PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Tarkhan Naranbaatar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Eddie Lainey (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Naranbaatar comes to the cage accompanied by Batzorig Vaanchig. Tarkhan Naranbaatar has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Naranbaatar
vs
Lainey

178 cm
25
176 lbs
6 - 6 - 0

200 cm
22
172 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

KAISER Nutrition - Q160/$250
Voodoo Nutrition

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 - 6 - 0, fighting out of London, Tarkhan Naranbaatar!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Eddie Lainey!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, Paul Tew and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Naranbaatar moves out of range as Lainey strikes.
Lainey ducks right into an uppercut from Naranbaatar.
Naranbaatar lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Lainey at a distance.
Lainey looks to throw the jab but Naranbaatar is out of range.
Lainey misses with a leg kick
and Naranbaatar counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Naranbaatar uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lainey.
Naranbaatar circles away from the clinch attempt.
Lainey swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Naranbaatar counters with a nice leg kick.
Lainey throws a leg kick that is checked

and Naranbaatar counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Naranbaatar.
Naranbaatar scores with a nice hook to the head.
A short body shot lands from Naranbaatar as the two fighters clinch.
Naranbaatar scores with a shoulder strike.
Lainey working aggressively here.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Naranbaatar lands with a short head shot on the inside.
A shot in the inside from Naranbaatar.
Lainey is trying to break the clinch but Naranbaatar has him pressed against the cage.
Naranbaatar 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.
Nice body punch from Naranbaatar.
Naranbaatar lands with a right to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Naranbaatar's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Lainey looks for the body kick but Naranbaatar saw that one coming.
Lainey looks to land a left hand but Naranbaatar moved out of range nicely.
Naranbaatar was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Lainey throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Lainey throws a hook but Naranbaatar avoids it easily.
Lainey tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Naranbaatar was well out of range. Poor timing from Lainey.
Lainey rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Naranbaatar connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Eddie Lainey is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lainey throws an off balance right hand
and Naranbaatar connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Lainey lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Lainey misses with a left hand
and Naranbaatar counters with a stiff right hand.
Lainey missing with a left hand there. Naranbaatar was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Naranbaatar feinted with a counter takedown.
Naranbaatar scores with a leg kick.
Lainey throws an off balance right hand
and Naranbaatar makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Lainey will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Lainey takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

Lainey is rocked!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Lainey misses with a lunging right hand
and Naranbaatar counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Lainey thinking.
Nice straight punches there by Lainey. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Lainey.
Lainey misses with a looping right.
Naranbaatar swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Naranbaatar misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lainey.
Lainey looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Lainey uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Naranbaatar.
Lainey misses with a hook
and Naranbaatar counters with a nice uppercut.
Naranbaatar on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Lainey misses with a left hand
and Naranbaatar counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Naranbaatar misses with a straight right.
Lainey looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Eddie Lainey seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Lainey throws out a loose jab but Naranbaatar uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lainey looks to throw the jab but Naranbaatar is out of range.
Lainey swings widly with a right hand
and Naranbaatar connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Naranbaatar throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Naranbaatar gets the takedown into side control.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Naranbaatar prevents Lainey from escaping the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Naranbaatar taking a breather here.
Lainey is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Lainey is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Naranbaatar is controlling him well.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.

Naranbaatar has hold of Lainey's arm here. He's working for an Americana. It looks like he might have it! Lainey tries to escape but he's just digging himself in deeper - Naranbaatar cranks the arm and Lainey screams in pain! The ref makes a decision and ends the fight before the tap - no complains from Lainey, who is just happy to have his arm attached to his body.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:35 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Americana). Tarkhan Naranbaatar!
Tarkhan Naranbaatar retains his welterweight title!
A victorious Tarkhan Naranbaatar thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.