PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight kickboxing rules bout between Janek Kolanko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jarek Noga (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Kolanko
vs
Noga

225 cm
18
130 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

225 cm
18
130 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

Dangerous knees
Good chin

Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Janek Kolanko!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Jarek Noga!
The judges for this bout are Robert Douchet, Alec Ball and Elvis Blanc.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kolanko is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Kolanko looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Kolanko tries to clinch up but Noga circles away and keeps his distance.
Kolanko tries to clinch but Noga moves out of range.
Some wild striking there from Noga.
Kolanko tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Noga keeps the fight on the outside.
Kolanko avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kolanko tries to clinch but Noga moves out of range.
Kolanko closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Noga scores with a one two! Kolanko had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Sloppy strikes from Noga. Those never looked like landing.
Kolanko wants to clinch.
Noga swats away the attempt to clinch by Kolanko.
Noga throws a series of punches but Kolanko avoids them all with ease.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kolanko closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Kolanko tries to clinch but Noga is having none of it.
Jarek Noga is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kolanko tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Noga paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Noga circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kolanko wants to clinch.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Noga fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Kolanko forces Noga back against the ropes and clinches.
Kolanko displaying some good clinch control by pressing Noga up against the ropes.
Kolanko looking to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kolanko tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Kolanko takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Kolanko is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Janek Kolanko.
Noga misses with a jab, cross combination.
Kolanko tries to clinch up.
Noga throws a combination that misses

and Kolanko counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Kolanko.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
Kolanko tries to land a knee to the head but Noga blocks with his arms.
Kolanko really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Noga is trying to break free.
Kolanko throws a knee to the head but misses.
Kolanko tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Noga tries to break free but Kolanko pushes him back against the ropes.
Kolanko misses with a knee strike.
Kolanko is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Noga is keeping busy.
Kolanko misses with a knee to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kolanko looking to stall.
Noga working hard to break the clinch.
Noga working hard to break the clinch.
Kolanko tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Noga wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kolanko has him pressed against the ropes.
Noga has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Noga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Noga letting Kolanko take a breather here.
Noga is looking to break free of the clinch but Kolanko has double underhooks.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Janek Kolanko dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Noga circles away from the clinch attempt.
Noga paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Noga keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Noga scores with a jab to the body.
Noga lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kolanko circles away quickly and effectively.
Noga fails to land with a series of punches.
Noga circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kolanko tries to close the distance and clinch but Noga swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Noga will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kolanko wants to clinch up but Noga keeps it at a distance.
Some wild striking there from Noga.
Kolanko is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Noga throws a series of punches but Kolanko moves out of range.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Noga will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kolanko ducks under a wild hook from Noga.
A looping hook to the body misses from Noga. Kolanko does a little dance to reset his feet.
Kolanko moves in looking to clinch but Noga pushes him off.
Janek Kolanko is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Kolanko has managed to clinch.
Noga dodges an elbow strike from Kolanko.
Noga takes a knee right on the jaw!
Kolanko landing knees to the head.
Kolanko slowing the pace effectively.
Noga looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Kolanko with a knee to the head.
Kolanko looking to slow down the pace here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Noga wants to get back to striking at distance but Kolanko won't allow it.
Kolanko throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Noga blocks it with crossed arms.
Noga wants to get back to striking at distance but Kolanko won't allow it.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Noga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Noga as Kolanko tries to tie him up.
Kolanko misses with a knee strike.
Noga wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Noga has had enough of the clinch but Kolanko keeps him there for the moment.
Noga has had enough of the clinch but Kolanko keeps him there for the moment.
Kolanko pushes off an throws an elbow but Noga leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the ropes.
Noga wants to break the clinch but can't.
Noga looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
With the fighters up against the ropes, Kolanko throws an elbow but misses.
Kolanko with a knee to the head.
Noga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kolanko wants to stall.
Noga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Kolanko with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Kolanko trying to stall but Noga improves his position.
Kolanko with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Noga has had enough of the clinch but Kolanko keeps him there for the moment.
Kolanko tries to stall but Noga uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Noga wants to break free but Kolanko has control.
Noga wants to break the clinch but can't.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Janek Kolanko will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Noga throws a good cross that connects.
Noga scores with a sloppy right hand. Kolanko should have avoided that one.
Noga connects with a looping right hand.
Kolanko fails with an attempt to clinch.
Noga misses with the combination.
Kolanko tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Noga throws a right hand that Kolanko ducks under and follows up with a left that Kolanko also avoids with ease.
A nice combination there by Noga.
Noga circles away from the clinch attempt.
Kolanko slips under a jab.
Kolanko tries to clinch but Noga moves out of range.
Kolanko tries to clinch there but Noga circles away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kolanko fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kolanko takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Sloppy strikes from Noga. Those never looked like landing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Noga swats away the attempt to clinch by Kolanko.

Kolanko clinches.
Janek Kolanko has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Noga letting Kolanko take a breather here.
Kolanko stalling in the clinch but Noga improves position.
Kolanko scores with a knee to the head.
Noga is trying to break the clinch but Kolanko is controlling him.
Noga working hard to break the clinch.
Kolanko slowing the pace effectively.
Kolanko keeps control of Noga as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Noga wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kolanko has him pressed against the ropes.
Kolanko is trying to stall.
Kolanko using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Noga has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Kolanko lands a knee to the head.
Noga tries to circle away but Kolanko has him pinned against the ropes.
Noga wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kolanko has him pressed against the ropes.
Kolanko tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Noga wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kolanko has him pressed against the ropes.
Noga tries to break the clinch but Kolanko is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kolanko stalling in the clinch but Noga improves position.
Noga looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Noga has had enough of the clinch but Kolanko keeps him there for the moment.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Kolanko looking to stall.
Kolanko throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Noga blocks it with crossed arms.
Noga looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Kolanko tries to stall but Noga uses the opportunity to gain a better position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Noga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Noga looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Kolanko pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Kolanko tries to land a knee to the head but Noga blocks with his arms.
Noga wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Kolanko is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Kolanko tries to land a knee to the head but Noga blocks with his arms.
Jarek Noga has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Janek Kolanko is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Kolanko prevents Noga from breaking the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Janek Kolanko.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Kolanko, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Robert Douchet scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alec Ball scores the fight 28:29
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Janek Kolanko!
During a confident post fight interview, Janek Kolanko thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.