tao takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Player tries to land a leg kick but Tao saw it coming and moves away.
Player misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Tao counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Tao walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Player checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Player connects with a leg kick. Tao looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Player throws the kick towards the body but Tao avoids it.
Player tries to close the distance and clinch up but Tao swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tao lands a leg kick that knocks Player off balance momentarily.
Tao scores with a kick to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Player looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Tao is looking to land body kicks.
Player's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Tao swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Player throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Player throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tao scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Tao.
A slapping leg kick lands for Player.
Tao lands a head shot.
Player throws a chopping leg kick but Tao manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Player lands an overhand right.
Player lands a nice hook to Tao's body. Tao takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tao misses with a head kick.
Player has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Tao.
Player tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Tao counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Yang Tao will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Player lands with a good body shot.
Tao throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Player takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Tao blocks a head kick by Player.
A low kick from Tao misses

and Player counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Player throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Tao to regain full guard.
Tao is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Tao has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Player off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tao throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tao throws a low kick but it's checked well by Player.
Player fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Tao checks it well.

Player has closed the distance and engaged Tao in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tao is working Player over against the cage.
Player swings wildly with an uppercut but Tao uses good head movement to avoid it.

Tao manages to break the clinch.
A good leg kick by Tao.
It looks like Tao has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Tao is looking to score with low kicks.
A looping hook to the body misses from Player. Tao does a little dance to reset his feet.
Tao slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Player ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Tao moves away.
Player takes a swing at Tao's ribcage but misses.
Tao fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Player checks it well.
Player fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tao manages to avoid it.
Player tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Tao was well out of range. Poor timing from Player.
Player takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Player swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Nice defenses there by Tao.
Tao blocks a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Player tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Tao was well out of range. Poor timing from Player.
Player looks to throw the jab but Tao is out of range.
Tao throws a low kick but Player moves out of range easily.
Tao throws a low kick but it's checked well by Player.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Tao 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 Player has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Player and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
A low kick from Player is predictable there
letting Tao counter with a right hand.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Tao - that will leave a mark!
Tao ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Player moves away.
Tao swings for the body but Player moves out of range.
Tao throws a front kick aimed at Player's knee but Player avoids it well.
Player with a hook.
Tao misses with a low kick.
Tao lands a nice looking kick to the body. Player takes a step back to recover.
Player looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Player avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Player 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 Tao has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Tao and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Tao swinging wildly here.
Tao misses with an attempted mid kick.
Player uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Tao has time to react.
Tao misses with an uppercut.
A low kick from Player is predictable there
and Player takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Player misses with an uppercut. Tao saw that one coming.
Player throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tao chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Player can pounce on him.
A jab from Player misses.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Tao.
Player throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Tao sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Player scores with a leg kick.
Player wants to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Player checks the leg kick.
Player throws a body shot but no joy.
Player throws a big shot that misses.
Player throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Tao's head.
An inside leg kick from Tao misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Player checks the leg kick.
Player tried to score with a low kick but Tao checks it.
Tao with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Donk. Tao catches Player right on the button with a cross.
Tao takes a kick to the side of the head.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Player lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
The crowd cheers as Tao lands an impressive looking overhand right. Player doesn't seem phased though.
Tao throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Player throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Gary Player.
I think Player 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:28

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