PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Alan Ford (ranked 2189 p4p, 323 weight class) and Brian Hardy (ranked 1379 p4p, 206 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Ford
vs
Hardy

179 cm
28
175 lbs
13 - 12 - 0

195 cm
31
187 lbs
25 - 10 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Alan Ford!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 25 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Brian Hardy!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Don Winkell and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ford swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Hardy lands a nice hook to Ford's body. Ford takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Ford lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hardy circles away quickly and effectively.
Nice cross by Ford.
Ford misses with a series of wild punches.
Despite the aggression on Hardy's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
That kick from Ford tenderised Hardy's leg. Hardy is trying to keep his angry face on.
Hardy punishes Ford's body with a nice straight punch.
Hardy takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Ford connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Ford needs to keep his hands up - Hardy had a free shot at his head there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hardy ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Ford swings widly with a right hand
and Hardy counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Hardy throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Ford scoring well with a low kick there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ford throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Hardy 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 slow jab from Ford misses its intended target.
Hardy steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ford.
Hardy throws out a counter right but Ford avoids it with no problem.
Ford lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Ford is looking to clinch.
Hardy cracks Ford with a right hand to the side of the head.
Nice cross by Hardy.
Hardy scores with a punch to the head.
Hardy throws the left hand but Ford avoids the punch easily.
Hardy on the wrong end of a nice hook.
A leg kick checked by Hardy.
Hardy clobbers Ford with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Hardy lands with a straight right. Ford didn't see that one coming.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hardy moves out of range as Ford throws a body kick.
Jab by Ford.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy swings for the body but Ford moves out of range.
Ford throws a body punch but Hardy moves out of range.
Ford connects with a right hand. Hardy shakes it off.
Hardy misses with a hook.
Ford tries to land a leg kick but Hardy saw it coming and moves away.
Ford takes a swing at Hardy's ribcage but misses.
Ford uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hardy.
Ford misses with a body shot.
Ford uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
A punch lands to the side of Ford 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Hardy misses with a straight right.
Ford slips under a jab from Hardy.
Hardy misses the jab.
Ford takes a swing at Hardy's ribcage but misses.
Hardy is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Ford had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Hardy takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ford.
Hardy swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Hardy scores with a jab to the jaw.
Ford throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Hardy has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Ford throws out a loose jab but Hardy uses good head movement to avoid it.

Ford clinches with his opponent.
Hardy is trying to break the clinch but Ford is controlling him.
Come on Ford - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Ford misses with a short punch on the inside.
I was talking to Ford's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hardy wants to get back to striking at distance but Ford won't allow it.
Ford lands a hook that snaps the head of Hardy backwards.
Ford tries to throw a body punch but Hardy avoids it by throwing Ford back against the cage.
Hardy wants to break free but Ford has control.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ford.
Hardy looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

Hardy breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hardy slips under a jab from Ford.
Ford misses with a leg kick.
Ford pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Hardy let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Hardy connects with a jab.
Ford jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Hardy swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ford thinks about countering with a body kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ford misses with a kick to the body
and Ford takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hardy is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Ford throws a leg kick that misses.
Hardy checks a leg kick.
Hardy fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A big left from Ford misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Hardy misses the target.
Ford slips a straight right by Hardy.
Hardy throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ford.
Hardy misses with a hook.
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 Alan Ford will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Hardy throws a hook but Ford blocks it.
Brian Hardy seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Hardy throws an ugly left hook that misses
enabling Ford to counter with a crisp jab.
Hardy misses with a looping right.
Ford throws out a loose jab but Hardy uses good head movement to avoid it.
Donk. Ford catches Hardy right on the button with a cross.
Hardy misses with a jab to the body

and Ford moves into the clinch.
Hardy has had enough of the clinch but Ford keeps him there for the moment.
Hardy wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Ford slowing the pace effectively.
A short right from Ford.
Hardy looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ford lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

It looks like Brian Hardy has been cut.
Ford tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Ford misses with a punch on the inside.
Hardy has had enough of the clinch but Ford keeps him there for the moment.
Hardy wants to break the clinch but can't.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ford lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

Hardy breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Hardy throws a big shot that misses.
Ford jabs at Hardy's body.
Ford misses with a body shot.
Ford fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hardy manages to avoid it.
Hardy works over Ford's head and body with a nice combination.
Ford takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Ford throws a nice outside leg kick.
Ford tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hardy swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Hardy walks into a jab.
Hardy throws a series of punches but Ford avoids them all with ease.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hardy rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Ford moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Hardy looks to land a right hand but Ford moved out of range.
Ford bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Ford ducks under a wild hook from Hardy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy throws a series of strikes that have Ford backpedaling.
A swing and a miss from Ford.
Hardy throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ford jabs at Hardy's body.
A nice inside leg kick there by Ford. That's going to slow Hardy down.
Ford slips a jab from Hardy.
Ford appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Hardy checks a low kick from Ford.
Hardy swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A decent looking cross lands there for Ford.
Hardy misses with an uppercut.
Hardy throws an overhand right that lands on Ford's shoulder, as Ford tries to avoid the shot.
Ford tried to counter with a leg kick but Hardy avoided it.
The fighters circling - Hardy throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hardy misses with an uppercut.
Hardy misses with a looping right.
Hardy might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ford swings widly with a right hand
letting Hardy counter with a right hand.
Ford jabs at Hardy's body.
Hardy waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Ford.
Ford throws a leg kick but Hardy checks it.
Hardy throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ford.
Ford was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Hardy loads up on a big right hand but Ford slips the punch.
A swing and a miss from Ford.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Ford lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hardy circles away quickly and effectively.
Hardy misses with a looping right.
Hardy staying out of range there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Hardy. Ford does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ford throws a nice looking combination but Hardy bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Hardy takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Hardy misses with a lunging right hand
letting Ford counter with a right hand.
Ford throws a body punch but Hardy moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ford pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Hardy ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hardy lands a slapping body shot.
Ford keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Ford throwing a counter right hand but Hardy manages to avoid it.
Ford misses with a hook.
Hardy misses with a few strikes there.
Ford throws a body kick that misses
letting Hardy counter with a right hand.
Hardy throws a hook to the side of Ford's head but Ford sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Ford appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Hardy's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Hardy duly obliges.
Hardy takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Alan Ford seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hardy tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ford was well out of range. Poor timing from Hardy.
Ford connects with an inside leg kick.
Hardy lands a nice shot to the body.
Ford throws a sloppy head kick and Hardy moves out of range easily.
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 Alan Ford will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Brian Hardy's cut.
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. This is the final round!

Donk. Ford catches Hardy right on the button with a cross.
Ford cracks Hardy with an open hand slap.
Nice defenses there by Ford.
Hardy's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Ford is looking to score with low kicks.
Hardy fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ford manages to avoid it.
A little feinted left hand from Ford on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Hardy loads up on a big right hand but Ford slips the punch.
It looked like Ford wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Ford gets cracked there but stands up to it.
A slow jab from Hardy misses its intended target.
Ford is looking to counter punch.
Hardy throws out a loose jab but Ford uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hardy looks to land a left hand but Ford moved out of range nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ford misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Hardy throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Ford sees it coming and avoids it easily.
No joy there for Ford, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Hardy connects with a good right hand that stumbles Ford. Ford circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Hardy scores with a crisp jab that stopped Ford in his tracks.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ford closes the distance and pushes Hardy back into the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Ford fails to land.
Hardy wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Hardy breaks the clinch.
Hardy throws an overhand right that lands on Ford's shoulder, as Ford tries to avoid the shot.
Hardy scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Hardy looks to land a left hand but Ford moved out of range nicely.
Hardy blocks a jab.
Hardy lands with a straight right. Ford didn't see that one coming.
Hardy throws a jab but it's blocked by Ford.
Ford moves out of range of the strikes.
Hardy pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A little feinted left hand from Ford on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
A swing and a miss from Hardy.
A counter left hand to the body from Ford misses its target.
Ford looks to land a left hand but Hardy moved out of range nicely.
Ford misses with a straight left.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ford thows a leg kick but Hardy checks it
and Hardy counters with a nice uppercut.
A left and a right from Hardy both land. Nice combination.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ford tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hardy paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Hardy misses with a looping left.
Ford scores with a crisp jab that stopped Hardy in his tracks.
Ford catches Hardy with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Hardy throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Ford sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Hardy avoids the head kick by Ford.
Ford looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Hardy throws a right and a left that Ford avoids nicely.
A big left from Hardy misses.
Hardy throws the left hand but Ford avoids the punch easily.
Ford feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Hardy loads up on a big right hand but Ford slips the punch.
Ford throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Ford takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Ford avoids the body shot from Hardy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy misses with an uppercut

and Ford counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Ford.
Ford dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Ford keeps control of Hardy as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Ford throws a head punch that misses.
Ford lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Hardy is trying to break the clinch but Ford has him pressed against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Hardy's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Brian Hardy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ford swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ford.
Hardy wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Ford has Hardy pressed against the cage, preventing Hardy from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Alan Ford is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ford prevents Hardy from breaking the clinch.
Alan Ford has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Hardy is trying to break the clinch but Ford has him pressed against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ford has Hardy pressed against the cage, preventing Hardy from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Ford gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Hardy has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Hardy has had enough of the clinch but Ford keeps him there for the moment.

Hardy manages to break the clinch.
Hardy shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Ford throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Ford gets a clinch.
Hardy wants to get back to striking at distance but Ford won't allow it.
Hardy tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Hardy swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Hardy looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Brian Hardy.
I think Ford has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:30
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Alan Ford!
An out of breath Alan Ford thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.