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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Bong Ji Woo (ranked 64 p4p, 46 weight class) and Zaid Al Balushi (ranked 12 p4p, 8 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!
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| 179 cm
31
162
19 - 4 - 0 |
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180 cm
33
155
20 - 6 - 1 |
BJJ Red Belt
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank |
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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 19 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Bong Ji Woo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Zaid Al Balushi!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Taro Takaoka.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ji Woo misses with a body kick.
Al Balushi counters with a body kick.
Ji Woo scores with a nice strike.
Ji Woo throws a head kick that misses
and Al Balushi counters with an outside leg kick.
Ji Woo throws a lazy right hand but Al Balushi sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Ji Woo thows a leg kick but Al Balushi checks it
enabling Al Balushi to counter with a crisp jab.
Ji Woo scores with a jab to the body.
Ji Woo scores with the left hand. Al Balushi knows he should have avoided that one.
Ji Woo misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Al Balushi counters with a body kick.
Ji Woo paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Ji Woo misses with a right hand
and Al Balushi counters with a lovely straight right hand!
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Al Balushi checks a leg kick.
Al Balushi stuffs the takedown.
Al Balushi checks a low kick from Ji Woo.
Al Balushi looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Good exchange - Ji Woo coming out on top.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ji Woo misses with a leg kick.
Zaid Al Balushi is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Al Balushi moves forwards but Ji Woo connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Al Balushi throws a nice outside leg kick.
Ji Woo throws a poor cross that misses
and Al Balushi counters with a left and a right that stings Ji Woo.
Ji Woo tries a head kick but it misses.
Nice jab there from Al Balushi.
Ji Woo will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
It seemed like Al Balushi was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Ji Woo throws a front kick that sends Al Balushi stumbling back into the cage.
Ji Woo misses with a shot to the body
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Ji Woo throws a right and a left that Al Balushi avoids nicely.
Al Balushi moves out of range of the strikes.
Ji Woo sets himself, and Al Balushi steps forward looking for the clinch! Ji Woo avoids it this time.
Ji Woo has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Convicted Fight Club in the buildup to the fight.
Ji Woo misses with an uppercut. Al Balushi saw that one coming.
Ji Woo with a nice calf kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Al Balushi takes a jab right on the kisser.
A nice leg kick lands there from Ji Woo.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ji Woo fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Al Balushi looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Ji Woo wants to land a leg kick but Al Balushi is out of range.
Al Balushi steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ji Woo.
Ji Woo tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Ji Woo.
Ji Woo has his takedown stuffed
letting Al Balushi counter with a right hand.
Al Balushi misses with a body shot.
Ji Woo appears to be looking for a big counter.
Ji Woo throws a leg kick but Al Balushi checks it.
Ji Woo misses with a hook to the body
and Al Balushi connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ji Woo misses with a jab to the body
and Al Balushi counters with a nice leg kick.
Ji Woo misses with a looping right.
Ji Woo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Al Balushi was well out of range. Poor timing from Ji Woo.
Al Balushi is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Ji Woo.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Al Balushi takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Ji Woo slips a straight right by Al Balushi.
Ji Woo fails with the takedown
and Al Balushi counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Bong Ji Woo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ji Woo goes for a double leg but Al Balushi avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Al Balushi continues to drive forward.
A little jabbing left from Al Balushi on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Al Balushi stalling in the clinch.
Ji Woo blocks an uppercut.
Ji Woo tries a body shot but Al Balushi blocks it.
Al Balushi trying to land knees to the body.
Nice body punch from Ji Woo.
Al Balushi swings wildly with an uppercut but Ji Woo uses good head movement to avoid it.
Al Balushi throws a head punch that misses.
Al Balushi prevents a body shot from Ji Woo.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Al Balushi is struggling to control the position.
Al Balushi is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Ji Woo is defending well for now.
Al Balushi throws an elbow that misses.
A right hand to the body from Ji Woo.
Al Balushi misses with a punch on the inside.
Ji Woo lands a body shot.
Ji Woo blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Al Balushi misses with the head strike.
Al Balushi lands a right hand.
Al Balushi is looking to break free of the clinch but Ji Woo has double underhooks.
Al Balushi lands with a short head shot on the inside.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Al Balushi misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
A close round but Zaid Al Balushi will probably get the nod.
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.
Al Balushi throws a lazy right hand but Ji Woo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Al Balushi with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Ji Woo to score with a decent uppercut.
Al Balushi slips under a jab from Ji Woo.
Al Balushi explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Ji Woo throws a low kick, looking for Al Balushi's leg but Al Balushi calmly moves out of range.
Al Balushi motions for Ji Woo to come forward. Al Balushi throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Ji Woo changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Al Balushi tries to avoid it but Ji Woo manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Al Balushi to the ground. Al Balushi escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Ji Woo looks for the body kick but Al Balushi saw that one coming.
Ji Woo shoots in for a takedown but Al Balushi shows good takedown defense.
Ji Woo scores with a kick to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ji Woo shoots in for a double leg but Al Balushi sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Bong Ji Woo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ji Woo throws a low kick but it's checked well by Al Balushi.
Ji Woo jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Ji Woo swinging wildly here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Ji Woo throws a body punch but Al Balushi moves out of range.
Ji Woo lands a jab to the nose.
No joy there for Ji Woo, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Al Balushi! But no joy.
Ji Woo looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Al Balushi is fending him off so far but Ji Woo persists. Nope, Al Balushi circles away and we're back to standing.
A lazy body kick from Ji Woo
and Al Balushi counters with a nice uppercut.
Horrible takedown attempt by Ji Woo or perhaps it was just good defense by Al Balushi, which made it look bad.
Al Balushi looks like he wants to counter punch here.
A shot to the body from Ji Woo misses
enabling Al Balushi to counter with a crisp jab.
Ji Woo throws a lazy uppercut
and Al Balushi counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Ji Woo thinking.
Ji Woo throws a jab but it's blocked by Al Balushi.
Al Balushi looks to land a body kick but Ji Woo moved away.
Ji Woo throws a leg kick
and Ji Woo takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Bong Ji Woo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Al Balushi takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Al Balushi pivots, looking for a leg kick but Ji Woo is out of range and Al Balushi settles back down.
Ji Woo throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Al Balushi counters with a nice body shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ji Woo looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Ji Woo throws a poor cross that misses
and Al Balushi counters with a stiff right hand.
A jab from Ji Woo misses.
Al Balushi throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Al Balushi will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Ji Woo takes a swing at Al Balushi's ribcage but misses.
Ji Woo clobbers Al Balushi with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
An inside leg kick from Ji Woo misses.
Al Balushi lands with a shot to the body.
Al Balushi misses with a hook. Ji Woo ducked under it nicely.
Ji Woo just misses with a punch to the body.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ji Woo throws a chopping leg kick but Al Balushi manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
It seemed like Al Balushi was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Ji Woo moves out of range of the body kick.
Nice takedown defense from Al Balushi. No joy for Ji Woo on that attempt.
Ji Woo throws the left hand but Al Balushi avoids the punch easily.
Al Balushi tries a quick counter leg kick but Ji Woo is wise to it.
Ji Woo looks to throw the jab but Al Balushi is out of range.
Ji Woo misses with a combination
and Al Balushi counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Ji Woo lands with a nice body kick.
Ji Woo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Al Balushi was well out of range. Poor timing from Ji Woo.
It seemed like Al Balushi was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Ji Woo swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Al Balushi counters with a nice leg kick.
Ji Woo waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Al Balushi.
Ji Woo lets loose with a powerful body kick. Al Balushi will feel that in the morning.
Ji Woo throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Al Balushi throws a leg kick but Ji Woo sees it coming and moves out of range.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ji Woo rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Al Balushi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Ji Woo changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Ji Woo tries to land a front kick but Al Balushi steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Al Balushi takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Ji Woo throws a lazy uppercut
and Al Balushi counters with a series of strikes. Ji Woo will be more careful next time no doubt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ji Woo throws a right hand that misses
and Al Balushi counters with a body kick.
Ji Woo throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Ji Woo throws a looping overhand right but Al Balushi ducks down to avoid it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ji Woo. Al Balushi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ji Woo misses the body punch
and Al Balushi counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Al Balushi misses with a straight left.
Ji Woo throws a leg kick
letting Al Balushi counter with a right hand.
Ji Woo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Al Balushi.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Zaid Al Balushi will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!
Ji Woo tries to land a leg kick but Al Balushi saw it coming and moves away.
A big left from Ji Woo misses.
Al Balushi is looking to score with low kicks.
Ji Woo misses with an uppercut
letting Al Balushi counter with a right hand.
Al Balushi looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Ji Woo goes for a double leg but Al Balushi avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Al Balushi continues to drive forward.
Al Balushi working aggressively here.
Al Balushi is pushing Ji Woo up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Ji Woo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Al Balushi lands a left hand that snaps the head of Ji Woo backwards.
Ji Woo lands with a light punch inside.
Al Balushi stalling against the cage.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Al Balushi missing with knees to the body.
Al Balushi is leaning against Ji Woo and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Al Balushi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Al Balushi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A frustrated look appears on Al Balushi's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Al Balushi misses with a hook to the ribs.
Al Balushi has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Ji Woo seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Al Balushi can turn it around.
Zaid Al Balushi seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Ji Woo misses with some punches.
Al Balushi working aggressively here.
A short left from Al Balushi.
Al Balushi tries a body shot but Ji Woo blocks it.
Al Balushi lands a left hand that snaps the head of Ji Woo backwards.
A head punch on the inside from Al Balushi fails to land.
Bong Ji Woo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Al Balushi is stalling here.
Al Balushi throws an elbow that misses.
Al Balushi misses with a short punch on the inside.
Al Balushi pushes Ji Woo back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
A short right from Al Balushi on the inside.
Ji Woo doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Ji Woo struggles to land a body shot inside as Al Balushi controls his hands.
Al Balushi struggles to land a body shot inside as Ji Woo controls his hands.
Al Balushi misses with a knee strike.
Al Balushi avoiding damage.
Al Balushi has a couple of punches blocked by Ji Woo.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Al Balushi tries to throw a body punch but Ji Woo avoids it by throwing Al Balushi back against the cage.
Al Balushi lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Ji Woo blocks an uppercut.
Al Balushi tries a knee to the head but Ji Woo blocks it.
Al Balushi misses with an elbow strike.
Ji Woo misses with a punch to the body.
Al Balushi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Ji Woo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Al Balushi using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Ji Woo has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Al Balushi tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ji Woo avoids it.
Al Balushi tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Ji Woo pushes Al Balushi back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Al Balushi working aggressively here.
Al Balushi throws a head punch that misses.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ji Woo avoids the elbow strike from Al Balushi, against the cage.
Al Balushi misses with a hook from the clinch.
Ji Woo tries to throw a body punch but Al Balushi avoids it by throwing Ji Woo back against the cage.
Ji Woo blocks an elbow strike from Al Balushi.
A head punch on the inside from Al Balushi fails to land.
Ji Woo blocks a body shot from Al Balushi.
Al Balushi blocks an uppercut.
Ji Woo avoiding damage as Al Balushi throws knees to the body.
Al Balushi throws an elbow that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Ji Woo fails to land.
Al Balushi looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Al Balushi lands with a left 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!
Ji Woo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Zaid Al Balushi is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Ji Woo throws a punch but it's blocked by Al Balushi.
Al Balushi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
And that's the end of the fight!
Zaid Al Balushi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Al Balushi has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 28:30
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 28:29
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 28:29
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Zaid Al Balushi!
During a confident post fight interview, Zaid Al Balushi 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
54% |
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