PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Rush Arthur (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Ong Bak (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). John Ong Bak has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Arthur
vs
Ong Bak

165 cm
19
130 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

190 cm
25
135 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Tends to cut

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Rush Arthur!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, John Ong Bak!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Arthur fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Ong Bak avoids it really well and circles away.
Ong Bak tries to clinch but Arthur is having none of it.
John Ong Bak seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ong Bak tries to clinch up but Arthur circles away and keeps his distance.
Ong Bak is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Ong Bak throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Ong Bak stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Ong Bak wants it to stay on the feet.

Ong Bak forces Arthur back against the cage and clinches.
Ong Bak missing with knees to the body.
Arthur tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Arthur avoiding damage as Ong Bak throws knees to the body.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Ong Bak pressing his opponent against the cage.
Arthur tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ong Bak avoids it.
Arthur tries to pull guard but Ong Bak holds him up against the cage and eventually Arthur drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rush Arthur. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arthur taking a breather.
Arthur is breathing heavily.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Ong Bak working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
Arthur tries to pull guard but Ong Bak holds him up against the cage and eventually Arthur drops back down to his feet.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ong Bak swings wildly with an uppercut but Arthur uses good head movement to avoid it.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Ong Bak lands a hook to the side of the head.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Arthur tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Arthur has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Ong Bak is stalling here.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
Arthur is trying to break the clinch but Ong Bak is controlling him.
Arthur has had enough of the clinch but Ong Bak keeps him there for the moment.
Ong Bak misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Arthur.
Arthur blocking some punches.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Arthur.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Ong Bak tries to land knees in the clinch but Arthur avoids the damage to the body.
Ong Bak throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Arthur blocks it with crossed arms.
Arthur takes an elbow to the forehead.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Ong Bak tries to land a knee to the head but Arthur blocks with his arms.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Arthur.
Ong Bak misses with some punches.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Arthur is defending well for now.
Arthur blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Ong Bak misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Arthur.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak looking to throw knees to the head but Arthur is blocking nicely.
Ong Bak missing with knees to the body.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ong Bak tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
Ong Bak misses with a short punch on the inside.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.
Arthur blocks an uppercut.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Ong Bak throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Arthur blocks it with crossed arms.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside.
Ong Bak is pushing Arthur up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak misses with a knee strike.
Ong Bak misses with the head strike.
Ong Bak is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Arthur is defending well for now.
Ong Bak manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Arthur takes an elbow to the forehead.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Ong Bak misses with the head strike.

Arthur jumps guard and drags Ong Bak to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Ong Bak controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Ong Bak dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Arthur forces Ong Bak back against the cage and clinches.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak tries to land a knee to the head but Arthur blocks with his arms.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur takes an elbow to the forehead.
Arthur has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Ong Bak avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Ong Bak is struggling to control the position.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Ong Bak tries to land knees in the clinch but Arthur avoids the damage to the body.
Arthur blocking some punches.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak just leaning against Arthur, taking a breather.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ong Bak doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak misses with a body punch.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Ong Bak swings wildly with an uppercut but Arthur uses good head movement to avoid it.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Ong Bak fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak tries a knee to the head but Arthur blocks it.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Arthur in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Ong Bak throws a punch but it's blocked by Arthur.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Arthur takes an elbow to the forehead.
Arthur prevents a body shot from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Ong Bak is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Arthur is defending well for now.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak misses with a punch on the inside.
Ong Bak is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Arthur is defending well for now.
Ong Bak stalling in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Arthur tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ong Bak smiles and moves away.

Ong Bak has taken the fight to the clinch.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Arthur misses with a hook from the clinch.
Arthur jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Ong Bak walks away with a smile on his face. Arthur gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rush Arthur. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ong Bak is looking to clinch.
Ong Bak tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Ong Bak moves in looking to clinch but Arthur pushes him off.
Arthur shoots in but no luck this time.
Ong Bak fails with an attempt to clinch.
Arthur avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Ong Bak moves in looking to clinch but Arthur pushes him off.
John Ong Bak is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
The fight stays on the outside here - Ong Bak looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Ong Bak has Arthur pressed against the cage, preventing Arthur from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Arthur blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Ong Bak working aggressively here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak misses with a short punch on the inside.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Ong Bak showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Arthur's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Ong Bak is looking to clinch.

Ong Bak lands a big head kick that sends Arthur tumbling to the mat! Ong Bak takes a step backwards and waves Arthur back to his feet - he wants the finish!

Arthur is rocked!
Ong Bak tries to close the distance and clinch up but Arthur swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Oh Arthur is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Ong Bak wants to clinch.

Ong Bak clinches.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Arthur seems to have got his legs back now.
Arthur being controlled against the cage.
Ong Bak tries to land knees in the clinch but Arthur avoids the damage to the body.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Arthur manages to pull guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Arthur looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Arthur is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside.
Arthur tries to stall but Ong Bak uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak stalling.
Arthur takes a knee right on the jaw!
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
A head punch on the inside from Ong Bak fails to land.
Ong Bak lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Ong Bak misses with a punch on the inside.
Arthur takes an elbow to the forehead.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Arthur blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Ong Bak lands a damaging elbow.
Ong Bak lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside that Arthur shrugs off.
A frustrated look appears on Arthur's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Ong Bak throws a knee to the head but misses.
Ong Bak with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Arthur blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ong Bak creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Arthur's defenses.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ong Bak using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Arthur has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Ong Bak tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Arthur wants to break the clinch but can't.
Ong Bak tries a knee to the head but Arthur blocks it.
Nice elbow from Ong Bak.
Ong Bak lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Arthur backwards.
Ong Bak fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Arthur managing to block the knees to the body from Ong Bak.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Ong Bak as Arthur tries to tie him up.
Ong Bak misses with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Ong Bak fails to land.
Ong Bak lands an elbow just above Arthur 's eye.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Ong Bak lands an elbow that stopped Arthur in his tracks for a moment.
Arthur looking to slow down the pace here.
Arthur takes an elbow to the temple.
John Ong Bak is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ong Bak tries a knee to the head but Arthur blocks it.

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.
Ong Bak gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Arthur.
Ong Bak gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ong Bak tries to land a knee to the head but Arthur blocks with his arms.
Arthur wants to break free but Ong Bak has control.
Ong Bak lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Arthur wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Ong Bak has him pressed against the cage.
Arthur avoiding damage as Ong Bak throws knees to the body.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ong Bak comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ong Bak misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Arthur.
Rush Arthur has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ong Bak lands an elbow inside.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Ong Bak comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Ong Bak winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Ong Bak!