PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Omar Boulami (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matrim Cauthon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Boulami comes into the arena with The Rock - Mustapha Ibrahim blaring out of the sound system. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Boulami
vs
Cauthon

171 cm
24
177 lbs
15 - 1 - 0

188 cm
24
172 lbs
12 - 7 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

VICIOUS FIGHT GEAR
GREEN!160

Fury Nutrition Inc.

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 15 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Omar Boulami!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 7 - 1, fighting out of New York, Matrim Cauthon!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, Phil Schofield and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cauthon feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Boulami's calf.
Cauthon has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Cauthon scores with a kick to the body.
Boulami misses with a straight left.
Boulami takes a kick to the side of the head.

It looks like Omar Boulami has been cut.
Boulami takes a swing at Cauthon's ribcage but misses.
Boulami avoids the head kick by Cauthon.
Cauthon throws a leg kick that is checked

and Boulami counters with a single leg into guard. Cauthon didn't expect that.
Cauthon tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Boulami throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Boulami throwing strikes but missing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Boulami accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Boulami won't allow Cauthon to sweep him here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boulami scoring with some ground and pound.
Cauthon not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Cauthon utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Boulami has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Cauthon working a defensive guard here.
Cauthon has his hands on Boulami's head, controlling the position.

Cauthon throws his legs up looking for a submission but Boulami uses it to pass to side control.
Boulami in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Boulami throws an elbow but Cauthon slips to the side and avoids it well.
Cauthon wants to control but Boulami postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cauthon sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Cauthon is looking for a sweep. Boulami is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Boulami trying to advance position but Cauthon counters by regaining guard.
Boulami working some strikes from top position.
Boulami trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Cauthon lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Boulami is trying to keep Cauthon in close.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Boulami looking to hit a scissor sweep but Cauthon is one step ahead there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Boulami is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Boulami wants to sweep here but Cauthon controlling him for the moment.
Cauthon slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Boulami is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Cauthon throwing strikes from guard but Boulami blocks nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Boulami looking for a sweep. Not yet Boulami, not yet.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Cauthon is looking to land body kicks.
Cauthon tries to score with a low kick but Boulami moves his leg out of the way.
Cauthon goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

Boulami closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Boulami lands in his opponent's guard.
Cauthon keeping moving, preventing Boulami from controlling successfully.
Cauthon looking to hit a scissor sweep but Boulami is one step ahead there.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Boulami trying to control but Cauthon is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Omar Boulami dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Omar Boulami's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

A nice combination there by Boulami.

It looks like Matrim Cauthon has been cut.
Cauthon uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Boulami.

Boulami closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Cauthon is looking to control Boulami's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Cauthon avoid being mounted?

Cauthon looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Cauthon is trying to get back to full guard.
Boulami working over Cauthon with some ground and pound. Cauthon looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Boulami throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Cauthon to regain full guard.
Boulami wants to control from the top but Cauthon keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boulami is fighting to break Cauthon's control of his arms but Cauthon is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Cauthon avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Boulami throwing strikes but missing.
Cauthon looking to hit a scissor sweep but Boulami is one step ahead there.
Cauthon is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Boulami looking to sit in guard and control but Cauthon gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Boulami is trying to keep Cauthon in close.
Cauthon looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Cauthon trying to control but Boulami is working from the bottom.
Cauthon stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Boulami swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Cauthon trying to control but Boulami is working from the bottom.
Omar Boulami overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cauthon might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Boulami haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Horrible takedown attempt by Boulami or perhaps it was just good defense by Cauthon, which made it look bad.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Cauthon 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 Boulami has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Boulami and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Cauthon lands with a thumping leg kick.
Cauthon checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
No luck for Cauthon with that takedown attempt.
Boulami avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Cauthon pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Cauthon throws the kick towards the body but Boulami avoids it.
Boulami with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cauthon attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Boulami takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Cauthon fails to land the takedown.
Matrim Cauthon seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Cauthon shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Boulami napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Boulami is trying to control Cauthon's posture but Cauthon avoids it.
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!
Boulami is looking to regain half guard here but Cauthon keeps moving and retains side control.
Boulami manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Cauthon keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
We've been hearing that Boulami has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Cauthon avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Boulami.
Boulami is looking to take a break and control but Cauthon is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
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 Omar Boulami will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
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. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Boulami swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Cauthon throws a low kick but Boulami avoids it.
Cauthon will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Cauthon tries to score with a low kick but Boulami moves his leg out of the way.

Boulami drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Boulami working the ground and pound but Cauthon is defending the strikes.
You can see the frustration on Cauthon's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Cauthon manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Cauthon actively working from the bottom here.
Boulami not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cauthon is looking to improve his position.
Boulami throwing shots but Cauthon is blocking nicely.
Boulami tries to pass to full mount but Cauthon defends it.
Boulami drops an elbow to the side of Cauthon's head.
Cauthon regains full guard. Nicely done.
Cauthon is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Boulami loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Boulami throwing strikes from guard but Cauthon blocks nicely.
Matrim Cauthon has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Cauthon working a defensive guard but Boulami passes into half guard.

Boulami is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Boulami prevents Cauthon from improving his position.
Boulami landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Cauthon wants to get back to full guard.
Omar Boulami is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Boulami with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Boulami has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Boulami is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cauthon can do to turn this around?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Boulami lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Boulami throws a big shot that misses.
Cauthon dives in and grabs Boulami's left leg, looking for a takedown. Boulami pushes down on Cauthon's head and hops out.
Cauthon tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A bone on bone clash there as Boulami blocks the leg kick.
Cauthon throws a sloppy head kick and Boulami moves out of range easily.
Cauthon scores with a head kick.
Boulami swings for the body but Cauthon moves out of range.
Cauthon throws a sloppy head kick and Boulami moves out of range easily.

Boulami scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Cauthon is trying to get back to half guard.
You can see the frustration on Cauthon's face as Boulami controls the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Boulami.
Cauthon tries to buck Boulami off but Boulami is having none of it.
You can see the frustration on Cauthon's face as Boulami controls the position.
Boulami wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cauthon keeps working.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Cauthon tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Boulami taking a breather here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Omar Boulami showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Boulami, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 James Ackerman scores the fight 30:27
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Glass scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Omar Boulami!
Our winner, Omar Boulami, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.