PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Stella Artois (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Simon Phoenix (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Artois
vs
Phoenix

210 cm
31
265 lbs
10 - 6 - 0

200 cm
21
288 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 6 - 0, fighting out of London, Stella Artois!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Simon Phoenix !
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Daniel Bishop and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Artois fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Phoenix has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Artois tries a head kick but it misses.
Artois pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Artois fails with an attempt to clinch.
Phoenix misses with an uppercut. Artois saw that one coming.
Artois scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Phoenix misses with an uppercut.
Artois misses with a wild combination.
A jab from Artois misses.
Nice jab there from Phoenix .
Phoenix takes a swing at Artois's ribcage but misses.

Artois moves into the clinch.
Artois with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Artois misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Phoenix .
Phoenix blocks a body shot from Artois.
Phoenix working hard to break the clinch.
Phoenix blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Phoenix has had enough of the clinch but Artois keeps him there for the moment.
Phoenix working hard to break the clinch.
Artois lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Phoenix or not.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Phoenix has had enough of the clinch but Artois keeps him there for the moment.
Artois comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Phoenix takes a knee to the side of the body.
Phoenix stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Phoenix working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Artois missing with knees to the body.
Phoenix working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Phoenix is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Artois lands with a short shot to the head.
Phoenix tries to break the clinch but Artois is controlling the position.
Phoenix is trying to break free.
A knee to the head by Artois.
Phoenix wants to stall.
Artois struggles to land a body shot inside as Phoenix controls his hands.
Artois blocks a body shot from Phoenix .
Phoenix lands a shot to the body.

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

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Artois doesn't manage to clinch there - Phoenix circles away.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix moves out of range.
Phoenix slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Artois swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Artois misses with a looping left.
Artois throws a nice head kick!
Danga de danga de dang - Phoenix scores with a four punch combination!
Artois moves out of range of the leg kick from Phoenix .

Phoenix tries to keep at a distance but Artois has taken the fight into the clinch.
Artois stalling against the cage.
Phoenix is trying to break the clinch but Artois has him pressed against the cage.
Phoenix blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Artois misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Phoenix .
Artois throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Phoenix blocks it with crossed arms.
Phoenix managing to block the knees to the body from Artois.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Artois's elbow.

Phoenix escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Phoenix throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Artois sees it coming and avoids it easily.
A shot to the liver by Phoenix . Beautiful body shot.
Stella Artois seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Artois tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Phoenix paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Phoenix swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Phoenix swings for the body but Artois moves out of range.
Artois looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Phoenix tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Artois was well out of range. Poor timing from Phoenix .
Phoenix misses with a hook
and Artois counters with a slapping leg kick.
Phoenix lands a nice hook to Artois's body. Artois takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Artois is breathing heavily.
Phoenix fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Artois manages to avoid it.
Artois fails in his attempt to clinch.
Phoenix scores with a jab to the jaw.
Phoenix lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Artois at a distance.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Artois tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Phoenix paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Artois tries to land a front kick but Phoenix steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Artois throws a lazy body kick
and Phoenix counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Phoenix throws a combination. Artois tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Artois on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Artois moves to clinch but Phoenix breaks away
and Phoenix counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Phoenix swats away the attempt to clinch by Artois.
Phoenix scores with a nice strike.
Phoenix keeps the fight on the outside.
A slow jab from Phoenix misses its intended target.
Phoenix looks to throw the jab but Artois is out of range.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Phoenix , as that shot connected.
Nice body punch from Phoenix .
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Phoenix is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Artois.
Artois throws a series of punches but Phoenix moves out of range.
Phoenix avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Artois ducks under a wild hook from Phoenix .
Artois checks a leg kick nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Simon Phoenix dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Phoenix dips to his left and cracks Artois with an uppercut!
Phoenix scores with a jab.
Artois is looking to land body kicks.
Phoenix punishes Artois's body with a nice straight punch.
Phoenix clobbers Artois with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Phoenix throws a hook but Artois blocks it.
Artois scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
A telegraphed right hand from Phoenix misses the target.
Good exchange - Phoenix coming out on top.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Phoenix cracks Artois with an open hand slap.
Phoenix circles away from the clinch attempt.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix moves out of range.
Artois tries to close the distance and clinch but Phoenix swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Phoenix throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Phoenix tries to keep at a distance but Artois has taken the fight into the clinch.
Artois stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Phoenix is trying to push Artois away but Artois has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Artois.

It looks like Simon Phoenix has been cut.
Phoenix is trying to push Artois away but Artois has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Phoenix is trying to break the clinch but Artois is controlling him.
Phoenix tries to break the clinch but Artois is controlling the position.
A shot in the inside from Artois.
Phoenix managing to block the knees to the body from Artois.
Phoenix lands a left hand.
Phoenix is trying to force a seperation but Artois has the dominant position.
Phoenix looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

Phoenix breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Artois staying out of range there.
Phoenix misses the shot to the body.
Phoenix throws out a loose jab but Artois uses good head movement to avoid it.
Artois avoids the body shot from Phoenix .
Phoenix wants to land a leg kick but Artois is out of range.
Phoenix dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix is having none of it.
Phoenix lands a right hook to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Phoenix avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nice body kick there by Artois.
Artois moves forwards but Phoenix connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Artois displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Phoenix throws out the jab.
Artois is looking to clinch.
Artois misses with a few strikes there.
Artois moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Artois cracks Phoenix with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Artois uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Phoenix .
A telegraphed right hand from Phoenix misses the target.
Phoenix connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Simon Phoenix seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Artois tries to clinch up.
Phoenix circles away from the clinch attempt.
Artois tries to clinch there but Phoenix circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Artois wants to clinch.
Artois moves out of range of the strikes.
Stella Artois is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A big left from Artois misses.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix is having none of it.
Phoenix missing with a left hand there. Artois was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A swing and a miss from Phoenix .
Artois drops his hands momentarily and Phoenix takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Phoenix works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Artois moves in looking to clinch but Phoenix pushes him off.
Artois tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Phoenix paws at him with a jab and circles away.
No joy there for Artois, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Artois misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Phoenix ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Artois moves away.
Artois moves out of range of the strikes.
Artois keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Phoenix .
Phoenix 's corner calls for a 1-2. Phoenix obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Artois looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix is having none of it.
Phoenix misses with the combination.
Artois looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Artois slips a straight right by Phoenix .
Phoenix throws a looping overhand right but Artois ducks down to avoid it.
Artois tries to clinch but Phoenix is having none of it.
Artois keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Phoenix .
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Phoenix bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Artois's head.
Phoenix avoids the head kick by Artois.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A head kick from Artois lands but Phoenix takes it in his stride.
Phoenix throws a shot from downtown. Artois moves away and avoids it.
Artois tries to clinch there but Phoenix circles away.
Phoenix feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Artoiss jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Simon Phoenix showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Simon Phoenix 's cut.
That's time! Artois's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Phoenix misses with a body shot.
Phoenix bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Artois's head.
Artois lands a nice leg kick that just misses Phoenix 's sensitive parts.
Artois tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Phoenix manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Phoenix looks to land a right hand but Artois moved out of range.
Phoenix uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Artois throws a lazy body kick
and Phoenix counters with a left to the body.
Phoenix scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Phoenix lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Artois moves to clinch but Phoenix breaks away
and Phoenix counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Phoenix jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A head kick misses from Artois.
Artois wants to clinch up but Phoenix keeps it at a distance.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Phoenix connects with a crisp jab.
Phoenix swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A jab lands there for Phoenix .

That's one minute gone in the round.
Phoenix tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Artois was well out of range. Poor timing from Phoenix .
Artois slips a jab from Phoenix .
Artois wants to clinch
and Phoenix counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Artois throws a leg kick but Phoenix checks it.
Phoenix is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

Artois instigates a clinch.
Artois missing with knees to the body.
Phoenix misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Phoenix is trying to force a seperation but Artois has the dominant position.
Phoenix avoiding damage as Artois throws knees to the body.
Artois tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Stella Artois has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Phoenix takes a knee to the side of the body.
Phoenix managing to block the knees to the body from Artois.
Artois trying to land knees to the body.
Phoenix on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Phoenix breaks the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Phoenix throws a jab when Artois was well out of range.
A punch combination from Artois misses.
Artois throws a nice looking combination but Phoenix bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Artois fails with an attempt to clinch.
Artois fails in his attempt to clinch.
Artois slips under a jab from Phoenix .
Artois throws a predictable looking body shot
and Phoenix counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Phoenix throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Phoenix scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Artois doesn't seem bothered though.
Phoenix lands a jab.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Phoenix , as that shot connected.
A telegraphed right hand from Phoenix misses the target.
Phoenix avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Phoenix lands a nice hook to Artois's body. Artois takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix tries to bum rush Artois with a series of wild strikes but Artois uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Phoenix throws a shot to the body.
Artois tries to clinch
and Phoenix counters with an inside leg kick.
Phoenix throws a jab when Artois was well out of range.
Phoenix stuns Artois with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
The fighters circling - Phoenix throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Phoenix misses the shot to the body.
Artois misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Phoenix misses with a jab, cross combination.
Phoenix lands a body shot.
Artois takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Phoenix lands a nice shot that snaps Artois's head back.
Artois defending well as Phoenix loads up on a big left hand.
Phoenix misses with a jab, cross combination.
Phoenix loads up on a big right hand but Artois slips the punch.
Phoenix scores with a jab. Artois acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Phoenix misses with a hook. Artois ducked under it nicely.
Artois moves out of range of the strikes.
Phoenix fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Phoenix tries to bum rush Artois with a series of wild strikes but Artois uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Artois throws a hook but Phoenix blocks it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Artois avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Phoenix waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Artois.
Phoenix swats away the attempt to clinch by Artois.
Artois looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Artois throws out a leg kick but Phoenix moves out of range and Artois only half commits.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Artois tries to close the distance and clinch but Phoenix swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Stella Artois has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Phoenix lands with a good body shot.
Phoenix lands a slapping body shot.
Artois throws a series of punches but Phoenix moves out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Simon Phoenix comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Phoenix 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 William Gold scores the fight 27:30
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Simon Phoenix !
A very excited looking Simon Phoenix made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.