PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Will Banks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marcel Cerdan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Banks's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, All I do Is win. The crowd seem to be enjoying Cerdan's choice of entrance music: French National Anthem. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Banks
vs
Cerdan

175 cm
33
156 lbs
28 - 19 - 1

173 cm
30
155 lbs
26 - 15 - 2

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

KO Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 19 - 1, fighting out of New York, Will Banks!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 26 - 15 - 2, fighting out of New York, Marcel Cerdan!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Yuuki Gou and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Banks scores with a jab to the body.
Banks misses with a body punch
letting Cerdan counter with a right hand.
Banks throws a lazy right hand but Cerdan sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Banks has been working on his boxing with his coaches at River's Edge Gym, LOP in the buildup to the fight.
Banks bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Cerdan is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Banks.
Cerdan slips a jab and a cross from Banks.
Banks avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Cerdan throws an off balance right hand
and Banks counters with a nice leg kick.
A big right from Banks misses.
A swing and a miss from Banks.
Banks throws out a leg kick but Cerdan moves out of range and Banks only half commits.
Cerdan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Banks moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Cerdan thows a left - swing and a miss!
Banks drops his hands momentarily and Cerdan takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banks throws a head kick but Cerdan moves out of range.
Cerdan looks to land a combination but Banks avoids it well.
Cerdan throws a hook but Banks blocks it.
Cerdan on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Banks. Banks obviously looking to wear him down.
A slow jab from Banks misses its intended target.
Banks throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Cerdan sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Banks connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
A jab from Banks misses.
Cerdan swings away with a body shot that misses

and Banks counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Cerdan's guard now.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Banks stops Cerdan from standing up.
Cerdan keeping moving, preventing Banks from controlling successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cerdan wants to stand and escape but Banks is having none of it.
Banks throws a big right hand that misses.
Cerdan avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Cerdan told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.
Banks trying to control but Cerdan is working from the bottom.
Banks is really struggling to control Cerdan but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Banks sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Will Banks wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Cerdan throws a body punch but Banks moves out of range.
Cerdan throws a shot to the body.
Cerdan misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A big right from Cerdan misses.

Banks looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Cerdan!
Cerdan is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Banks in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Banks wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Cerdan, who protects the arm well.
Cerdan takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Banks prevents Cerdan from escaping the position.
Cerdan parries the strikes from Banks easily there. Banks is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Cerdan to escape.
Cerdan is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cerdan defending against the ground and pound.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Banks prevents Cerdan from escaping the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Will Banks dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Banks feints and then cracks Cerdan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Cerdan down.
The crowd cheers as Banks lands an impressive looking overhand right. Cerdan doesn't seem phased though.
Banks swings for the body but Cerdan moves out of range.
Banks jabs at Cerdan's body.
A jab from Banks does it's job there.
An inside leg kick lands from Banks.
Banks throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Cerdan throws a big shot that misses.
Cerdan cracks a nice hook into Banks's ribs.
Cerdan misses with a head kick.
Cerdan misses the jab.
Cerdan misses with a looping left.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banks throws a head kick that misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Banks. Cerdan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Banks with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Cerdan swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Banks ducks under a wild hook from Cerdan.
Cerdan throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Banks misses with a body shot.
A chopping leg kick lands by Banks.
Banks ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Cerdan moves away.
A leg kick checked by Banks.
Banks misses with a hook to the body
letting Cerdan counter with a right hand.
Banks looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cerdan throws an overhand right that lands on Banks's shoulder, as Banks tries to avoid the shot.
Banks ducks right into an uppercut from Cerdan.
Banks keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Cerdan misses with a straight left.
Cerdan throws a combination. Banks tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Banks misses the shot to the body.
Banks just misses with a punch to the body.
Banks throws a series of punches but Cerdan avoids them all with ease.
Banks tries to bum rush Cerdan with a series of wild strikes but Cerdan uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Cerdan ducks under a wild hook from Banks.
Banks is looking to wear down Cerdan with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Banks scores with the left hand. Cerdan knows he should have avoided that one.
Cerdan tests Banks's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banks fails with a takedown attempt.
Banks darts in looking for a takedown but Cerdan gets double underhooks and turns Banks into the cage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Cerdan.
Banks misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Cerdan lands a left hand.
Cerdan lands a right hand.
Cerdan misses with some punches.
A head punch on the inside from Banks fails to land.
Banks struggles to land a body shot inside as Cerdan controls his hands.
Cerdan working aggressively here.
Nice body punch from Banks - that landed with a thud.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cerdan tries a body shot but Banks blocks it.
Banks lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Cerdan or not.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Cerdan.
Cerdan blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Cerdan lands with a light punch inside.
Banks lands a nice uppercut.
Cerdan swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Banks goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Banks misses with a hook to the ribs.
Banks tries a body shot but Cerdan blocks it.
Banks lands with a light punch inside.
Banks tries a body shot but Cerdan blocks it.
Banks lands a body punch.
Cerdan cracks Banks with a nice body shot.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Cerdan struggles to land a body shot inside as Banks controls his hands.
Cerdan struggles to land a body shot inside as Banks controls his hands.
Banks works on Cerdan's body with a couple of short punches.
Banks blocks an uppercut.
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 Will Banks will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Jab, jab by Banks - just one landing.
Cerdan takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Cerdan slips a jab and a cross from Banks.
Cerdan lands a jab to Banks's midsection.
Cerdan misses with a looping left.
Banks takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Cerdan throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Banks stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Cerdan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Banks manages to avoid it.
Cerdan throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Banks scores with a punch to the head.
Banks will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Cerdan misses with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banks keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cerdan.
Banks gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Cerdan.
Banks slips under a jab from Cerdan.
Cerdan ducks under a wild hook from Banks.
Banks misses with a body punch
and Cerdan counters with a head kick.
Banks avoids the body shot from Cerdan.
Banks swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Banks turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Banks scores with a shot to the body.
Cerdan scores with a punch to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cerdan swings for the body but Banks moves out of range.
Banks walks into a straight right hand from Cerdan.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Banks slips under a jab.
Banks looks to throw the jab but Cerdan is out of range.
Banks takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Jab, jab by Banks - just one landing.
Banks pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Cerdan's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Cerdan duly obliges.
Marcel Cerdan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Cerdan misses with a lunging right hand
and Banks counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Banks throws a shot to the body.
Banks swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cerdan throws a poor cross that misses

so Banks counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Cerdan wants to get back to his feet but Banks is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Banks with a flurry of punches that miss.
Banks throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Will Banks is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Banks trying to move into half guard but instead Cerdan has managed to sweep!
Banks looking to control.
Cerdan throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Banks works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Banks pulls Cerdan in close to prevent any damage.
Cerdan has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Banks is proving hard to escape from.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cerdan in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Banks is controlling Cerdan's posture.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

Will Banks has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Cerdan throws a series of punches but Banks avoids them all with ease.
Cerdan throws a series of punches but Banks moves out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Cerdan throws a hook to the side of Banks's head but Banks sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Cerdan misses with a right hand

so Banks counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Banks trying to control but Cerdan is working from the bottom.

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 Will Banks.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Banks, 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 Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Will Banks!
After the big win, Will Banks made sure to do all the important stuff like thanking his sponsors KO Clothing and telling the interviewer how much he loves him.