PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Paramat Pongsak (ranked 25310 p4p, 4526 weight class) and Jerat Birahi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Jerat Birahi enters the cage!

Pongsak
vs
Birahi

201 cm
18
185
2 - 3 - 0

190 cm
25
191
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

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 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Paramat Pongsak!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jerat Birahi!
The judges for this bout are Winston Howard, Eliza Hachem and Ben Watson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Birahi connects with a good right hand that stumbles Pongsak. Pongsak circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

Birahi shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Birahi showed some decent athleticism there.
Birahi is taking a breather. Pongsak says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Birahi prevents Pongsak from standing back up.
Birahi controlling the action here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Birahi works his foot free and advances to mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Birahi is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Pongsak can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Birahi is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Pongsak can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Pongsak is bucking up trying to escape but Birahi cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Pongsak is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pongsak is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Birahi looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Birahi controlling his opponent.
Pongsak's coaches at Cozad MMA Sydney have been working on his defensive grappling in preparation for this fight so let's see if he can get out of this tricky position.
Pongsak wants to hold on but Birahi pushes him away.
Birahi tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Birahi with shots to the head and body - Pongsak looks very uncomfortable down there.
Birahi scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Pongsak?
Birahi raining down shots from the mount!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Birahi looking to finish Pongsak with some ground and pound. This is bad for Pongsak!
Birahi punishing his opponent with strikes.
Birahi looking to control and managing it successfully.
Birahi raining down hammerfists from mount.

Pongsak is rocked!
Birahi wants to control the pace but Pongsak is squirming around nicely.
Birahi working the ground and pound effectively.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Birahi lands a nice shot to the head.
Pongsak is in a horrible position here. Birahi smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.

Birahi is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Pongsak can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Birahi raining down shots from the mount!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Jerat Birahi dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Birahi gets the takedown into side control.
Birahi is looking to take a break and control but Pongsak is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Birahi stands up and beckons Pongsak to his feet.

Birahi closes the distance and clinches.
Birahi is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Pongsak pulls him back up using the underhooks.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pongsak trying to stall but Birahi improves his position.
Birahi lands a left hand that snaps the head of Pongsak backwards.
Pongsak wants to break free but Birahi has control.
Birahi jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Pongsak walks away with a smile on his face. Birahi gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Pongsak is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pongsak doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Birahi counters with a takedown into side control.

Birahi decides to stand back up. Birahi steps back and let's Pongsak get back to his feet.
Pongsak fails with an attempt to clinch.
Pongsak throws a leg kick which misses Birahi's front leg but catches the back leg as Birahi tries to avoid it.

Birahi changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Pongsak looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.

Birahi decides to stand up, so the ref orders Pongsak to his feet.
Pongsak really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Birahi tries to clinch there but Pongsak circles away.

Birahi scores with a takedown into Pongsak's guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Pongsak preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Birahi has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Birahi controls from within his opponent's guard.
Birahi connects with a couple of short punches.
Birahi engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Let's hope that Birahi has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pongsak keeping full guard, as Birahi tries to pass.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Birahi keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Birahi blocks a head kick by Pongsak.

Birahi shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Birahi was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Birahi content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Birahi's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Birahi in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Birahi stands up.

Birahi shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Birahi was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Pongsak is looking to get back to his feet here but Birahi is keeping cool and he's managed to take Pongsak's back.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Jerat Birahi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Pongsak's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Birahi rushes Pongsak and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Birahi gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Birahi scoring with punches to the head and body.

Birahi stands up from Pongsak's guard - Birahi perhaps looking for a knockout.

Birahi shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Birahi was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Pongsak wants to get back to his feet but Birahi is dominant here and he's now got Pongsak's back!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Birahi has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Pongsak's body.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Birahi working for a RNC but it's not happening just yet.

Birahi looking for the RNC.
Birahi controlling from the back.
Birahi connects with a series of strikes and the referee is calling for Pongsak to escape the position.
Paramat Pongsak has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Birahi controls the position.
We're seeing a lot of stalling here from Birahi.
Pongsak looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

Pongsak is in a bad position with Birahi working for a choke. Pongsak manages to spin nicely into guard and the danger is over for the moment.
Birahi has his hands on Pongsak's head, controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pongsak got a little sloppy there for a moment and Birahi has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Pongsak has managed to get both his arms back between Birahi's legs - danger averted.
Birahi has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Birahi tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Birahi pulls Pongsak in close to prevent any damage.
Birahi takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Birahi has a closed guard, preventing Pongsak from standing up.
Pongsak will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Birahi seems keen to control Pongsak's posture.
Birahi not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Pongsak closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Pongsak scores with a head kick.
Birahi moves in looking to clinch but Pongsak pushes him off.
Pongsak lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Pongsak.
Pongsak throws a sloppy head kick and Birahi moves out of range easily.

Birahi clinches up against the cage.
Pongsak lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Pongsak escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Pongsak misses with a double jab

and Birahi counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

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 Paramat Pongsak.
I think Birahi 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 Winston Howard scores the fight 26:30
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 27:29
Judge Ben Watson scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jerat Birahi!