PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between James King (ranked 214 p4p, 1130 weight class) and Raymond Donde (ranked 28 p4p, 125 weight class). The key to victory for James King has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

King
vs
Donde

170 cm
30
156
18 - 10 - 1

180 cm
38
155
26 - 16 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Fast

Vegan Gains
Groove Gear

Brooklyn Apothecary
Brooklyn Threads

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 18 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, James King!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 26 - 16 - 0, fighting out of London, Raymond Donde!
The judges for this bout are Wagner Zegers, Albert Achterberg and Patrick Alders.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot lands for King.
Some bone on bone action there as Donde checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
No luck for Donde with that takedown attempt.
King lands a jab to the head.
We've been told by King's head coaches at Panda Sprawl n Brawl that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
King connects with a good right hand that stumbles Donde. Donde circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King connects with a single shot there.
King scores with a nice body kick.
Jab from King.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donde tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but King defends well and Donde ends up having to push King into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
King misses with a double jab.
King misses with a looping left.
King jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
King's jab looks to have found its range, popping Donde under the eye.
King tries a head kick but it misses.
Donde with the counter takedown but King avoids it easily.
James King is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
King thuds a left hand into Donde's body.
King jabbing away but nothing is landing.
King fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Donde manages to avoid it.
And Donde tries to counter it with a takedown but King pushes his down on his head and steps out.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
King missing with a left hand there. Donde was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Donde takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Nice takedown defense from King. No joy for Donde on that attempt.
James King has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Raymond Donde.
King lands a nice looking body shot.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Donde.
A head kick misses from King.
King lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
King misses with a body kick.
King scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
A head kick misses from King.
Donde takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
A clash of legs there as Donde blocks the low kick.
And Donde tries to counter it with a takedown but King pushes his down on his head and steps out.
King displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
King jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Donde throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around King's waist but King gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Donde off to one side.
King throws a lazy body kick

and Donde decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in King's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Donde won't allow King to sweep him here.
King keeping moving, preventing Donde from controlling successfully.
Donde advances position into side control!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
King is looking to reverse the position.

Donde thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

Donde looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
King is pushing Donde's head away, looking to escape. Donde manages to hold on to the position though.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

James King dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Donde stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from King.
King takes a swing at Donde's ribcage but misses.
King displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Donde.
King buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King chopping away at his opponent's legs.
James King seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
King misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Donde with the counter takedown but King avoids it easily.
Donde takes a jab right on the kisser.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donde on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.

King gets caught flat footed, as Donde shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

King has scooted to the edge of the canvas and used the cage to get back to his feet. Donde has stuck on his opponent and is forcing him back against the cage.
King wants to break the clinch but can't.

King breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
King scores with the left hand. Donde knows he should have avoided that one.
King throws a head kick but Donde moves out of range.
King throws a head kick that misses.
King swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Donde staying out of range there.
Donde changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Donde bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
King thuds a left hand into Donde's body.
Donde takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
King misses with a head kick.
Donde dives in and grabs King's left leg, looking for a takedown. King pushes down on Donde's head and hops out.
Donde has his takedown stuffed
and King counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
James King has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Raymond Donde.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
King lands with a kick to the temple. Donde shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
No luck with that takedown attempt from Donde.
Good shot there by King.
King jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
King stuns Donde with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Donde tries for a takedown but King circles away easily
letting King counter with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Donde takes a shot to the body in his stride.
King cracks Donde with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
King loads up on a big right hand but Donde slips the punch.
Donde is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
King throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Donde moves away from the strike by King.
Donde feints the counter takedown.

Donde drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Donde drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but King manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Donde has King in his guard.

King content to stall in guard here.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

James King dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action.

King throws a big shot that misses.
King throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Donde drops down looking to force a counter takedown but King defends it well.
King motions for Donde to come forward. King throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Donde changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
King misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Donde.
Nice body kick from King.

Donde shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. King manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
King lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

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

Donde throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
King wants to pass the guard but Donde is keeping the position.
King is working hard here to advance position.
King trying to control the position from guard on top but Donde is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Donde throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Donde keeping full guard, as King tries to pass.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
King slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.

Donde is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and King defends well.
King stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Donde swivels though and keeps the full guard.

Donde throws his legs up looking for a submission but King uses it to pass to side control.
Donde gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Donde wants to improve his position but King is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Donde looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Donde felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.

Donde looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
King has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
King tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Donde is looking to get to half guard.
King takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Donde is squirming around, avoiding King's attempts to control the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Donde is looking to improve his position but King isn't that keen on the idea.
Donde is squirming around, avoiding King's attempts to control the action.
Donde is wriggling around trying to escape.
King controlling the pace for now.
Donde is looking to get to half guard.
King controlling from the full mount.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Donde is looking to get to half guard.
Donde is squirming around, avoiding King's attempts to control the action.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

James King clearly takes that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

King with a jab.
King scores with a kick to the midsection.
King is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Donde can do to turn this around?
King throws the left hand but Donde avoids the punch easily.
King scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
King ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King connects with a crisp jab.
James King is winning the standup battle so far.
King leaves Donde with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King scores with a spinning back kick!
King misses with an uppercut. Donde saw that one coming.
King with a nice cross.
King connects with a leg kick.
A big left from King misses.
Nice jab there from King.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
King moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
King lands a nice looking body kick.
King looks to throw the jab but Donde is out of range.
King throws a leg kick that misses.
Donde changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
King misses with an attempted mid kick.
A head kick misses from King.
King throws a leg kick but Donde checks it.
And Donde tries to counter it with a takedown but King pushes his down on his head and steps out.

Donde scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

King sneaks out the side door and pushes Donde away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
King swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Donde feints the counter takedown.
King throws a body shot but no joy.
Donde shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as King sprawls well. King wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Donde gets slowly back to his feet.
Donde has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
King tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Donde was well out of range. Poor timing from King.
Donde tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
King lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
King takes a swing at Donde's ribcage but misses.
King is looking to land body kicks.
King throws the left hand but Donde avoids the punch easily.
Donde tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
A head kick misses from King.
King fakes the leg kick and cracks Donde in the body.
Donde takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
King stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and King wants it to stay on the feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

James King had his way with Raymond Donde in that round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

King lands with a shot to the body.
Donde sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Decent striking displayed by King there.
King throws a nice outside leg kick.
King lands a nice looking kick to the body. Donde takes a step back to recover.
King swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Donde with the counter takedown but King avoids it easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Donde has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
A jab lands there for King.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donde slips under a jab.
King lands with a hook. Donde tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

Donde throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. King tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Donde is in King's guard.
Donde looking to pass the guard.
Donde preventing the sweep.

Donde thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
King has Donde pulled in close to control his posture.
King looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
James King is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Donde tries to free his leg and advance position but King is retaining full guard.
King working a defensive guard here.

Donde drops back looking for a leg! King is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and King manages to kick Donde off! Donde jumps back into King's guard.

Donde thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
King trying to keep a closed guard but Donde is proving a slippery customer.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
King throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And Donde tries to counter it with a takedown but King pushes his down on his head and steps out.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Donde avoids the head kick by King.
King scoring well with a low kick there.
King looks to land a body kick but Donde moved away.
Donde feints the counter takedown.
King defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Donde.
Donde changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. King tries to avoid it but Donde manages to keep hold of a leg and drag King to the ground. King escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
A jab lands there for King.
King lands a high kick!
Nice defenses there by Donde.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
King lands a slapping body shot.
King ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Donde moves away.
Donde takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Raymond Donde has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
King with a jab.
Donde takes one to the side of the head.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
King fakes a head shot and lands one 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!
Nice body punch from King.

And that's the end of the fight!
James King showed his dominance in that final round.
Well King has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Wagner Zegers scores the fight 50:44
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 50:45
Judge Patrick Alders scores the fight 50:44

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... James King!
James King retains his featherweight title!
An out of breath and clearly excited James King thanked Vegan Gains for their help and support (and free stuff they sent him).