PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jerome Le Banner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tsubasa J Champ (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Le Banner
vs
J Champ

190 cm
33
217 lbs
16 - 10 - 1

186 cm
34
210 lbs
21 - 10 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Museum of Monsters & Madmen

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Jerome Le Banner!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Tsubasa J Champ!
The judges for this bout are Edson Gomes, Mauricio Rocha and Alexandre Firmino.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
J Champ moves out of range as Banner strikes.
J Champ takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Banner takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
A solid leg kick lands there for J Champ.
J Champ goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Banner misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
A head kick misses from J Champ.
Banner takes a swing at J Champ's ribcage but misses.
J Champ attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
No joy there for Banner, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Banner misses with a right hand
and J Champ counters with a nice leg kick.
J Champ on the wrong end of a nice jab.
J Champ chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Banner shoots in for a takedown but J Champ shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by J Champ.
Banner takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Banner throws a looping overhand right but J Champ ducks down to avoid it.
Tsubasa J Champ is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Banner shoots in for a double leg but J Champ sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jerome Le Banner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Banner misses with a hook
and J Champ counters with a slapping leg kick.
Banner looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Banner keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Banner takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
J Champ throws a low kick but Banner moves out of range easily.
J Champ avoids the body shot from Banner.
Banner shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts J Champ as he jumps to the side.
Banner looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Banner fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but J Champ avoids it really well and circles away.
Jerome Le Banner seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An inside leg kick lands from J Champ.
J Champ throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
J Champ lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
A punch combination from Banner misses.
Banner throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Banner lands a jab to the nose.
Banner tries for a takedown but J Champ sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
J Champ is looking to slow Banner down with leg kicks.
Banner smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
A chopping leg kick lands by J Champ.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banner fails with the takedown.
Banner blocks a head kick by J Champ.
Banner throws a lazy uppercut
and J Champ counters with a body kick.
Nice body kick there by J Champ.
J Champ throws a leg kick which misses Banner's front leg but catches the back leg as Banner tries to avoid it.
J Champ will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.

J Champ gets caught flat footed, as Banner shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Banner in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
J Champ is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Banner is trying to get back to full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
J Champ seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
J Champ trying to mount his opponent but Banner defends it.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
J Champ content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Banner makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Banner.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tsubasa J Champ dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Banner misses with a jab to the body
and J Champ counters with a slapping leg kick.
Banner throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

Banner shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Banner was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Banner working the strikes but J Champ uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
J Champ avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Banner.
J Champ felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
J Champ moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Banner postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Banner stopping the sweep attempt from J Champ.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Banner pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. J Champ is keeping the position for now.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Banner trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
J Champ seems keen to control Banner's posture.
Banner stopping the sweep attempt from J Champ.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Good exchange - Banner coming out on top.
J Champ stuffs the takedown attempt from Banner. Banner gets slowly back to his feet.
Banner throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
J Champ staying out of range there.
Banner swings for the body but J Champ moves out of range.
Banner fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but J Champ avoids it really well and circles away.
Banner misses with a jab to the body
and J Champ counters with a nice low kick that buckles Banner's knee momentarily.
Banner shoots in but J Champ avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jerome Le Banner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Banner goes for a double leg but J Champ avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the ropes as J Champ continues to drive forward.
J Champ has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
J Champ misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Banner.
J Champ scores with a shoulder strike.
Banner fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Banner changes levels and goes for a takedown here. J Champ fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Banner shoots in and drives through. J Champ sprawls well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banner scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. J Champ doesn't seem bothered though.
Banner looks to score with a jab to the body but J Champ is just out of range.
J Champ swings away with a leg kick that misses.
A jab from Banner misses.
J Champ is looking to slow Banner down with leg kicks.
J Champ scores with a leg kick.
J Champ keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Banner.
J Champ throws a leg kick which misses Banner's front leg but catches the back leg as Banner tries to avoid it.
Banner goes for a double leg but J Champ avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the ropes as J Champ continues to drive forward.
Banner misses with a punch on the inside.
Banner tries to work over J Champ's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banner changes levels and goes for a takedown here. J Champ fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Banner misses with a left hand
and J Champ counters with a good low kick that Banner was not able to check.
Banner throws a hook but J Champ avoids it easily.
J Champ connects with an inside leg kick.
J Champ connects with a solid leg kick.
Banner shoots in looking for a takedown but J Champ manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Banner's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Banner chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before J Champ can pounce on him.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A big right from Banner misses.
Banner is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
J Champ keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Banner checks a leg kick.
That kick from J Champ tenderised Banner's leg. Banner is trying to keep his angry face on.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tsubasa J Champ showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Banner misses with an uppercut. J Champ saw that one coming.
J Champ misses with a low kick.
J Champ takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
J Champ lands a nice leg kick that just misses Banner's sensitive parts.
Banner closes this distance looking for a takedown but J Champ circles away.
Banner changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. J Champ tries to avoid it but Banner manages to keep hold of a leg and drag J Champ to the ground. J Champ escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
J Champ throws the kick towards the body but Banner avoids it.
J Champ throws a low kick but Banner moves out of range easily.
A solid leg kick lands there for J Champ.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A chopping leg kick lands by J Champ.
Banner throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Banner fakes high and swings low for a body shot but J Champ manages to avoid it.
J Champ scoring well with a low kick there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
J Champ misses with a leg kick.
Banner's legs have taken a beating and he's really slowing down as a result.
Banner takes a swing at J Champ's ribcage but misses.
A solid leg kick lands there for J Champ.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Banner.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jerome Le Banner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Banner looks to land a left hand but J Champ moved out of range nicely.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by J Champ.
J Champ lands with a thumping leg kick.
Banner sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Tsubasa J Champ seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Banner misses with an uppercut.

Banner closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
J Champ is trying is best to control the position here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
J Champ slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Banner has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
J Champ is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
J Champ prevents Banner from improving his position.
J Champ controlling the pace.
J Champ is pressing down on Banner's thigh, looking to free his foot. Banner is holding on for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
J Champ passes to full mount!
Banner is squirming around, avoiding J Champ's attempts to control the action.
J Champ takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banner is looking to improve his position but J Champ isn't that keen on the idea.
J Champ looking to control and managing it successfully.
J Champ avoids the attempt from Banner to control.
J Champ tries to control but Banner wriggling away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
J Champ tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tsubasa J Champ really 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.

J Champ with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Banner fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
A looping hook to the body misses from Banner. J Champ does a little dance to reset his feet.
Banner misses with a hook.
Banner takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Banner missing with a left hand there. J Champ was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A slapping leg kick lands for J Champ.
Nice defenses there by J Champ.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A good leg kick by J Champ.
J Champ misses with a low kick.
Banner throws a body shot but no joy.
Banner is trying hard to land a takedown here. J Champ sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
J Champ keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Banner jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Banner closes the distance and clinches up with J Champ, looking for a takedown. Banner pushes J Champ against the ropes but J Champ circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jerome Le Banner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Banner takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Banner takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Banner fails with the takedown.
J Champ feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Banner's calf.
Banner has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from J Champ.
Banner fails to land the takedown.
Banner on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by J Champ. J Champ obviously looking to wear him down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
J Champ throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Banner throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
J Champ fakes the leg kick and cracks Banner in the body.
J Champ 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.
Banner misses with a looping right.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
J Champ takes one to the chin there.
That kick from J Champ tenderised Banner's leg. Banner is trying to keep his angry face on.
Banner shoots in looking for a takedown but J Champ manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Banner's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
J Champ fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Banner.
Banner has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by J Champ.
J Champ scoring well with a low kick there.
Banner shoots in for a double leg but J Champ sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
J Champ uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Banner.
Banner takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
J Champ goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

It looks like Jerome Le Banner has been cut.
Banner misses with a looping right.
J Champ slaps away a takedown attempt from Banner, before circling back to the center of the mat.
A nice leg kick lands there from J Champ.
J Champ explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
A big left from Banner misses.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by J Champ.
Banner closes this distance looking for a takedown but J Champ circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banner misses with a right hand
and J Champ counters with a nice kick to the body.
J Champ connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Banner fails with the takedown.
J Champ lands with a thumping leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
J Champ dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Banner. That did some damage!
J Champ dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Banner. That did some damage!
J Champ scores with a nice body kick.
Banner throws out a loose jab but J Champ uses good head movement to avoid it.
Banner takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Banner shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts J Champ as he jumps to the side.
Banner swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and J Champ counters with a nice leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tsubasa J Champ dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Jerome Le Banner's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

J Champ throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Nice takedown defense from J Champ. No joy for Banner on that attempt.
Banner takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from J Champ - that will leave a mark!
Banner misses with a body shot
and J Champ counters with a low kick, right behind Banner 's knee.
Banner on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by J Champ. J Champ obviously looking to wear him down.
Banner shoots in for a double leg but J Champ sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
J Champ misses with a head kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A solid leg kick lands there for J Champ.
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.
J Champ attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
J Champ buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Banner misses with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banner moves out of range of the leg kick from J Champ.
J Champ tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Banner is able to avoid easily.
J Champ uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Banner.
Banner stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Banner throws a predictable looking body shot
and J Champ counters with a solid body kick.
J Champ scores with a push kick.
Banner shoots for a takedown but J Champ saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jerome Le Banner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice body kick there by J Champ.
J Champ buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
J Champ throws a leg kick which misses Banner's front leg but catches the back leg as Banner tries to avoid it.
J Champ lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Banner blocks a low kick nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
J Champ lands with a nice body kick.
Banner checks a leg kick.
Banner shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. J Champ defends it nicely.
Banner changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. J Champ tries to avoid it but Banner manages to keep hold of a leg and drag J Champ to the ground. J Champ escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Banner throws a hook but J Champ avoids it easily.
Banner takes a swing at J Champ's ribcage but misses.
J Champ throws a nice outside leg kick.
J Champ lands a leg kick that knocks Banner off balance momentarily.

Banner is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in J Champ's half guard.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banner stalling away here and it's allowed J Champ to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Tsubasa J Champ is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Banner trying to control the position from guard on top but J Champ is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
J Champ is pulling down on Banner's head. It's preventing any offense from Banner, at least for the moment.
Banner stopping the sweep attempt from J Champ.
Banner with a flurry of punches that miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Banner preventing the sweep.
Banner throws a strike but J Champ rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Banner wants to sweep here but J Champ controlling him for the moment.
J Champ not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Banner looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
J Champ has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Banner is proving hard to escape from.
J Champ trying to control the position from guard on top but Banner is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tsubasa J Champ comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got J Champ winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Edson Gomes scores the fight 45:50
Judge Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 45:50
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tsubasa J Champ!
Tsubasa J Champ is the new light heavyweight champion!
After winning the bout, Tsubasa J Champ thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.