PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Jonathan Courchesne (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mickey ONeil (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Courchesne comes into the arena with Lux Aeterna By Clint Mansell blaring out of the sound system. ONeil is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Suffocation-Surgery of impalement. Mickey ONeil has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Courchesne
vs
ONeil

177 cm
23
148 lbs
10 - 4 - 0

165 cm
25
145 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Great low kicks
Cardio machine

TWGC Champion
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Hellbent
LOD: Affordable Quality

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 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Jonathan Courchesne!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Mickey ONeil!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
ONeil throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Courchesne stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, ONeil creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Courchesne has ONeil pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. ONeil manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Courchesne is looking for a takedown up against the cage. ONeil gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Courchesne blocks an uppercut.
ONeil lands a shot to the body.
ONeil misses with some punches.
ONeil tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Courchesne has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. ONeil is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jonathan Courchesne. That's going to take a lot out of him.
ONeil prevents the takedown attempt.
ONeil misses with a hook to the ribs.
Courchesne blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Courchesne goes for a takedown in the clinch but ONeil prevents it.
ONeil swings away with an uppercut that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ONeil stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Nice body punch from ONeil.

ONeil escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
ONeil keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Courchesne walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Courchesne is looking to land body kicks.

Courchesne gets tackled into the cage by ONeil. ONeil maintains the clinch.
Courchesne drops to a knee looking for a takedown but ONeil gets the underhooks and prevents it.
ONeil works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
A shot in the inside from ONeil.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Courchesne.
ONeil misses with a hook from the clinch.
Courchesne tries for a takedown but ONeil manages to get underhooks.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Courchesne is trying to work for a single leg takedown but ONeil pulls him back up using the underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Courchesne.
ONeil lands a left hand.
ONeil makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
ONeil misses with a hook from the clinch.
Courchesne prevents a body shot from ONeil.
ONeil swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A shot in the inside from ONeil.
Courchesne drops to a knee looking for a takedown but ONeil gets the underhooks and prevents it.
ONeil lands with a right to the head.
ONeil working aggressively here.
Courchesne changes levels and goes for a takedown here. ONeil fights it off and pushes away nicely.

ONeil gets in close and instigates a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ONeil lands a right hand that snaps the head of Courchesne backwards.
ONeil tries to work over Courchesne's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Courchesne prevents a body shot from ONeil.
Courchesne blocking some punches.
Courchesne prevents a body shot from ONeil.
ONeil scores with a hook to the body.
Courchesne is trying to stall.
A short uppercut from ONeil.
Nice body punch from ONeil - that landed with a thud.
ONeil lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Courchesne.
Courchesne tries for a takedown but ONeil manages to get underhooks.
ONeil tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

ONeil breaks from the clinch.
ONeil tries to clinch there but Courchesne circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Courchesne takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Courchesne throws a low kick but ONeil moves out of range easily.
ONeil dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Courchesne on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
ONeil throws a right and a left that both miss.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Courchesne, right into the meat.

ONeil gets caught flat footed, as Courchesne shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Courchesne seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
ONeil looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
ONeil wants to sweep but no luck.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Courchesne wants to control from the top but ONeil keeps moving.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
ONeil avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Courchesne tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mickey ONeil dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

ONeil clinches up with Courchesne and pushes him back against the cage.
I was talking to Courchesne's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, ONeil creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Courchesne looking for a takedown.
ONeil lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Courchesne backwards.

ONeil breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Courchesne moves out of range of the body kick.

Courchesne shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. ONeil is trying to defend but Courchesne finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
ONeil controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
ONeil wants to improve his position but Courchesne is controlling well.
Courchesne throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
ONeil wants to control but Courchesne is keeping busy and won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Courchesne wants to lay and pray for a moment but ONeil keeps working.
Courchesne wants to free his trapped foot but ONeil is holding on for dear life with his legs.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
ONeil misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
ONeil connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
ONeil keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Mickey ONeil is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A leg kick checked by Courchesne.
Nice sprawl there from ONeil as Courchesne shoots in.
ONeil listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
ONeil tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Courchesne feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
ONeil lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Courchesne!
Courchesne working to try and regain half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
ONeil punching from mount but Courchesne doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Courchesne is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

ONeil moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Courchesne has worked his arm free - good work by Courchesne!
ONeil taking a break here but Courchesne is having none of it and regains half guard.

ONeil is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Courchesne tries to roll over but ONeil keeps him under control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ONeil wants to control but Courchesne is keeping him busy.
Courchesne preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Courchesne trying to get back to full guard but ONeil takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
Courchesne wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by ONeil.
Courchesne holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as ONeil tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

ONeil wants to finish this one by submission but Courchesne is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from ONeil.
Courchesne can't escape the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

ONeil wants to finish this one by submission but Courchesne is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from ONeil.
ONeil controlling from the full mount.
Courchesne wants to control but ONeil is having none of it.
Courchesne slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Courchesne blocking the ground and pound attempt from ONeil.
Courchesne is looking to improve his position.
ONeil thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Courchesne's head.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
ONeil wants to pass to mount but Courchesne is defending the position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

ONeil looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mickey ONeil showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Courchesne closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming ONeil to the mat! ONeil manages to get full guard.
ONeil is controlling Courchesne's posture.
Courchesne will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Courchesne throws a strike but ONeil rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Courchesne looking to hit a scissor sweep but ONeil is one step ahead there.
Courchesne keeping moving, preventing ONeil from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Courchesne pulls ONeil in close to his closed guard and prevents ONeil from doing any damage or advancing position.
ONeil sitting in guard, not really doing much.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Mickey ONeil wasn't active enough on the ground.
Courchesne connects with a leg kick. ONeil looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Courchesne misses with a low kick.
Jonathan Courchesne seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Courchesne closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. ONeil did well to prevent Courchesne getting side control.
ONeil slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
ONeil seems keen to control Courchesne's posture.

ONeil is looking for a triangle but Courchesne pushes his legs off easily.
Courchesne has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
ONeil is controlling Courchesne's posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Courchesne stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. ONeil swivels though and keeps the full guard.
ONeil is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
ONeil is adopting a defensive guard.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Mickey ONeil wasn't active enough on the ground.
The fight stays on the outside here - ONeil looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nice takedown defense from ONeil. No joy for Courchesne on that attempt.
A head kick misses from ONeil.
Courchesne tries a low kick but ONeil avoids it.
ONeil digs a good body shot into Courchesne's ribs.
ONeil swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Courchesne tries to work over ONeil's front leg with a kick but ONeil checks it.
Courchesne swats away the attempt to clinch by ONeil.
ONeil checks a leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good shot there by ONeil.
ONeil goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Courchesne feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to ONeil's calf.

Courchesne feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
ONeil has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
ONeil is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Courchesne trying to control but ONeil is working from the bottom.
ONeil is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

Mickey ONeil has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Courchesne throws a chopping leg kick but ONeil manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
ONeil misses with a body kick.
Courchesne walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. ONeil checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Mickey ONeil is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
ONeil scores with a decent looking hook.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
ONeil tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Courchesne manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Courchesne throws a solid leg kick but ONeil takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Courchesne.
ONeil stuffs the takedown.
ONeil fails in his attempt to clinch.
Courchesne darts in looking for a takedown but ONeil gets double underhooks and turns Courchesne into the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jonathan Courchesne. That's going to take a lot out of him.
ONeil lands on the inside with an uppercut.
ONeil working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
ONeil lands with a light punch inside.
Mickey ONeil is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
ONeil misses with a body punch.
Courchesne looking for a takedown.
Mickey ONeil seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A short right from ONeil.
Courchesne tries to score a body lock takedown but ONeil shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Jonathan Courchesne has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Courchesne wants a takedown but no success here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mickey ONeil comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got ONeil 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 27:30
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mickey ONeil!
Mickey ONeil thanked the fans post fight for their support.