PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ray Whitaker (ranked 7844 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Luther (ranked 2990 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be fireworks!

Whitaker
vs
Luther

177 cm
30
180 lbs
14 - 10 - 0

182 cm
32
185 lbs
15 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Granite chin

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 14 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ray Whitaker !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, John Luther!
The judges for this bout are , Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Whitaker digs a good body shot into Luther's ribs.

Luther clinches up with Whitaker and pushes him back against the cage.
Whitaker lands with a light punch inside.
Whitaker working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Luther lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Luther.
Whitaker blocks an uppercut.
Whitaker prevents the takedown attempt.

Whitaker breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Whitaker on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Luther. Luther obviously looking to wear him down.
Whitaker throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Luther on the side of the head.
Luther on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Whitaker . Whitaker obviously looking to wear him down.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Luther just misses with a punch to the body.
Whitaker is looking to counter punch.
Whitaker throws a right hand that Luther ducks under and follows up with a left that Luther also avoids with ease.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Luther 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.
Luther throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Whitaker on the side of the head.
Luther tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Luther moves into the clinch successfully.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Whitaker .
Whitaker slowing the pace effectively.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Whitaker 's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Whitaker lands a nice leg kick that just misses Luther's sensitive parts.
A shot to the body from Whitaker misses
and Luther counters with a straight right hand.
Whitaker throws a right hand that misses
and Luther counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Whitaker dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Donk. Whitaker catches Luther right on the button with a cross.
A good leg kick by Whitaker .
Luther shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Whitaker as he avoids it easily.
Whitaker throws a half hearted mid kick.
Whitaker scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Luther doesn't seem bothered though.
Whitaker throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Luther sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Luther closes the distance and clinches.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Whitaker escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Whitaker scores with a jab. Luther acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
A big left from Whitaker misses.
Luther uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Whitaker .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luther tries to clinch there but Whitaker circles away.
Ray Whitaker is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Whitaker works Luther's body with a nice hook.
Luther throws a good cross that connects.
Whitaker blocks a jab.
A little feinted left hand from Whitaker on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Whitaker connects with a body shot.
Whitaker missing with a left hand there. Luther was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Whitaker scores with a jab to the head.
Whitaker misses with a hook to the body
and Luther counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

Whitaker is rocked!
Luther scoring well with a low kick there.
Oh Whitaker is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

Luther darts in and clinches Whitaker up against the cage.
Luther cracks Whitaker with a nice body shot.
Whitaker seems to have got his legs back now.
Whitaker is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Luther.

Whitaker pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Luther closes the distance and clinches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Whitaker manages to break the clinch.
Luther is looking to clinch but Whitaker is avoiding it.
Luther ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
John Luther seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Luther slips under a jab.
Luther wants to counter the offense by Whitaker and move into the clinch position.
Luther takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Whitaker throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Luther throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Luther fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Whitaker tries to counter with a takedown but Luther is quick to defend against it.
Whitaker uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Whitaker fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Luther on the side of the head.
Luther is looking to clinch.

Luther closes the distance and clinches.
Luther drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Ray Whitaker has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Luther.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Whitaker .

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Luther misses with a hook from the clinch.
Luther misses with a hook from the clinch.
The referee is keeping an eye on Whitaker - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

Whitaker escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Luther uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Whitaker .
Whitaker scores with a jab to the head.
Whitaker lands with a nice body punch.
Whitaker misses with a head kick.
Whitaker stuns Luther with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Luther throws a series of punches but Whitaker moves out of range.

Luther clinches up against the cage.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Luther has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Whitaker clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
Whitaker manages to reverse the position and now he's in Luther's guard. Nice work there by Whitaker .
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Whitaker dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Luther dives in and grabs Whitaker 's left leg, looking for a takedown. Whitaker pushes down on Luther's head and hops out.
Luther tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Whitaker ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Luther moves away.
Luther tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Whitaker misses with a right hand
and Luther counters with a nice leg kick.
Luther tries to clinch up but Whitaker circles away and keeps his distance.
Nice defenses there by Luther.
Whitaker throws a looping overhand right but Luther ducks down to avoid it.

Luther has Whitaker up against the cage in a clinch.
Luther holding his opponent close, against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Luther softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Whitaker prevents a body shot from Luther.

Whitaker escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Luther closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Luther.

Whitaker pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Luther moves into range and clinches up with Whitaker .
Luther lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

Whitaker manages to break the clinch.
Whitaker looks to land a right hand but Luther moved out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Luther misses.
Whitaker lands a nice shot that snaps Luther's head back.
Luther shoots and misses
letting Whitaker counter with a right hand.
Whitaker cracks Luther with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Whitaker lands with a hook. Luther tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Luther's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Whitaker connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Luther scrambles back to his feet.
Ray Whitaker is winning the standup battle so far.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Whitaker tries a head kick but it misses.
Whitaker scores with a hook to the body. Luther takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Whitaker scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Luther looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Luther is looking to clinch.
Whitaker is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Luther can do to turn this around?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luther has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Luther there as he acknowledges the shot.
Luther tries to clinch there but Whitaker circles away.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Luther is defended easily by Whitaker .
Ray Whitaker has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Luther.
Whitaker circles away from the clinch attempt
enabling Whitaker to counter with a crisp jab.

Luther is rocked!
A slow jab from Whitaker misses its intended target.
Whitaker pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Whitaker keeps the fight on the outside.
Whitaker sizes up Luther with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Luther misses with a wild body shot.
Luther tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Luther wants to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker cracks a nice hook into Luther's ribs.
Luther throws a predictable looking body shot
and Whitaker counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Luther is looking to clinch but Whitaker is avoiding it.
Luther looks to score with a jab to the body but Whitaker is just out of range.
Whitaker scores with a body shot.
Both fighters circling a little - Whitaker finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Whitaker throws a jab when Luther was well out of range.
Whitaker ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Luther moves in looking to clinch but Whitaker pushes him off.
Luther tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The crowd cheers as Whitaker lands an impressive looking overhand right. Luther doesn't seem phased though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Luther wants to clinch.
Whitaker drops down looking for a counter takedown but Luther sprawls and moves away.
Whitaker throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Whitaker , right into the meat.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Whitaker .
Nice uppercut there from Whitaker .
John Luther is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Luther tries to clinch there but Whitaker circles away.
Luther tries to clinch but Whitaker is having none of it.
Luther defending well as Whitaker loads up on a big left hand.
A telegraphed right hand from Whitaker misses the target.
Luther doesn't manage to clinch there - Whitaker circles away.

Luther gets a clinch.
Luther misses with a punch to the body.

Luther breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Whitaker dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Whitaker scores with a jab to the body.
Luther closes the distance looking to clinch
letting Whitaker counter with a right hand.
Luther tries to clinch but Whitaker moves away
and Whitaker makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Whitaker lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Whitaker throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Luther tries to clinch up.
Whitaker throws out a loose jab but Luther uses good head movement to avoid it.
Luther wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
Whitaker scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitaker circles away from the clinch attempt.
Luther moves to clinch but Whitaker breaks away
and Whitaker counters with a left and a right that stings Luther.
Luther throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Whitaker .
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Luther lands with a good body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luther tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Whitaker manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Whitaker lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Whitaker lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Luther is still on wobbly legs! Can Whitaker finish him?
Luther wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
Luther seems to have recovered his senses.
Whitaker waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Luther.
Whitaker cracks Luther with a good jab.
Luther tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whitaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Luther ducks under a wild hook from Whitaker .
Luther tries to clinch up but Whitaker circles away and keeps his distance.
Whitaker 's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Luther connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Whitaker scrambles back to his feet.
Whitaker misses with a straight right.
A solid leg kick lands there for Luther.
Whitaker misses with a body shot.
Luther appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Luther slips a straight right by Whitaker .
Luther doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Luther tries to clinch but Whitaker moves away
and Whitaker counters with a stiff right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luther throws out a leg kick but Whitaker moves out of range and Luther only half commits.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Luther moves into the clinch.
Whitaker leaning against his opponent.
Luther is looking to take this one to the mat.

Whitaker breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Luther looks to land a combination but Whitaker avoids it well.
Luther has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Whitaker throws a shot from downtown. Luther moves away and avoids it.
Whitaker keeps the fight on the outside.
Whitaker throws the left hand but Luther avoids the punch easily.
Whitaker swings widly with a right hand
and Luther counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Whitaker tries to bum rush Luther with a series of wild strikes but Luther uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Whitaker lands with a cross.
Luther tries to clinch there but Whitaker circles away.
Luther displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Whitaker throws out the jab.
Luther is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker looks to land a right hand but Luther moved out of range.
Luther looks to clinch
and Whitaker counters with a stiff right hand.
Whitaker swings for the body but Luther moves out of range.
Luther now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Whitaker moves out of range as Luther strikes.
Whitaker was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Luther tries to clinch but Whitaker is having none of it.
Luther tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Whitaker defends well and Luther ends up having to push Whitaker into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Whitaker fires out a quick counter leg kick but Luther just manages to avoid it.
A swing and a miss from Whitaker .
A jab from Whitaker misses.
Whitaker throws a hook but Luther avoids it easily.
Luther ducks under a wild hook from Whitaker .
Whitaker misses with an uppercut. Luther saw that one coming.
Good leg kick by Whitaker there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Whitaker tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Whitaker loads up on a big right hand but Luther slips the punch.
Luther doesn't manage to clinch there - Whitaker circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker moves into range and connects with a jab.
A jab from Whitaker misses.
Whitaker scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Decent striking displayed by Whitaker there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Whitaker misses with a looping left.
Whitaker circles away from the clinch attempt.
A looping hook to the body misses from Whitaker . Luther does a little dance to reset his feet.
Luther appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Luther on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Luther tries to clinch up.
John Luther has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Whitaker tries to work over Luther's front leg with a kick but Luther checks it.
Ray Whitaker is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Luther darts in trying to clinch
enabling Whitaker to counter with a crisp jab.
Whitaker scores with a hook.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ray Whitaker showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Whitaker , 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27

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