PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Boa Link (ranked 7528 p4p, 626 weight class) and Damon Henrick (ranked 5147 p4p, 545 weight class). Link comes into the arena with Peak Times by Switch blaring out of the sound system. Boa Link has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Link
vs
Henrick

200 cm
26
205 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

190 cm
21
205 lbs
2 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Boa Link!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Damon Henrick!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Cecil Peabody and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Link bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Henrick lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.

It looks like Boa Link has been cut.
A jab from Henrick does it's job there.
A punch combination from Henrick misses.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link avoids them all with ease.
Link gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Henrick rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Link moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Link misses with an attempted mid kick.
Henrick throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Link misses with an uppercut.
Henrick takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Link avoids a punch combination nicely.
Link lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Link goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
As Link backs off Henrick throws a huge counter combo but Link manages to avoid it all.
Henrick works over Link's head and body with a nice combination.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link avoids them all with ease.
We've been told by Link's head coaches at Cozad MMA Los Angeles that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Link fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Link avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Henrick scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Link looks to land a body kick but Henrick moved away.
Good leg kick by Link there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Damon Henrick seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Link fails in his attempt to clinch.
Link misses with a kick to the body.
Despite the aggression on Henrick's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link moves out of range.
Henrick checks the leg kick.
Henrick is looking for the big counter here.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Link lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Henrick misses with a double jab.
Link showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Henrick.
Henrick scores with a three punch combo!
Henrick looks winded!
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!
Henrick misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Henrick tries to bum rush Link with a series of wild strikes but Link uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Link lands with a nice body kick.
Link dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Henrick. That did some damage!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Link fakes the leg kick and cracks Henrick in the body.
Good leg kick by Link there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Link lands a leg kick that knocks Henrick off balance momentarily.
Link goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Link defending well as Henrick loads up on a big left hand.
Sloppy strikes from Henrick. Those never looked like landing.
Henrick throws a right and a left that Link avoids nicely.
Link pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Link fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Henrick is looking for the big counter here.
Henrick has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Link.
Henrick misses with a few strikes there.
Link shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Henrick as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Boa Link. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Henrick takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link avoids them all with ease.
Link looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
An inside leg kick lands from Link.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Link throws a quick counter kick to the body but Henrick avoids it.
Henrick swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Henrick throws a right and a left that both miss.
It appears Link was looking to counter with a kick there.
Link thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Henrick if he has to take too many more of those.
Link throws a nice inside leg kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Link, right into the meat.
A good leg kick by Link.
Henrick looks to land a left hand but Link moved out of range nicely.
Link tries to counter with a takedown but Henrick is quick to defend against it.
Link has a takedown stuffed.
Henrick misses with a series of wild punches.
Link lands a nice looking kick to the body. Henrick takes a step back to recover.
Link shoots in looking for a takedown but Henrick manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Link's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Good leg kick by Link there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Henrick goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Link thows a body kick. Henrick tries to catch it but that hurt him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Henrick. Those never looked like landing.
Link feinted with a counter takedown.
Link connects with an inside leg kick.
Link shoots in looking for a takedown. Henrick tries to sprawl out of it but Link keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Henrick manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Henrick misses with a double jab.

Link looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Link is controlling the pace.
Link is pressing down on Henrick's thigh, looking to free his foot. Henrick is holding on for now.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Link is keen to just control but Henrick is a slippery customer.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Damon Henrick dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Boa Link's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Henrick throws an overhand right that lands on Link's shoulder, as Link tries to avoid the shot.
A nice inside leg kick there by Link. That's going to slow Henrick down.
Link scores with a jab to the jaw.
Henrick misses with a few strikes there.
Link is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Henrick.
Henrick misses with a wild combination.
Henrick swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Henrick throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Link counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Henrick swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Henrick jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Damon Henrick seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Henrick looks to land a combination but Link avoids it well.
Henrick throws a big shot that misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Link shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Henrick as he avoids it easily.
Sloppy strikes from Henrick. Those never looked like landing.
Henrick tries to bum rush Link with a series of wild strikes but Link uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Henrick is breathing heavily.
Link lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Link tries to bum rush Henrick with a series of wild strikes but Henrick uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Link has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Link.
Henrick takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
A head kick from Link lands but Henrick takes it in his stride.
Link throws a leg kick which misses Henrick's front leg but catches the back leg as Henrick tries to avoid it.
Henrick rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Link counters with a left and a right that stings Henrick.
Link chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Henrick fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Henrick just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromLink.
Link dodges the punch combination from Henrick.
Link goes for a double leg but Henrick avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Henrick continues to drive forward.
Link lands with a kick to the ribs.
Link shoots in for a takedown but Henrick shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Boa Link. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Some wild striking there from Henrick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Link moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Henrick's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Henrick will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Link fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Link, right into the meat.
Henrick misses with a lunging right hand
and Link counters with a three punch combo that has Henrick backing up. Henrick nods at Link to acknowledge the strikes.
Henrick misses with a double jab.
Link delivers a nice body kick.
Henrick slaps away a takedown attempt from Link, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Link buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Link chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Henrick throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Henrick throws a right and a left that both miss.
Henrick throws a right and a left that Link avoids nicely.
Henrick throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Link.
Damon Henrick is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Link lands with a kick to the ribs.
Henrick 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.
Link closes the distance and clinches up with Henrick, looking for a takedown. Link pushes Henrick against the cage but Henrick circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Link fails with a takedown attempt.
Henrick tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Henrick scores with a three punch combo!
Link shoots in but Henrick avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Henrick looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Henrick moves into range and connects with a jab.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Link shoots in looking for a takedown. Henrick tries to sprawl out of it but Link keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Henrick manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Link is trying hard to land a takedown here. Henrick sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Link changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Link keeps Henrick at a distance using the push kick.
Link lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
That kick from Link tenderised Henrick's leg. Henrick is trying to keep his angry face on.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Henrick misses with a few strikes there.
Henrick 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.
Sloppy strikes from Henrick. Those never looked like landing.
Link looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Link goes for a double leg but Henrick avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Henrick continues to drive forward.
Link showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Henrick.
Henrick misses with a jab, cross combination.
A slapping body kick lands there for Link.
Link scores with a spinning back kick!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Henrick on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Link. Link obviously looking to wear him down.
Link lands a nice leg kick that just misses Henrick's sensitive parts.
Henrick has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Link.
Link throws a head kick but Henrick moves out of range.
Henrick misses with a double jab.
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 Boa Link will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Boa Link's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Henrick throws a right hand that Link ducks under and follows up with a left that Link also avoids with ease.
Link cracks the inside of Henrick's front leg.
Link throws the kick towards the body but Henrick avoids it.
Henrick swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Henrick misses with the combination.
Crunch! Link slams his shin into Henrick's torso.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link avoids them all with ease.
Link throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Henrick lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Link circles away quickly and effectively.
Link lands with a slapping head kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Link moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Henrick takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Link darts in looking for a takedown but Henrick gets double underhooks and turns Link into the cage.
A thudding body kick lands there by Link!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Link fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Henrick to the ground. Link is now in Henrick's guard.
Link controlling from the top position.

Link stands and steps away. Henrick gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Link is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Henrick misses with a few strikes there.
Link throws a head kick that Henrick semi-blocks.
Henrick on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Link, right into the meat.
Link shoots in and drives through. Henrick sprawls well.
Boa Link is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Link thumps Henrick with a low kick.
Henrick lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Link circles away quickly and effectively.
Link scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Link lands with a kick to the ribs.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Horrible takedown attempt by Link or perhaps it was just good defense by Henrick, which made it look bad.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Boa Link. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henrick misses with a combination
and Link counters with a good low kick that Henrick was not able to check.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Link tries to close the distance and clinch up but Henrick swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Link tries to clinch up but Henrick circles away and keeps his distance.
Link tries a low kick but Henrick avoids it.
Link with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Henrick lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Henrick looks to land a combination but Link avoids it well.
Link seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Link throws a front kick that sends Henrick stumbling back into the cage.
Link looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Link tries to close the distance and clinch up but Henrick swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Link dodges the punch combination from Henrick.
Link throws a head kick that half lands.
Henrick avoids the head kick by Link.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Link dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Henrick. That did some damage!
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link avoids them all with ease.
Link lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Henrick backs up against the cage.
Henrick misses with a few strikes there.
Henrick chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Link can pounce on him.
Link scores with a head kick. Henrick tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Henrick throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Link.

Link shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

Henrick pushes Link off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Henrick swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Link makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Henrick really felt that one!
Link lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Henrick looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Link pushes Henrick up against the cage in a clinch.

Henrick pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Link goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Henrick goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Link scores with a kick to the body.
Henrick throws a series of punches but Link moves out of range.
Link tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Henrick paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Henrick fails to land with a series of punches.
Link attempts a counter takedown but Henrick avoids it well and moves away.
Link lands a nice looking body kick.
Link tries to clinch but Henrick moves out of range.
Link throws a nice head kick!
Henrick misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Link shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Henrick as he jumps to the side.
A punch lands to the side of Link 's head but he takes it in his stride.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Henrick throws a right and a left that Link avoids nicely.
Henrick throws a nice looking combination but Link bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Link lands a head kick!

And that's the end of the fight!
Boa Link showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Link has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 George Francis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 29:28
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Boa Link!
Boa Link seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.