PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Benjamin Harris (ranked 1195 p4p, 1249 weight class) and Flynn Knightley (ranked 93 p4p, 97 weight class). Flynn Knightley acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Harris
vs
Knightley

174 cm
22
144
9 - 3 - 0

170 cm
23
135
6 - 3 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Lethal high kicks
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Benjamin Harris!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Flynn Knightley!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Reed Andrews and Lou da Vinci.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice defenses there by Harris.
Harris looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.

Knightley closes the distance and pushes Harris back into the cage.
Knightley tries a body shot but Harris blocks it.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Harris.
Knightley lands a right hand that snaps the head of Harris backwards.
Harris working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Harris blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Harris breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Knightley fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Harris sprawls well initially but Knightley persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Harris trying to control from the bottom.
Harris is looking to improve his position.
Harris is working hard here to advance position.
Knightley lands with a punch from half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knightley winds up and cracks Harris with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Harris has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Knightley is working away from the top position though.
Knightley perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Harris slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Harris trying to control the position.
Harris wants to sweep but no luck.
Knightley with a nice head shot there.
Harris controls Knightley momentarily but Knightley frees himself.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harris is trying to hold Knightley in close to prevent damage but Knightley has managed to pass into half guard.
Knightley prevents Harris from improving his 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. Knightley connects with a nice short shot to Harris's temple.
Harris trying to control here.
Knightley is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Knightley looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knightley looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Harris wants to get back to his feet.
Harris is refusing to be controlled, as Knightley sits in half guard.
Harris trying to control but Knightley postures up.
Knightley sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Harris defending well though.
Harris is trying to get back to full guard.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Harris moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Harris trying to control the position.
Knightley makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Harris trying to keep a closed guard but Knightley is proving a slippery customer.
Knightley wants to pass the guard but Harris is keeping the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Harris wants to get back to his feet but Knightley passes into half guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Knightley tries for a takedown but Harris sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Knightley misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Knightley shoots in but no luck this time.
Benjamin Harris has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Flynn Knightley.
Knightley with a nice cross.
Knightley shoots for a double leg takedown but Harris sprawls well. He's pushed Knightley's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Harris pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Knightley tries to close the distance and clinch but Harris swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Knightley scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Harris is looking to control Knightley's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Harris avoid being mounted?
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ground and pound from Knightley.
Harris gets full guard.
Harris 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.
Knightley is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knightley stands up over Harris, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Harris looking for a sweep. Not yet Harris, not yet.
Knightley scoring with punches to the head and body.
Harris is trying to keep Knightley in close.
Harris looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Knightley is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

Harris is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Harris looking to hit a scissor sweep but Knightley is one step ahead there.
Harris is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Knightley scoring with punches to the head and body.
Harris is looking to stand up but Knightley isn't so interested in that idea.
Harris keeping full guard, as Knightley tries to pass.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Knightley's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harris pulls Knightley in close to prevent any damage.
Knightley passes Harris's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Harris tries to get to full guard but Knightley has control of the leg.
Knightley slips a nice elbow through Harris's hands, connecting with Harris's forehead.
Harris wants to control but Knightley is keeping busy.
Knightley winds up and cracks Harris with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harris is looking to improve his position.

Knightley is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Harris is just riding it out for now. Knightley eventually gives up the hold.
Knightley lands strikes from half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Harris is looking for a sweep. Knightley is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Knightley in particular looking to stall.
Knightley drops an elbow to the side of Harris's head.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Flynn Knightley showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action.

Knightley gets a double leg takedown into Harris's guard.
Knightley lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Harris wants to control the position but Knightley says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Knightley sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Knightley seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Knightley with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knightley is nestled in close to Harris, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Harris trying to hold on to Knightley's head to control him but Knightley postures up.
Harris taking some punishment here, with Knightley in his half guard.
Flynn Knightley has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harris is looking to improve his position.
Harris wants to control but Knightley is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Knightley has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Knightley controlling the action here.
Harris is trying to maintain the position but Knightley is very close to passing his half guard.
Harris wants to improve his position but Knightley is controlling well.
Knightley scores with a couple of good hammerfists.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Knightley is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Let's hope that Knightley 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.
Knightley has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

Knightley moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Harris.
Harris sneaks back into half guard.
Knightley thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Harris's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knightley passes the guard and advances to mount!
Knightley working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Knightley lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Harris slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Harris is looking to control Knightley's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Harris avoid being mounted?
Knightley passes to side control.
Knightley tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harris is trying to improve his position.
Knightley lands a nice forearm strike.
Harris tries to buck Knightley off but Knightley is having none of it.
Knightley lands a few punches from side control.
You can see the frustration on Harris's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Harris is looking for a sweep.
Knightley scores with a couple of short elbows.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Flynn Knightley really dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Harris pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Harris tries to close the distance and clinch up but Knightley swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Knightley dodges the punch combination from Harris.
Harris is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Knightley shoots and misses
and Harris counters with a right hand to the body.
Knightley swats away the attempt to clinch by Harris.
Harris cracks Knightley with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Knightley misses with a takedown attempt
and Harris counters with a two punch combo.
Benjamin Harris is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Knightley fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Harris sprawls well initially but Knightley persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Harris is looking to control Knightley's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Harris avoid being mounted?
Harris is refusing to be controlled, as Knightley sits in half guard.
Knightley tries to pass the half guard into mount. Harris knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knightley wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harris keeps working.
Knightley sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Knightley prevents Harris from improving his position.
Knightley performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

That's two 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.
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. Knightley connects with a nice short shot to Harris's temple.
Knightley seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Harris trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Knightley with the ground and pound from mount.
Harris taking shots to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harris is squirming around, avoiding Knightley's attempts to control the action.
Knightley with the ground and pound from mount.
Harris is in all sorts of trouble here.
Knightley looking to control but Harris is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Harris tries to lock up and control but Knightley gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Knightley controlling from the full mount.
Knightley fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Knightley cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Knightley working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Knightley working the ground and pound effectively.
A nice elbow there by Knightley.
Knightley tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Knightley avoids the attempt from Harris to control.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Flynn Knightley dominated that fourth round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Harris fails in his attempt to clinch.

Harris drives through and clinches with Knightley against the cage.
Knightley scores with a shoulder strike.
Knightley misses with a hook to the ribs.
Knightley throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Knightley goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Knightley fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Harris is pressed up against the cage. Knightley has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Harris down to the mat. Harris avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Knightley shoots in but no luck this time.

Knightley tries to keep at a distance but Harris has taken the fight into the clinch.
Knightley misses with a hook to the ribs.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knightley tries to throw a body punch but Harris avoids it by throwing Knightley back against the cage.

Harris breaks from the clinch.
Harris throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Nice sprawl there from Harris as Knightley shoots in.
Benjamin Harris has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Flynn Knightley.
Harris lands a jab.
Knightley wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Benjamin Harris is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harris misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Knightley tries to bum rush Harris with a series of wild strikes but Harris uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Harris seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Nice takedown defense from Harris. No joy for Knightley on that attempt.

Knightley scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Harris tries to get to full guard but Knightley has control of the leg.
Knightley working Harris over with strikes.
Harris controlling the position well.
Harris is trying to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harris tries to push off, looking to stand up, but Knightley manages to move to mount!
Knightley controlling his opponent.
Harris is in all sorts of trouble here.
Knightley has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Harris's face.
Knightley trying to control but he's not successful this time.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Knightley controlling from the full mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harris is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Knightley in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Knightley with shots to the head and body - Harris looks very uncomfortable down there.
Knightley takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Harris tries to lock up and control but Knightley gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Harris is looking to improve his position but Knightley isn't that keen on the idea.
Harris sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knightley is controlling the pace.
Harris won't allow Knightley to pass to mount.
Benjamin Harris has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Knightley slips a nice elbow through Harris's hands, connecting with Harris's forehead.
Harris wants to control but Knightley is keeping busy.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Harris is trying to control but Knightley passes into side control!
Knightley in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.

And that's the end of the fight!
Flynn Knightley comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Knightley winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 45:50
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 45:50
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Flynn Knightley!
Flynn Knightley seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.