PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jabbar Omarov (ranked 681 p4p, 94 weight class) and Left Ball (ranked 1339 p4p, 170 weight class). Left Ball told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Omarov
vs
Ball

184 cm
24
200 lbs
9 - 2 - 1

190 cm
31
188 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Urban Fighter
Aspire Clothing

Urban Fighter
KAISER Nutrition - Q160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Jabbar Omarov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Left Ball!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Tiny Johnson and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Omarov lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Ball jabs at Omarov's body.

Ball gets a clinch.
Omarov is trying to break the clinch but Ball is controlling him.
Ball misses with a short punch on the inside.
Ball pushes Omarov back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Ball has a couple of punches blocked by Omarov.
Omarov working aggressively here.
Ball working some nice short punches in the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Omarov.

Omarov pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Omarov connects with a nice looking jab.
Ball steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Omarov.
Omarov tries to score a power double leg takedown but Ball sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Omarov somewhat.
Ball connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Omarov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ball.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A slow jab from Ball misses its intended target.
Ball stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Ball wants it to stay on the feet.
Omarov has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Omarov steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ball.
Ball throws out a loose jab but Omarov uses good head movement to avoid it.
Left Ball seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Omarov staying out of range there.
Ball misses with an uppercut.
Ball throws a good cross that connects.
Ball misses the shot to the body.
Ball misses with a lunging right hand
and Omarov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Ball throws a hook to the side of Omarov's head but Omarov sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Omarov feinted with a counter takedown.
A punch lands to the side of Omarov 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Ball cracks Omarov with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Ball leaves Omarov with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jabbar Omarov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Omarov keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Ball.
Omarov just misses with a punch to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ball digs a good body shot into Omarov's ribs.
Decent striking displayed by Ball there.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Omarov takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Ball is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Omarov.
Omarov avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Ball cracks Omarov with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Ball misses with an uppercut. Omarov saw that one coming.
Ball lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Ball scores with the left hand. Omarov knows he should have avoided that one.
Omarov swings widly with a right hand
letting Ball counter with a right hand.
Ball is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Omarov had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Omarov uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Ball.
Ball throws a hook to the side of Omarov's head but Omarov sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Omarov bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Ball's head backwards.
Ball throws a right hand that misses
and Omarov counters with a nice uppercut.
Ball swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Omarov.
Ball ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Omarov keeps the fight on the outside.
Omarov keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Ball fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Omarov looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Ball misses with an uppercut. Omarov saw that one coming.
Omarov tries to counter with a takedown but Ball is quick to defend against it.
Omarov takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

Omarov manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Ball on his heels. He'll look to pass Ball's guard now, I'm sure.
Omarov works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Omarov is controlling the pace.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Ball can do anything to dispel that myth.
Omarov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ball's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Omarov not landing any meaningful shots this time.

Omarov is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Omarov 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.
Omarov not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Omarov tries to pass to full mount but Ball defends it.
Omarov thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Omarov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ball's head.
Ball really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Omarov. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Omarov thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ball's head.
Omarov is keen to just control but Ball is a slippery customer.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Left Ball dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Ball throws a shot from downtown. Omarov moves away and avoids it.
Good shot there by Ball.
Left Ball seems to be getting the better of the standup.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Omarov.
Ball throws a body punch but Omarov moves out of range.
Omarov loads up on a big right hand but Ball slips the punch.
Ball walks into a stiff left hand from Omarov.
Ball misses with a hook.
Omarov drops down looking for a counter takedown but Ball sprawls and moves away.
Omarov misses with a hook. Ball ducked under it nicely.
Ball lunges at Omarov with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Omarov's hand.
Ball showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Omarov.
It seemed like Ball was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ball throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Ball uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Omarov.
Omarov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Ball.
Omarov drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Nice defenses there by Ball.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Omarov on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Ball has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ball. Omarov does a little dance to reset his feet.
Omarov appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Ball throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Omarov on the side of the head.

Ball gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Omarov drops back looking for a leg! Ball is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Ball manages to kick Omarov off! Omarov jumps back into Ball's guard.
Omarov throwing strikes from guard but Ball blocks nicely.
Ball is controlling Omarov's posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Omarov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Omarov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Ball utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Omarov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Omarov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Omarov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Omarov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Ball works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Omarov content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Omarov is looking to work some ground and pound but Ball has wrist control.
Omarov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Omarov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Omarov is in close to Ball's body, working some short punches and elbows.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Omarov 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.
Omarov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Ball working a defensive guard here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Omarov moves away from the strike by Ball.
Omarov's jab looks to have found its range, popping Ball under the eye.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Omarov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ball ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Jab by Omarov.
Ball throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Omarov drops down looking for a counter takedown but Ball sprawls and moves away.
Omarov lands a jab to the nose.
Ball fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Omarov is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Ball ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Omarov moves away.
Omarov uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ball.
A decent looking cross lands there for Omarov.
Nice jab there from Omarov.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Omarov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ball manages to avoid it.
Ball looks to throw the jab but Omarov is out of range.
Ball throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Omarov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Omarov shoots in for a double leg but Ball sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Ball throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Omarov.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jabbar Omarov dominated that second 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. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

A swing and a miss from Omarov.
Ball misses with a body shot.
Omarov scores with a jab. Ball acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Ball misses with a hook. Omarov ducked under it nicely.
Omarov drops down looking for a counter takedown but Ball sprawls and moves away.
Ball misses with a straight left.
Ball throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Omarov lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Ball misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Omarov.
Omarov takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
The fighters circling - Ball throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ball dodges the punch combination from Omarov.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The fighters circling - Ball throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Omarov lands a head shot.
Nice shot lands for Omarov.
Omarov uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ball.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Omarov lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Ball throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Ball lands a really nice looking cross but Omarov seems unphased.
Left Ball is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A big right from Omarov misses.
Omarov moves out of range as Ball strikes.
Omarov feinted with a counter takedown.
Good shot there by Ball.
The fighters circling - Ball throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ball takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Ball keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Omarov.
Omarov misses with a hook
and Ball counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Ball just misses with a punch to the body.
Omarov fails with the takedown.
Ball keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Omarov.

Omarov shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Ball napping and manages to drive through into side control!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ball taking punishment in the form of punches.

Omarov is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Ball has escaped the position, nice work there.
You can see the frustration on Ball's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Ball takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Omarov working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Ball is looking for a sweep.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Omarov working the head and body with strikes.
Omarov is staying tight to Ball's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Omarov working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
The ground and pound from Omarov seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Omarov scoring with punches and elbows.
Omarov postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

Omarov is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Ball has escaped the position, nice work there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Omarov wants to lay and pray for a moment but Ball keeps working.
Ball is trying to get back to half guard.
Omarov connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Ball some visible discomfort.
Omarov throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Jabbar Omarov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
The ground and pound from Omarov seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Omarov is chipping away with strikes.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jabbar Omarov showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Omarov 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 Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 29:28

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