PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Orlando Sax (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gyawang Lhad (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sax comes to the cage accompanied by Solonen & Kosola - Kolmetoista Kertaa Kovempi Ku Kukaan . Lhad has chosen Iced Earth - Anthem as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Gyawang Lhad has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Sax
vs
Lhad

196 cm
27
274 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

198 cm
26
244 lbs
14 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite 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 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Orlando Sax!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Gyawang Lhad!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, William Peck and Alec Ball.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Lhad moves into range and clinches up with Sax.
Sax working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Lhad landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Sax can't break the clinch.

Sax pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Sax throws a right and a left that both miss.
A big left from Sax misses.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Lhad.
Sax throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Lhad with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
That kick from Lhad tenderised Sax's leg. Sax is trying to keep his angry face on.
Lhad throws a body shot but no joy.
Sax misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Lhad thuds his shin into the meat of Sax's side.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A looping hook to the body misses from Sax. Lhad does a little dance to reset his feet.
Nice body kick from Lhad.
Sax misses with a hook. Lhad ducked under it nicely.
Lhad throws a quick inside leg kick.
Lhad looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sax misses with a straight right.
Lhad scores with a kick to the body.
Lhad lets loose with a powerful body kick. Sax will feel that in the morning.
A good leg kick by Lhad.

Lhad closes the distance and clinches.
Lhad is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Sax is defending well for now.
Lhad blocking some punches.

Lhad breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Lhad thuds his shin into the meat of Sax's side.
Lhad uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Sax.
Lhad is looking to slow Sax down with leg kicks.
Lhad throws a head kick that misses.
Sax thows a left - swing and a miss!
Sax throws a shot from downtown. Lhad moves away and avoids it.
Lhad turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lhad takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Gyawang Lhad has been cut.
Sax has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

It looks like Orlando Sax has been cut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lhad doesn't manage to clinch there - Sax circles away.
Lhad just misses with a punch to the body.
Lhad dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Sax. That did some damage!
Sax fails with a takedown attempt.
Lhad fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Sax.
Lhad feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Sax's calf.
A nice inside leg kick there by Lhad. That's going to slow Sax down.
Sax walks into a stiff left hand from Lhad.
Lhad tries to close the distance and clinch but Sax swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
A solid leg kick lands there for Lhad.
Sax tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Lhad scoring well with a low kick there.
Lhad throws a wild body kick that Sax sees coming a mile off.
Sax will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Sax throws the left hand but Lhad avoids the punch easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sax keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Nice defenses there by Lhad.
Sax on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Lhad. Lhad obviously looking to wear him down.
Sax swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sax loads up on a big right hand but Lhad slips the punch.
Lhad dodges the punch combination from Sax.
Lhad misses with a body shot.
A chopping leg kick lands by Lhad.
Orlando Sax seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Lhad decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sax blocking the ground and pound attempt from Lhad.
Lhad slips a nice elbow through Sax's hands, connecting with Sax's forehead.
Sax controlling the position well.
We've been hearing good reports from Sax's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sax makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Sax.
Lhad wants to control from the top but Sax keeps moving.
Lhad throws a strike but Sax rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lhad keeping moving, preventing Sax from controlling successfully.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Sax accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gyawang Lhad dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Sax rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Lhad counters with a head kick. That will keep Sax thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Sax is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Crunch! Lhad slams his shin into Sax's torso.
Sax throws a combination. Lhad tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
A shot to the liver by Lhad. Beautiful body shot.
Lhad throws a quick inside leg kick.
Lhad has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Sax throws a right hand that misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.

Lhad clinches up against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Lhad.
Nice elbow from Lhad.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Lhad breaks the clinch.

Sax gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Lhad to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Lhad trying to control the position from guard on top but Sax is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sax has a closed guard, preventing Lhad from standing up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sax pulls Lhad in close to his closed guard and prevents Lhad from doing any damage or advancing position.
Lhad throwing strikes but missing.
Lhad throws an elbow that misses. Sax uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Lhad's guard. Nice move by Sax!

Sax throws a big right hand that misses.

That's two 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.
Sax throws a strike but Lhad rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Lhad throws an elbow that misses. Sax uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Lhad's guard. Nice move by Sax!

Sax postures up in Lhad's guard and throws a big left but Lhad blocks it.
Lhad wants to stand up but Sax is controlling him.
Sax postures up in Lhad's guard and throws a big left but Lhad blocks it.
Sax wants to pass the guard but Lhad is keeping the position.
Sax prevents Lhad from getting back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sax chips away with some ground and pound.
Sax trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Sax 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.
Sax throws a strike but Lhad rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Lhad throws a strike but Sax rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Lhad working a defensive guard but Sax manages to pass into side control anyway.
Sax tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Lhad tries to bench press Sax off him but Sax keeps the position.
Lhad wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Sax misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lhad regains half guard, as Sax was trying to land strikes.
Sax throwing shots but Lhad is blocking nicely.
Lhad blocking the ground and pound attempt from Sax.
Sax looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Lhad with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Sax wants to lay and pray for a moment but Lhad keeps working.
Sax stops Lhad from getting back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Gyawang Lhad will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Lhad showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Sax.
Sax throws a poor cross that misses
and Lhad counters with a thumping low kick.
Sax throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Lhad sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Lhad pushes Sax up against the cage in a clinch.
Lhad lands a knee to the head.
Lhad gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Lhad lands an elbow inside.

Orlando Sax's cut is getting worse.
Sax blocks an elbow strike from Lhad.
Sax avoids the elbow strike from Lhad, against the cage.
Lhad jumps guard but Sax turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Lhad putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Sax in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Sax's legs have taken a beating and he's really slowing down as a result.

Lhad drags the fight down to the ground.
Lhad avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Lhad looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sax is one step ahead there.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Lhad is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sax is controlling him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sax loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Sax content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Sax throws a big right hand that misses.
Sax throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Lhad works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Lhad is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sax is controlling him.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Lhad tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Sax defends well and Lhad ends up having to push Sax into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Lhad keeps control of Sax as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Lhad throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

That's two 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.

Lhad pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Lhad is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Sax rather than just go for the knockout.
Lhad ducks under a wild hook from Sax.
Sax misses with a jab, cross combination.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Lhad checks a leg kick.
Lhad lands with a slapping head kick.
Lhad moves out of range of the leg kick from Sax.
Lhad fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Sax.
Sax takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Lhad showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Sax.
Gyawang Lhad seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Sax throws an off balance right hand
and Lhad counters with a big head kick but Sax shrugs it off.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Lhad. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Lhad shoots for a takedown but Sax saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Orlando Sax has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gyawang Lhad.
A nice leg kick lands there from Lhad.
A low kick from Sax is predictable there
and Lhad counters with a leg kick.
Lhad throws a nice outside leg kick.
Sax takes a shot right to the bread basket.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sax takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Sloppy strikes from Sax. Those never looked like landing.
Lhad throws a quick inside leg kick.
Sax misses the body punch
and Lhad counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Lhad lands with a thumping leg kick.
Gyawang Lhad is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Lhad scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Lhad wants to clinch.
Good leg kick by Lhad there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Danga de danga de dang - Lhad scores with a four punch combination!
Gyawang Lhad is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Lhad connects with an inside leg kick.
Lhad looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Lhad misses with a double jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sax pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Lhad connects with an inside leg kick.
Sax jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Lhad, right into the meat.

Sax closes the distance and clinches.
Sax misses with a hook from the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Sax's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Lhad blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A head punch on the inside from Sax fails to land.
Orlando Sax has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Sax.

Lhad breaks from the clinch.
Sax lands with a hook. Lhad tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gyawang Lhad comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Lhad 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Peck scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alec Ball scores the fight 27:30

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