PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Al Fry (ranked 3145 p4p, 4055 weight class) and Taako Taaco (ranked 485 p4p, 570 weight class). Taako Taaco has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Fry
vs
Taaco

208 cm
28
202
4 - 4 - 0

187 cm
19
200
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Decent knees
Powerful

HELLS BALLS RECOVERY

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 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Al Fry!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Taako Taaco!
The judges for this bout are Yves DeLean, Robert Douchet and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A shot to the liver by Fry. Beautiful body shot.
Good standup being displayed there by Fry as he connects with a hook.
Fry swinging wildly here.
Fry cracks Taaco with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Taaco pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Fry tries to counter with a takedown but Taaco is quick to defend against it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Taaco looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Taaco tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Fry manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Fry cracks Taaco with a good jab.
Fry scores with a punch to the head.
Taaco will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Fry tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Taaco manages to circle out of the way.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taaco misses with a straight right.
Fry connects with a body shot that sends Taaco's belly button to the back.
Fry lands a jab to the nose.
Nice uppercut there from Fry.
Taaco takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Fry lands with a hook. Taaco tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Fry scores with a jab to the body.
Taaco takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Fry looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Taaco cracks a nice hook into Fry's ribs.
Taaco misses with a body punch
and Fry connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Fry is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Fry throws a good cross that connects.
Fry fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Taaco misses with a double jab

and Fry counters by clinching up.
Taaco tries a knee to the head but Fry blocks it.
Taaco misses with a short punch on the inside.
Taaco scores a nice knee to the body.
Taaco tries to land a knee to the head but Fry blocks with his arms.
Taaco tries to land knees in the clinch but Fry avoids the damage to the body.
Fry really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Fry avoiding damage as Taaco throws knees to the body.
Taaco effectively controlling the action here.
Fry is trying to break free.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fry is trying to push Taaco away but Taaco has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Fry tries to break free but Taaco pushes him back against the cage.
Fry letting Taaco take a breather here.
Taaco scores with a shoulder strike.
A short uppercut from Taaco.
Taaco has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Fry seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Taaco can turn it around.
Fry looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Fry has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Fry wants to break free but Taaco has control.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Fry.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Taaco.
Fry tries to circle away but Taaco has him pinned against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taaco throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Fry blocks it with crossed arms.
Taaco tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Taaco misses with a knee strike.
Taaco lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Taaco lands a nice knee to the body.
Taaco working aggressively here.
Taaco looking to throw knees to the head but Fry is blocking nicely.
Fry blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Taaco doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Fry is trying to break the clinch but Taaco is controlling him.
Taaco lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Fry backwards.
Fry tries to break free but Taaco pushes him back against the cage.
Fry is trying to break the clinch but Taaco has him pressed against the cage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Al Fry dominated that round.
That's time! Fry's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Fry looks to land a combination but Taaco avoids it well.
Taaco wants to clinch up but Fry keeps it at a distance.
Fry is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Taaco can do to turn this around?
Fry lands a nice looking body shot.
Taaco missing with a left hand there. Fry was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Al Fry is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Fry scores with a jab to the body.
Taaco throws a nice looking combination but Fry bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Taaco wants to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fry fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taaco throws a left and a right that both miss

and Fry counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Fry.
Taaco lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Taaco lands with a short shot to the head.
Taaco throws a punch but it's blocked by Fry.
Taaco effectively controlling the action here.
Taaco landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

Fry manages to break the clinch.
Fry lands with an uppercut that bounces Taaco off the cage and back into range.
Taaco uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Fry.
Taaco wants to clinch.
Fry is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fry takes a swing at Taaco's ribcage but misses.

Taaco clinches up with Fry and pushes him back against the cage.
Fry tries to break the clinch but Taaco is controlling the position.
Taaco tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Taako Taaco seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Taaco has Fry pressed against the cage, preventing Fry from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Fry tries to circle away but Taaco has him pinned against the cage.
Taaco makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Taaco is pushing Fry up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Taaco utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fry being controlled against the cage.
Taaco misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Taaco slowing the pace effectively.
Taaco stalling.
Fry is trying to push Taaco away but Taaco has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Taaco tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Fry is trying to break the clinch but Taaco is controlling him.
Taaco landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Fry blocks a body shot from Taaco.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Taaco throws a knee to the head but misses.
Taaco tries to land a knee to the head but Fry blocks with his arms.
Taaco makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Fry has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Fry working hard to break the clinch.
Taaco misses with a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Taaco.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Taaco creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Taaco lands a hook that snaps the head of Fry backwards.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Taaco works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Taaco misses with the head strike.
Taaco lands a knee to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Taako Taaco showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

The fight stays on the outside here - Taaco looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Fry tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Taaco manages to circle out of the way.
Fry rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Taaco moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Taaco throws a predictable looking body shot
and Fry counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Taaco walks into a straight right hand from Fry.
A jab from Taaco misses.
Fry keeps the fight on the outside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Taaco on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Taaco swinging wildly here.
Fry changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Taaco tries to clinch up
and Fry cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taaco pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Fry back to the cage. Taaco follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.

Taaco gets a clinch.
Taaco swings wildly with an uppercut but Fry uses good head movement to avoid it.
Taaco misses with a punch to the body.
Taaco goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Stalling in the clinch from Taaco.
Taaco misses with a body punch.
Fry takes a knee right on the jaw!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fry working hard to break the clinch.
Taaco keeps control of Fry as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Taaco lands a hook to the side of the head.
Taaco misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Fry.
Taaco keeps control of Fry as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Taaco throws a knee to the head but misses.
Fry wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Taaco is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Taaco is stalling here.
Fry tries to circle away but Taaco has him pinned against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fry is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Taaco crunches a lovely knee into Fry's ribcage.
Fry on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Fry wants to break free but Taaco has control.
Taaco tries a body shot but Fry blocks it.
A body shot lands from Taaco.
Taaco doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Taaco tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Fry's elbow.

Fry's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Fry checks a low kick from Taaco.
Fry appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

Taaco moves into range and clinches up with Fry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taaco tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Taaco struggles to land a body shot inside as Fry controls his hands.
Fry managing to block the knees to the body from Taaco.
Taaco misses with some punches.
Taaco misses with a knee strike.
Taaco pressing his opponent against the cage.
Knees to the body from Taaco.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Taaco misses with a knee to the head.
Taaco tries to work over Fry's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Taaco using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Fry has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
Taako Taaco comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Taaco 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 Yves DeLean scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 28:29
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Taako Taaco!