PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Sambulo Yeboah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Derek Harris (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Yeboah comes to the cage accompanied by Lionel Richie - All Night Long. Harris has chosen Not again - You all ready dropped? as his entrance music. 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.

Yeboah
vs
Harris

172 cm
26
154 lbs
12 - 11 - 0

173 cm
26
153 lbs
13 - 9 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Urban Fighter
Voodoo Nutrition

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 12 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sambulo Yeboah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Derek Harris!
The judges for this bout are Igor Prikhodko, Illya Tyunina and Vladimir Khabensky.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yeboah misses with an uppercut. Harris saw that one coming.
Yeboah misses with a hook.
Harris tries to counter by closing the distance.
Harris looks to score with a jab to the body but Yeboah is just out of range.
Harris uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Yeboah.
Harris takes one to the side of the head.
Yeboah takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Yeboah tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Harris was well out of range. Poor timing from Yeboah.
Yeboah seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Harris misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yeboah.
Yeboah darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
A chopping leg kick lands by Harris.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harris avoids the body shot from Yeboah.
Yeboah swings and misses with a hook to the body.
It seemed like Harris was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Harris throws a jab but it's blocked by Yeboah.
Harris lands a nice looking body shot.
Yeboah misses with an uppercut.
Sambulo Yeboah seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harris cracks the inside of Yeboah's front leg.
Yeboah lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Yeboah takes a swing at Harris's ribcage but misses.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Harris.
Harris staying out of range there.
Yeboah has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Harris.
Harris throws a nice outside leg kick.
Yeboah throws a hook to the side of Harris's head but Harris sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Yeboah throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Yeboah misses with a hook to the body
and Harris counters with a left to the body.
Harris displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Yeboah throws out the jab.
Harris tries to counter with a clinch but Yeboah shakes him off and moves away.
A slow jab from Yeboah misses its intended target.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Yeboah on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Harris. Harris obviously looking to wear him down.
Yeboah takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Harris is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Yeboah rather than just go for the knockout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.

It looks like Derek Harris has been cut.
Harris defending well as Yeboah loads up on a big left hand.
Yeboah works Harris's body with a nice hook.
Yeboah fails to land with a series of punches.
Yeboah swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Yeboah lunges at Harris with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Harris's hand.
Harris throws a nice inside leg kick.
Yeboah throws a nice looking combination but Harris bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Harris missing with a left hand there. Yeboah was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Harris moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Yeboah lands with a good body shot.
Harris blocks a jab.
Good exchange - Harris coming out on top.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah thuds a left hand into Harris's body.
Yeboah looks to land a left hand but Harris moved out of range nicely.
Harris takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Harris takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Harris with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Harris misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yeboah.
Yeboah tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Harris scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Yeboah misses with a combination

and Harris counters by clinching up.
Harris being controlled against the cage.
Yeboah trying to control the position but instead, Harris has worked for underhooks and has pushed Yeboah into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Yeboah wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Harris swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Yeboah is trying to force a seperation but Harris has the dominant position.
Harris lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Yeboah is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Harris is defending well for now.
Yeboah is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Yeboah manages to pull guard.

Yeboah is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Harris is aware though and is defending well.
Harris's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Harris wants to pass the guard but Yeboah is keeping the position.
Harris sitting in guard here, content to control.
Harris's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Sambulo Yeboah will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Derek Harris's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Yeboah throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Yeboah moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Harris misses with a straight right.
Yeboah swinging wildly here.
Yeboah misses with a wild body shot.
Yeboah throws a right hand that misses
enabling Harris to counter with a crisp jab.
Yeboah throws a lazy uppercut
and Harris counters with a stiff right hand.
Yeboah keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Yeboah drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Harris's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Yeboah connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Harris scrambles back to his feet.
Yeboah misses with a wild body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yeboah lands with a hook. Harris tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
A solid leg kick lands there for Harris.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donk. Harris catches Yeboah right on the button with a cross.
Yeboah throws a hook to the side of Harris's head but Harris sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Yeboah blocks the body kick.
Harris ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Donk. Yeboah catches Harris right on the button with a cross.
Sambulo Yeboah is winning the standup battle so far.
Harris uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Yeboah.
Yeboah fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Harris fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Yeboah chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Harris can pounce on him.
Yeboah lands a nice shot to the body.
Harris throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Harris swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Yeboah.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A good leg kick by Harris.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah throws a poor cross that misses
and Harris makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Harris pushes Yeboah away with a front kick.
Harris jabs Yeboah to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Harris ducks under a wild hook from Yeboah.
Yeboah uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Harris.
Yeboah misses the jab.
Yeboah's jab looks to have found its range, popping Harris under the eye.
Yeboah misses with a looping right.
Yeboah takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Harris feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Yeboah's calf.
Harris swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Harris avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Yeboah just misses with a punch to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jab from Harris.
A big right from Yeboah misses.
Harris lands a right hook to the body.
Yeboah misses with a body shot.

Yeboah tries to keep at a distance but Harris has taken the fight into the clinch.
A right handed body shot lands from Harris.
Yeboah softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Yeboah wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Yeboah holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Yeboah breaks the clinch.
Harris lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Yeboah tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Harris was well out of range. Poor timing from Yeboah.
Yeboah looks to score with a jab to the body but Harris is just out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah cracks a nice hook into Harris's ribs.
Harris listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Yeboah misses with a wild body shot.
Yeboah stuns Harris with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Yeboah fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Harris raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Yeboah swings for the body but Harris moves out of range.
Harris throws a wild body kick that Yeboah sees coming a mile off.
Yeboah ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Harris moves away.
Harris throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Harris misses with a double jab.
Yeboah needs to keep his hands up - Harris had a free shot at his head there.
Yeboah throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Yeboah scores with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Derek Harris will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Derek Harris's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Harris staying out of range there.
Yeboah throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Harris counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Harris throws a leg kick which misses Yeboah's front leg but catches the back leg as Yeboah tries to avoid it.
Yeboah throws a hook but Harris avoids it easily.
Yeboah takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Harris ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Harris tries to counter with a clinch but Yeboah shakes him off and moves away.
Harris digs a good body shot into Yeboah's ribs.
Harris sizes up Yeboah with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Jab from Harris.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harris feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Yeboah's calf.
Yeboah throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Harris makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Jab by Yeboah.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Harris turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yeboah looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
A good leg kick by Harris.
Yeboah stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Harris lands a glancing blow to the side of Yeboah's head.
Harris fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Yeboah has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Harris lands a body shot.
Yeboah throws the left hand but Harris avoids the punch easily.
Harris feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Yeboah's calf.
Yeboah misses with a straight left.
Harris misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yeboah.
Yeboah on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Harris.
A combination from Yeboah does no damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
A jab from Yeboah misses.
Yeboah throws a sloppy body shot
and Harris cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Yeboah just misses with a punch to the body.
Yeboah takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Harris avoids a punch combination nicely.
Yeboah throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Harris sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Harris doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Harris fails to land with a series of punches.
Yeboah throws a right hand that misses
and Harris counters with a right hand to the body.
Harris digs a good body shot into Yeboah's ribs.
Harris has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Harris there as he acknowledges the shot.
Yeboah misses with a hook.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harris wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Harris slips under a jab.
Yeboah bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Harris's head.
Yeboah looks to score with a jab to the body but Harris is just out of range.
Harris scores with a hook to the body. Yeboah takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Harris bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Harris tries to counter with a clinch but Yeboah shakes him off and moves away.
Harris fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Yeboah looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Harris listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
A nice leg kick lands there from Harris.
Harris defending well as Yeboah loads up on a big left hand.
Harris fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Yeboah connects with a crisp jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
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!
Yeboah takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Harris uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Yeboah.
Yeboah misses with a two punch combination.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Yeboah ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Harris moves away.
A nice side step and Harris releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
A nice leg kick lands there from Harris.
Harris pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Yeboah back to the cage. Harris follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Harris throws a head kick but Yeboah moves out of range.
Harris bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Yeboah's head backwards.
Yeboah uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Harris.
Yeboah misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Harris.
Harris is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Yeboah with a body shot.
Yeboah misses with a wild body shot.
Yeboah waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Harris.

And that's the end of the fight!
Derek Harris comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Harris has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Igor Prikhodko scores the fight 28:29
Judge Illya Tyunina scores the fight 28:29
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Derek Harris!
A relieved looking Derek Harris thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.