|
|
PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jed Hall (ranked 1229 p4p, 1896 weight class) and Baariq Taïa (ranked 92 p4p, 53 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.
 |
|
 |
| 188 cm
25
280
10 - 5 - 0 |
|
198 cm
27
258
6 - 0 - 0 |
Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin |
|
Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin |
|
| |
|
Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Jed Hall!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Baariq Taïa!
The judges for this bout are James Glass, Sam Margolis and Paul Tew.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Taïa shoots in and drives through. Hall sprawls well.
Hall swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Taïa tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Hall counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Taïa drives through and clinches with Hall against the cage.
Taïa tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Hall can't find room to land a body shot as Taïa controls the action.
Hall working aggressively here.
Hall blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A head punch on the inside from Taïa fails to land.
Taïa pushes Hall back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Hall digs a right hand into Taïa's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Taïa's gas tank.
I was talking to Hall's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hall jumps guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Taïa accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Hall avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Taïa won't allow Hall to sweep him here.
Hall is pulling down on Taïa's head. It's preventing any offense from Taïa, at least for the moment.
Taïa lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Hall lands an upkick as Taïa stands over him.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hall pulls Taïa in close to prevent any damage.
Hall trying to control the position.
Hall preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Hall looking to control.
Taïa working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Hall utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Hall keeping moving, preventing Taïa from controlling successfully.
Taïa being controlled here momentarily.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Hall ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Taïa moves away.
Taïa uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hall.
Hall takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Hall circles away from the clinch attempt.
Taïa shoots in for a takedown but Hall shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Taïa fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Jed Hall has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Baariq Taïa.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taïa takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
It looks like Baariq Taïa has been cut.
Hall throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Taïa sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Nice sprawl there from Hall as Taïa shoots in.
Taïa doesn't manage to clinch there - Hall circles away.
Taïa jabs at Hall's body.
Taïa shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Hall sprawls well. Hall wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Taïa gets slowly back to his feet.
Hall circles away from the clinch attempt.
Hall takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Hall misses with an uppercut. Taïa saw that one coming.
Taïa throws out a counter right but Hall avoids it with no problem.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hall throws a jab but it's blocked by Taïa.
Hall displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Taïa.
Hall displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Taïa.
Hall connects with a nice looking jab.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hall leaves Taïa with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Taïa fails with a takedown attempt.
Hall defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Taïa.
Taïa's coach down at GAMMA Gym was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Taïa's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Taïa scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Hall throws a hook but Taïa avoids it easily.
Hall shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Taïa manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Taïa avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Hall wants to control from the top but Taïa keeps moving.
Hall controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Hall content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taïa utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Hall throws an elbow that misses. Taïa uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Hall's guard. Nice move by Taïa!
Hall wants to sweep here but Taïa controlling him for the moment.
Hall pulls Taïa in close to prevent any damage.
Taïa is working Hall over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Taïa pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hall is keeping the position for now.
Taïa postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Taïa throwing strikes but missing.
Hall 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.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Jed Hall dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Baariq Taïa's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!
Hall takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Hall gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Taïa to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Taïa postures up in Hall's guard and throws a big left but Hall blocks it.
Taïa cracks Hall with a solid left hand.
Baariq Taïa has got the better of the ground game so far.
Taïa throwing strikes from guard but Hall blocks nicely.
Taïa keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Hall's head.
Taïa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Hall holds on and takes a little breather.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Taïa wants to pass the guard but Hall is keeping the position.
Hall keeping moving, preventing Taïa from controlling successfully.
Hall tries to land a sweep but no joy.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Taïa keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Hall's head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Taïa works over Hall with some ground and pound from guard.
Hall looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Taïa connects with a couple of short punches.
Hall is adopting a defensive guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Hall is on top in guard.
Hall postures up in Taïa's guard and throws a big left but Taïa blocks it.
Taïa utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Hall postures up in Taïa's guard and throws a big left but Taïa blocks it.
Hall trying to control the position from guard on top but Taïa is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taïa preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Taïa utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Taïa wants to sweep but no luck.
Hall has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Hall in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Hall trying to control but Taïa is working from the bottom.
Taïa has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Hall working some strikes from top position.
Hall throws an elbow that misses. Taïa uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Hall's guard. Nice move by Taïa!
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Hall holds on and takes a little breather.
Hall's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Taïa's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Hall keeping moving, preventing Taïa from controlling successfully.
Hall working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Taïa.
Taïa makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Taïa is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Taïa postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Taïa won't allow Hall to sweep him here.
Taïa stands up over Hall, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Taïa scoring with punches to the head and body.
Taïa content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taïa trying to control but Hall is working from the bottom.
Hall wants to sweep but no luck.
Taïa lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Taïa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Taïa trying to control the position from guard on top but Hall is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Taïa throws a big elbow that misses.
The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Hall swats away the attempt to clinch by Taïa.
Hall scores with a one two! Taïa had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Nice cross by Taïa.
Taïa fails with a takedown attempt.
Taïa slips a straight right by Hall.
Taïa looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Taïa scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Baariq Taïa showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Baariq Taïa's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!
Taïa slips under a jab from Hall.
Taïa misses with a takedown
and Hall counters with a series of strikes. Taïa will be more careful next time no doubt.
A slow jab from Hall misses its intended target.
Hall looks to score with a jab to the body but Taïa is just out of range.
Taïa tries to clinch up but Hall circles away and keeps his distance.
Taïa bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Taïa trying to control the action but Hall is working from the bottom.
Taïa throws a strike aimed at the side of Hall's head but Hall avoids it well.
Taïa misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Hall taking a bit of punishment here - Taïa scoring with strikes.
Taïa throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Hall is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Taïa thows a huge punch but Hall dodges it nicely.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Taïa throwing shots but Hall is blocking nicely.
Taïa scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Taïa is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Hall trying to control here.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Taïa lands a nice short elbow.
Hall is trying to control but can't.
Hall is trying to get back to full guard.
Taïa lands with a punch from half guard.
Taïa is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Taïa connects with a nice short shot to Hall's temple.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taïa thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hall's head.
Taïa seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Taïa drops an elbow to the side of Hall's head.
Hall avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Taïa.
Nice strikes from Taïa there.
Taïa is nestled in close to Hall, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Taïa working the head and body with strikes.
Hall is trying to control but can't.
Taïa throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Taïa thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hall's head.
Hall tries to roll over but Taïa keeps him under control.
Taïa looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Hall with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hall avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Taïa.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Taïa connects with a nice short shot to Hall's temple.
Hall works his way to full guard. Good work.
Hall is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Taïa tries to free his leg and advance position but Hall is retaining full guard.
Taïa lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Hall avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Taïa lands a couple of digs.
Hall utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Taïa postures up and lands a big shot to Hall's brow.
Taïa distracts Hall with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Taïa being controlled here momentarily.
Hall has momentary wrist control but Taïa slips an elbow through the middle.
Hall is rocked!
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taïa loads up on a big left hand. Hall felt that one! He's just covering up now, not defending himself intelligently - Taïa looks towards the ref and unloads with 3 more big shots and the ref has no choice but to stop the fight! Hall can't hide his disappointment, as Taïa celebrates the victory.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:24 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Baariq Taïa!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
|
S |
C |
G |
|
energy
A | B |
|
hype
A | B |
|
pop
A | B |
|
mgr
A | B |
|
FIGHT
RATING
50% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
