The Island Season 9, 205 lbs, Round 5 PBP Commentary

Co-main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Eric Whitaker (ranked 784 p4p, 0 weight class) and Apolinario Mabini (ranked 433 p4p, 62 weight class). Mabini has chosen Noypi by Bamboo as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Whitaker
vs
Mabini

185 cm
27
220 lbs
14 - 4 - 0

185 cm
26
210 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

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 14 - 4 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Eric Whitaker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Apolinario Mabini!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Bart Greer and David Hoff.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Whitaker throws an overhand right that lands on Mabini's shoulder, as Mabini tries to avoid the shot.
Mabini misses with an uppercut.
Mabini misses with a hook. Whitaker ducked under it nicely.
Nice sprawl there from Mabini as Whitaker shoots in.

Whitaker throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Mabini tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Whitaker is in Mabini's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Whitaker keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Mabini's head.
Mabini has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at Cozad The Island. Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.
Mabini wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Mabini utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mabini preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Mabini pulls Whitaker in close to prevent any damage.
Whitaker lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitaker throwing strikes from guard but Mabini blocks nicely.
Whitaker postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Mabini pulls Whitaker in close to prevent any damage.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Mabini can do anything to dispel that myth.
Whitaker working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Whitaker throws a big right hand that misses.
Mabini has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Whitaker trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Mabini working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Whitaker.
Mabini working a defensive guard here.

That's two 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.
Mabini managing to control the position.
Mabini controls Whitaker momentarily but Whitaker frees himself.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Mabini keeping moving, preventing Whitaker from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Mabini keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Mabini wants to clinch up but Whitaker keeps it at a distance.
Whitaker misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Whitaker on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
We've been told by Whitaker's head coaches at ELITE Island Gym - 19 Elite Coaches that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Whitaker looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Eric Whitaker. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker gets cracked there but stands up to it.

It looks like Eric Whitaker has been cut.
Whitaker staying out of range there.
Whitaker connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Mabini fails to land with a series of punches.
Mabini leaves Whitaker with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Whitaker cracks Mabini with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Mabini lands a right hook to the body.
Mabini scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Whitaker doesn't seem bothered though.
Whitaker is breathing heavily.

Mabini clinches up against the cage.
Mabini lands a shoulder strike.
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!
Mabini softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Whitaker jumps guard but Mabini turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Whitaker can't get the takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Whitaker pulls guard successfully.
Mabini pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Whitaker is keeping the position for now.
Whitaker looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mabini is one step ahead there.
Mabini advances to half guard.
Whitaker is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Whitaker is working hard here to advance position.
Mabini blocks the strikes from Whitaker.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Apolinario Mabini will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Eric Whitaker's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Mabini rushes Whitaker and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Mabini lands a left hand that snaps the head of Whitaker backwards.
Whitaker lands a hook that snaps the head of Mabini backwards.
Whitaker tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Whitaker tries to pull guard but Mabini forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Mabini lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Whitaker backwards.
Mabini lands a nice shot to the body.
Mabini softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Mabini has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
A hook to the body from Mabini.
Whitaker fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Eric Whitaker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Mabini.
Whitaker takes a shot to the head.
Whitaker tries to pull guard but Mabini holds him up against the cage and eventually Whitaker drops back down to his feet.
A body shot lands from Mabini.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A short left from Mabini.
A nice right hand lands inside from Mabini.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Mabini softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Mabini is working Whitaker over against the cage.
Apolinario Mabini seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitaker drops down looking for an ankle pick but Mabini pulls his leg out and moves away.
Whitaker tries to move into range but Mabini moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Mabini drops a shoulder and throws an uppercut that cracks Whitaker right on the button. Whitaker goes down! Mabini follows him to the mat and finishes the job with more strikes! Mabini gets the win via TKO!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:23 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Apolinario Mabini!
Apolinario Mabini decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
45%

Main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Phil Coleman (ranked 90 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jambe De Bois (ranked 311 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Coleman
vs
De Bois

188 cm
27
223 lbs
14 - 2 - 0

186 cm
27
205 lbs
12 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Good gas tank

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 14 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Phil Coleman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Jambe De Bois!
The judges for this bout are Michael Johnstone, David Hoff and Bart Greer.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
De Bois shoots in for a takedown but Coleman shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
De Bois shoots in but Coleman avoids the takedown attempt easily.

De Bois looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Coleman!
Coleman is trying to improve his position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Coleman can't do much from the bottom here.
De Bois throws a strike aimed at the side of Coleman's head but Coleman avoids it well.
Coleman wants to control but De Bois postures up.
De Bois throws an elbow but Coleman slips to the side and avoids it well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Coleman regains half guard, as De Bois was trying to land strikes.
De Bois with the ground and pound but Coleman uses the opportunity to regain guard.
De Bois postures up and lands a big shot to Coleman's brow.
Coleman preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Coleman is trying to keep De Bois in close.
De Bois controlling from the top position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Coleman controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Coleman bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in De Bois's guard.

De Bois tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Coleman makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Coleman working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of De Bois's head.
Coleman scoring with some ground and pound.
De Bois keeping moving, preventing Coleman from controlling successfully.
Coleman is in close to De Bois's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Coleman working some strikes from top position.
Coleman is in close to De Bois's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Coleman content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Coleman wants to control from the top but De Bois keeps moving.
De Bois has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Coleman has passed into side control.
De Bois tries to bench press Coleman off him but Coleman keeps the position.
Coleman landing a few strikes.
Coleman grinds an elbow into De Bois's temple.
A lull in the action here.
De Bois tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Coleman presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Bois sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Coleman seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Coleman working over De Bois with some ground and pound. De Bois looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
De Bois works his way to full guard. Good work.
Coleman slips nicely into half guard, despite the strikes coming from De Bois.
De Bois moves into full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

De Bois missing with a left hand there. Coleman was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
De Bois has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Coleman looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? De Bois is fending him off so far but Coleman persists. Nope, De Bois circles away and we're back to standing.
Coleman is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Coleman's jab looks to have found its range, popping De Bois under the eye.
The fighters circling - Coleman throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
De Bois let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Coleman slaps away a takedown attempt from De Bois, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Coleman appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
De Bois stuffs the takedown.
Coleman takes a swing at De Bois's ribcage but misses.
Coleman throws a body punch but De Bois moves out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

De Bois fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Coleman to the ground. De Bois is now in Coleman's guard.
De Bois with a nice head shot there.
De Bois trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Coleman is trying to keep De Bois in close.
Coleman 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.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Coleman is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

De Bois is staying active underneath Coleman, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Coleman sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. De Bois defending well though.
De Bois is trying to control but can't.
De Bois is staying active underneath Coleman, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Coleman is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Phil Coleman overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
De Bois is looking to improve his position.
De Bois slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if De Bois can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Coleman wants to control from the top but De Bois keeps moving.
De Bois trying to keep a closed guard but Coleman is proving a slippery customer.
Coleman is working De Bois over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
De Bois wants to sweep but no luck.
Coleman landing some decent shots from guard.
Coleman lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Coleman is in close to De Bois's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Coleman landing some decent shots from guard.
Coleman stands up over De Bois, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
De Bois tries to land a sweep but no joy.
De Bois really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Coleman. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Coleman lands a couple of elbows.
De Bois is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Coleman lands a couple of digs.
Coleman trying to control the position from guard on top but De Bois is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
De Bois tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Bois is still trying to improve position.
Coleman throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Coleman is in close to De Bois's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Coleman won't allow De Bois to sweep him here.
De Bois is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Coleman keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of De Bois's head.
Coleman is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that De Bois can do to turn this around?
Coleman slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Coleman's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Coleman connects with a couple of short punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Coleman dominated that second round.
That's time! Coleman's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Coleman throws a hook but De Bois blocks it.
De Bois throws out a counter right but Coleman avoids it with no problem.
Coleman connects with a jab.
De Bois shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Coleman as he jumps to the side.
De Bois shoots in for a double leg but Coleman sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
De Bois walks into a stiff left hand from Coleman.
Coleman misses with a straight left.
De Bois tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Coleman keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
De Bois shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Coleman but Coleman pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Phil Coleman has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jambe De Bois.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Coleman fakes high and swings low for a body shot but De Bois manages to avoid it.
A little jabbing left from De Bois on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Coleman fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
De Bois takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Coleman works the jab nicely.
De Bois cracks Coleman with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Coleman wants to clinch.
De Bois doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
De Bois stuffs the takedown.

A momentary lapse in concentration from De Bois enables Coleman to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. De Bois manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Coleman scoring with punches to the head and body.
Jambe De Bois has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Coleman trying to control but De Bois is working from the bottom.
De Bois looking to hit a scissor sweep but Coleman is one step ahead there.
Coleman stands and throws De Bois's legs to the side, diving into side control.
De Bois regains half guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Coleman scoring with strikes to the body and head.
De Bois keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Coleman perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
De Bois punching from the bottom.
De Bois is looking to get back to full guard here but Coleman has managed to pass to side control instead.
Coleman is chipping away with strikes.
Coleman cracks De Bois with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Coleman lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
De Bois is trying to get back to half guard.
Coleman grinds an elbow into De Bois's temple.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Coleman controls the position.
Coleman gets to mount! De Bois was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
De Bois is in a horrible position here. Coleman smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.

De Bois is rocked!
Coleman connects with a bit shot that sees De Bois covering up! More strikes from Coleman and the referee jumps in to stop the fight! Coleman is our winner by TKO!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:46 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Phil Coleman!
Phil Coleman was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.