PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Buakaw Borcrao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). al-Baghdadi's entrance music is Till I Collapse - Eminem Feat. Nate Dogg. A fine choice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Bakr al-Baghdadi
vs
Borcrao

178 cm
23
141 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

164 cm
23
148 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Valhalla Fight Wear

Valhalla Fight Wear
//buriedALIVE// 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 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Buakaw Borcrao!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Robert Twigg and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Borcrao cracks al-Baghdadi with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
al-Baghdadi fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Borcrao looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Borcrao moves out of range of the strikes.
al-Baghdadi lands a jab to Borcrao's midsection.
al-Baghdadi misses with a looping right.
al-Baghdadi is looking to clinch.
Borcrao takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
al-Baghdadi lands a nice shot that snaps Borcrao's head back.
al-Baghdadi avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Borcrao cracks al-Baghdadi with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
al-Baghdadi wants to clinch.
Nice straight punches there by al-Baghdadi. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of al-Baghdadi.
al-Baghdadi really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
al-Baghdadi scores with a nice strike.
al-Baghdadi attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Borcrao scores with a head kick. al-Baghdadi tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
al-Baghdadi throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Borcrao on the side of the head.
al-Baghdadi swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Borcrao misses with an uppercut.
Borcrao throws a predictable looking body shot
and al-Baghdadi connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
The fighters circling - Borcrao throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
al-Baghdadi cracks Borcrao with an open hand slap.

Borcrao is rocked!
A head kick from al-Baghdadi lands but Borcrao takes it in his stride.
Borcrao is still on wobbly legs! Can al-Baghdadi finish him?
Borcrao takes one to the side of the head.
Borcrao throws a head kick but al-Baghdadi moves out of range.
al-Baghdadi blocks a jab.
Borcrao ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

al-Baghdadi waves his right hand out in front of him, looking to distract Borcrao. Oh, he's unloaded a beast of a left hand - it worked! He's dropped Borcrao to the canvas! Can he finish him!?
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Borcrao looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
al-Baghdadi in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi scoring with punches to the head and body.
Borcrao has control of al-Baghdadi's left arm, preventing al-Baghdadi from doing any damage.
al-Baghdadi is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Borcrao seems to have recovered his senses.
Borcrao is trying to keep al-Baghdadi in close.
Borcrao told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.
al-Baghdadi is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Borcrao controlling the position.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
al-Baghdadi throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
al-Baghdadi keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Borcrao's head.
al-Baghdadi preventing the sweep.
Borcrao utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Borcrao 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.
al-Baghdadi trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Borcrao loads up on a big right hand but al-Baghdadi slips the punch.
al-Baghdadi buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
al-Baghdadi digs a good hook to Borcrao's body.
Borcrao connects with a right hand. al-Baghdadi shakes it off.
Borcrao buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
al-Baghdadi sizes up Borcrao with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Borcrao takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Buakaw Borcrao seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Borcrao checks a leg kick.
al-Baghdadi throws a low kick but Borcrao moves out of range easily.
Borcrao throws a body shot but no joy.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from al-Baghdadi 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 Borcrao has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Borcrao and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Borcrao scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. al-Baghdadi doesn't seem bothered though.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
al-Baghdadi needs to keep his hands up - Borcrao had a free shot at his head there.
Borcrao misses with a wild body shot.
al-Baghdadi takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
al-Baghdadi checks a leg kick.
al-Baghdadi looks to land a right hand but Borcrao moved out of range.
Borcrao on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
al-Baghdadi throws a lazy right hand but Borcrao sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Borcrao misses with a hook
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Borcrao tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and al-Baghdadi is able to avoid easily.
Borcrao misses with a body punch
and al-Baghdadi counters with a good low kick that Borcrao was not able to check.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 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.

A telegraphed right hand from Borcrao misses the target.
Borcrao lands with a hook. al-Baghdadi tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Borcrao throws a shot from downtown. al-Baghdadi moves away and avoids it.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
al-Baghdadi cracks a nice hook into Borcrao's ribs.
al-Baghdadi lands a leg kick that knocks Borcrao off balance momentarily.
al-Baghdadi blocks a head kick by Borcrao.
al-Baghdadi connects with a leg kick. Borcrao looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
al-Baghdadi is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Borcrao misses with a body shot.
al-Baghdadi throws an off balance right hand
and Borcrao counters with a nice leg kick.
Borcrao misses with a looping right.
al-Baghdadi cracks Borcrao with an open hand slap.
Borcrao drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
al-Baghdadi dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Borcrao throws a low kick but al-Baghdadi moves out of range easily.
Borcrao tries to move into range but al-Baghdadi moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Borcrao walks into a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Borcrao lands with a nice body punch.
al-Baghdadi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Borcrao was well out of range. Poor timing from al-Baghdadi.
al-Baghdadi swings for the body but Borcrao moves out of range.
al-Baghdadi with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Borcrao to score with a decent uppercut.
al-Baghdadi is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as al-Baghdadi checks a leg kick.
Borcrao lands with a straight right. al-Baghdadi didn't see that one coming.
al-Baghdadi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
al-Baghdadi throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Borcrao throws a lazy right hand but al-Baghdadi sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A head kick misses from Borcrao.
Borcrao misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from al-Baghdadi.
al-Baghdadi moves away from the strike by Borcrao.
al-Baghdadi blocks a leg kick.
Borcrao takes one to the side of the head.
Nice uppercut lands for Borcrao. That snapped al-Baghdadi's head back.
al-Baghdadi slips a jab and a cross from Borcrao.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi avoids a punch combination nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
al-Baghdadi misses the shot to the body.
al-Baghdadi missing with a left hand there. Borcrao was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
al-Baghdadi ducks under a wild hook from Borcrao.
al-Baghdadi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Borcrao takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Borcrao keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
al-Baghdadi on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Borcrao connects with a body shot that sends al-Baghdadi's belly button to the back.
al-Baghdadi scores with a nice head shot.
al-Baghdadi scores with a body shot.
Borcrao fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is winning the standup battle so far.
al-Baghdadi scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
al-Baghdadi avoids the head kick by Borcrao.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi throws a head kick that misses.
Borcrao slips under a jab from al-Baghdadi.
A swing and a miss from al-Baghdadi.
Borcrao throws a hook but al-Baghdadi blocks it.
Borcrao tries to score with a low kick but al-Baghdadi moves his leg out of the way.
Borcrao throws a front kick aimed at al-Baghdadi's knee but al-Baghdadi avoids it well.
al-Baghdadi misses with a leg kick.
Borcrao misses with a straight left.
al-Baghdadi is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Borcrao can do to turn this around?
Borcrao tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Borcrao slips under a jab.
A jab from Borcrao misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Borcrao. al-Baghdadi does a little dance to reset his feet.
al-Baghdadi fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
al-Baghdadi ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
al-Baghdadi takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi lands a head shot.
al-Baghdadi throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Borcrao stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
This has been an exciting period of action!
al-Baghdadi looks to land a left hand but Borcrao moved out of range nicely.
al-Baghdadi throws out a powerful jab.
al-Baghdadi has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Borcrao finds it's way round the side to connect with al-Baghdadi's head.
Borcrao blocks a low kick nicely.
al-Baghdadi swings for the body but Borcrao moves out of range.
Borcrao misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from al-Baghdadi.
al-Baghdadi is looking to clinch but Borcrao is avoiding it.
al-Baghdadi with a nice cross.
Borcrao takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Good leg kick by Borcrao there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
al-Baghdadi throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Borcrao takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
al-Baghdadi connects with an inside leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Borcrao misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
al-Baghdadi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
A telegraphed right hand from al-Baghdadi misses the target.
al-Baghdadi ducks under a wild hook from Borcrao.
Borcrao thows a leg kick but al-Baghdadi checks it
and al-Baghdadi counters with a good low kick that Borcrao was not able to check.
Borcrao has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Borcrao there as he acknowledges the shot.
al-Baghdadi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Borcrao uses good head movement to avoid the hook from al-Baghdadi.
Borcrao throws a jab when al-Baghdadi was well out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
al-Baghdadi wants to clinch.
Borcrao looks to land a left hand but al-Baghdadi moved out of range nicely.
Decent striking displayed by al-Baghdadi there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
al-Baghdadi throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Nice jab there from Borcrao.
Borcrao throws the left hand but al-Baghdadi avoids the punch easily.
al-Baghdadi throws a combination that misses
and Borcrao counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
al-Baghdadi is looking to clinch.
Borcrao's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
al-Baghdadi wants to clinch
and Borcrao counters with a leg kick.
A jab from Borcrao finds it's way through al-Baghdadi's defenses.
Borcrao has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
al-Baghdadi connects with a single shot there.
al-Baghdadi takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
al-Baghdadi takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Borcrao rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and al-Baghdadi counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Nice uppercut lands for al-Baghdadi. That snapped Borcrao's head back.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
al-Baghdadi misses with a wild body shot.
Borcrao misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Buakaw Borcrao has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A shot to the liver by al-Baghdadi. Beautiful body shot.
al-Baghdadi scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
al-Baghdadi lands a right hook to the body.
Borcrao throws a combination that misses
and al-Baghdadi counters with a nice uppercut.
A low kick from Borcrao misses
and al-Baghdadi scores with a counter punch that sends Borcrao to the canvas! al-Baghdadi smells blood - he's punishing Borcrao with more strikes and the ref has stopped it! Borcrao has no idea where he is - he's tackled the ref... oh dear, poor guy, the crowd is in hysterics!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:26 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!
After winning the bout, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.