PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kung Lai (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dai Vernon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Lai might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to KoRn - Twisted Transistor. Vernon is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Ari Gold - Let's Hug It Out, BITCH. Kung Lai has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Lai
vs
Vernon

181 cm
31
209 lbs
30 - 10 - 3

184 cm
23
184 lbs
9 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Determined

Gilop®
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 30 - 10 - 3, fighting out of Amsterdam, Kung Lai!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dai Vernon!
The judges for this bout are , Frank Antenori and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
An inside leg kick from Lai misses.
Lai lands with a thumping leg kick.
Lai tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Vernon will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Lai jabs Vernon right on the nose. Vernon blinks but takes it well.
Lai scores with a spinning back kick!
Lai walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Lai throws a shot to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Vernon lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Vernon throws a lazy head kick
and Lai counters with a nice body kick.
Vernon looks gassed!
Lai ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Vernon moves away.
Vernon on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Lai buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Lai connects with an inside leg kick.

Lai bobbing and weaving well here. And he's unloaded with a massive right hand that drops Vernon! He dives into his guard looking to finish!

Vernon is rocked!
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Lai in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Vernon is still in real trouble! Can Lai finish him?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lai is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Vernon seems to have recovered his senses.
Lai pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Vernon is keeping the position for now.
Vernon working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lai.
Lai trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Lai throws a big elbow that misses.
Lai missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Lai throws a big right hand that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lai throwing strikes from guard but Vernon blocks nicely.
Lai throws a big elbow that misses.
Vernon preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lai with a flurry of punches that miss.
Vernon not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Lai has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Lai tries to free his leg and advance position but Vernon is retaining full guard.
Lai content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Lai throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lai in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Lai trying to control the position from guard on top but Vernon is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lai trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Vernon had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Lai defends it easily.
Lai stopping the sweep attempt from Vernon.
Lai loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Lai has gone for a leg lock! Vernon slips out almost immediately though and dives into Lai's guard.

Lai has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Vernon can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Lai looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Lai is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Vernon is aware though and is defending well.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Lai has his foot on Vernon's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Vernon works his way back into a safe position though.

Lai throws his legs up looking for a submission but Vernon uses it to pass to side control.
Vernon scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Lai to see if he's OK.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kung Lai dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Lai misses with a double jab.
Lai tries a head kick but it misses.
Vernon throws a leg kick but Lai checks it.
Vernon fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Lai avoids it really well and circles away.
Lai thows a left - swing and a miss!

A jab-cross combination lands for Lai and sends Vernon crashing to the mat! Lai follows him down to the mat - Vernon regains half guard but he's not out of trouble yet!

It looks like Dai Vernon has been cut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Lai is trying to work for a kimura but Vernon is defending well.
Lai not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lai is thwarting Vernon's attempts to control the position.
Vernon blocking the ground and pound attempt from Lai.
Vernon moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Vernon is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Lai is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vernon can do to turn this around?
Lai wants to control from the top but Vernon keeps moving.
Lai is really struggling to control Vernon but he's trying to hold on to the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Lai accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Vernon working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lai.
Lai postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Lai throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Vernon works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Lai trying to control the position from guard on top but Vernon is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lai missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lai trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Lai in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Lai throwing strikes from guard but Vernon blocks nicely.
Lai postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Lai throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Vernon works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Vernon avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Lai throwing strikes but missing.
Lai looking to sit in guard and control but Vernon gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Lai has his foot on Vernon's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Vernon works his way back into a safe position though.
Lai is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Vernon slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Vernon is on top in guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Vernon trying to control but Lai is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kung Lai dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Dai Vernon's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

A nice leg kick lands there from Lai.
Lai tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Vernon was well out of range. Poor timing from Lai.
Vernon takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
A solid leg kick lands there for Lai.
Vernon throws a series of punches but Lai avoids them all with ease.
Lai lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Vernon misses with a body punch
and Lai counters with a nice low kick that buckles Vernon's knee momentarily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A nice leg kick lands there from Lai.
Lai dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Lai moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Vernon takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Lai smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Nice body kick there by Lai.
A head kick misses from Lai.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lai tries a head kick but it misses.
Lai misses with a hook to the body
and Vernon counters with a three punch combo that has Lai backing up. Lai nods at Vernon to acknowledge the strikes.
Lai connects with a good right hand that stumbles Vernon. Vernon circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Lai lands a leg kick that knocks Vernon off balance momentarily.
Lai scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Vernon takes one to the side of the head.
Lai moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
No joy there for Lai, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kung Lai is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lai connects with a solid leg kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Lai is looking to clinch but Vernon is avoiding it.
Lai lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
A nice leg kick lands there from Lai.
Lai lands with a nice body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lai scores with a body shot.
Lai lands a nice hook to Vernon's body. Vernon takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Vernon uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Lai.
Lai lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Lai throws a shot to the body.
Lai is looking to wear down Vernon with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Lai lands a nice shot to the body.
A slapping leg kick lands for Lai.
Lai lands with a nice body kick.
Vernon takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Lai's corner calls for a 1-2. Lai obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Vernon looks for a takedown but Lai sprawls well.
Vernon takes a shot right to the bread basket.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lai scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Vernon walks forward, straight into a front kick from Lai.
Dai Vernon seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Lai comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Lai tries to clinch there but Vernon circles away.
Lai connects with a leg kick. Vernon looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Lai scores with a push kick.
Lai takes a swing at Vernon's ribcage but misses.
Nice shot lands for Lai.
Lai lands with a shot to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Lai thuds a left hand into Vernon's body.
Lai paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Nice uppercut there from Lai.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lai lets loose with a powerful body kick. Vernon will feel that in the morning.
Lai scores with a body shot.
Lai throws a leg kick which misses Vernon's front leg but catches the back leg as Vernon tries to avoid it.
Lai pushes Vernon away with a front kick.
Vernon wants to land a leg kick but Lai is out of range.
Nice body kick there by Lai.
Lai scores with a jab to the head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Lai. Vernon does a little dance to reset his feet.
Lai throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Vernon takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Vernon has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Lai.
Vernon avoids a kick to the body.
Vernon tries to move into range but Lai moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kung Lai clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Dai Vernon's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Vernon displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lai throws out the jab.
Lai is looking to slow Vernon down with leg kicks.
Lai goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Lai moves out of range as Vernon strikes.
Lai swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Vernon.
Lai scores with a body shot.
Vernon stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Lai.
Lai throws a leg kick which misses Vernon's front leg but catches the back leg as Vernon tries to avoid it.
Lai misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Vernon is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Lai dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

A big head kick from Lai and Vernon is sent sprawling to the canvas!
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lai throwing strikes but missing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Lai accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Lai throwing strikes from guard but Vernon blocks nicely.
Lai throws an elbow that misses. Vernon uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Lai's guard. Nice move by Vernon!
Vernon working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

Lai escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Vernon gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Vernon stopping the sweep attempt from Lai.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Lai is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Vernon defends well.
Lai bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Vernon's guard.
Lai wants to control from the top but Vernon keeps moving.
Lai scoring with some ground and pound.
Lai working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lai working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

Vernon looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Lai wants to control from the top but Vernon keeps moving.

Vernon is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Lai defends well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lai landing some decent shots from guard.
Lai lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Lai postures up in Vernon's guard and throws a big left but Vernon blocks it.
Lai is looking to work some ground and pound but Vernon has wrist control.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Vernon escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Lai gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Lai throws a strike but Vernon rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kung Lai had his way with Dai Vernon in that round.
The cut man is working on Dai Vernon's cut.
That's time! Lai's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Lai is looking to clinch but Vernon is avoiding it.
Lai swings widly with a right hand
and Lai takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Lai tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Vernon takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Vernon moves out of range of the body kick from Lai.
Lai throws a head kick but Vernon moves out of range.
Vernon lands a front kick.
Lai is pinned up against the ropes taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Vernon throws a front kick aimed at Lai's knee but Lai avoids it well.
Lai swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Vernon tries a head kick but it misses.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vernon pulls guard.
Lai throws a strike but Vernon rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Lai is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Vernon defends well.
Vernon stays in close to Lai's body and controls the position.
Vernon slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Lai tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Dai Vernon has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vernon working away.
Vernon lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Vernon misses with the ground and pound.

Vernon tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Vernon has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Lai is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.

Lai is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Vernon pulls his head out easily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vernon winds up and cracks Lai with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Kung Lai overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Vernon wants to take a breather but Lai is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Lai looking for submissions off his back.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Vernon trying to pass the guard but Lai defending well.

Lai looking for submissions off his back.
Lai works his way to full guard. Good work.

Lai had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Vernon defends it easily.
Vernon with a nice head shot there.
Vernon wants to control from the top but Lai keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vernon stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Vernon lands a front kick.
A leg kick checked by Lai.
Lai fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Vernon looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
A good leg kick by Lai.
Lai scores with the left hand. Vernon knows he should have avoided that one.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vernon walks into a left hand.
Vernon lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Lai takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Lai throws a low kick but Vernon moves out of range easily.
Vernon tries to close the distance and clinch but Lai swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Vernon blocks the body kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dai Vernon comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Lai 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight for Kung Lai!
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight for Kung Lai!
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight for Kung Lai!

Kung Lai wins by unanimous decision!
Kung Lai is the new light heavyweight champion!
Kung Lai decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.