PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Willie Salazar (ranked 2875 p4p, 411 weight class) and Andrew West (ranked 7882 p4p, 785 weight class). West is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Roy Jones - Can't be touched. Andrew West has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Willie Salazar's chin.

Salazar
vs
West

185 cm
29
170 lbs
7 - 13 - 0

180 cm
29
179 lbs
20 - 22 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 13 - 0, fighting out of New York, Willie Salazar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 22 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Andrew West!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Tarja Halkonen and Johanna Lukiainen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Salazar has managed to clinch.
Salazar tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
West tries to land a knee to the head but Salazar blocks with his arms.

Salazar has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics West uses from the top position.

Salazar is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and West defends well.
West must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Salazar is controlling West's posture.
Salazar keeping moving, preventing West from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
West wants to pass the guard but Salazar is keeping the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

West decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Salazar, up you get!
West punishes Salazar's body with a nice straight punch.
West listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
West lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salazar tries to clinch but West is having none of it.
West misses with a wild combination.
West connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
West throws a push kick but Salazar slaps the foot to one side.
A jab lands there for West.
West misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Salazar tries to clinch up.
West cracks Salazar with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Salazar takes a kick to the side of the head.
West lands with an uppercut that bounces Salazar off the cage and back into range.
West throws a sloppy body shot
and Salazar counters with a stiff right hand.
No joy there for West, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
West misses with a head kick.
Salazar tries to counter by clinching up but West breaks away and moves out of range.
West with a jab.
West misses with a straight left.
Salazar is looking to counter the offense by West and move into the clinch.
Nice defenses there by Salazar.
Salazar goes for a double leg but West avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as West continues to drive forward.
West throws a shot from downtown. Salazar moves away and avoids it.
Salazar misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
West connects with a solid leg kick.
West throws a right and a left that Salazar avoids nicely.
West throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Salazar.
West throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
West looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Salazar throws a big counter combination but West scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Danga de danga de dang - West scores with a four punch combination!
West darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
West fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Salazar looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Left hook, right uppercut from West.
A lazy left from West finds it's target.
West throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
As West looks to move away, Salazar throws a big counter combo but West just gets out of the way.
West dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Salazar fails with an attempt to clinch.
West thows a left - swing and a miss!
No joy there for West, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Salazar changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. West tries to avoid it but Salazar manages to keep hold of a leg and drag West to the ground. West escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Willie Salazar. That's going to take a lot out of him.
West throws a series of punches but Salazar avoids them all with ease.
Andrew West seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Salazar moves out of range of the strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
West misses with a hook
and Salazar counters with a two punch combo.
Salazar tries to close the distance and clinch but West swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Salazar avoids the head kick by West.
Salazar on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
West tries a head kick but it misses.
West lands with a thumping leg kick.
West jabs Salazar right on the nose. Salazar blinks but takes it well.
A slapping body kick lands there for West.
Salazar ducks under a wild hook from West.
West misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Andrew West is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Both fighters circling a little - West finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Salazar tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but West paws at him with a jab and circles away.
West works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
West just misses with a punch to the body.
Salazar is looking for a counter combo.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andrew West dominated that round.
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.

Salazar fails in his attempt to clinch.
West lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Salazar defending well as West loads up on a big left hand.
Andrew West seems to be getting the better of the standup.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Salazar lands with a left to the head.
West blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Salazar swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Salazar blocks an elbow strike.
Salazar takes a shot to the head.
Salazar misses with a shot to the kidneys.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
West throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Salazar can't find room to land a body shot as West controls the action.
West lands a nice elbow.
West pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Salazar tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Good body shot from West.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice elbow from West.
West blocks the elbow strike.
Salazar is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
West has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
West blocks a body shot from Salazar.
West lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Salazar.

West breaks the clinch.
West connects with an inside leg kick.
West scores with the left hand. Salazar knows he should have avoided that one.
A slapping body kick lands there for West.
West has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Salazar on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Salazar blocks a head kick by West.

Salazar gets in close and instigates a clinch.
West lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
West connects with a nasty looking knee right to Salazar's face.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, West just misses with a elbow thrown towards Salazar's brow.
Salazar throws a punch but it's blocked by West.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

West breaks from the clinch.
Salazar moves out of range of the body kick from West.
West feints a jab promting Salazar to slip. West then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Salazar slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.

Salazar is rocked!
Willie Salazar is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The fighters circle momentarily. West darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Oh Salazar is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
West throws a one two combo.
West turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Salazar is looking to clinch but West is avoiding it.
As Salazar backs off West throws a huge counter combo but Salazar manages to avoid it all.
Salazar seems to have got his legs back now.
West avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
West dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Salazar tries to clinch but West moves away
and West counters with a series of strikes. Salazar will be more careful next time no doubt.
Salazar takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Salazar on the wrong end of a nice hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice body kick from West.

Salazar closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming West to the mat! West manages to get full guard.
West looking for a sweep. Not yet West, not yet.
Salazar pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. West is keeping the position for now.
West wants to sweep here but Salazar controlling him for the moment.
Salazar trying to control but West is working from the bottom.

Salazar is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
West seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salazar trying to control but West is working from the bottom.
West working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Salazar.
Salazar throwing strikes from guard but West blocks nicely.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Salazar accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
We've been hearing good reports from Salazar's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
West pulls Salazar in close to his closed guard and prevents Salazar from doing any damage or advancing position.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
West is continuing to stall.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
West lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andrew West showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Salazar's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

West stalks Salazar and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Salazar's face. Salazar staggers backwards, shaken.
Salazar tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
West throws a head kick but Salazar moves out of range.
Salazar is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Salazar darts in looking for a takedown but West gets double underhooks and turns Salazar into the cage.
Salazar doesn't manage to clinch there - West circles away.
Salazar looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
West throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
West connects with a body shot.
West lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
West connects with a leg kick. Salazar looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Salazar fails with the takedown.
Salazar slips a straight right by West.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
West lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Salazar misses with a hook to the ribs.
West lands an elbow that stopped Salazar in his tracks for a moment.
West avoiding damage as Salazar throws knees to the body.
West looks to throw an elbow but misses.

West's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
West looks to land a right hand but Salazar moved out of range.
Salazar appears to be looking for a big counter.
West's corner calls for a 1-2. West obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Salazar stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from West.
West slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
A jab lands there for West.
Salazar takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
West misses with a double jab.
West scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.

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!

Salazar decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Both fighters have adopted an aggressive gameplan on the ground!
Salazar missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
West is looking for a sweep. Salazar is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

Salazar is working for a kimura but West is defending it quite comfortably.

Salazar is actively looking for submissions here but good counter grappling here from West as he works his way to full guard.
Salazar won't allow West to get back to his feet.
West is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
West wants to sweep here but Salazar controlling him for the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salazar throws a big elbow that misses.
Salazar in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
West wants to stand and escape but Salazar is having none of it.
West manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Salazar manages to get himself to full guard.

West scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

West decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Salazar drops his hands momentarily and West takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Salazar is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
A combination from West does no damage.
Salazar shoots in and drives through. West sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Willie Salazar. That's going to take a lot out of him.
West throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
West misses with an uppercut
and Salazar counters with a nice uppercut.
Salazar walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
West keeps the fight on the outside.
As Salazar backs off West throws a huge counter combo but Salazar manages to avoid it all.
Salazar tries to close the distance and clinch up but West swats him away and circles back towards the center.
As Salazar backs off West throws a huge counter combo but Salazar manages to avoid it all.
West pushes Salazar away with a front kick.
West lands a head shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
West misses with a few strikes there.
Salazar appears to be looking for a big counter.
Salazar tries to clinch but West is having none of it.
West cracks a nice hook into Salazar's ribs.
Salazar with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling West to score with a decent uppercut.
Salazar moves out of range of the strikes.
Willie Salazar has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
West throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Andrew West is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Salazar misses with a two punch combination.

And that's the end of the fight!
Andrew West comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got West winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 27:30
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Andrew West!
Andrew West bigged himself up after the win. The crowd seemed to love it.