PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ricky Ponting (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Randy West (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.

Ponting
vs
West

170 cm
37
160 lbs
28 - 26 - 0

180 cm
36
166 lbs
22 - 19 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Machiavelli Boutique

V-Mask Clothing (10%)
Spartan Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 26 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Ricky Ponting!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 19 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Randy West!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Roosa Järviläinen and Ben Zyskovitsi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A swing and a miss from Ponting.
West throws a lazy body kick
letting Ponting counter with a right hand.
Ponting bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Ponting throws an uppercut from half a mile away. West sees it coming and avoids it easily.
West looks to throw the jab but Ponting is out of range.
West throws a sloppy head kick and Ponting moves out of range easily.
Ponting seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
West walks into a straight right hand from Ponting.
Ponting clobbers West with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Ponting throws a series of punches but West avoids them all with ease.

Ponting shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Ponting was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
West is trying to get back to half guard.
Ponting throwing strikes but West manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Ponting has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
West is looking to take a break and control but Ponting is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Ponting is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but West has just dragged him back down to the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ponting tries to get back to half guard but can't.
West creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Ponting sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Ponting is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on West's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Ponting trying to control here.
Ponting tries to roll over but West keeps him under control.
Ponting gets back to full guard.

Ponting looking for a guillotine here but West defends easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
West stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ponting swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Ponting wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
West stopping the sweep attempt from Ponting.
West must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
West wants to control from the top but Ponting keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
West throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Ponting looking for a sweep. Not yet Ponting, not yet.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
West throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Ponting pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
West moves forwards but Ponting connects with a nice, crisp jab.
A head kick misses from West.
Ponting appears to be looking for a big counter.
West misses with the combination.
Ponting throws a body punch but West moves out of range.
A little jabbing left from West on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
West throws a head kick but Ponting moves out of range.
West misses with an uppercut
and Ponting connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ponting waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract West.
West tries to counter by closing the distance.
West tries to land a leg kick but Ponting saw it coming and moves away.
A big right from Ponting misses.
Ponting loads up on a big right hand but West slips the punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
West throws a nice outside leg kick.
West throws a solid leg kick but Ponting takes the impact on his shin and smiles at West.
West slips a straight right by Ponting.
West steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Ponting.
West showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Ponting.
Randy West is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
West misses the shot to the body.
West slips under a jab from Ponting.
West looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ponting swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
West looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Ponting loads up on a big right hand but West slips the punch.
Ponting misses with a lunging right hand

and West counters by clinching up.
Ponting wants to get back to striking at distance but West won't allow it.
Ponting wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
West is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Ponting wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
West misses with a knee strike.
Ponting wants to break free but West has control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ricky Ponting dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Ponting misses with a straight left.
West throws a leg kick but Ponting checks it.
Ponting throws a head kick that misses.
Ponting waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract West.
West raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
West moves out of range of the leg kick from Ponting.
West misses with a few strikes there.
West works the jab nicely.
Ponting darts in looking for a takedown but West gets double underhooks and turns Ponting into the cage.
West steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ponting.
West misses with a combination
and Ponting counters with a straight right hand.
Ponting is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that West can do to turn this around?
Ponting fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ponting thuds his right hand into West's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
West moves away from the strike by Ponting.
West throws a low kick, looking for Ponting's leg but Ponting calmly moves out of range.
Ponting takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Ponting misses the body punch
and West cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.
West misses with a body shot.
Ponting swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
A head kick misses from West.
West throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Ponting throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
West is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Ponting gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
West lands a nice looking body kick.
West pulls out of a head kick attempt.
West walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Ponting checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Ponting tries a head kick but it misses.
West lands with a slapping head kick.
West changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Ponting, as that shot connected.
West loads up on a big right hand but Ponting slips the punch.
An attempted straight right counter from Ponting misses the target.
Ponting sizes up West with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ponting checks a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ponting lands a nice hook to West's body. West takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
West lands a slapping body shot.
Ponting throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Ponting throws a jab when West was well out of range.
Ponting throws a lazy right hand but West sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
West uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ponting.
Ponting takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Ponting misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Ponting swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A shot to the body from Ponting misses
and West cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Ponting throws a hook but West avoids it easily.
West takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
West is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Ponting.
West misses with a head kick.
West just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromPonting.
Ponting takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
West digs a good body shot into Ponting's ribs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
West jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from West, right into the meat.
Ponting fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but West avoids it really well and circles away.
A left lands for West.
West moves out of range as Ponting strikes.
The crowd cheers as Ponting lands an impressive looking overhand right. West doesn't seem phased though.
West misses with a head kick.
Ponting throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Ponting checks a low kick from West.
Ponting is looking to counter with head kicks.
Ponting misses with a takedown attempt - West sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ricky Ponting. That's going to take a lot out of him.
West misses with a few strikes there.
Ponting is looking to counter punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ponting uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Ricky Ponting seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Horrible takedown attempt by Ponting or perhaps it was just good defense by West, which made it look bad.
Ponting misses with a left hand
and West counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
West misses with a wild body shot.
Ponting throws a leg kick but West sees it coming and moves out of range.
Ponting throws a series of punches but West avoids them all with ease.
West takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
West swings for the body but Ponting moves out of range.
Ponting tries to bum rush West with a series of wild strikes but West uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
West misses with a straight right.
Ponting swinging wildly here.
The fighters circling - Ponting throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Ponting throws a hook but West blocks it.
A head kick misses from Ponting.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Randy West will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. And we move into the final round!

Ponting throws an off balance right hand
enabling West to counter with a crisp jab.
Ponting throws a combination but it was largely blocked by West.
Ponting shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts West as he jumps to the side.
West displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ponting throws out the jab.
Ponting tries to bum rush West with a series of wild strikes but West uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from West. Ponting shrugs it off though.
Ricky Ponting is winning the standup battle so far.
West scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
West uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Ponting has time to react.
West uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Ponting has time to react.
Ponting lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Ponting paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Ponting throws a series of punches but West avoids them all with ease.
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!
West throws a head kick but Ponting moves out of range.
West tries a head kick but it misses.
West throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
West has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Ponting pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.

That's one minute gone in the round.
West throws a right and a left that both miss.
Ponting throws a big counter combination but West scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Ponting.

Ponting scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
West is looking for a sweep. Ponting is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
West taking some punishment here, with Ponting in his half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ponting stalling.
Ponting throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ponting throwing shots but West is blocking nicely.
Ponting trying to mount his opponent but West defends it.
Ponting thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed West's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
West wants to control but Ponting is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Ponting is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
West gets full guard.
West preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ponting is working West over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

West looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Ponting throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as West works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Ponting throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
West being controlled here, momentarily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ponting with a flurry of punches that miss.
Ponting with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
West preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
West preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
West looking to control.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
A chopping leg kick lands by West.
Ponting checks the leg kick.
West moves away from the strike by Ponting.
West displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Ponting.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ricky Ponting. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ponting throws a jab but it's blocked by West.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
West misses with a hook.
West swings and misses with a hook to the body.
West connects with a looping right hand.
Ponting tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Ponting throws a right and a left that West avoids nicely.
A big right from Ponting misses.
Ponting misses with a body shot.
West fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
West thows a leg kick but Ponting checks it
and Ponting counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Ponting.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
West throws a big shot that misses.
Ponting gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
West connects with a solid leg kick.
Ponting misses with a jab to the body
letting West counter with a right hand.
West throws a leg kick but Ponting checks it.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Ricky Ponting.
I think Ponting 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a draw!