PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Micky Ward (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Max Reigns (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Reigns has chosen Waiting 4 D End-LinkinPark as his entrance music. The key to victory for Micky Ward has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Ward
vs
Reigns

188 cm
26
224 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

190 cm
26
205 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Prefers standup

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Micky Ward!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Max Reigns!
The judges for this bout are Kenichi Hosakawa, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Yasuomi Hirokawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Reigns forces Ward back against the cage and clinches.
Reigns misses with a knee strike.
Reigns drops down looking for an ankle pick but Ward pulls his leg out and moves away.
Reigns tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Ward rushes Reigns and presses him up against the cage.

Reigns manages to pull guard.
Reigns has a closed guard, preventing Ward from standing up.
Reigns trying to control the position here.
Ward is looking to stand up but Reigns won't let him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Reigns has his feet on Ward's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Reigns looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Reigns takes the fight into the clinch.
Ward goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Reigns lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Reigns can't get the takedown.
Come on Ward - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Ward blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Ward tries to throw a body punch but Reigns avoids it by throwing Ward back against the cage.
Reigns goes for a takedown attempt but Ward pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Micky Ward has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Max Reigns.
Reigns walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Ward connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Reigns momentarily.
Ward waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Reigns.

Reigns rushes Ward and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Reigns is trying to trip Ward. He has hold of a leg but Ward is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Reigns persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ward utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reigns trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Ward on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Ward tries to get out of the position.
Reigns is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Reigns lands a couple of digs.
Reigns trying to control the position from guard on top but Ward is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Reigns accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Ward knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Reigns on the ground.
Ward keeping full guard, as Reigns tries to pass.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Reigns accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Reigns fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ward, pushing him back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ward takes an elbow to the forehead.

It looks like Micky Ward has been cut.
Reigns lands a damaging elbow.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Reigns.
Ward stalls.
Reigns gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Reigns jumps guard but Ward stands there with Reigns around his waist. Reigns gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Reigns jumps guard but Ward stands there with Reigns around his waist. Reigns gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Ward takes a knee right on the jaw!
Reigns goes for a takedown in the clinch but Ward prevents it.
A short uppercut from Ward.
Ward fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Reigns lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Ward takes a knee right on the jaw!
Ward wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Ward lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Reigns.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Reigns with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Reigns looks winded!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reigns is working for takedown but Ward is calmly controlling the position for now.
Ward is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Ward digs a right hand underneath Reigns's ribcage. Reigns let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Ward scores with a nice hook to the head.
Ward has had enough of the clinch but Reigns keeps him there for the moment.
Ward lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Ward gets through Reigns's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Ward lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Reigns.
Ward wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Ward softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Ward working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Ward lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

Reigns is rocked!
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Ward.
Reigns is still on wobbly legs! Can Ward finish him?
Ward leaning against his opponent.
Ward lands an uppercut in the clinch that drops Reigns to his knees! Ward keeps firing more shots against his stricken opponent and the referee jumps in to save him!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:50 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Micky Ward!
After the fight, Micky Ward was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.