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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Pann Khumpai (ranked 2162 p4p, 1783 weight class) and Steve Cho (ranked 225 p4p, 194 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.
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| 170 cm
24
152
6 - 1 - 1 |
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168 cm
26
154
3 - 0 - 1 |
BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
KO power |
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BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Experienced |
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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 6 - 1 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, Pann Khumpai!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Steve Cho!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Yukihiro Shimada and Sosuke Kotani.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cho just misses with a punch to the body.
Cho fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Cho misses with a hook.
Khumpai uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Cho.
Khumpai takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Khumpai takes one on the button.
Good work by Cho as he checks the leg kick.
Khumpai on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Khumpai gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Stalling in the clinch from Khumpai.
Khumpai tries to land a knee to the head but Cho blocks with his arms.
Khumpai goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Khumpai misses with a hook to the ribs.
Khumpai misses with a hook from the clinch.
Khumpai misses with a hook to the ribs.
Khumpai tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Cho blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Cho is trying to break the clinch but Khumpai has him pressed against the cage.
Cho tries to circle away but Khumpai has him pinned against the cage.
Khumpai tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Cho's elbow.
Cho displaying some good clinch control by pressing Khumpai up against the cage.
Khumpai misses with some punches.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Cho is trying to break the clinch but Khumpai is controlling him.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Cho is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Cho has had enough of the clinch but Khumpai keeps him there for the moment.
Khumpai misses with a hook to the ribs.
Khumpai tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Khumpai tries to throw a body punch but Cho avoids it by throwing Khumpai back against the cage.
A frustrated look appears on Cho's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Cho wants to get back to striking at distance but Khumpai won't allow it.
Khumpai doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Khumpai tries to stall but Cho uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Khumpai takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Khumpai throws a head punch that misses.
The referee is keeping an eye on Khumpai - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Khumpai stalling the fight.
Cho is looking to break free of the clinch but Khumpai has double underhooks.
Khumpai is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Pann Khumpai.
Cho paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho is having none of it.
The fight moves into the clinch position.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cho can't break the clinch.
Khumpai tries a body shot but Cho blocks it.
Cho has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Khumpai seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Cho can turn it around.
Khumpai keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Cho's efforts to push away.
Khumpai misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Cho wants to get back to striking at distance but Khumpai won't allow it.
Khumpai prevents Cho from breaking the clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Khumpai.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Khumpai misses with a body punch.
Cho has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Khumpai tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close round but I would say that Pann Khumpai will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.
Cho lands a jab-cross combination.
Khumpai tries to clinch up but Cho circles away and keeps his distance.
We've been told by Khumpai's head coaches at Finch Gym that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Khumpai loads up on a big right hand but Cho slips the punch.
Khumpai takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Khumpai tries to clinch but fails miserably
letting Cho counter with a right hand.
Khumpai lands with a thumping leg kick.
Khumpai takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Cho circles away from the clinch attempt.
It seemed like Cho was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Cho has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cho throws a hook but Khumpai avoids it easily.
Khumpai went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Donk. Cho catches Khumpai right on the button with a cross.
Cho lands a glancing blow to the side of Khumpai's head.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Khumpai tries to close the distance and clinch but Cho swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Cho keeps the fight on the outside.
Cho bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Khumpai's head backwards.
Cho misses with a two punch combination.
Khumpai went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Khumpai slips a jab from Cho.
Khumpai throws a counter high kick but Cho was just alert enough to avoid it.
Khumpai moves to clinch but Cho breaks away
and Cho counters with a stiff right hand.
Pann Khumpai is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Khumpai doesn't manage to clinch there - Cho circles away.
Cho misses with a low kick.
Cho is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Khumpai.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai's corner calls for a 1-2. Khumpai obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Khumpai - that will leave a mark!
Cho moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho is having none of it.
Khumpai tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Cho paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Cho let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Cho throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Khumpai sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Khumpai is looking for a counter combo.
Khumpai keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
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!
Cho misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Khumpai.
Khumpai swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cho is looking to score with low kicks.
The fight stays on the outside here - Khumpai looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai looks for the body kick but Cho saw that one coming.
The fight stays on the outside here - Khumpai looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Cho lands with a straight right. Khumpai didn't see that one coming.
Cho keeps the fight on the outside.
Khumpai showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Cho.
Steve Cho seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Khumpai closes the distance looking to clinch
and Cho counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho moves out of range.
A decent looking cross lands there for Cho.
Cho darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Khumpai takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Khumpai fails in his attempt to clinch.
Khumpai tries to clinch there but Cho circles away.
Pann Khumpai seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cho throws a low kick but Khumpai avoids it.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Steve Cho showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Khumpai's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!
Cho throws a lazy uppercut
and Khumpai counters with a two punch combo.
Khumpai looks to land a combination but Cho avoids it well.
Cho scores with a crisp jab that stopped Khumpai in his tracks.
Khumpai throws a nice looking combination but Cho bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Cho tries a quick counter leg kick but Khumpai is wise to it.
Khumpai moves to clinch but Cho breaks away
letting Cho counter with a right hand.
Cho misses with an uppercut
and Khumpai counters with a left and a right that stings Cho.
Cho bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Khumpai's head.
Cho throws a body shot but no joy.
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!
Cho lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Cho.
Cho punishes Khumpai's body with a nice straight punch.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cho throws a jab but it's blocked by Khumpai.
Khumpai appears to be looking for a big counter.
Khumpai tries to clinch up
enabling Cho to counter with a crisp jab.
Cho lunges at Khumpai with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Khumpai's hand.
Cho throws a low kick but Khumpai moves out of range easily.
Cho throws a poor cross that misses
and Khumpai cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Khumpai ducks right into an uppercut from Cho.
Cho avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho moves away
and Khumpai takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho moves out of range.
Khumpai clinches.
Cho tries to break free but Khumpai pushes him back against the cage.
Khumpai goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Khumpai is trying to maintain a safe position but Cho gets an underhook and turns Khumpai into the cage.
Cho is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Khumpai breaks the clinch.
Cho tests Khumpai's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Khumpai closes the distance looking to clinch
and Cho counters with a straight right hand.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai wants to clinch.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Cho lands a jab.
Khumpai takes one to the chin there.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho is having none of it.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khumpai doesn't manage to clinch there - Cho circles away.
A nice side step and Cho releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Cho throws a lazy uppercut
and Khumpai counters with a nice body kick.
Cho digs a good hook to Khumpai's body.
Khumpai tries to close the distance and clinch up but Cho swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Khumpai is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Cho is looking for the big counter here.
Khumpai tries to clinch but Cho moves away
and Cho counters with a left and a right that stings Khumpai.
Khumpai tries to bum rush Cho with a series of wild strikes but Cho uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Cho stuns Khumpai with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Khumpai is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Cho is looking for the big counter here.
And that's the end of the fight!
Steve Cho comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Cho has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 28:29
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 27:30
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 27:30
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Steve Cho!
During a confident post fight interview, Steve Cho thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.
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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
39% |
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