PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Kim Orud (ranked 1326 p4p, 136 weight class) and Eon Yaj (ranked 2263 p4p, 225 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.

Orud
vs
Yaj

180 cm
32
155 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

165 cm
35
147 lbs
17 - 6 - 2

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Kim Orud!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 6 - 2, fighting out of Tokyo, Eon Yaj!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Orud throws a front kick aimed at Yaj's knee but Yaj avoids it well.
Yaj connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Yaj lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Yaj lands a right hook to the body.
Orud thows a left - swing and a miss!

Yaj closes the distance and pushes Orud back into the cage.
Yaj swings wildly with an uppercut but Orud uses good head movement to avoid it.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Orud.
Orud blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Yaj is stalling here.
Orud managing to block the knees to the body from Yaj.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stalling in the clinch from Orud.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Yaj.
Orud has a couple of punches blocked by Yaj.
Orud pressing his opponent against the cage.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yaj uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Orud.
The fighters circling - Yaj throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Orud moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Yaj 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.
Orud lands a nice looking body shot.
Orud takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

Yaj drives through and clinches with Orud against the cage.
Yaj tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Yaj lands a right hand.
Yaj lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Still in the clinch, Yaj scores with a nice short uppercut.
Yaj looking to throw knees to the head but Orud is blocking nicely.
Yaj throws an elbow that misses.
Orud lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Orud lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Yaj misses with a hook to the ribs.
Orud on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Yaj lands a hook that snaps the head of Orud backwards.
Orud misses with some punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yaj misses with a body punch.
A right handed body shot lands from Orud.
Yaj misses with an elbow over the top.
Orud dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Orud trying to stall but Yaj improves his position.
Yaj working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Orud lands a right hand.
Orud is trying to maintain a safe position but Yaj gets an underhook and turns Orud into the cage.
Orud blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Yaj misses with a hook to the ribs.
A short left from Orud.

Orud breaks from the clinch.
Yaj on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Yaj has his takedown stuffed
and Orud counters with a lovely shot to the body.

Yaj has managed to clinch.
Yaj tries a body shot but Orud blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Orud blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Orud throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Orud leaning his opponent against the cage.
Orud avoiding damage as Yaj throws knees to the body.
Orud blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Orud blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Yaj misses with a hook from the clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Orud fails to land.
Yaj tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Orud avoids it.
Come on Orud - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.

Orud pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Orud uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Orud fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Yaj checks it well.
Yaj tries to work over Orud's front leg with a kick but Orud checks it.
Yaj ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Orud moves away.
Yaj lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Orud at a distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yaj throws a head kick but Orud moves out of range.
It looked like Orud wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.

Yaj clinches with his opponent.
Orud misses with a punch on the inside.
Yaj blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Orud takes a shot to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Yaj is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Orud is defending well for now.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Orud.
Orud makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Orud managing to block the knees to the body from Yaj.
Orud is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Yaj working Orud over with knees to the body.
Orud tries to stall but Yaj uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Orud blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Yaj lands with a right to the head.
Yaj lands an elbow just above Orud 's eye.

Orud's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Orud looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Orud moves out of range of the body kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eon Yaj dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Yaj looks to score with a jab to the body but Orud is just out of range.
Orud throwing a counter right hand but Yaj manages to avoid it.
Good leg kick by Orud there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Yaj with a lazy takedown attempt
and Orud counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Yaj misses with a leg kick
and Orud counters with a left and a right that stings Yaj.
Orud tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Yaj changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Yaj will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Yaj sizes up Orud with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Yaj moves into the clinch.
Yaj throws a knee to the head but misses.
Yaj has Orud pressed against the cage, preventing Orud from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Yaj blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Yaj blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Orud blocks the elbow strike.
Orud misses with a hook from the clinch.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Orud presses Yaj against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Orud lands on the inside with an uppercut.
With the fighters up against the cage, Yaj throws an elbow but misses.
Orud lands a left hand.
Yaj scores a nice knee to the body.
Eon Yaj seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Yaj is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Orud is defending well for now.
Orud has a couple of punches blocked by Yaj.
Orud throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Yaj misses with a hook from the clinch.
Still in the clinch, Yaj scores with a nice short uppercut.
Yaj is stalling here.
Orud lands with a left to the head.
Yaj blocks an uppercut.
A shot in the inside from Orud.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Yaj blocks an uppercut.
Yaj misses with some punches.
Orud taking a breather.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A body shot lands from Orud.
A nice left hand lands by Orud.

Orud escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Orud slaps away a takedown attempt from Yaj, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Orud lands a lovely overhand right.
Yaj digs a good body shot into Orud's ribs.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Orud doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Orud tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Yaj lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Orud fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Orud escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Yaj tries a head kick but it misses.
Yaj is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Orud rather than just go for the knockout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Orud scores with a decent looking hook.
Orud throws a nice looking combination but Yaj bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

Orud tries to keep at a distance but Yaj has taken the fight into the clinch.
Yaj trying to land knees to the body.
Orud on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Orud tries to stall but Yaj uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
A short right from Yaj.
A short uppercut from Orud.
Yaj misses with some punches.
Yaj misses with an elbow over the top.
Yaj struggles to land a body shot inside as Orud controls his hands.
Orud slows down the pace here.
Orud tries a body shot but Yaj blocks it.
Orud holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Orud misses with a shot to the kidneys.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Orud misses with a hook to the ribs.
Orud is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Yaj is working Orud over against the cage.
Yaj missing with knees to the body.
Yaj blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Yaj lands with a short punch from the clinch.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Yaj misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Orud.
Orud lands with a light punch inside.
Orud tries to throw a body punch but Yaj avoids it by throwing Orud back against the cage.
Orud scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Yaj using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Yaj lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Orud blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Yaj tries to throw a body punch but Orud avoids it by throwing Yaj back against the cage.
Yaj tries to land knees in the clinch but Orud avoids the damage to the body.
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 Kim Orud will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Yaj cracks Orud with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A looping hook to the body misses from Yaj. Orud does a little dance to reset his feet.
Orud looked to counter with a high kick but didn't commit.
Eon Yaj seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Orud throws a nice head kick!
Yaj throws a nice inside leg kick.

Orud gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Yaj to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Yaj won't allow Orud to sweep him here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yaj wants to control from the top but Orud keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yaj loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Yaj wants to control from the top but Orud keeps moving.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Yaj tries to free his leg and advance position but Orud is retaining full guard.
Yaj wants to control from the top but Orud keeps moving.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Yaj fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Yaj bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Orud changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Yaj throws a head kick that misses.
Yaj on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Yaj tries to bum rush Orud with a series of wild strikes but Orud uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Orud appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.

Orud gets tackled into the cage by Yaj. Yaj maintains the clinch.
Orud fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Orud is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Yaj blocking some punches.
Orud taking a breather.
Orud looking to slow down the pace here.
Orud struggles to land a body shot inside as Yaj controls his hands.
Yaj lands a nice uppercut.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Yaj is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Orud is defending well for now.
Orud misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yaj doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Yaj.
Yaj misses with the head strike.
Orud lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Yaj blocks an uppercut.
Yaj softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Yaj blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Yaj blocks a body shot from Orud.
Orud prevents a body shot from Yaj.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Yaj creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Yaj lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Yaj lands a good knee to the midsection. Orud won't want to take too many of those.
Yaj tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Orud avoids it.
Orud wants to stall.
A head punch on the inside from Orud fails to land.
A short uppercut from Yaj.
A short uppercut from Orud.
Orud lands with a left to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Yaj blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Yaj fails to land.
Orud scores with a nice hook to the head.
Orud managing to block the knees to the body from Yaj.
Yaj missing with knees to the body.
Orud on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Yaj scores a nice knee to the body.
Orud doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Orud tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Yaj swings wildly with an uppercut but Orud uses good head movement to avoid it.
Yaj misses with an elbow strike.
Yaj blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Orud throws a punch but it's blocked by Yaj.
Orud is working Yaj over against the cage.
Orud struggles to land a body shot inside as Yaj controls his hands.
Yaj lands a good knee to the midsection. Orud won't want to take too many of those.
Orud is trying to stall.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eon Yaj comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Yaj has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eon Yaj!
Our winner, Eon Yaj, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.