PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Matt Smith (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Arthas Menethil (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Menethil has chosen Arthas - Let it go as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Smith
vs
Menethil

167 cm
24
141 lbs
11 - 5 - 0

170 cm
23
140 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Decent knees
Good gas tank

AnonymouS

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 11 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Matt Smith!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Arthas Menethil!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Elvis Blanc and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Smith throws a nice head kick!
Smith's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Menethil connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Smith scrambles back to his feet.

Smith closes the distance and clinches.
Menethil looking to slow down the pace here.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith trying to control the position but instead, Menethil has worked for underhooks and has pushed Smith into the cage.
Menethil on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Smith connects with a nasty looking knee right to Menethil's face.
Menethil drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Smith gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Menethil pulls guard successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Smith wants to stand but Menethil is controlling his posture from full guard.

Menethil throws his legs up looking for a submission but Smith uses it to pass to side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Menethil struggling a bit here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Smith wants to stand but Menethil is controlling his arm.
Menethil tries to bench press Smith off him but Smith keeps the position.
Smith tries to stand but Menethil is controlling his head.

Smith decides to stand up, so the ref orders Menethil to his feet.
Menethil throws a low kick but Smith avoids it.
Smith throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Menethil closes the distance and clinches.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Menethil has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Menethil trying to land knees to the body.
Menethil softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Smith scores a nice knee to the body.
Menethil takes a knee right on the jaw!
Menethil stalling against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Menethil takes a knee to the side of the body.
Smith has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Smith.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Menethil avoids the damage to the body.
Smith trying to land knees to the body.
Smith is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Menethil is keeping busy.
Menethil misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Smith.
Smith using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Menethil has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Menethil trying to control the position but instead, Smith has worked for underhooks and has pushed Menethil into the cage.
Menethil tries to pull guard but Smith forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Menethil missing with knees to the body.
Menethil tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Smith's elbow.
Menethil takes a knee to the side of the body.
Menethil takes a knee to the side of the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Menethil tries a knee to the head but Smith blocks it.
Menethil tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Menethil managing to block the knees to the body from Smith.
A nice right hand lands inside from Menethil.
Smith missing with knees to the body.
Menethil trying to land knees to the body.
Menethil blocks an elbow strike.
Menethil working aggressively here.
Menethil trying to control the position but instead, Smith has worked for underhooks and has pushed Menethil into the cage.
Smith trying to land knees to the body.
Menethil tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Smith smiles and moves away.
Matt Smith has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arthas Menethil.

Smith drives through and clinches with Menethil against the cage.
Smith looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Menethil avoids the damage to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Smith misses with an elbow over the top.
Smith working Menethil over with knees to the body.
Smith with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Menethil scores with a shoulder strike.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Menethil scores with a shot to the side of Smith's head.
Smith blocks a body shot from Menethil.
Still in the clinch, Menethil scores with a nice short uppercut.
Menethil tries to stall but Smith uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
A short uppercut from Menethil.
Smith with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Smith lands a nice knee to the body.
Smith trying to land knees to the body.
Smith on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Menethil avoids the damage to the body.
Menethil with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Smith gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Smith dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Smith has closed the distance and engaged Menethil in a clinch.
Smith is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Menethil is defending well for now.
Smith lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Menethil tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Smith tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Menethil on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Menethil tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Menethil takes an elbow to the temple.
Menethil drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Smith gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Menethil misses with a hook to the ribs.
Matt Smith has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Smith utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Menethil misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Smith.
Smith landing knees to the body.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Smith is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Menethil is breathing heavily.
Smith lands a knee to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Smith using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Smith is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Menethil is defending well for now.
Smith tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Smith lands a nice elbow.
Smith landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Smith trying to land knees to the body.
Menethil takes a knee to the side of the body.
Smith lands a good knee to the midsection. Menethil won't want to take too many of those.
Menethil managing to block the knees to the body from Smith.
Smith landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Knees in the clinch landing for Smith.
Smith is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Menethil can do to turn this around?
Smith with a knee to the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Menethil managing to block the knees to the body from Smith.
Menethil on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Menethil misses with the head strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Menethil gets control of Smith's arms and successfully pulls guard. Menethil will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Smith gets to his feet - Menethil follows without any prompting.

Smith has taken the fight to the clinch.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Smith trying to land knees to the body.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Smith as Menethil tries to tie him up.
Smith scores with a knee to the head.
Menethil with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Smith missing with knees to the body.
Menethil misses with a knee to the head.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Menethil avoids the damage to the body.
Smith landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Menethil is pushing Smith up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Menethil is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Smith to keep the fight standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Smith is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Menethil throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Smith blocks it with crossed arms.
Smith using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Smith content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith missing with knees to the body.
Smith lands a good knee to the midsection. Menethil won't want to take too many of those.
Menethil swings wildly with an uppercut but Smith uses good head movement to avoid it.
Menethil takes a knee to the side of the body.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Smith working Menethil over with knees to the body.
Menethil drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Matt Smith has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arthas Menethil.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Menethil misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Smith throws a knee to the head but misses.
Smith misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Menethil.
Smith connects with a knee to the head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Smith as Menethil tries to tie him up.
Smith working Menethil over with knees to the body.
Menethil is trying to pull guard but Smith has him pressed against the cage.
Smith throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Menethil blocks it with crossed arms.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Menethil takes a knee right on the jaw!
Smith unloads a knee to the mid-section. Menethil lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Menethil goes for a takedown attempt but Smith pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Smith rushes Menethil and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Smith dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Smith avoids the head kick by Menethil.
Matt Smith seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Smith clinches.
Menethil tries to work over Smith's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Menethil tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Smith's elbow.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Menethil as Smith tries to tie him up.
Smith looking to slow down the pace here.
Smith landing knees to the body.
Smith utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Smith lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Smith tries to land knees in the clinch but Menethil avoids the damage to the body.
Menethil takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Smith stalling against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Menethil on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Smith is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Menethil is defending well for now.
Menethil managing to block the knees to the body from Smith.
Menethil fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Menethil tries to throw a body punch but Smith avoids it by throwing Menethil back against the cage.
Smith on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Menethil misses with some punches.
Menethil misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Smith.
Smith working Menethil over with knees to the body.
Smith unloads a knee to the mid-section. Menethil lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Smith landing knees to the body.
Menethil tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Menethil fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Smith landing knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Smith is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Smith stalls.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Smith.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Menethil.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Menethil tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Smith with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Smith leaning his opponent against the cage.
Smith crunches a lovely knee into Menethil's ribcage.
Menethil working aggressively here.
Smith is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Menethil.
Menethil tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Smith's elbow.
Smith tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Menethil avoids it.
Menethil misses with a short punch on the inside.
Menethil tries to work over Smith's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Menethil working Smith over with knees to the body.
Menethil blocks an elbow strike.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Menethil goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Smith lands a good knee to the midsection. Menethil won't want to take too many of those.
Smith connects with a nasty looking knee right to Menethil's face.
Menethil digs a right hand into Smith's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Smith's gas tank.
Menethil avoiding damage as Smith throws knees to the body.
Smith missing with knees to the body.
Smith landing knees to the body.
Menethil lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Smith is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Matt Smith is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Menethil jumps guard but Smith stands there with Menethil around his waist. Menethil gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Matt Smith has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arthas Menethil.
Menethil unloads a knee to the mid-section.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Menethil takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Menethil blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Menethil manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Smith avoiding damage as Menethil throws knees to the body.
Smith landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Arthas Menethil has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Menethil lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Smith backwards.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Smith showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Smith, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 William Peck scores the fight 30:27
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Smith!
Matt Smith decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.