PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Arstan Selmy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ritchie Blackmore (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Blackmore is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by 16th century greensleeves. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Selmy
vs
Blackmore

190 cm
30
198 lbs
11 - 10 - 1

180 cm
31
197 lbs
8 - 7 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Arstan Selmy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ritchie Blackmore!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Yasuomi Hirokawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Selmy is looking to clinch.
Blackmore throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Blackmore throws a big shot that misses.
Blackmore chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Selmy can pounce on him.
A solid body kick from Blackmore.
Selmy with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Selmy throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Selmy tries to close the distance and clinch but Blackmore swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Selmy ducks under a wild hook from Blackmore.
Selmy lands with a right hand.
Selmy connects with an inside leg kick.
A low kick from Selmy is predictable there
and Blackmore counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Selmy moves out of range of the leg kick from Blackmore.
Blackmore scores to the head and body with a nice combination!

It looks like Arstan Selmy has been cut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Selmy scores with a jab to the head.
A head kick misses from Selmy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Selmy.
Blackmore wants to slow Selmy down by chopping away at his legs.
Selmy lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Selmy throws a hook to the side of Blackmore's head but Blackmore sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Selmy has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Outer Heaven Dojo in the buildup to the fight.
Blackmore looks to land a body kick but Selmy moved away.
Blackmore on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Selmy throws a jab when Blackmore was well out of range.

Selmy has taken the fight to the clinch.
Selmy working aggressively here.
Selmy misses with a hook to the ribs.
Blackmore misses with a hook to the ribs.
Selmy lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Blackmore.
Blackmore working aggressively here.
Blackmore misses with a short punch on the inside.
Selmy holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Selmy pushes off an throws an elbow but Blackmore leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Selmy misses with some punches.
Blackmore tries a body shot but Selmy blocks it.
Selmy misses with a short punch on the inside.
Blackmore blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Selmy misses with a hook to the ribs.
Selmy is working Blackmore over against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Selmy tries to throw a body punch but Blackmore avoids it by throwing Selmy back against the cage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Selmy.
Selmy is leaning against Blackmore and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Blackmore misses with the head strike.
Selmy blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Selmy blocking some punches.
Blackmore throws a head punch that misses.
Blackmore misses with a short punch on the inside.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Selmy throws a punch but it's blocked by Blackmore.
Selmy lands with a short shot to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Selmy tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Blackmore's elbow.
Selmy scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Selmy struggles to land a body shot inside as Blackmore controls his hands.
Selmy misses with the head strike.
Blackmore throws an elbow but it misses.
Blackmore stalling the fight.
Blackmore misses with some punches.
Selmy is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Selmy blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selmy.
Selmy misses with a punch to the body.
Selmy tries to work over Blackmore's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Blackmore pushes Selmy back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Blackmore fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Selmy has a couple of punches blocked by Blackmore.
Selmy blocks an uppercut.
Selmy misses with the head strike.
Selmy blocking some punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Selmy blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Selmy doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selmy.
Selmy throws a head punch that misses.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Blackmore.
Selmy fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Selmy misses with a short punch on the inside.
Blackmore tries to throw a body punch but Selmy avoids it by throwing Blackmore back against the cage.
Selmy blocks an uppercut.
A shot in the inside from Selmy.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Blackmore misses with a body punch.
Selmy lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Blackmore lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Selmy backwards.
Selmy goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Selmy lands with a light punch inside.
Selmy throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Blackmores head.
Selmy misses with a body punch.
Selmy tries to throw a body punch but Blackmore avoids it by throwing Selmy back against the cage.
Blackmore blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Arstan Selmy dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Arstan Selmy's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Selmy misses with a body shot.
Arstan Selmy is winning the standup battle so far.
Blackmore connects with an inside leg kick.
Selmy is looking to chop away at Blackmore's legs.
Selmy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Blackmore.
Selmy misses with a low kick.
Selmy ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Selmy chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Selmy digs a good hook to Blackmore's body.
Blackmore tries to land a front kick but Selmy steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Blackmore misses with an uppercut. Selmy saw that one coming.
Selmy is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Blackmore can do to turn this around?
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Selmy doesn't manage to clinch there - Blackmore circles away.
Blackmore throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Blackmore takes a kick to the side of the head.
Selmy throws a series of punches but Blackmore avoids them all with ease.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blackmore checks a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Blackmore clinches up against the cage.
Blackmore has a couple of punches blocked by Selmy.
Selmy throws a punch but it's blocked by Blackmore.
Blackmore prevents a body shot from Selmy.
A short right from Blackmore.
Blackmore misses with an elbow over the top.
A head punch on the inside from Selmy fails to land.
A short left from Selmy.
Blackmore fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A short left from Blackmore.
Selmy is working Blackmore over against the cage.
A body shot lands from Selmy.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
Blackmore tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Selmy doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Selmy prevents a body shot from Blackmore.
Selmy looks to throw an elbow but misses.
A head punch on the inside from Blackmore fails to land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blackmore working aggressively here.
Selmy stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
Selmy tries a body shot but Blackmore blocks it.
Selmy tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Selmy working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Arstan Selmy has scored more points in the clinch so far.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Selmy lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Blackmore pushes Selmy back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Selmy lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Blackmore is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Blackmore tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Blackmore tries to throw a body punch but Selmy avoids it by throwing Blackmore back against the cage.
Selmy tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Selmy swings wildly with an uppercut but Blackmore uses good head movement to avoid it.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Blackmore has a couple of punches blocked by Selmy.
Blackmore blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Selmy misses with a punch to the body.
Blackmore blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selmy.
Blackmore blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Blackmore's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Selmy creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Blackmore blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Selmy scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Selmy blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Selmy presses Blackmore against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Selmy prevents a body shot from Blackmore.
Selmy cracks Blackmore with a nice body shot.
Selmy misses with a short punch on the inside.
Blackmore struggles to land a body shot inside as Selmy controls his hands.
A head punch on the inside from Blackmore fails to land.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Blackmore gets through Selmy's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Blackmore misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blackmore blocks an uppercut.
Selmy is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Blackmore is keeping busy.
Blackmore has a couple of punches blocked by Selmy.
A body shot lands from Selmy.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Selmy lands a hook to the side of the head.
Selmy blocks an uppercut.
Blackmore misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A nice right hand lands inside from Selmy.
Blackmore lands a hook to the side of the head.
Blackmore misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Selmy.
Blackmore misses with a body punch.
Blackmore fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Selmy lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Blackmore struggles to land a body shot inside as Selmy controls his hands.
Blackmore blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Selmy blocks the elbow strike.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Arstan Selmy will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Arstan Selmy's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Blackmore throws an off balance right hand

and Selmy counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Selmy misses with a punch on the inside.
Selmy lands a right hand that snaps the head of Blackmore backwards.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Selmy lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Selmy fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Selmy lands a hook that snaps the head of Blackmore backwards.
Selmy digs a right hand into Blackmore's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Blackmore's gas tank.
Blackmore misses with some punches.
Selmy lands a nice uppercut.
Selmy misses with some punches.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Selmy misses with some punches.
Blackmore misses with some punches.
Selmy lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Blackmore backwards.
Blackmore working aggressively here.
Selmy throws a punch but it's blocked by Blackmore.
Blackmore tries to throw a body punch but Selmy avoids it by throwing Blackmore back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Selmy blocks a body shot from Blackmore.
Selmy throws an elbow that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Blackmore fails to land.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
Blackmore working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Selmy pushes Blackmore back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Blackmore swings wildly with an uppercut but Selmy uses good head movement to avoid it.
Selmy lands an uppercut.
Blackmore lands a left hand that snaps the head of Selmy backwards.
Selmy lands with a right to the head.
A left hand lands to the body for Selmy.
Selmy is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
A short left from Selmy.
Selmy lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Selmy blocks an uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Still in the clinch, Blackmore scores with a nice short uppercut.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Blackmore lands a body shot.
Selmy throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selmy.
Selmy lands with a short shot to the head.
Blackmore is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Selmy swings wildly with an uppercut but Blackmore uses good head movement to avoid it.
Selmy working aggressively here.
Blackmore misses with the head strike.
Selmy misses with a punch on the inside.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Blackmore.
A right handed body shot lands from Selmy.
Blackmore using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Selmy has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Selmy has a couple of punches blocked by Blackmore.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Selmy lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Selmy.
Blackmore blocking some punches.
A right hand to the body from Selmy.
A shot in the inside from Selmy.
Blackmore misses with a hook from the clinch.
Blackmore tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Blackmore working aggressively here.
Blackmore lands a shoulder strike.
Selmy swings wildly with an uppercut but Blackmore uses good head movement to avoid it.
Selmy managing to block the knees to the body from Blackmore.
Selmy throws a head punch that misses.
Blackmore lands a left hand.
Blackmore with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Blackmore lands a left hand.
Blackmore misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
Ritchie Blackmore has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Blackmore tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Selmy misses with the head strike.
Selmy working some nice short punches in the clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Blackmore looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Selmy blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Blackmore misses with some punches.
Selmy swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Blackmore doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Blackmore tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
A right hook to the body lands for Selmy.
Blackmore swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Selmy can't find room to land a body shot as Blackmore controls the action.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Selmy just misses with a elbow thrown towards Blackmore's brow.
Selmy lands with a right to the head.
Blackmore throws a punch but it's blocked by Selmy.
Blackmore misses with a punch on the inside.
Arstan Selmy is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Selmy using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Blackmore has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Blackmore throws a punch but it's blocked by Selmy.

And that's the end of the fight!
Arstan Selmy showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Selmy has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Arstan Selmy!
Ritchie Blackmore was interviewed post fight and said 'You WILL see me again'.