PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Conor McGregor (ranked 2754 p4p, 273 weight class) and Wang Qiang (ranked 1787 p4p, 184 weight class). McGregor comes into the arena with The Foggy Dew / El Chapo blaring out of the sound system. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

McGregor
vs
Qiang

175 cm
26
167 lbs
9 - 9 - 0

175 cm
20
155 lbs
6 - 0 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Conor McGregor!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Wang Qiang!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Franklyn Lucas and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Qiang pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Qiang avoids a kick to the body.
McGregor moves away from the strike by Qiang.
Qiang throws a hook but McGregor avoids it easily.
As Qiang looks to move away, McGregor throws a big counter combo but Qiang just gets out of the way.
Qiang lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
McGregor showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Qiang.
Qiang throws the left hand but McGregor avoids the punch easily.
Conor McGregor seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
McGregor jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
McGregor bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
McGregor throws a series of punches but Qiang moves out of range.
McGregor rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Qiang counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
McGregor looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Qiang keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from McGregor.
A combination from McGregor does no damage.
Qiang looks like he wants to counter punch here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
McGregor looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
McGregor throws a lazy right hand but Qiang sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
It seemed like Qiang was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Qiang swings widly with a right hand
and McGregor connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
McGregor slips a straight right by Qiang.
McGregor misses with a takedown attempt
and Qiang counters with a nice uppercut.
Qiang throws an off balance right hand
and McGregor counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Wang Qiang is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Qiang with a nice cross.
McGregor throws a hook but Qiang blocks it.
McGregor moves out of range as Qiang strikes.
McGregor takes one on the button.
Qiang misses with a hook. McGregor ducked under it nicely.
Qiang lands a right hook to the body.
McGregor throws an off balance right hand
and Qiang counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
McGregor moves forwards but Qiang connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Qiang displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as McGregor throws out the jab.
McGregor throws a hook but Qiang blocks it.
Qiang misses with a straight right.
McGregor avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
McGregor throws a leg kick that is checked
and Qiang cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Qiang tests McGregor's chin there with a solid looking shot.
McGregor steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Qiang.

McGregor looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
McGregor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Qiang avoiding damage under a succession of punches from McGregor.
McGregor throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
McGregor controlling the pace.
McGregor drops an elbow to the side of Qiang's head.
McGregor thows a huge punch but Qiang dodges it nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Qiang avoiding damage under a succession of punches from McGregor.
Qiang avoiding damage under a succession of punches from McGregor.
McGregor throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Qiang really doesn't want to stay on the ground with McGregor. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Qiang blocking the ground and pound attempt from McGregor.
McGregor missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
McGregor not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Qiang is staying active underneath McGregor, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Qiang avoiding damage under a succession of punches from McGregor.
McGregor scoring with strikes to the body and head.
McGregor not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McGregor throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
McGregor winds up and cracks Qiang with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
McGregor takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Qiang blocking the ground and pound attempt from McGregor.
McGregor lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
McGregor lands strikes from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Qiang is trying to stand back up but McGregor is controlling him
Qiang avoiding damage under a succession of punches from McGregor.
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 Conor McGregor 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.

McGregor takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
McGregor lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
McGregor ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
A big right from McGregor misses.
McGregor moves away from the strike by Qiang.
Jab by Qiang.
McGregor throws a head kick but Qiang moves out of range.
Qiang lands with a right hand.
Qiang misses with an uppercut. McGregor saw that one coming.
Qiang 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.
McGregor lands a lovely overhand right.
McGregor keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Qiang.
McGregor closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
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!
Nice defenses there by McGregor.
McGregor turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Qiang will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
McGregor tried to counter with a leg kick but Qiang avoided it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McGregor staying out of range there.
McGregor swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
McGregor lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

It looks like Wang Qiang has been cut.
McGregor bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
McGregor throws a series of punches but Qiang moves out of range.
McGregor lands a nice shot to the body.
McGregor connects with an inside leg kick.
Qiang throws out a loose jab but McGregor uses good head movement to avoid it.
Qiang throws an uppercut from half a mile away. McGregor sees it coming and avoids it easily.
McGregor throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
The fighters circling - Qiang throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Qiang fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Qiang misses with a hook
and McGregor counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A solid leg kick lands there for McGregor.
Qiang avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
It seemed like Qiang was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Decent striking displayed by McGregor there.
Qiang misses with a looping right.
Qiang throws a lazy right hand but McGregor sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
McGregor throws a big counter combination but Qiang scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
McGregor avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
McGregor throws a right hand that Qiang ducks under and follows up with a left that Qiang also avoids with ease.
A looping hook to the body misses from McGregor. Qiang does a little dance to reset his feet.
A nice side step and Qiang releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Qiang dips to his left and cracks McGregor with an uppercut!
McGregor tries a head kick but it misses.
Qiang doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
McGregor lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Donk. Qiang catches McGregor right on the button with a cross.
Qiang blocks a jab.
Qiang throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
McGregor defending well as Qiang loads up on a big left hand.

McGregor drives through with a takedown into Qiang's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
McGregor postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McGregor loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Qiang preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
McGregor trying to control but Qiang is working from the bottom.
McGregor is standing up over Qiang. Qiang looks to escape but McGregor dives into side control.
McGregor trying to control the action but Qiang is working from the bottom.
The strikes coming from McGregor are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Conor McGregor overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
McGregor prevents Qiang from escaping the position.
McGregor fails to land a wild elbow strike.
McGregor sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Qiang is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
We've been hearing good reports from McGregor'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.
The strikes coming from McGregor are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
McGregor landing strikes.
McGregor fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Qiang is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Qiang dodges the ground and pound from McGregor.
Qiang is not content to let McGregor control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Conor McGregor dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Wang Qiang's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

McGregor feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Qiang is looking to stand back up but McGregor counters by passing into half guard. Oops... bit sloppy there by Qiang.
McGregor throws a strike but Qiang avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Qiang utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
McGregor is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Qiang can do to turn this around?
McGregor throws a big elbow that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as McGregor accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
McGregor in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Qiang has momentary wrist control but McGregor slips an elbow through the middle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McGregor missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
McGregor trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
McGregor is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
McGregor trying to control the position from guard on top but Qiang is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
McGregor throwing strikes from guard but Qiang blocks nicely.
McGregor postures up in Qiang's guard and throws a big left but Qiang blocks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
McGregor slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Qiang jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Qiang lands a jab to the head.
McGregor tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Qiang was well out of range. Poor timing from McGregor.
Qiang fakes high and swings low for a body shot but McGregor manages to avoid it.
Qiang lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
McGregor moves into range and connects with a jab.
Qiang throws a hook but McGregor blocks it.
Qiang lands a jab to the nose.
Qiang throws an off balance right hand
and McGregor counters with an outside leg kick.
Qiang throws a hook to the side of McGregor's head but McGregor sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

McGregor shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
McGregor throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Qiang blocking the ground and pound attempt from McGregor.
McGregor thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
McGregor throwing shots but Qiang is blocking nicely.
Qiang is trying to defend against the ground and pound but McGregor scores with a couple of nice shots.
McGregor has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
McGregor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
McGregor throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Qiang keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
McGregor throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Qiang to regain full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McGregor throwing strikes from guard but Qiang blocks nicely.
McGregor throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
McGregor looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
McGregor missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
McGregor missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Wang Qiang has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
McGregor displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Qiang throws out the jab.

And that's the end of the fight!
Conor McGregor showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for McGregor, 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 John Roberts scores the fight 30:27
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 29:28
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Conor McGregor!
Conor McGregor thanked the fans post fight for their support.