PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dominic Rude (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jia O Connor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Rude might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Gunslinger. O Connor has chosen Parkway Drive - Feed them to the pigs as his entrance music. Jia O Connor told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Rude
vs
O Connor

190 cm
37
218 lbs
29 - 14 - 2

188 cm
31
215 lbs
18 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

Spartan Nutrition
AnonymouS

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 29 - 14 - 2, fighting out of Hilo, Dominic Rude!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jia O Connor!
The judges for this bout are Jeff Smith, Ryoma Takatsuka and Micheangelo Fripello.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rude steps to the side to avoid the strikes from O Connor.
Jab, jab by Rude - just one landing.
O Connor throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Rude.
O Connor throws the left hand but Rude avoids the punch easily.
Rude doesn't succeed with the takedown
and O Connor counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A jab from O Connor finds it's way through Rude's defenses.
Rude throws a predictable looking body shot

and O Connor counters by clinching up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

O Connor breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
O Connor stuffs the takedown.
O Connor is looking to land body kicks.

Rude clinches up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rude breaks the clinch.
Rude ducks under a wild hook from O Connor.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Rude, as that shot connected.
Rude throws a body shot but no joy.
Dominic Rude seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
O Connor throws a lazy right hand but Rude sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
O Connor avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Rude keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

Rude forces O Connor back against the cage and clinches.

O Connor escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A telegraphed right hand from O Connor misses the target.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by O Connor.
Rude tries to score a power double leg takedown but O Connor sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Rude somewhat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dominic Rude. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Connor throws a jab but it's blocked by Rude.
A little feinted left hand from Rude on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Rude closes the distance and clinches up with O Connor, looking for a takedown. Rude pushes O Connor against the cage but O Connor circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
A slow jab from Rude misses its intended target.
Rude throws a right hand that O Connor ducks under and follows up with a left that O Connor also avoids with ease.
O Connor scores with a head kick. Rude tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A jab lands there for Rude.
Jia O Connor is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rude misses with a series of wild punches.
O Connor lands a jab to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rude feints and then cracks O Connor's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow O Connor down.
Rude keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Rude fakes high and swings low for a body shot but O Connor manages to avoid it.

O Connor gets caught flat footed, as Rude shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Rude slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
O Connor wants to stand and escape but Rude is having none of it.
Rude wants to pass the guard but O Connor is keeping the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Connor wants to stand but Rude is controlling the position.
O Connor is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Rude slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Rude. O Connor shrugs it off though.
O Connor takes one to the side of the head.
O Connor connects with a body shot.

O Connor gets caught flat footed, as Rude shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dominic Rude will probably get the nod.
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.

O Connor takes a swing at Rude's ribcage but misses.
O Connor avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
O Connor swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Rude misses with a straight left.
O Connor takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Rude avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Rude looks for the body kick but O Connor saw that one coming.
O Connor scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
O Connor misses with a hook
and Rude cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rude darts in trying to clinch
and O Connor counters with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rude takes the fight into the clinch.
O Connor is trying to break the clinch but Rude has him pressed against the cage.

O Connor breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
O Connor swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
O Connor 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.
Rude fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
O Connor lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.

Rude closes the distance and pushes O Connor back into the cage.
O Connor is looking to break free of the clinch but Rude has double underhooks.
Rude lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of O Connor backwards.

O Connor pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Rude tries to clinch but O Connor moves out of range.
Rude shoots in for a double leg but O Connor sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
O Connor blocks a head kick by Rude.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rude throws a poor cross that misses
and O Connor counters with a nice body shot.
O Connor throws a shot from downtown. Rude moves away and avoids it.
Rude fails in his attempt to clinch.
Rude moves in looking to clinch but O Connor pushes him off.
Rude backing away here, and O Connor unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
A swing and a miss from O Connor.
O Connor avoids the body shot from Rude.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nice takedown defense from O Connor. No joy for Rude on that attempt.
Rude fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dominic Rude. That's going to take a lot out of him.
O Connor lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
O Connor has tried to improve his agility in the runup to this fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rude misses with a few strikes there.
A little jabbing left from O Connor on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
O Connor looks to throw the jab but Rude is out of range.
Rude tries to close the distance and clinch but O Connor swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
O Connor showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Rude.
O Connor lands a glancing blow to the side of Rude's head.
Rude ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Rude tries to close the distance and clinch but O Connor swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rude darts in looking for a takedown but O Connor gets double underhooks and turns Rude into the cage.

Rude moves into range and clinches up with O Connor.
Rude misses with a shot to the kidneys.

O Connor manages to break the clinch.
Rude tries to clinch up but O Connor circles away and keeps his distance.
Rude moves out of range as O Connor throws a body kick.
Nice takedown defense from O Connor. No joy for Rude on that attempt.
O Connor scores with a sloppy right hand. Rude should have avoided that one.
Rude misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
O Connor lands a jab to the nose.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jia O Connor showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Good leg kick by Rude there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
A telegraphed right hand from Rude misses the target.
O Connor was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Rude shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as O Connor sprawls well. O Connor wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Rude gets slowly back to his feet.
Rude goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rude misses with the combination.
Rude scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rude avoids the body shot from O Connor.
Some wild striking there from O Connor.
Rude tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but O Connor paws at him with a jab and circles away.
O Connor is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Rude.
Rude takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Rude looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? O Connor is fending him off so far but Rude persists. Nope, O Connor circles away and we're back to standing.
Rude takes one to the side of the head.
Rude's corner calls for a 1-2. Rude obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rude with a poor takedown
and O Connor counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dominic Rude. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rude scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. O Connor doesn't seem bothered though.
Rude throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
O Connor swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
O Connor thuds a left hand into Rude's body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rude moves out of range as O Connor throws a body kick.
O Connor throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
An attempted straight right counter from Rude misses the target.
Rude uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from O Connor.
Rude tries to clinch up but O Connor circles away and keeps his distance.

Rude looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

O Connor manages to escape and get back to his feet!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Rude throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. O Connor tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Rude is in O Connor's guard.
O Connor is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Rude trying to control the position from guard on top but O Connor is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

O Connor has managed to wall walk up one of the corner posts to get back to his feet. Rude is pushing him up against the cage, looking to control the position.
Rude throws a head punch that misses.
O Connor wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

O Connor pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Connor throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
O Connor throws a lazy right hand but Rude sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Jia O Connor seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Rude uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from O Connor.
Rude fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
O Connor looks to land a left hand but Rude moved out of range nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rude throws a body shot but no joy.
Rude clobbers O Connor with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Rude shoots in for a takedown but O Connor shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Rude lands a nice looking body shot.
Rude tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. O Connor manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
O Connor feints a counter leg kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jia O Connor comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think O Connor has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Jeff Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ryoma Takatsuka scores the fight 28:29
Judge Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 28:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jia O Connor!
An out of breath Jia O Connor thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.