PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rocky Balboa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ben Foster (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Foster is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: New Zealand All Blacks - Haka. 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.

Balboa
vs
Foster

180 cm
19
190 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

190 cm
18
210 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Experienced

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Tends to cut

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 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Rocky Balboa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ben Foster!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Hogan, Eliza Hachem and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Foster takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

It looks like Ben Foster has been cut.
Foster misses with a takedown attempt - Balboa sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Balboa lands with a good body shot.
Balboa swinging wildly here.
The fighters circling - Balboa throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Balboa dips to his left and cracks Foster with an uppercut!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A shot to the body from Balboa misses

and Foster counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Foster.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Foster won't allow Balboa to sweep him here.
Foster is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Foster stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Balboa swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Foster showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Ben Foster hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Balboa feints a jab promting Foster to slip. Balboa then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Foster slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Balboa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Balboa throws a body punch but Foster moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Balboa cracks Foster with a nice body shot.
Balboa softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A short uppercut from Balboa.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Balboa is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Foster looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Balboa leaning his opponent against the cage.
Balboa misses with a hook to the ribs.
Foster working hard to break the clinch.
Foster wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Foster blocks a body shot from Balboa.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa stalling against the cage.
Balboa misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Foster.
Balboa creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Foster's defenses.
Foster tries to break the clinch but Balboa is controlling the position.
Foster is trying to push Balboa away but Balboa has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Balboa with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Foster is trying to break the clinch but Balboa is controlling him.
Balboa keeps control of Foster as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Balboa is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Foster pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Foster wants to get back to striking at distance but Balboa won't allow it.
Balboa working Foster over with knees to the body.
Foster looks gassed!
Nice body punch from Balboa - that landed with a thud.
Balboa just leaning against Foster, taking a breather.
Balboa lands a shot to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balboa is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balboa looking to throw knees to the head but Foster is blocking nicely.
Balboa is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Balboa's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Foster blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Balboa slowing the pace effectively.
Foster takes a shot to the head.
Balboa lands a nice shot to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A short body shot lands from Balboa as the two fighters clinch.
Balboa lands a body shot.
Balboa misses with a punch to the body.
The referee calls for Balboa to work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rocky Balboa dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ben Foster's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Balboa misses with a few strikes there.
Balboa will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Foster displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Balboa.

Balboa gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Rocky Balboa has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Balboa presses Foster against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Foster is trying to break the clinch but Balboa is controlling him.
Balboa lands a body punch.

Balboa pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Foster is breathing heavily.
Foster avoids the body shot from Balboa.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Foster avoids the body shot from Balboa.
Balboa rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Foster moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Balboa tries to bum rush Foster with a series of wild strikes but Foster uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Balboa throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Foster.
Nice uppercut lands for Balboa. That snapped Foster's head back.

That has opened up Ben Foster's cut even more.
Balboa throws a right and a left that Foster avoids nicely.
Foster misses with a double jab.
Foster takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Foster closes the distance and clinches up with Balboa, looking for a takedown. Foster pushes Balboa against the cage but Balboa circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

Balboa gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balboa scores with a hook to the body.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Balboa here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Nice body punch from Balboa.
A bit of stalling here from Balboa.
A nice left hand lands by Balboa.
Balboa slowing the pace effectively.
Balboa scores with a hook to the body.
A right handed body shot lands from Balboa.
Nice body punch from Balboa.
Balboa digs a right hand underneath Foster's ribcage. Foster let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Balboa displaying some good clinch control by pressing Foster up against the cage.
Foster is trying to force a seperation but Balboa has the dominant position.
Balboa stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A right handed body shot lands from Balboa.
Balboa slows down the pace here.
Nice body punch from Balboa.

Balboa manages to break the clinch.
Balboa is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Foster can do to turn this around?
Balboa scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Balboa gets in close and instigates a clinch.
The referee calls for Balboa to work.
Balboa landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A body shot lands from Balboa.
Balboa lands a nice shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Balboa is working Foster over against the cage.
Balboa is struggling to control the position.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Rocky Balboa.
Balboa misses with a few strikes there.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balboa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rocky Balboa is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Balboa throws a right hand that Foster ducks under and follows up with a left that Foster also avoids with ease.
Balboa with a nice cross.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rocky Balboa dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ben Foster's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Balboa misses with a wild body shot.

Balboa drops Foster with a beautiful combination! Foster stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Balboa is looking for the KO!

Foster is rocked!

Balboa rushes Foster and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Foster is still on wobbly legs! Can Balboa finish him?
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Balboa takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
A hook to the body from Balboa.
Foster wants to break free but Balboa has control.
Balboa lands a right hand that snaps the head of Foster backwards.
A body shot lands from Balboa.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Foster's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Balboa lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Foster or not.
Balboa stalling in the clinch.
Balboa pushes Foster back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Foster takes an elbow to the temple.

The cut above Ben Foster's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Balboa stalling in the clinch.
Foster takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
A right hook to the body lands for Balboa.
Balboa is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Good body shot from Balboa.
Balboa lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Foster or not.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa presses Foster against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Balboa stalls.
A short body shot lands from Balboa as the two fighters clinch.
Foster seems to have recovered his senses.
Balboa effectively controlling the action here.
Balboa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Balboa putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Foster in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Balboa will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Foster up against the cage.
Balboa throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Balboa lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Foster.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balboa is working for takedown but Foster is calmly controlling the position for now.
Balboa has Foster pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Foster manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
A left hand lands to the body for Balboa.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Foster takes a knee right on the jaw!
Balboa lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Foster.
Balboa holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Good body shot from Balboa.
Balboa digs a right hand underneath Foster's ribcage. Foster let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Balboa holding his opponent close, against the cage.
A right hook to the body lands for Balboa.

Balboa breaks the clinch.

Balboa fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Foster, pushing him back against the cage.
Balboa throws a knee to the head but misses.
Balboa avoiding damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

Ben Foster's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.
Balboa taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Balboa gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.
Rocky Balboa is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Rocky Balboa.
Balboa works Foster's body with a nice hook.
Balboa doesn't manage to clinch there - Foster circles away.
Balboa misses with a hook.
Balboa misses with a series of wild punches.
Balboa is looking to wear down Foster with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Balboa has taken the fight to the clinch.
Foster is trying to break the clinch but Balboa has him pressed against the cage.
Balboa stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Balboa tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Foster's elbow.
Foster tries to break the clinch but Balboa is controlling the position.
A short body shot lands from Balboa as the two fighters clinch.
Balboa leaning against his opponent.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balboa prevents Foster from breaking the clinch.
Balboa working Foster over with knees to the body.
Ben Foster has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Balboa throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rocky Balboa showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Balboa, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Bruno Hogan scores the fight 30:25
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 30:25
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 30:25

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rocky Balboa!