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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Donnie O Brien (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Xavier Xahli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). O Brien comes to the cage accompanied by Rocky Road to Dublin. The crowd seem to be enjoying Xahli's choice of entrance music: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne. 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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| 172 cm
19
142 lbs
7 - 1 - 0 |
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170 cm
24
140 lbs
9 - 5 - 0 |
BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Experienced |
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BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Solid chin |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Donnie O Brien !
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Xavier Xahli!
The judges for this bout are James Atkins, Paul Tew and Chris Edwards.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
O Brien circles away from the clinch attempt.
Xahli is looking to clinch.
O Brien scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Xahli wants to get back to his feet.
Xahli won't allow O Brien to pass to mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Xahli tries to kick O Brien off but O Brien keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Xahli is not content to let O Brien control the position.
O Brien not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
O Brien looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Xahli wants to clinch up but O Brien keeps it at a distance.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Xahli tries to clinch but O Brien is having none of it.
O Brien shoots in and bounces Xahli off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Xahli has momentary wrist control but O Brien slips an elbow through the middle.
Xahli wants to get back to his feet but O Brien is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
O Brien drops back looking for a leg! Xahli is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Xahli manages to kick O Brien off! O Brien jumps back into Xahli's guard.
O Brien 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.
Xahli has O Brien pulled in close to control his posture.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Xahli controls O Brien momentarily but O Brien frees himself.
Xahli looking for a guillotine here but O Brien defends easily.
O Brien trying to control but Xahli is working from the bottom.
O Brien sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
O Brien with a flurry of punches that miss.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
O Brien closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
O Brien content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
O Brien stops Xahli from getting back to his feet.
Xahli is controlling O Brien 's trapped leg to prevent O Brien from advancing to side control.
O Brien thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
O Brien not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Xahli looks like he's trying to stand up.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Xahli tries to clinch but O Brien moves out of range.
O Brien closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Xahli trying to remain calm as O Brien controls from the top position.
Xahli is trying to get back to his feet.
You can see the frustration on Xahli's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Xahli is trying to escape the position but O Brien is controlling the position.
O Brien creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
O Brien trying to control the position but Xahli is working away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Donnie O Brien dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
O Brien shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Xahli as he jumps to the side.
Xahli doesn't manage to clinch there - O Brien circles away.
O Brien keeps the fight on the outside.
Xahli is looking to clinch but O Brien is avoiding it.
Xahli is looking to clinch.
Xahli fails in his attempt to clinch.
Xahli fails with an attempt to clinch.
O Brien closes the distance and clinches up with Xahli, looking for a takedown. O Brien pushes Xahli against the cage but Xahli circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
The fight stays on the outside here - Xahli looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
O Brien shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. O Brien showed some decent athleticism there.
Xahli wants to get back to full guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
O Brien prevents Xahli from standing back up.
Xahli trying to control from the bottom.
O Brien stops Xahli from getting back to his feet.
O Brien stalling.
O Brien missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
O Brien looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Xahli is trying to control but O Brien passes into side control!
O Brien trying to control the action but Xahli is working from the bottom.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
O Brien closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Xahli tries to get back to half guard but can't.
O Brien misses with the ground and pound.
Xahli throws a few strikes from the bottom but O Brien takes advantage and mounts!
Xahli wants to control but O Brien is having none of it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
O Brien tries to control but Xahli wriggling away.
O Brien blocks Xahli's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Brien controlling the position easily from mount.
Xahli is in a horrible position here. O Brien smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
O Brien has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Xahli's face.
O Brien lands a nice shot to the head.
Xahli is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
O Brien landing strikes from the mount.
Xahli takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Brien is in the full mount, landing strikes.
O Brien landing strikes from the mount.
Xahli wants to control but O Brien is having none of it.
O Brien landing strikes, looking to finish!
Xahli tries to get back to half guard but can't.
O Brien controlling the pace for now.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, O Brien cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Donnie O Brien dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.
O Brien will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Nice takedown defense from Xahli. No joy for O Brien on that attempt.
Xahli shoots in and bounces O Brien off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Donnie O Brien overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Xahli loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
O Brien lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Xahli!
Xahli is trying to stand.
Xahli tries to lock up and control but O Brien gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
O Brien lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
That's one minute gone in the round.
O Brien controlling from the full mount.
Xahli really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
O Brien controlling the position easily from mount.
O Brien lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Xahli taking shots to the head.
O Brien lands with some strikes.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Xahli is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Xahli tries to reverse the position but O Brien maintains control.
O Brien wants to control the pace but Xahli is squirming around nicely.
Xahli is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
O Brien controlling from mount.
O Brien tries to control but Xahli wriggling away.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Brien lands a heavy elbow.
O Brien controlling from mount.
Xahli taking shots to the head.
O Brien working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
O Brien punching from mount but Xahli doing a good job of avoiding damage.
O Brien lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Xahli hang on?
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xahli is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
O Brien controlling his opponent.
Xahli is bucking up trying to escape but O Brien cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
The referee warns Xahli that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Xahli wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Donnie O Brien clearly takes that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.
O Brien fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Xahli tries to clinch up but O Brien circles away and keeps his distance.
Xahli doesn't manage to clinch there - O Brien circles away.
Xahli tries to clinch but O Brien moves out of range.
O Brien slips a straight right by Xahli.
O Brien avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Xahli, as that shot connected.
O Brien scores with a takedown into Xahli's guard.
O Brien is looking to work some ground and pound but Xahli has wrist control.
O Brien won't allow Xahli to get back to his feet.
O Brien is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Xahli holds on and takes a little breather.
O Brien passes Xahli's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
O Brien passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Xahli!
O Brien landing strikes from the mount and Xahli is in trouble!
O Brien looking to control but Xahli is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Brien with a couple of short strikes.
Xahli is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Xahli keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
O Brien with shots to the head and body - Xahli looks very uncomfortable down there.
O Brien looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Brien can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Xahli is looking to escape.
Xahli is trying to stand up.
Xahli is squirming around, avoiding O Brien 's attempts to control the action.
Xahli tries to get back to half guard but can't.
O Brien looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Xahli squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
O Brien takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Xahli is trying to escape the mount.
O Brien lands a heavy elbow.
Xahli is looking to improve his position but O Brien isn't that keen on the idea.
O Brien can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Xahli is looking to escape.
Xahli throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Donnie O Brien had his way with Xavier Xahli in that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!
Xahli tries to clinch but O Brien moves out of range.
Donnie O Brien is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
O Brien takes the fight into the clinch.
O Brien has Xahli pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Xahli manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
A right hand to the body from Xahli.
O Brien gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Xahli keeping moving, preventing O Brien from controlling successfully.
Xahli bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in O Brien 's guard.
Xahli content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Xahli stands and steps away. O Brien gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Xahli throws a looping overhand right but O Brien ducks down to avoid it.
Xahli will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
O Brien circles away from the clinch attempt
and O Brien counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Xahli's guard now.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Xahli throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Xahli has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. O Brien is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Xahli.
O Brien moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
O Brien is looking to take a break and control but Xahli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
O Brien throws an elbow but Xahli slips to the side and avoids it well.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Xahli taking a bit of punishment here - O Brien scoring with strikes.
Xahli wants to control but O Brien postures up.
O Brien throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Xahli works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.
O Brien stalling.
O Brien works his foot free and advances to mount.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Brien trying to control but Xahli is having none of it.
O Brien takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Xahli tries to buck O Brien off but he can't manage it.
O Brien with the ground and pound from mount.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Xahli is in all sorts of trouble here.
Donnie O Brien is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
O Brien can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Xahli is looking to escape.
A nice elbow there by O Brien .
You get the feeling that Xahli really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Xavier Xahli has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
O Brien controlling the pace for now.
Xahli is squirming around, avoiding O Brien 's attempts to control the action.
And that's the end of the fight!
Donnie O Brien showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for O Brien , 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge James Atkins scores the fight 50:45
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 50:45
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 50:45
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Donnie O Brien !
Donnie O Brien retains his bantamweight title!
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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
52% |
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