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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Baariq Taïa (ranked 1823 p4p, 1521 weight class) and Jayson Francis (ranked 59 p4p, 50 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.
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| 198 cm
28
258
8 - 3 - 0 |
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205 cm
27
235
8 - 4 - 0 |
Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank |
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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 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Baariq Taïa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Jayson Francis!
The judges for this bout are Phil Schofield, Daniel Bishop and James Ackerman.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Taïa throws a shot from downtown. Francis moves away and avoids it.
Francis throws a big counter head kick but Taïa avoids it with no problem.
Francis gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Taïa throwing strikes but missing.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Taïa in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Francis pulls Taïa in to control the position.
Taïa postures up and lands a big shot to Francis's brow.
Francis has his hands on Taïa's head, controlling the position.
Francis bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Taïa's guard.
Taïa 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.
Francis is stalling in the full guard.
Francis won't allow Taïa to sweep him here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Francis controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Taïa wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Francis stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Taïa swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Taïa trying to control the position here.
Francis is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Taïa is controlling Francis's posture.
Taïa looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Francis is looking to stand up but Taïa won't let him.
Francis preventing the sweep.
Taïa pulls Francis in close to prevent any damage.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Francis sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Taïa moves out of range of the body kick.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Taïa crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Francis - the referee stops the clock and Taïa gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Francis. Taïa manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Jayson Francis is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Francis throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
It looks like Baariq Taïa has been cut.
Francis slips a jab from Taïa.
Taïa misses the jab.
Taïa throws a left and a right that both miss
and Francis counters with an inside leg kick.
Baariq Taïa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Taïa throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Francis's waist but Francis gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Taïa off to one side.
Taïa connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
It looks like Jayson Francis has been cut.
Taïa moves in looking to clinch but Francis pushes him off.
Francis is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Taïa with a body shot.
Taïa misses the shot to the body.
Francis is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
Francis wants to land a leg kick but Taïa is out of range.
Taïa is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Francis throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Taïa throws a lazy right hand but Francis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Taïa has been working on his balance at Mentor Gym, so perhaps that has help him stuff some of the takedown attempts by Francis.
Taïa lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Francis fakes the leg kick and cracks Taïa in the body.
Taïa is breathing heavily.
Taïa uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Francis.
Taïa dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Taïa checks a leg kick.
Taïa misses with a few strikes there.
Francis unleashes a big counter combination but Taïa bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Francis connects with a jab.
Taïa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Francis manages to avoid it.
Taïa tries to clinch but Francis moves out of range.
Francis scores with a hook to the body. Taïa takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Francis scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Francis slips under a jab.
Taïa fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
And Francis responds with a good body kick, but Taïa manages to step out the way in time.
Taïa connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Francis's hands.
A shot to the body from Taïa misses
and Francis counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Francis looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Francis moves out of range as Taïa strikes.
Taïa gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Francis counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Baariq Taïa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Taïa lands with a cross.
Taïa darts in and clinches Francis up against the cage.
Taïa blocks a body shot from Francis.
Taïa misses with a hook from the clinch.
Taïa fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Taïa has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Francis avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Taïa working aggressively here.
Francis blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Francis prevents the takedown attempt.
Taïa drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Francis gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Taïa blocking some punches.
Still in the clinch, Taïa scores with a nice short uppercut.
Francis blocking some punches.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close round but I would say that Baariq Taïa will probably get the nod.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!
Taïa shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Francis wants to get back to full guard.
Taïa is thwarting Francis's attempts to control the position.
Taïa is trying to control the action in half guard but Francis is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Francis slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Francis is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Taïa wants to pass the guard but Francis is keeping the position.
Taïa is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Francis is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Taïa wants to control from the top but Francis keeps moving.
Francis wants to sweep here but Taïa controlling him for the moment.
Taïa postures up and lands a big shot to Francis's brow.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Taïa throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Francis works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Francis wants to sweep here but Taïa controlling him for the moment.
Baariq Taïa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Taïa not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Taïa working some strikes from top position.
Taïa throwing strikes from guard but Francis blocks nicely.
Francis wants to sweep here but Taïa controlling him for the moment.
Francis working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Taïa.
Taïa throws a big right hand that misses.
Taïa trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Taïa postures up in Francis's guard and throws a big left but Francis blocks it.
Taïa throws a big elbow that misses.
Francis looking to hit a scissor sweep but Taïa is one step ahead there.
Taïa postures up.
Francis 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.
Taïa throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Francis managing to control the position.
Francis looking for a sweep. Not yet Francis, not yet.
Taïa postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Taïa stopping the sweep attempt from Francis.
Taïa with a flurry of punches that miss.
Taïa cracks Francis with a solid left hand.
Francis looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Taïa with a nice head shot there.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Francis is on top in guard.
Taïa manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Francis manages to get himself to full guard.
Taïa is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Taïa postures up in Francis's guard and throws a big left but Francis blocks it.
Taïa in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Taïa working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Francis's head.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Francis working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Taïa.
Taïa stands up over Francis, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Francis has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Francis manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Taïa manages to get himself to full guard.
Francis sitting in guard here, content to control.
Francis works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Taïa is looking to improve his position.
Taïa is controlling Francis's trapped leg to prevent Francis from advancing to side control.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taïa trying to hold on to Francis's head to control him but Francis postures up.
Francis is looking to advance position but Taïa won't allow it.
Francis is taking a breather. Taïa 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.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Francis is continuing to stall.
Taïa is staying active underneath Francis, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Baariq Taïa dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!
Some bone on bone action there as Taïa checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Baariq Taïa is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Taïa misses with a straight left.
Francis tries a quick counter leg kick but Taïa is wise to it.
Francis takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Taïa tries to clinch up but Francis circles away and keeps his distance.
Sloppy strikes from Taïa. Those never looked like landing.
Francis throws a body shot but no joy.
Taïa ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Francis moves away.
Taïa throws a lazy right hand but Francis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Taïa misses with a wild body shot.
Taïa looks to land a right hand but Francis moved out of range.
Francis looks like he wants to counter punch here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Francis lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Taïa misses with a looping left.
Taïa throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Taïa ducks under a wild hook from Francis.
Francis waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Taïa.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Taïa fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
It seemed like Francis was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Francis has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Taïa connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
A jab from Taïa does it's job there.
Taïa misses with an uppercut
and Francis counters with a good low kick that Taïa was not able to check.
Jayson Francis seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Francis scores with a jab.
Taïa blocks the body kick.
Taïa tries to clinch up.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Francis! But no joy.
Francis finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Francis tries a head kick but it misses.
Taïa changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Francis tries to avoid it but Taïa manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Francis to the ground. Francis escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Taïa tries to close the distance and clinch but Francis swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Taïa fails with the takedown
and Francis cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Baariq Taïa. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taïa shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Francis defends it nicely.
Francis misses with a looping left.
Francis throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Taïa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Taïa misses the body punch
and Taïa takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Francis throws a body punch but Taïa moves out of range.
Taïa throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
A shot to the body from Taïa misses
and Taïa takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Taïa throws a lazy right hand but Francis sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Francis jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A little feinted left hand from Taïa on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Jayson Francis has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Francis ducks under a wild hook from Taïa.
Taïa fails with the takedown.
Taïa dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Taïa tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Francis was well out of range. Poor timing from Taïa.
Francis only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Francis fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Francis throws a solid leg kick but Taïa takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Francis.
Taïa wants to clinch up but Francis keeps it at a distance.
Francis appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Francis.
Francis jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Taïa doesn't manage to clinch there - Francis circles away.
Francis swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Francis looks to score with a jab to the body but Taïa is just out of range.
Taïa misses with a hook to the body
and Francis counters with a lovely straight right hand!
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taïa closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Francis's guard.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Taïa controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Taïa tries to free his leg and advance position but Francis is retaining full guard.
Francis trying to keep a closed guard but Taïa is proving a slippery customer.
Francis tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Taïa slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Francis has control of Taïa's left arm, preventing Taïa from doing any damage.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Taïa looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
And that's the end of the fight!
Jayson Francis comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Taïa has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Phil Schofield scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 28:29
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 29:28
In favor of your winner, by split decision... Baariq Taïa!
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
45% |
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