PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Sterling Draper (ranked 2730 p4p, 3223 weight class) and Long Thai (ranked 311 p4p, 354 weight class). Draper's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Asshole. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Draper
vs
Thai

180 cm
24
158
2 - 3 - 1

178 cm
38
165
22 - 27 - 3

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Bondi MMA ðŸï¸
Vegan Gains

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, Sterling Draper!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 27 - 3, fighting out of Los Angeles, Long Thai!
The judges for this bout are Tiny Johnson, Robert Twigg and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thai feints and then cracks Draper's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Draper down.
Thai keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Draper darts in looking for a takedown but Thai gets double underhooks and turns Draper into the cage.
Thai steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Draper.
Draper tries for a takedown. No joy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sterling Draper. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Thai's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
A punch lands to the side of Draper 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Draper tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Thai connects with an inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thai feints a jab promting Draper to slip. Thai then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Draper slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Draper throws a series of punches but Thai moves out of range.
Draper sets himself, and Thai steps forward looking for the clinch! Draper avoids it this time.
Draper shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Thai pinned against the cage. Thai gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Draper closes this distance looking for a takedown but Thai circles away.
Long Thai is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Thai throws a quick inside leg kick.
A big right from Draper misses.
Draper shoots in for a takedown but Thai shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Thai 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.
Thai connects with a leg kick.
Thai displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Draper.
Draper fails to land the takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Draper darts in looking for a takedown but Thai gets double underhooks and turns Draper into the cage.
Thai missing with knees to the body.
Draper on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Draper works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Thai can do anything to dispel that myth.
Thai working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Draper.
Thai seems keen to control Draper's posture.
Thai really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Draper. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Draper throwing strikes from guard but Thai blocks nicely.
Draper connects with a couple of short punches.
Thai working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Draper.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Draper is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Draper trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Draper accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Draper looking to pass the guard.
Draper 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.
Draper trying to control but Thai is working from the bottom.
Draper slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Thai managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Draper.

That's four 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.
Thai is not content to let Draper control the position.
Draper throws an elbow but Thai slips to the side and avoids it well.

Draper is trying to get an arm triangle but Thai is defending well.
Thai wants to control but Draper postures up.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sloppy strikes there by Draper.
Draper tries to score with some ground and pound. Thai controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Long Thai dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Draper fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Thai avoids it really well and circles away.
Draper looks for a takedown but Thai sprawls well.
Thai steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Draper.
Draper fails with the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sterling Draper. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Draper dives in and scores a takedown into Thai's guard.
Draper pushes down on Thai's leg and manages to get into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thai is refusing to be controlled, as Draper sits in half guard.
Draper looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Draper landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Draper working the head and body with strikes.
Draper is looking to take a break and control but Thai is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Thai wants to get back to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Draper is taking a breather. Thai 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.
Draper missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Draper is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Draper is trying to control. Thai wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Draper is looking to advance position but Thai won't allow it.

Draper is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Thai doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Draper.
Draper wants to take a breather but Thai is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Draper is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Thai blocking the ground and pound attempt from Draper.
Draper perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Draper throwing shots but Thai is blocking nicely.

Draper is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Thai is just riding it out for now. Draper eventually gives up the hold.
Draper seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Thai does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Draper is really struggling to control Thai but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Sterling Draper overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Draper fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Thai ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Draper moves away.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Draper looks to land a combination but Thai avoids it well.
Thai is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Draper shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Thai pinned against the cage. Thai gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Sterling Draper dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Thai thuds a left hand into Draper's body.
Draper scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Draper changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Thai tries to avoid it but Draper manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Thai to the ground. Thai escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Thai wants to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thai tries to close the distance and clinch but Draper swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
A chopping leg kick lands by Thai.
Sterling Draper seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Draper looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Draper shoots for a takedown but Thai saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Thai tries to counter by closing the distance.
Draper shoots in but no luck this time.
Thai doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sterling Draper. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Draper shoots and misses
and Thai counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Draper swats away the attempt to clinch by Thai.
Draper shoots in for a takedown but Thai shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Draper walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Draper fails with the takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Draper misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Thai wants to counter with a clinch but Draper pushes him away.
Thai stuffs the takedown attempt from Draper. Draper gets slowly back to his feet.
Draper sets himself, and Thai steps forward looking for the clinch! Draper avoids it this time.
Long Thai seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Thai tries to clinch up.
Draper fails with a takedown attempt.
Thai is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Draper takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Draper looks for a takedown but Thai sprawls well.
Thai tries to counter with a clinch but Draper shakes him off and moves away.
Draper on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Draper takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

Thai has closed the distance and engaged Draper in a clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thai tries to land knees in the clinch but Draper avoids the damage to the body.
Draper is looking to take this one to the mat.
Draper tries for a takedown. No joy.
Thai tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Draper avoids it.
Thai lands a nice knee to the body.
Thai landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Thai tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Draper avoids it.
Thai has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Thai lands a good knee to the midsection. Draper won't want to take too many of those.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Draper blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Thai tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Draper avoids it.
Draper avoiding damage as Thai throws knees to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Long Thai comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Thai 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 Tiny Johnson scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Long Thai!