PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Joost Van Buren (ranked 675 p4p, 101 weight class) and Bradford Forbes (ranked 2401 p4p, 320 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Van Buren
vs
Forbes

188 cm
23
206 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

175 cm
22
208 lbs
4 - 3 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

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 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Joost Van Buren!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Bradford Forbes!
The judges for this bout are Roger Salmon, Jeff Smith and Colin Fray.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
An inside leg kick lands from Van Buren.
Van Buren walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Forbes checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Van Buren misses with a jab to the body
and Forbes counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Van Buren on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Forbes missing with a left hand there. Van Buren was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Forbes paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Joost Van Buren seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Van Buren scores with a jab to the head.
Forbes misses with a straight right.
No joy there for Forbes, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Van Buren tries to land a front kick but Forbes steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Van Buren on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Van Buren takes a swing at Forbes's ribcage but misses.
Some wild striking there from Van Buren.
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!
A big left from Forbes misses.
An attempted straight right counter from Van Buren misses the target.
Van Buren works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Van Buren keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Decent striking displayed by Forbes there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Forbes dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Van Buren takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Forbes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van Buren was well out of range. Poor timing from Forbes.
Forbes misses the jab.
Van Buren uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Forbes.
Van Buren digs a good body shot into Forbes's ribs.
Forbes throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Van Buren scoring well with a low kick there.
Van Buren lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Forbes circles away quickly and effectively.
Forbes comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Van Buren thumps Forbes with a low kick.
Joost Van Buren is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A lazy left from Forbes finds it's target.
Van Buren scores with a punch to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Van Buren pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Forbes throws out a counter right but Van Buren avoids it with no problem.
Forbes takes one on the button.
Forbes has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Van Buren.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren avoids the body shot from Forbes.
Van Buren misses with a body kick.
Van Buren motions for Forbes to come forward. Van Buren throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Van Buren tries a head kick but it misses.
Van Buren missing with a left hand there. Forbes was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A big left from Forbes misses.
Van Buren is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Forbes swings for the body but Van Buren moves out of range.
Van Buren misses with a body shot
and Forbes counters with a stiff right hand.
Van Buren uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Forbes.
Van Buren throws a sloppy head kick and Forbes moves out of range easily.
Forbes is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Forbes takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Van Buren throws a hook to the side of Forbes's head but Forbes sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Van Buren misses with a low kick.
Van Buren misses with an uppercut.
And Forbes tries to counter it with a takedown but Van Buren pushes his down on his head and steps out.
A looping hook to the body misses from Van Buren. Forbes does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Forbes takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Forbes dips to his left and cracks Van Buren with an uppercut!
Van Buren looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Forbes changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Forbes takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
A looping hook to the body misses from Van Buren. Forbes does a little dance to reset his feet.
A good leg kick by Van Buren.
Forbes moves out of range of the strikes.
Forbes tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Van Buren looks to land a right hand but Forbes moved out of range.
Van Buren throws a low kick but Forbes avoids it.
Forbes looks to throw the jab but Van Buren is out of range.
Van Buren avoids the body shot from Forbes.
A counter left hand to the body from Van Buren misses its target.
Van Buren lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Forbes fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Forbes. Van Buren does a little dance to reset his feet.
Van Buren misses with a kick to the body.
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!
Van Buren throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Forbes is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren throws a big shot that misses.
Van Buren takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Van Buren is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Forbes.
Forbes with the counter takedown but Van Buren avoids it easily.
Forbes missing with a left hand there. Van Buren was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Forbes checks a low kick from Van Buren.
Van Buren throws a chopping leg kick but Forbes manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Van Buren looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Van Buren just misses with a punch to the body.
Van Buren looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
A slow jab from Forbes misses its intended target.
Van Buren misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Forbes.
Van Buren lands a jab.
Forbes is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Van Buren had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Van Buren swings for the body but Forbes moves out of range.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A swing and a miss from Forbes.
Van Buren defending well as Forbes loads up on a big left hand.
Van Buren is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Van Buren takes a swing at Forbes's ribcage but misses.
Van Buren moves away from the strike by Forbes.
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 Joost Van Buren 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.

Van Buren attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Forbes throws a body shot but no joy.
Van Buren was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Van Buren misses with a leg kick

and Forbes counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Forbes.
Forbes trying to control the position from guard on top but Van Buren is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Van Buren pulls Forbes in close to his closed guard and prevents Forbes from doing any damage or advancing position.

Forbes has gone for a leg lock! Van Buren slips out almost immediately though and dives into Forbes's guard.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Forbes has his foot on Van Buren's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Van Buren works his way back into a safe position though.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Forbes looks to be working for a triangle here. Oh, it looks like he might have it! Van Buren has picked Forbes up and slammed him! Forbes can't keep hold of the triangle and Van Buren manages to pass to side control!
Van Buren wants to control but Forbes is keeping him busy.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Forbes tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Forbes struggling a bit here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Forbes is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Forbes tries to buck Van Buren off but Van Buren is having none of it.
Van Buren will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Forbes struggling a bit here.
Forbes is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Van Buren's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

Forbes looking for submissions off his back.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren trying to mount his opponent but Forbes defends it.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Van Buren prevents Forbes from standing back up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Forbes blocks a low kick nicely.
Van Buren cracks Forbes with a good jab.
Forbes misses with a wild body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Van Buren is looking to score with low kicks.
Van Buren throws an off balance right hand

and Forbes counters with a single leg into guard. Van Buren didn't expect that.
Van Buren keeping moving, preventing Forbes from controlling successfully.
Forbes preventing the sweep.
Forbes wants to control from the top but Van Buren keeps moving.
Forbes advances position into side control!

Forbes tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Forbes has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Forbes tries for a kimura but Van Buren is defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Forbes lands a lovely overhand right.
Van Buren uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Forbes.
Forbes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van Buren was well out of range. Poor timing from Forbes.
Forbes walks into a stiff left hand from Van Buren.
Forbes tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Van Buren misses with a two punch combination.
Forbes is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Van Buren walks into a jab.
Van Buren misses with a body shot.
Forbes throws out a powerful jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Forbes lands with a shot to the body.
Van Buren misses with a leg kick.
Van Buren throws a hook but Forbes blocks it.
An inside leg kick from Van Buren misses.
Forbes chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Van Buren can pounce on him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Forbes checks a low kick from Van Buren.
Forbes with the counter takedown but Van Buren avoids it easily.
Forbes avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Van Buren lands a really nice looking cross but Forbes seems unphased.
Van Buren lands with a nice body punch.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Van Buren lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Forbes has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Forbes and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Van Buren is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Forbes.
Van Buren takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Forbes comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Van Buren stuns Forbes with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Forbes lands a nice looking body shot.
Forbes lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Van Buren at a distance.
Forbes slips a straight right by Van Buren.
Van Buren moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Forbes fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Van Buren manages to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Van Buren throws the left hand but Forbes avoids the punch easily.
Forbes throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Van Buren sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Forbes slips a straight right by Van Buren.
Van Buren throws a head kick that misses.
Van Buren steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Forbes.
Van Buren throws a quick counter head kick but Forbes was just out of range.
Joost Van Buren is winning the standup battle so far.
Van Buren throws a leg kick but Forbes checks it.
Forbes's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Forbes swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Van Buren slips a jab and a cross from Forbes.
Forbes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van Buren was well out of range. Poor timing from Forbes.
Van Buren thows a body kick. Forbes tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Van Buren throws out a loose jab but Forbes uses good head movement to avoid it.
Forbes with the counter takedown but Van Buren avoids it easily.
Forbes keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Van Buren missing with a left hand there. Forbes was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Forbes keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Forbes dives in for a single leg takedown but Van Buren sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Van Buren just misses with a punch to the body.
Forbes misses with a straight left.
Van Buren misses with a head kick.
Forbes throws a body shot but no joy.
Forbes takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Van Buren misses with a hook. Forbes ducked under it nicely.
Van Buren throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Forbes fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Van Buren manages to avoid it.
Van Buren walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Van Buren changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Forbes throws a lazy right hand but Van Buren sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Van Buren just misses with a punch to the body.
Forbes throws a body shot but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren with a nice cross.
Van Buren misses with a hook.
Forbes tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Van Buren rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Forbes moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Forbes scores with a jab to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Van Buren scores with a nice right hand.
Forbes throws a hook to the side of Van Buren's head but Van Buren sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Van Buren finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Forbes misses with a body shot
enabling Van Buren to counter with a crisp jab.
Van Buren misses with a body shot.
Van Buren throws a right and a left that both miss.
Van Buren fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Forbes checks it well.
Van Buren throws a low kick but it's checked well by Forbes.
Van Buren tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Forbes was well out of range. Poor timing from Van Buren.
Van Buren fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Forbes is out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joost Van Buren showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Van Buren 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 Roger Salmon scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jeff Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Colin Fray scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joost Van Buren!