PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Peter James (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ray Whitaker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

James
vs
Whitaker

179 cm
19
153 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

177 cm
18
180 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

GREEN!160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Peter James!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ray Whitaker !
The judges for this bout are , Timothy Bukovac and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

James has closed the distance and engaged Whitaker in a clinch.
James is trying to maintain a safe position but Whitaker gets an underhook and turns James into the cage.
James tries to land a knee to the head but Whitaker blocks with his arms.
Whitaker lands a hook to the side of the head.
We've been hearing reports that James has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Whitaker .
James utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
James keeps control of Whitaker as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
James misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Whitaker .
Whitaker is trying to force a seperation but James has the dominant position.
Whitaker on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Whitaker swings wildly with an uppercut but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitaker swings wildly with an uppercut but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
James prevents Whitaker from breaking the clinch.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.
Whitaker has James pushed against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
James utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.
James blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Whitaker lands with a right to the head.
James lands a knee to the head.
James content to slow the pace in the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
James's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Whitaker looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
James stalling the fight.
James misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Whitaker .
Whitaker swings wildly with an uppercut but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
James is trying to maintain a safe position but Whitaker gets an underhook and turns James into the cage.
James stalling in the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker has had enough of the clinch but James keeps him there for the moment.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.
Whitaker misses with a short punch on the inside.
James is pushing Whitaker up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Whitaker lands an uppercut.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
James blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Whitaker takes a knee to the side of the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A head punch blocked on the inside by James.
A head punch on the inside from Whitaker fails to land.
Whitaker misses with a punch on the inside.
Whitaker swings away with an uppercut that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
James blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Whitaker lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
James is trying to maintain a safe position but Whitaker gets an underhook and turns James into the cage.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.
Whitaker being controlled against the cage.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Whitaker tries to stall but James uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Whitaker throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Jamess head.
James trying to land knees to the body.
Whitaker misses with the head strike.
A head punch blocked on the inside by James.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Whitaker creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Whitaker fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Whitaker avoiding damage as James throws knees to the body.
Whitaker stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
James blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Whitaker swings away with an uppercut that misses.
James looking to stall.
Whitaker stalling in the clinch.
James connects with a nasty looking knee right to Whitaker 's face.
James blocking some punches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Whitaker misses with a punch on the inside.
Whitaker is trying to break free.
Whitaker working hard to break the clinch.
Whitaker is trying to break free.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Whitaker 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.

Whitaker throws a good cross that connects.
Whitaker swats away the attempt to clinch by James.
James tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Whitaker counters with a nice uppercut.
James walks into a jab.
James tries to clinch but Whitaker moves out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A right-left combo lands from Whitaker .
James takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
A telegraphed right hand from Whitaker misses the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
James wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
Peter James seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
James tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Whitaker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Whitaker throws out a counter right but James avoids it with no problem.
Whitaker scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
James is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Whitaker has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Whitaker throws out a powerful jab.
James uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Whitaker .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
James walks into a left hand.
Whitaker stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Whitaker connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between James's hands.
Whitaker is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
James ducks under a wild hook from Whitaker .
Nice shot by Whitaker .
This has been an exciting period of action!

James drives through and clinches with Whitaker against the cage.
James is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
James blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
James pressing his opponent against the cage.
Whitaker throws a punch but it's blocked by James.
Whitaker lands a right hand that snaps the head of James backwards.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
James blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Whitaker stalling in the clinch but James improves position.
James lands a knee to the body.
A frustrated look appears on Whitaker 's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Whitaker misses with some punches.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. James obliges.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
James putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Whitaker in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Knees to the body from James.
Whitaker is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
James landing knees to the body.
James tries to stall but Whitaker uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
James blocking some punches.
Knees in the clinch landing for James.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A head punch blocked on the inside by James.
James unloads a knee to the mid-section. Whitaker lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Whitaker blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Ray Whitaker seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
James tries to land a knee to the head but Whitaker blocks with his arms.
Whitaker misses with a hook from the clinch.
Whitaker wants to stall.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Whitaker showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! James's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

James gets a clinch.
Whitaker swings wildly with an uppercut but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
Whitaker wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Whitaker breaks from the clinch.
Whitaker slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Whitaker circles away from the clinch attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

James rushes Whitaker and presses him up against the cage.
Whitaker is trying to break free.
James trying to land knees to the body.
James blocks an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitaker on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Whitaker misses with a hook from the clinch.
A short uppercut from Whitaker .
James takes a shot to the head.
Whitaker working aggressively here.
James stalling in the clinch but Whitaker improves position.
A head punch blocked on the inside by James.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. James obliges.
Whitaker wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Whitaker tries to break free but James pushes him back against the cage.
James stalling in the clinch but Whitaker improves position.
Whitaker blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Whitaker misses with a short punch on the inside.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
James blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Whitaker tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Whitaker throws a punch but it's blocked by James.
Whitaker lands with a light punch inside.
Come on James - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Whitaker is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but James is keeping busy.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Whitaker creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
The referee is keeping an eye on James - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
James slows down the pace here.
Whitaker throws a head punch that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker avoiding damage as James throws knees to the body.
Whitaker throws a punch but it's blocked by James.
James avoiding damage.
James trying to stall but Whitaker improves his position.
Whitaker lands with a short punch from the clinch.
James wants to stall.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
A nice right hand lands inside from Whitaker .
Whitaker takes a knee right on the jaw!
James with a knee to the head.
James blocking some punches.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
James letting Whitaker take a breather here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker throws a punch but it's blocked by James.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
James is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Whitaker is defending well for now.
James scores a nice knee to the body.
James scores a nice knee to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Whitaker misses with some punches.
James unloads a knee to the mid-section. Whitaker lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
A head punch on the inside from Whitaker fails to land.
Whitaker misses with the head strike.
James is trying to maintain a safe position but Whitaker gets an underhook and turns James into the cage.
Whitaker fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
James wants to stall.
James blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Ray Whitaker just about did enough to take it.
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.

Whitaker works the jab nicely.
James wants to clinch.
Whitaker looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
James tries to clinch but Whitaker moves out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Whitaker misses.
Whitaker throws out a powerful jab.
Whitaker might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
James closes the distance but Whitaker moves to the side
and Whitaker cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Nice jab there from Whitaker .

That's one minute gone in the round.
James moves out of range as Whitaker strikes.
James seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
James moves to clinch but Whitaker breaks away
letting Whitaker counter with a right hand.
James tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Whitaker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
James closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Whitaker connects with a jab.
Whitaker lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Whitaker lands a slapping body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
James moves in looking to clinch but Whitaker pushes him off.
James tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Whitaker throws a one two combo.
This has been an exciting period of action!
James tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Whitaker lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Whitaker swats away the attempt to clinch by James.
James tries to clinch up but Whitaker circles away and keeps his distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
James tries to clinch but Whitaker is having none of it.
James wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
James keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Whitaker .
James thinks about countering with a body kick.
James tries to clinch there but Whitaker circles away.
Whitaker misses with a straight left.
James was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
James is looking to clinch but Whitaker is avoiding it.
Whitaker lands the left hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Whitaker . James does a little dance to reset his feet.
James tries to clinch but Whitaker is having none of it.
James tries to clinch up.
It seemed like Whitaker was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
James wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
James tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Whitaker manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
James is looking to clinch but Whitaker is avoiding it.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Whitaker avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
James is looking to clinch but Whitaker is avoiding it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Whitaker dominated that fourth round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Whitaker moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Whitaker misses with a jab, cross combination.
James tries to clinch but Whitaker is having none of it.
Whitaker throws an overhand right that lands on James's shoulder, as James tries to avoid the shot.
James tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Whitaker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
James doesn't manage to clinch there - Whitaker circles away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
James walks into a straight right hand from Whitaker .
James wants to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
James tries to close the distance and clinch but Whitaker swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
James tries to close the distance and clinch but Whitaker swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Whitaker swats away the attempt to clinch by James.

James gets in close and instigates a clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Whitaker swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
James looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
James connects with a knee to the head.
Whitaker scores with a shot to the side of James's head.
Whitaker lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Whitaker as James tries to tie him up.
Whitaker throws a head punch that misses.
Whitaker swings away with an uppercut that misses.
James blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
James keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Whitaker 's efforts to push away.
A short left from Whitaker .
James is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Whitaker is defending well for now.
A frustrated look appears on Whitaker 's face as he tries to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker swings wildly with an uppercut but James uses good head movement to avoid it.
Whitaker working aggressively here.
Whitaker swings away with an uppercut that misses.
James lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Whitaker misses with the head strike.
Whitaker has a couple of punches blocked by James.
James blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Whitaker on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
James is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
James is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Whitaker is defending well for now.
James displaying some good clinch control by pressing Whitaker up against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
James with an attempt at a knee that misses.
James is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Whitaker is defending well for now.
James blocking some punches.
James wants to stall.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Whitaker .
Whitaker lands a right hand that snaps the head of James backwards.
Whitaker lands with a short shot to the head.
Whitaker misses with a punch on the inside.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Whitaker throws a head punch that misses.
James misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Whitaker .
Peter James has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ray Whitaker is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Whitaker misses with the head strike.
Whitaker misses with a punch on the inside.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ray Whitaker comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Whitaker has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 44:50
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 44:50
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 44:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ray Whitaker !
Ray Whitaker is the new welterweight champion!