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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between John Haigh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rajesh Koothrappali (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Haigh comes to the cage accompanied by Prayer of the Refugee by Rise Against . Koothrappali has chosen Punjab as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 170 cm
30
158 lbs
23 - 16 - 1 |
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177 cm
35
148 lbs
25 - 16 - 1 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
23 - 16 - 1, fighting out of New York, John Haigh!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
25 - 16 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Rajesh Koothrappali!
The judges for this bout are Paul Tew, Chris Edwards and Daniel Bishop.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Koothrappali throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Haigh was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Haigh tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Koothrappali paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Haigh uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Koothrappali.
Koothrappali connects with a body shot.
Koothrappali's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Haigh connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Koothrappali scrambles back to his feet.
Koothrappali moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Haigh closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Koothrappali quickly recovers to half guard.
Haigh throws a strike but Koothrappali avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Haigh is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Haigh looking to sit in guard and control but Koothrappali gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Haigh throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Koothrappali escapes and throws Haigh's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Haigh is in a tricky position but he's been working on his transitions down at Vicious Striking, so we'll see if he gets out of it.
Koothrappali controlling the position.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Koothrappali's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Koothrappali trying to control the action but Haigh is working from the bottom.
Haigh manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Koothrappali is looking for a sweep. Haigh is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Haigh wants to free his trapped foot but Koothrappali is holding on for dear life with his legs.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Haigh connects with a nice short shot to Koothrappali's temple.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haigh looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Haigh stalling away here and it's allowed Koothrappali to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Haigh showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Haigh drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Haigh jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Haigh postures up in Koothrappali's guard and throws a big left but Koothrappali blocks it.
Koothrappali controlling Haigh's posture.
Haigh gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koothrappali fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Koothrappali clobbers Haigh with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Haigh tries a head kick but it misses.
Koothrappali is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Haigh with a body shot.
Haigh rushes Koothrappali and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Koothrappali looking to stall.
Haigh escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Koothrappali bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Haigh on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Koothrappali misses with a leg kick.
Haigh misses with a jab, cross combination.
Haigh darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Haigh throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Haigh misses with a two punch combination.
Koothrappali throws a body kick that misses
and Haigh counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Haigh.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Haigh being controlled here momentarily.
Haigh is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Haigh pushing down on Koothrappali's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Haigh is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Koothrappali doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Haigh.
Haigh is trying to control the action in half guard but Koothrappali is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Koothrappali manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
John Haigh dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.
Koothrappali throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Haigh is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Koothrappali can do to turn this around?
Haigh takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Haigh throws a jab when Koothrappali was well out of range.
Koothrappali scores with a shot to the body.
A slow jab from Koothrappali misses its intended target.
Haigh was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Haigh pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A swing and a miss from Haigh.
Haigh misses with an uppercut.
Nice straight punches there by Haigh. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Haigh.
Haigh rushes Koothrappali and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Haigh breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Koothrappali jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Haigh throws a big counter combination but Koothrappali scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Koothrappali moves away from the strike by Haigh.
Haigh has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Koothrappali finds it's way round the side to connect with Haigh's head.
Koothrappali scores with a punch to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Koothrappali paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Haigh fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Koothrappali manages to avoid it.
Haigh fails with a takedown attempt.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Koothrappali wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Haigh tries to move into range but Koothrappali moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Haigh ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Koothrappali moves away.
Koothrappali is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Koothrappali misses with a body shot.
Koothrappali fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Haigh works over Koothrappali's head and body with a nice combination.
Haigh lands a jab.
Koothrappali has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Haigh goes for a double leg but Koothrappali avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Koothrappali continues to drive forward.
Haigh swings widly with a right hand
and Koothrappali counters with a thumping low kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Haigh misses with a straight right.
Koothrappali throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Koothrappali uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Haigh has time to react.
Haigh throws the left hand but Koothrappali avoids the punch easily.
Haigh on the wrong end of a nice jab.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Haigh throws a lazy right hand but Koothrappali sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Haigh closes this distance looking for a takedown but Koothrappali circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Haigh. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Koothrappali lands a body shot.
Haigh takes one to the chin there.
Koothrappali fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Haigh checks it well.
Koothrappali changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
A punch combination from Haigh misses.
Haigh throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Koothrappali counters with a low kick, right behind Haigh 's knee.
Haigh throws a body punch but Koothrappali moves out of range.
Koothrappali has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Haigh gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Koothrappali.
Haigh is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Koothrappali's half guard.
Koothrappali wants to control but Haigh is keeping busy.
Koothrappali controlling the position well.
Koothrappali on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koothrappali is trying to get back to full guard.
Koothrappali regains full guard. Nicely done.
Koothrappali looking for a sweep. Not yet Koothrappali, not yet.
Haigh's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Koothrappali keeping moving, preventing Haigh from controlling successfully.
Koothrappali is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Haigh trying to control the position from guard on top but Koothrappali is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
That's four 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.
Koothrappali had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Haigh defends it easily.
Koothrappali has his foot on Haigh's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Haigh works his way back into a safe position though.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Haigh accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Koothrappali trying to control the position.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Koothrappali works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Rajesh Koothrappali is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Koothrappali throws the left hand but Haigh avoids the punch easily.
Koothrappali scores with a jab to the body.
Koothrappali lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Haigh circles away quickly and effectively.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Rajesh Koothrappali showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Haigh's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!
Koothrappali keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
It seemed like Koothrappali was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Koothrappali throws a shot to the body.
Haigh throws a hook but Koothrappali avoids it easily.
Koothrappali takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
A big left from Haigh misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Koothrappali. Haigh does a little dance to reset his feet.
Koothrappali misses with a wild body shot.
Haigh takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Koothrappali lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Koothrappali avoids the head kick by Haigh.
Koothrappali replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Haigh blocks it well.
Good standup being displayed there by Koothrappali as he connects with a hook.
Haigh misses with an uppercut. Koothrappali saw that one coming.
Haigh moves out of range of the strikes.
Haigh fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Koothrappali, pushing him back against the cage.
Koothrappali is trying to break free.
Koothrappali breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Haigh closes the distance and clinches.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Haigh breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Koothrappali throws a body kick that misses.
Haigh lands the left hand.
A combination from Haigh does no damage.
Haigh shoots for a takedown but Koothrappali saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A looping hook to the body misses from Koothrappali. Haigh does a little dance to reset his feet.
Koothrappali scores with a shot to the body.
Koothrappali takes a swing at Haigh's ribcage but misses.
That kick from Koothrappali tenderised Haigh's leg. Haigh is trying to keep his angry face on.
Koothrappali fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Haigh on the side of the head.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Haigh crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Koothrappali - the referee stops the clock and Haigh gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Koothrappali. Haigh manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Koothrappali stuffs the takedown.
No luck for Haigh with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Haigh. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Koothrappali scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Jab by Koothrappali.
Rajesh Koothrappali seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nice body kick from Koothrappali.
Koothrappali keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Haigh closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Haigh's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Koothrappali connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Haigh scrambles back to his feet.
Koothrappali lands with a cross.
Haigh is rocked!
Koothrappali throws an overhand right that drops Haigh like a sack of potatoes! Koothrappali dives in to finish the fight with more strikes and this one is all over!
Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:28 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Rajesh Koothrappali!
Rajesh Koothrappali managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Fury Nutrition Inc., into his post fight interview.
In defeat, John Haigh stepped up to the mic, saying 'Maybe it is time for me to make the move to another weight class.'.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
71% |
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