PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Cormac McCarthy (ranked 25 p4p, 141 weight class) and Haitian Ginger (ranked 4 p4p, 28 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

McCarthy
vs
Ginger

183 cm
31
175
26 - 9 - 0

193 cm
33
185
22 - 10 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

BJJ Red Belt
World class MT
Good gas tank

NARCOS
Shadow Realm Apparel

30th Century Beer Store
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 26 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Cormac McCarthy!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Haitian Ginger!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Percy O'Donnell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ginger looks to land a right hand but McCarthy moved out of range.
Ginger looks to land a left hand but McCarthy moved out of range nicely.
McCarthy appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
McCarthy dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Ginger lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Ginger walks into a left hand.
The fighters circling - Ginger throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ginger feints and then cracks McCarthy's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow McCarthy down.
Ginger looks to throw the jab but McCarthy is out of range.
McCarthy looks to land a right hand but Ginger moved out of range.
A looping hook to the body misses from McCarthy. Ginger does a little dance to reset his feet.
A big right from McCarthy misses.
Ginger takes a shot right to the bread basket.
McCarthy lands a body shot.
Ginger throws an off balance right hand

so McCarthy counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
McCarthy with a flurry of punches that miss.
Ginger controlling the position.
McCarthy content to stall in guard here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ginger trying to control the position here.
McCarthy wants to pass the guard but Ginger is keeping the position.
McCarthy slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
McCarthy stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ginger swivels though and keeps the full guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ginger managing to control the position.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.

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.
Ginger with a hook.
Ginger throws a lazy right hand but McCarthy sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Ginger stuns McCarthy with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Haitian Ginger is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ginger on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
McCarthy fails with a takedown attempt.
McCarthy stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Ginger.
Ginger with the inside leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from McCarthy. Ginger does a little dance to reset his feet.
McCarthy ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Ginger slips a jab from McCarthy.
Ginger looks like he wants to counter punch here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ginger tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but McCarthy was well out of range. Poor timing from Ginger.
Haitian Ginger seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ginger uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by McCarthy.
McCarthy scores with a hook to the body. Ginger takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Ginger loads up on a big right hand but McCarthy slips the punch.
A slapping leg kick lands for Ginger.
Ginger doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Ginger ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
McCarthy misses the shot to the body.
McCarthy misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ginger.
Ginger gets off balance looking for a body kick
letting McCarthy counter with a right hand.
Ginger throws a leg kick which misses McCarthy's front leg but catches the back leg as McCarthy tries to avoid it.
Ginger throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
McCarthy tries to counter with a takedown but Ginger is quick to defend against it.
Ginger throws a looping overhand right but McCarthy ducks down to avoid it.
Ginger throws a leg kick

and McCarthy counters with a single leg into guard. Ginger didn't expect that.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
McCarthy not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Ginger pulls McCarthy in to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy tries to free his leg and advance position but Ginger is retaining full guard.
McCarthy keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Ginger's head.
McCarthy cracks Ginger with a solid left hand.
McCarthy cracks Ginger with a solid left hand.
McCarthy throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
McCarthy postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
McCarthy trying to control the position from guard on top but Ginger is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
McCarthy trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
McCarthy pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Ginger is keeping the position for now.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Cormac McCarthy dominated that round.
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.

McCarthy stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Ginger misses with a hook. McCarthy ducked under it nicely.
Ginger throws a hook but McCarthy blocks it.
Ginger takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Ginger walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. McCarthy checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
A big right from McCarthy misses.
Ginger lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Ginger connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Ginger throws a combination but it was largely blocked by McCarthy.
Ginger misses the shot to the body.
Ginger just misses with a punch to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ginger loads up on a big right hand but McCarthy slips the punch.
Ginger throws a jab when McCarthy was well out of range.
McCarthy looks to score with a jab to the body but Ginger is just out of range.
McCarthy misses with a body shot.
McCarthy is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Ginger can do to turn this around?
Ginger with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling McCarthy to score with a decent uppercut.
Ginger thows a leg kick but McCarthy checks it

and McCarthy counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McCarthy stalling away here and it's allowed Ginger to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
McCarthy postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
McCarthy throws a big elbow that misses.
McCarthy wants to control from the top but Ginger keeps moving.
McCarthy throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Ginger works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Ginger keeping moving, preventing McCarthy from controlling successfully.
McCarthy is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
McCarthy content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ginger swivels though and keeps the full guard.
McCarthy throws a big elbow that misses.
Ginger being controlled here, momentarily.
McCarthy seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Ginger for as long as he can get away with.
McCarthy looking to sit in guard and control but Ginger gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Ginger stopping the sweep attempt from McCarthy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
McCarthy working a defensive guard but Ginger manages to pass into side control anyway.
McCarthy tries to control but Ginger manages to take his back.
McCarthy is being controlled on the ground here - he must escape this position otherwise surely the end is near.
Ginger has the hooks in. McCarthy is trying to push off one leg but he has to do so cautiously to avoid being submitted.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy manages to reverse the position and now he's in Ginger's guard. Nice work there by McCarthy.
Ginger wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and McCarthy is now in half guard.
McCarthy misses with a head shot. Ginger uses the momentum to regain guard.
Ginger pulls McCarthy in to control the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
McCarthy is working Ginger over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
McCarthy trying to control the position from guard on top but Ginger is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Cormac McCarthy dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

McCarthy checks a low kick from Ginger.
McCarthy misses with a body shot.
Ginger throws a lazy right hand but McCarthy sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
McCarthy attempts a counter takedown but Ginger avoids it well and moves away.
A big left from McCarthy misses.
A jab from Ginger misses.
McCarthy throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Ginger stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Cormac McCarthy is winning the standup battle so far.
McCarthy shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Ginger as he jumps to the side.
McCarthy slips a jab from Ginger.
Ginger throws a jab when McCarthy was well out of range.
The fighters circling - Ginger throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
McCarthy tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ginger was well out of range. Poor timing from McCarthy.
Ginger is trying to counter with his kicks.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ginger misses with a right hand

and McCarthy decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Ginger's guard.
Ginger managing to control the position.
Ginger avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McCarthy looking to pass the guard.
Ginger keeping moving, preventing McCarthy from controlling successfully.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Ginger holds on and takes a little breather.
McCarthy working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ginger's head.
McCarthy wants to control from the top but Ginger keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
McCarthy controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
McCarthy working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
McCarthy wants to control from the top but Ginger keeps moving.
McCarthy missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Ginger keeping full guard, as McCarthy tries to pass.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Ginger throws a leg kick that is checked

and McCarthy counters with a single leg into guard. Ginger didn't expect that.
Ginger can't keep his opponent in guard - McCarthy advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Ginger is trying to defend against the ground and pound but McCarthy scores with a couple of nice shots.
Cormac McCarthy overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ginger trying to hold on to McCarthy's head to control him but McCarthy postures up.
McCarthy is looking to pass Ginger's guard but actually Ginger recovers to full guard.
McCarthy throws an elbow that misses. Ginger uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in McCarthy's guard. Nice move by Ginger!

Ginger won't allow McCarthy to sweep him here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy is looking to sweep but instead, Ginger has passed into half guard.
McCarthy wants to get back to full guard but Ginger has passed into side control.
McCarthy is trying to control Ginger's posture but Ginger avoids it.
McCarthy tries to bench press Ginger off him but Ginger keeps the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ginger is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down McCarthy's shoulder. That is not cool.
McCarthy is trying to get back to half guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Cormac McCarthy clearly takes that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ginger dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on McCarthy. That did some damage!
Ginger misses with a left hand
and McCarthy counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Ginger thinking.
McCarthy works Ginger's body with a nice hook.
Ginger throws a body kick that misses

and McCarthy counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
McCarthy trying to control but Ginger is working from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
McCarthy throws a big right hand that misses.
McCarthy chips away with some ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Ginger holds on and takes a little breather.
McCarthy tries to free his leg and advance position but Ginger is retaining full guard.
McCarthy loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
McCarthy throwing strikes but missing.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
McCarthy being controlled here momentarily.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Ginger throws a jab when McCarthy was well out of range.
An inside leg kick from Ginger misses.
McCarthy looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
McCarthy is looking to wear down Ginger with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
McCarthy takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.

McCarthy shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Ginger trying to control from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ginger is not content to let McCarthy control the position.
McCarthy working Ginger over with strikes.
McCarthy is stalling here. Ginger is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! McCarthy seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Ginger has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
McCarthy 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.
McCarthy is looking for a sweep.
McCarthy regains half guard.
McCarthy gets back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy looking to control.
Ginger being controlled here momentarily.
McCarthy tries to land a sweep but no joy.

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.
McCarthy lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

A big thud reverberates around the arena there as McCarthy accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as McCarthy accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
McCarthy postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
McCarthy throwing strikes from guard but Ginger blocks nicely.
Ginger has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ginger keeping moving, preventing McCarthy from controlling successfully.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Cormac McCarthy had his way with Haitian Ginger in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

McCarthy shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Ginger is trying to defend but McCarthy finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Cormac McCarthy is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ginger wants to get back to full guard.
McCarthy wants to take a breather but Ginger is having none of it.
McCarthy works his foot free and advances to mount.
McCarthy controlling from the full mount.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ginger is squirming around, avoiding McCarthy's attempts to control the action.
Haitian Ginger has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

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.
McCarthy tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
McCarthy continues to stall.
Ginger is squirming around, avoiding McCarthy's attempts to control the action.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McCarthy sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
McCarthy trying to control but Ginger is having none of it.
McCarthy avoids the attempt from Ginger to control.
Ginger is squirming around, avoiding McCarthy's attempts to control the action.

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.
McCarthy content just to control the position here.
McCarthy can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Ginger is looking to escape.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
McCarthy controlling the position easily from mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Cormac McCarthy showed his dominance in that final round.
Well McCarthy has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 50:44
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 50:44
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 50:44

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cormac McCarthy!
Cormac McCarthy retains his welterweight title!
Cormac McCarthy thanked the fans post fight for their support.