PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Ben Franklin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Black (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Franklin might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. Black comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Disturbed - Indestructible kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Franklin
vs
Black

180 cm
23
218 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

190 cm
22
210 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Ben Franklin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Matt Black!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Robert Douchet and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Black pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Black tries to close the distance and clinch but Franklin swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Black shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Franklin misses with a straight right.
Black throws a sloppy head kick and Franklin moves out of range easily.
Franklin throws a right and a left that Black avoids nicely.
Black tries a head kick but it misses.
Black tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A left lands for Franklin.
Black chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Black tries to move into range but Franklin moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Black doesn't manage to clinch there - Franklin circles away.
Black misses with a low kick.
Black motions for Franklin to come forward. Black throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Black lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Black misses with a low kick.
Franklin tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Black was well out of range. Poor timing from Franklin.

Black closes the distance and pushes Franklin back into the cage.
Franklin blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Black lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

It looks like Ben Franklin has been cut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Black lands a damaging elbow.
Black tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Franklin avoids it.
Knees to the body from Black.

Black's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Black feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Franklin's calf.
Franklin checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Franklin throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Black fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Franklin has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Black throws a solid leg kick but Franklin takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Black.
Black tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The fighters circling - Franklin throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Franklin takes a kick to the side of the head.
Black throws a leg kick but Franklin checks it.
Black throws a quick inside leg kick.
Black ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Franklin moves away.
Black is looking to score with low kicks.
Black fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Franklin is out of range.
Black moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Black scores with a head kick. Franklin tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
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 head kick from Black lands but Franklin takes it in his stride.
Franklin stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Black.
Black throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Black tries to work over Franklin's front leg with a kick but Franklin checks it.
A solid leg kick lands there for Black.
Black plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Black fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Franklin manages to avoid it.
Matt Black seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Franklin takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Franklin walks forward, straight into a front kick from Black.
Franklin is breathing heavily.
Black scores with a push kick.
Franklin is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Black moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Black fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Franklin has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Black throws a nice inside leg kick.
Black misses with a leg kick.
Nice body kick there by Black.
Black lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A solid leg kick lands there for Black.
Black lands a head kick. Franklin smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
A head kick from Black lands but Franklin takes it in his stride.
Franklin takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Franklin takes a kick to the side of the head.
A nice inside leg kick there by Black. That's going to slow Franklin down.
Franklin takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A nice inside leg kick there by Black. That's going to slow Franklin down.
Franklin blocks a head kick by Black.
A nice leg kick lands there from Black.
Black throws a solid leg kick but Franklin takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Black.
A nice leg kick lands there from Black.
Black connects with a solid leg kick.
Black turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Black connects with an inside leg kick.
Black lands with a thumping leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Black.
A nice leg kick lands there from Black.
Black swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Black keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Franklin.
Franklin takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
A nice leg kick lands there from Black.
Black lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Black scores with a leg kick.
Black throws a nice outside leg kick.
Black scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

Black moves into range and clinches up with Franklin.
Black landing some nice looking knees to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Black landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Black.
Black putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Franklin in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Black using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Black trying to land knees to the body.
Black unloads a knee to the mid-section. Franklin lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Franklin tries to break free but Black pushes him back against the cage.
Black tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Black dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ben Franklin's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Black buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Franklin crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Black - the referee stops the clock and Franklin gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Black. Franklin manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Matt Black seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Black is looking to slow Franklin down with leg kicks.
A chopping leg kick lands by Black.
Black scoring well with a low kick there.
Black lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Black thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Franklin if he has to take too many more of those.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Black 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.
Black lands with a kick to the temple. Franklin shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Black scores with a head kick. Franklin tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Black throws a leg kick which misses Franklin's front leg but catches the back leg as Franklin tries to avoid it.
Black scoring well with a low kick there.
Black cracks the inside of Franklin's front leg.
Black lands with a kick to the temple. Franklin shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Black feints and then cracks Franklin's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Franklin down.
Black feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Franklin's calf.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Black lands a leg kick that knocks Franklin off balance momentarily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Black lands a nice leg kick that just misses Franklin's sensitive parts.
Franklin takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Black plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Ben Franklin is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Black clinches with his opponent.
Nice elbow from Black.
Franklin managing to block the knees to the body from Black.

Black pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Black lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Black buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Black fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Franklin checks it well.
Franklin tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Black wants to slow Franklin down by chopping away at his legs.
Good leg kick by Black there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Black tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Franklin manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Black fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Franklin checks it well.
Franklin throws a left and a right that both miss
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Black uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Franklin.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Black has managed to clinch.
Black tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Knees in the clinch landing for Black.
Black scores a nice knee to the body.
Franklin will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Black lands a knee to the body.
Knees to the body from Black.
Black scores a nice knee to the body.

Black manages to break the clinch.
Black misses with a body shot.
Black wants to slow Franklin down by chopping away at his legs.
Black wants to clinch.
Franklin stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Black.
Black lands a nice leg kick that just misses Franklin's sensitive parts.
Franklin on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Black. Black obviously looking to wear him down.
Franklin misses with a combination
and Black counters with a flying knee. Nice.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Black scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Black slips under a jab.
Franklin swinging wildly here.
Black throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Black has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Franklin avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Franklin chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Black can pounce on him.
Franklin misses with an uppercut
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Franklin misses with a series of wild punches.
Black buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Black tries to clinch up.
Black digs a good hook to Franklin's body.
Black lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Black with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Black has Franklin up against the cage in a clinch.
Franklin is trying to break free.
Franklin tries to break free but Black pushes him back against the cage.
Black trying to land knees to the body.
Black misses with a knee to the head.
Black pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

Franklin breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Black looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A solid leg kick lands there for Black.
Franklin loads up on a big right hand but Black slips the punch.
Black scores with a shot to the body.
Black buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Black lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Franklin stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Black.
Black connects with a leg kick. Franklin looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Black fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Franklin has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Black connects with a solid leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Black showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Ben Franklin's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Franklin tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Franklin throws a series of strikes that have Black backpedaling.

Black gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Black tries to land knees in the clinch but Franklin avoids the damage to the body.
Franklin is trying to break the clinch but Black is controlling him.
Black throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Black tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Black with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Black landing knees to the body.
Black misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Franklin.
Franklin is trying to push Black away but Black has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Franklin is trying to push Black away but Black has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Matt Black seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Black throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Black tries to land knees in the clinch but Franklin avoids the damage to the body.

Black breaks the clinch.
Black throws a nice head kick!
A clash of legs there as Franklin blocks the low kick.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A low kick from Black is predictable there
and Franklin counters with a three punch combo that has Black backing up. Black nods at Franklin to acknowledge the strikes.
Black throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Franklin scores with a jab to the jaw.
Black is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Franklin rather than just go for the knockout.
Black swings for the body but Franklin moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Franklin rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Black moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Black tries a head kick but it misses.
Black connects with a leg kick. Franklin looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Franklin keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Franklin swinging wildly here.
Franklin throws a right hand that misses
and Black counters with an outside leg kick.
Franklin lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Black circles away quickly and effectively.
Black misses with a low kick.
Franklin uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
A punch combination from Franklin misses.
Franklin has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Black.
Black fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Franklin checks it well.
Black lands a head kick. Franklin smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Franklin misses with a wild combination.
Black feints and then cracks Franklin's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Franklin down.
Ben Franklin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Franklin throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Black.
Black scores with a leg kick.
Black lands a nice leg kick that just misses Franklin's sensitive parts.
Franklin waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Black.
Black avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Franklin!
An inside leg kick from Black misses.
Franklin misses with a double jab.
Black lands a front kick.
Black lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Franklin is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Black misses with a low kick.
A chopping leg kick lands by Black.
Black lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.

Black fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Franklin, pushing him back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Black using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Black connects with a nasty looking knee right to Franklin's face.
Franklin takes a knee to the side of the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Black obliges.
Franklin avoiding damage as Black throws knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Black obliges.
Black unloads a knee to the mid-section.

Black's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Black is looking to clinch but Franklin is avoiding it.
A chopping leg kick lands by Black.
Franklin throws a series of punches but Black moves out of range.
Black lands with a thumping leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Black.
Black lands a nice hook to Franklin's body. Franklin takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Franklin takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Black throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Black scores with a head kick. Franklin tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Black turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Franklin has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Black.
Black connects with a solid leg kick.
Black lands a head kick. Franklin smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
No joy there for Franklin, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Black cracks the inside of Franklin's front leg.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Black.
Black thuds a left hand into Franklin's body.
Black lands a nice leg kick that just misses Franklin's sensitive parts.
Franklin on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Black. Black obviously looking to wear him down.
Black lands with a kick to the temple. Franklin shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Black lands with a thumping leg kick.
Matt Black is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Franklin tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

Black gets a clinch.
Black with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Black blocking some punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Black comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Black has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Elvis Blanc scores the fight 25:30
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 25:30
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Black!