PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Jesse Drake (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ham lll (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Drake
vs
lll

172 cm
19
133 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

172 cm
22
139 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

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 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Jesse Drake!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Ham lll!
The judges for this bout are Chris Edwards, Daniel Bishop and William Gold.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Drake doesn't manage to clinch there - lll circles away.
A punch combination from Drake misses.
Drake connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Drake tries to clinch up.
lll is looking to clinch but Drake is avoiding it.
lll slips a jab and a cross from Drake.
A head kick misses from Drake.
lll lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Jesse Drake has been cut.
Drake avoids the head kick by lll.
lll misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Drake keeps the fight on the outside.

lll moves into the clinch successfully.

lll pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

lll closes the distance and clinches.

Drake pulls guard.
lll wants to get up but he can't break Drake's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Drake manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. lll manages to get himself to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Drake tries to stand but lll is controlling from the bottom.
Drake trying to control the position from guard on top but lll is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
lll looking for a sweep. Not yet lll, not yet.
Drake postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
lll is trying to control the position but Drake postures up.
Drake won't allow lll to sweep him here.

lll uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Drake misses with a head kick.
lll throws a nice head kick!
lll throws a combination that misses

and Drake counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

lll pushes Drake off and gets back to his feet.
lll looks gassed!

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Drake looking to throw knees to the head but lll is blocking nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drake tries to break the clinch but lll is controlling the position.
Drake avoiding damage as lll throws knees to the body.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Drake.
Drake has a couple of punches blocked by lll.
Drake prevents the takedown attempt.

Drake escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Drake throws a left and a right that both miss
and lll counters with a good, hard body kick but Drake shrugs it off.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Drake fails with the takedown.
lll doesn't manage to clinch there - Drake circles away.
Drake tries a head kick but it misses.
Drake throws a half hearted mid kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Drake looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
lll moves out of range as Drake throws a body kick.

lll has taken the fight to the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drake has a couple of punches blocked by lll.
lll looking to stall.
lll can't break the clinch.

lll breaks the clinch.
Drake jabs lll right on the nose. lll blinks but takes it well.
lll throws a sloppy head kick and Drake moves out of range easily.
lll looks to clinch
and Drake counters with a left to the body.
Drake is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Ham lll seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
lll stuffs the takedown attempt from Drake. Drake gets slowly back to his feet.
Drake lands with an uppercut that bounces lll off the cage and back into rage.
Ham lll is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
lll fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
lll circles away from the clinch attempt.
Drake fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jesse Drake. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
lll swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Drake looks to clinch
and lll counters with a body kick that stops Drake in his tracks momentarily.
Drake avoids the body shot from lll.
Drake ducks under a wild hook from lll.

Drake rushes lll and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
lll is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
lll blocks an uppercut.
Drake lands a nice uppercut.
lll misses with a knee to the head.
Drake lands with a right to the head.

Drake breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
lll chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Drake can pounce on him.

Drake clinches up against the cage.

lll manages to break the clinch.
Drake misses with a jab, cross combination.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Ham lll will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jesse Drake's cut.
That's time! Drake's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

lll keeps the fight on the outside.
lll throws a head kick that misses.
lll circles away from the clinch attempt.
lll tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Drake counters with a right hand to the body.
No luck for Drake with that takedown attempt.
Drake blocks a head kick by lll.
lll tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Drake counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Drake.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Drake is trying to break free.
A head punch blocked on the inside by lll.
lll blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Drake manages to break the clinch.

lll moves into range and clinches up with Drake.
lll is breathing heavily.
Drake wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for lll.
lll wants to break free but Drake has control.

lll manages to break the clinch.
lll tries to close the distance and clinch up but Drake swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's one minute gone in the round.
lll throws a chopping leg kick but Drake manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Drake tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
lll tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
lll chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Drake can pounce on him.
Drake scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
lll throws a hook but Drake avoids it easily.
Drake tries to clinch up.
lll tries to clinch but Drake moves out of range.
Drake throws a head kick that misses

and lll moves into the clinch.
A short right from Drake.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from lll in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
lll prevents Drake from breaking the clinch.
lll misses with a knee strike.
Drake wants to get back to striking at distance but lll won't allow it.

lll pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Drake misses with a kick to the body.
lll walks forward, straight into a front kick from Drake.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
lll stuffs the takedown attempt from Drake. Drake gets slowly back to his feet.
lll tries to land a body kick
and Drake counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Drake catches lll with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Drake tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but lll paws at him with a jab and circles away.
lll throws a right hand that Drake ducks under and follows up with a left that Drake also avoids with ease.
Drake moves in looking to clinch but lll pushes him off.

Drake shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
lll swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.

Drake is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but lll is surviving well by controlling Drake's body position as best he can.
lll is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Drake with a couple of short strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
lll is bucking up trying to escape but Drake cracks him with another couple of good strikes.

lll somehow manages to escape the mount and get back to his feet!
Drake avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Drake takes the fight into the clinch.
A nice right hand lands inside from Drake.
Drake tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
lll goes for a takedown in the clinch but Drake prevents it.
lll throws a punch but it's blocked by Drake.
Drake lands with a left to the head.
Drake lands with a right to the head.
Drake pushes lll back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
lll taking a breather.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Drake's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Drake looks for a takedown but lll sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jesse Drake. That's going to take a lot out of him.
lll wants to clinch
and lll takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
lll is looking to clinch.

Drake clinches with his opponent.
Drake lands a body shot.
A head punch blocked on the inside by lll.
lll keeps control of Drake as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from lll.
lll tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Drake misses with a knee to the head.
Drake looking to throw knees to the head but lll is blocking nicely.
lll lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Drake tries for a takedown but lll manages to get underhooks.

lll pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Drake drives through with a takedown into guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jesse Drake dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Jesse Drake'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!

lll tries to clinch up.
lll lands with a kick to the temple. Drake shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
lll fails with an attempt to clinch.
lll misses with a body shot.
Drake throws a low kick but it's checked well by lll.
Drake will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Drake throws a nice looking combination but lll bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
lll throws a nice looking combination but Drake bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
lll swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
lll tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drake tries to land a front kick but lll steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Drake lands a nice leg kick that just misses lll's sensitive parts.

Drake takes the fight into the clinch.
Drake tries to break the clinch but lll is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drake wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but lll has him pressed against the cage.
Drake throws a head punch that misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Drake wants to break free but lll has control.
Drake has had enough of the clinch but lll keeps him there for the moment.

lll's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
lll tries to bum rush Drake with a series of wild strikes but Drake uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Drake tries to land a front kick but lll steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

Drake closes the distance and clinches.
lll using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Drake has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Drake misses with a short punch on the inside.
Drake creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through lll's defenses.
lll is looking to break free of the clinch but Drake has double underhooks.
lll tries for a takedown. No joy.
Drake is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Drake throws an elbow but it's blocked.
lll tries to land knees in the clinch but Drake avoids the damage to the body.

Drake breaks the clinch.
Drake scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Drake throws a shot to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
lll tries to clinch but Drake is having none of it.
Nice takedown defense from lll. No joy for Drake on that attempt.
Drake wants to clinch up but lll keeps it at a distance.
lll looks to clinch
and Drake counters with a three punch combo that has lll backing up. lll nods at Drake to acknowledge the strikes.
lll tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Drake shoots in for a takedown but lll shows good takedown defense.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jesse Drake. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Drake looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Jesse Drake is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
lll looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
lll tries to close the distance and clinch up but Drake swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Drake throws a left and a right that both miss

and lll counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by lll.
Drake's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!

lll breaks the clinch.
Drake misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Drake fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
lll tries to clinch

and Drake counters by clinching up.

lll escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
lll tries to clinch up.

Drake moves into the clinch.

lll pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Drake shoots in looking for a takedown. lll tries to sprawl out of it but Drake keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. lll manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
lll tries to clinch but Drake moves away
and Drake counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
lll tries to close the distance and clinch but Drake swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Drake scores with a nice strike.
lll closes the distance but Drake moves to the side

and Drake moves into the clinch.
Drake stops a takedown attempt from lll.
Drake comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Drake creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through lll's defenses.
Drake keeps control of lll as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Drake wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Drake with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

lll breaks the clinch.
lll avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
lll goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Drake tries to close the distance and clinch but lll swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

lll fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Drake, pushing him back against the cage.
Drake looking to throw knees to the head but lll is blocking nicely.
With the fighters up against the cage, Drake throws an elbow but misses.
Drake wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

lll drags the fight down to the ground.

lll scrambles and gets back to his feet.
lll throws a half hearted mid kick.
lll tries to clinch but Drake moves out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Ham lll.
I think lll 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 Chris Edwards scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 28:29
Judge William Gold scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Ham lll!