PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Michael Bobeth (ranked 3565 p4p, 405 weight class) and Matt Griffin (ranked 4082 p4p, 456 weight class). Matt Griffin 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!

Bobeth
vs
Griffin

190 cm
22
185 lbs
7 - 1 - 0

186 cm
23
194 lbs
7 - 8 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Experienced

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Zenith Nutrition (160q/$200)

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 7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Michael Bobeth!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Matt Griffin!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Robert Twigg and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot by Bobeth.
Griffin swings widly with a right hand
letting Bobeth counter with a right hand.

Bobeth moves into the clinch successfully.
Bobeth stalling against the cage.

Bobeth escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Griffin throws a body punch but Bobeth moves out of range.
Bobeth connects with a high kick.
Griffin shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Bobeth pinned against the cage. Bobeth gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Griffin tries to clinch up.
Bobeth swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Griffin throws a looping overhand right but Bobeth ducks down to avoid it.
Bobeth throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Griffin looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Bobeth connects with a high kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Griffin fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Bobeth avoids it really well and circles away.
Bobeth looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Bobeth looks to land a combination but Griffin avoids it well.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Griffin has taken the fight to the clinch.

Bobeth breaks from the clinch.
Bobeth lands with a kick to the ribs.

Bobeth fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Griffin, pushing him back against the cage.
Bobeth lands a left hand that snaps the head of Griffin backwards.
Griffin letting Bobeth take a breather here.

Bobeth pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Griffin.
Michael Bobeth has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Griffin.
Bobeth moves out of range of the body kick from Griffin.
Griffin misses with a takedown
and Bobeth counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Bobeth throws a sloppy head kick and Griffin moves out of range easily.
Griffin shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Griffin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Bobeth paws at him with a jab and circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bobeth lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Griffin fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Nice body kick from Bobeth.
A nice leg kick lands there from Bobeth.
Griffin throws a jab when Bobeth was well out of range.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Bobeth.
Griffin darts in looking for a takedown but Bobeth gets double underhooks and turns Griffin into the cage.

Bobeth gets a clinch.

Bobeth's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
A punch lands to the side of Griffin 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Bobeth scores with a jab. Griffin acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Bobeth throws a head kick but Griffin moves out of range.
Griffin fails to land the takedown.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bobeth closes the distance and pushes Griffin back into the cage.

Bobeth breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bobeth avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bobeth seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
We've been told by Bobeth's head coaches at Tayne's 4d3d3d3 Gym that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Griffin on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Bobeth thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Griffin if he has to take too many more of those.
A solid body kick from Bobeth.
A combination from Bobeth does no damage.
A low kick from Griffin is predictable there
and Bobeth counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Good work by Bobeth as he checks the leg kick.
Bobeth throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bobeth swings for the body but Griffin moves out of range.
And Griffin tries to counter it with a takedown but Bobeth pushes his down on his head and steps out.

Bobeth clinches up against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Bobeth breaks the clinch.
Griffin fails with the takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Bobeth clinches with his opponent.
Griffin is trying to maintain a safe position but Bobeth gets an underhook and turns Griffin into the cage.

Bobeth breaks the clinch.
Bobeth circles away from the clinch attempt.

Griffin fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Bobeth, pushing him back against the cage.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Bobeth.
Bobeth stalling.
Griffin goes for a takedown in the clinch but Bobeth prevents it.

Bobeth breaks the clinch.
Griffin shoots for a takedown but Bobeth saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Griffin is looking to clinch.
Griffin blocks a head kick by Bobeth.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Michael Bobeth dominated that 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.

No luck for Griffin with that takedown attempt.

Bobeth moves into the clinch successfully.
Bobeth is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Griffin can do to turn this around?
A short right hand to the side of the head by Bobeth.
Griffin stalling the fight.
Bobeth holding his opponent close, against the cage.
The referee is keeping an eye on Bobeth - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Bobeth has Griffin pressed against the cage, preventing Griffin from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Griffin is trying to force a seperation but Bobeth has the dominant position.
A frustrated look appears on Griffin's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Griffin is trying to break the clinch but Bobeth is controlling him.

Bobeth pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Bobeth jabs at Griffin's body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A low kick from Griffin is predictable there
and Bobeth counters with a two punch combo.
Bobeth scoring well with a low kick there.
Bobeth scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Michael Bobeth is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Bobeth fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Griffin, pushing him back against the cage.
Griffin is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Griffin tries to pull guard but Bobeth holds him up against the cage and eventually Griffin drops back down to his feet.
Bobeth gets through Griffin's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
The referee calls for Bobeth to work.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

Bobeth breaks from the clinch.
Bobeth avoids the body shot from Griffin.
Griffin throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Griffin swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bobeth lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Griffin backs up against the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bobeth throws a head kick that half lands.
Bobeth slaps away a takedown attempt from Griffin, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Michael Bobeth has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Griffin.
Griffin ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Michael Bobeth is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bobeth throws a sloppy head kick and Griffin moves out of range easily.
Bobeth throws a nice looking combination but Griffin bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Griffin has a takedown stuffed.
Bobeth tries to counter by clinching up but Griffin breaks away and moves out of range.
Griffin fails with the takedown
and Bobeth counters with a three punch combo that has Griffin backing up. Griffin nods at Bobeth to acknowledge the strikes.
Griffin is breathing heavily.
Griffin misses with a straight right.
Bobeth throws a series of punches but Griffin moves out of range.
Bobeth misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Griffin on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Bobeth connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
A solid leg kick lands there for Bobeth.
Griffin motions for Bobeth to come forward. Griffin throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Michael Bobeth is winning the standup battle so far.
Griffin takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Bobeth pushes Griffin away with a front kick.
Griffin throws a head kick that misses.

Bobeth closes the distance and clinches.
Griffin is trying to push Bobeth away but Bobeth has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Bobeth.

Bobeth's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Griffin changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Bobeth tries to avoid it but Griffin manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Bobeth to the ground. Bobeth escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Bobeth lands a really nice looking cross but Griffin seems unphased.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bobeth misses with a series of wild punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bobeth connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Griffin throws a lazy right hand but Bobeth sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Jab from Bobeth.
Griffin wants to clinch.
Griffin looks to land a combination but Bobeth avoids it well.
Bobeth fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Left hook, right uppercut from Bobeth.
Bobeth lands a front kick.
Griffin stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Bobeth.
Griffin is trying desperately to land a takedown but Bobeth is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for Griffin.
Bobeth scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Griffin doesn't seem bothered though.
Bobeth fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Michael Bobeth dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Bobeth fakes the leg kick and cracks Griffin in the body.
Bobeth swats away the attempt to clinch by Griffin.
Horrible takedown attempt by Griffin or perhaps it was just good defense by Bobeth, which made it look bad.
Bobeth tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
And Griffin tries to counter it with a takedown but Bobeth pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Bobeth fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Griffin shoots for a double leg takedown but Bobeth sprawls well. He's pushed Griffin's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Bobeth throws a right and a left that Griffin avoids nicely.
Griffin dives in for a single leg takedown but Bobeth sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Michael Bobeth has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Griffin.

Bobeth moves into the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bobeth's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Griffin takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Bobeth breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bobeth looks to land a combination. Griffin sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Nice defenses there by Bobeth.
Bobeth thumps Griffin with a low kick.
Bobeth throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Griffin.
Griffin takes a kick to the side of the head.

Bobeth moves into range and clinches up with Griffin.
Michael Bobeth has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Bobeth has Griffin pushed against the cage.

Bobeth breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Griffin is looking to clinch.
Bobeth changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.

Bobeth moves into the clinch successfully.
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!

Bobeth breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Griffin fails with the takedown

and Bobeth counters by clinching up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Griffin tries to circle away but Bobeth has him pinned against the cage.
Griffin takes a knee to the side of the body.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Griffin tries for a takedown. No joy.
Bobeth keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Griffin's efforts to push away.
Griffin has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Bobeth.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Bobeth lands a right hand.

Bobeth breaks the clinch.
Bobeth throws a right hand that Griffin ducks under and follows up with a left that Griffin also avoids with ease.
Bobeth scores with a decent looking hook.
Bobeth scores with a push kick.
Bobeth throws a series of punches but Griffin avoids them all with ease.
Bobeth ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Griffin blocks a head kick by Bobeth.
Bobeth fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Nice body kick from Bobeth.
Bobeth delivers a nice body kick.
Bobeth throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Griffin.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Griffin.
Griffin fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Bobeth avoids it really well and circles away.
Matt Griffin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bobeth scores with a one two! Griffin had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Griffin misses the shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bobeth throws a sloppy head kick and Griffin moves out of range easily.
Bobeth will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Griffin drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Bobeth defends it well.
Bobeth misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Bobeth rushes Griffin and presses him up against the cage.

Bobeth breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Bobeth throws a quick inside leg kick.
Griffin tries for a takedown but Bobeth circles away easily
and Bobeth counters with a thumping low kick.
A slow jab from Griffin misses its intended target.
Danga de danga de dang - Bobeth scores with a four punch combination!

Bobeth forces Griffin back against the cage and clinches.
Michael Bobeth is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Bobeth escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Matt Griffin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bobeth delivers a nice body kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Michael Bobeth showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Bobeth has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Cecil Peabody scores the fight 30:24
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 30:25
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Michael Bobeth!