PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Blake Phoenix (ranked 462 p4p, 671 weight class) and Pat Kelly (ranked 70 p4p, 102 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Phoenix
vs
Kelly

194 cm
36
201
40 - 21 - 0

185 cm
26
190
15 - 7 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Paddy's Enhancing Drugs (160Q)

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 40 - 21 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Blake Phoenix!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Pat Kelly!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Paulsen Ambrosius and Radbod Blank.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Phoenix throws a body punch but Kelly moves out of range.
Phoenix throws the left hand but Kelly avoids the punch easily.
Phoenix loads up on a big right hand but Kelly slips the punch.
Kelly lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Kelly blocks a jab.
Kelly throws an off balance right hand
and Phoenix counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Kelly has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Phoenix looks to throw the jab but Kelly is out of range.
Kelly takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Phoenix looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Phoenix throws out a loose jab but Kelly uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kelly misses with a leg kick
and Phoenix counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Kelly keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Phoenix lands with a nice combination. Kelly backs away looking to recover.

It looks like Pat Kelly has been cut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kelly connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Phoenix ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kelly moves away.
Kelly connects with the punch.
Phoenix moves out of range of the strikes.
Phoenix fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
A looping hook to the body misses from Kelly. Phoenix does a little dance to reset his feet.
Phoenix takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly connects with an inside leg kick.
Phoenix misses with a straight right.
Kelly looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Phoenix defending well as Kelly loads up on a big left hand.
Blake Phoenix is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Phoenix misses with a straight left.
Kelly swings widly with a right hand
and Phoenix cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Phoenix lands with an overhand left.
Kelly keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A lazy left from Kelly finds it's target.
Kelly throws a jab but it's blocked by Phoenix.
Phoenix takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Phoenix throws a looping overhand right but Kelly ducks down to avoid it.
Kelly throws a jab when Phoenix was well out of range.
Kelly shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Kelly walks into a straight right hand from Phoenix.
Kelly connects with a good right hand that stumbles Phoenix. Phoenix circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice straight punches there by Phoenix. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Phoenix.
Phoenix misses with a straight right.
Phoenix looks to land a left hand but Kelly moved out of range nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Phoenix looks to score with a jab to the body but Kelly is just out of range.
Phoenix has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Kelly finds it's way round the side to connect with Phoenix's head.
Phoenix closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Good exchange - Phoenix coming out on top.
Phoenix lands a right hook to the body.
Phoenix throws a poor cross that misses
and Kelly makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
A big right from Kelly misses.
Kelly on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Phoenix takes one to the side of the head.
Kelly cracks Phoenix with a good jab.
Phoenix throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Phoenix fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Phoenix pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kelly throws a sloppy head kick and Phoenix moves out of range easily.
Kelly lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Phoenix takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Kelly jabs Phoenix right on the nose. Phoenix blinks but takes it well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kelly moves away from the strike by Phoenix.
Kelly misses with a straight right.
Phoenix moves out of range of the body kick.
Kelly throws a right hand that misses
and Phoenix counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Phoenix throws out a loose jab but Kelly uses good head movement to avoid it.
Phoenix waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Kelly.
Kelly pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Phoenix was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Kelly lands a jab to the head.
Phoenix cracks a nice hook into Kelly's ribs.
Kelly uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Phoenix.
Kelly throws a looping overhand right but Phoenix ducks down to avoid it.
Kelly is trying hard to land a takedown here. Phoenix sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Phoenix lands with a nice body punch.
Kelly tries to score with a low kick but Phoenix moves his leg out of the way.
Kelly keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Phoenix.
Phoenix drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Kelly avoids the body shot from Phoenix.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Danga de danga de dang - Kelly scores with a four punch combination!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Phoenix connects with a crisp jab.
Kelly moves away from the strike by Phoenix.
Phoenix scores with a nice right hand.
Kelly looks to land a right hand but Phoenix moved out of range.
Phoenix throws a lazy right hand but Kelly sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
It seemed like Kelly was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Kelly with a hook.
Nice uppercut there from Kelly.
Phoenix throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A slow jab from Phoenix misses its intended target.
Kelly lunges at Phoenix with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Phoenix's hand.
Kelly drops his hands momentarily and Phoenix takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kelly swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A counter left hand to the body from Phoenix misses its target.
Phoenix attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Kelly swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Phoenix getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Kelly pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Blake Phoenix will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Pat Kelly's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

A head kick misses from Kelly.
A looping hook to the body misses from Phoenix. Kelly does a little dance to reset his feet.
Phoenix tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kelly was well out of range. Poor timing from Phoenix.
Kelly uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Phoenix.
Phoenix misses with a lunging right hand
and Kelly counters with a nice uppercut.
Phoenix slips a jab from Kelly.
Nice straight punches there by Kelly. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Kelly.
Phoenix swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
The fighters circle momentarily. Kelly darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Nice defenses there by Kelly.
Phoenix tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Kelly was well out of range. Poor timing from Phoenix.
Phoenix looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Phoenix cracks Kelly with a good jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kelly fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Nice defenses there by Kelly.
Kelly misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Phoenix connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Phoenix lands with a hook. Kelly tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Phoenix throws a body shot but no joy.
Kelly misses with a straight right.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly scores with a jab. Phoenix acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

Kelly looking to score a takedown here. Phoenix is defending well but Kelly drives through and ends up in Phoenix's guard.
Phoenix keeping moving, preventing Kelly from controlling successfully.
Phoenix managing to control the position.
Kelly landing with the ground and pound.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Kelly stopping the sweep attempt from Phoenix.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Kelly accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Phoenix seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Kelly looking to pass the guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kelly postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Kelly stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Phoenix swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Kelly controls from within his opponent's guard.
Phoenix has Kelly pulled in close to control his posture.
Kelly throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Phoenix 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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix looking to control.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Kelly lands a couple of elbows.
Phoenix controlling the position.
Kelly landing with the ground and pound.
Kelly throws an elbow that misses. Phoenix uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Kelly's guard. Nice move by Phoenix!

Phoenix won't allow Kelly to sweep him here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Phoenix is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kelly not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Kelly is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Phoenix stopping the sweep attempt from Kelly.
Phoenix is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Phoenix forces his way into half guard.

Phoenix escapes and gets back to his feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kelly misses with a body shot.
Phoenix uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kelly.
Kelly doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Kelly blocks a jab.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Pat Kelly will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Pat Kelly'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. This is the final round!

Kelly walks into a jab.
Phoenix takes a swing at Kelly's ribcage but misses.
Kelly throws a body shot but no joy.
Kelly scores with a jab.
Kelly takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Phoenix misses with a body shot.
Kelly looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Kelly scores with a sloppy right hand. Phoenix should have avoided that one.
Blake Phoenix is winning the standup battle so far.
Kelly with a nice cross.
Phoenix throws a shot from downtown. Kelly moves away and avoids it.
Some wild striking there from Kelly.
Kelly ducks under a wild hook from Phoenix.
Phoenix bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Kelly's head backwards.
A looping hook to the body misses from Phoenix. Kelly does a little dance to reset his feet.
Phoenix catches Kelly with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Phoenix connects with a body shot that sends Kelly's belly button to the back.
Kelly misses with a body kick.
Phoenix throwing a counter right hand but Kelly manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kelly fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
The crowd cheers as Phoenix lands an impressive looking overhand right. Kelly doesn't seem phased though.
Kelly takes a swing at Phoenix's ribcage but misses.
Phoenix misses with a hook. Kelly ducked under it nicely.
Phoenix takes one to the chin there.
Kelly gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Phoenix takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Kelly is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Phoenix takes one on the button.
Kelly closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Phoenix avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kelly 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.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kelly misses with a body kick.
Phoenix tries a low kick but Kelly avoids it.
Kelly getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
A telegraphed right hand from Kelly misses the target.
Phoenix was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Phoenix misses.
Phoenix misses with an uppercut.
It seemed like Kelly was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Phoenix throws an overhand right that lands on Kelly's shoulder, as Kelly tries to avoid the shot.
Kelly with a jab.
Kelly walks into a straight right hand from Phoenix.
Phoenix blocks a jab.
Kelly throws the left hand but Phoenix avoids the punch easily.
Phoenix missing with a left hand there. Kelly was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

Kelly closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Phoenix to the mat! Phoenix manages to get full guard.
Kelly throws a big right hand that misses.
Pat Kelly has got the better of the ground game so far.
Kelly throws a big elbow that misses.
Phoenix controlling the position.
Phoenix continues to stall.
Kelly tries to free his leg and advance position but Phoenix is retaining full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kelly wants to control from the top but Phoenix keeps moving.
Phoenix trying to control the position here.
Kelly with a nice head shot there.
Phoenix bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Kelly's guard.

Kelly working a defensive guard here.
Kelly tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Kelly is looking for a triangle but Phoenix pushes his legs off easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Phoenix sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Kelly's guard.
Well, if Phoenix is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

Phoenix stands up out of the half guard.
Kelly fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Blake Phoenix.
I think Phoenix 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 Paul Aken scores the fight 29:29
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 30:28
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 27:30

The fight is ruled a draw!