PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ben Askren (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kaennor Malaipet (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Malaipet has chosen CLASH - Crashing as his entrance music. Kaennor Malaipet will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Askren
vs
Malaipet

182 cm
25
170 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

177 cm
19
173 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Ben Askren!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Kaennor Malaipet!
The judges for this bout are Nard Betker, Albert Achterberg and Paul Aken.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Askren closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Askren trying to control from Malaipet's half guard. Malaipet has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Askren is looking to work some ground and pound but Malaipet has wrist control.
Askren throwing strikes but missing.
Askren content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Askren trying to control but Malaipet is working from the bottom.
Askren won't allow Malaipet to sweep him here.
Malaipet is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Askren is controlling him.
Askren in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Malaipet is looking to stand up but Askren isn't so interested in that idea.
Askren wants to control from the top but Malaipet keeps moving.
Malaipet has momentary wrist control but Askren slips an elbow through the middle.
Askren throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Malaipet really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Askren. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Malaipet wants to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Malaipet slaps away a takedown attempt from Askren, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Ben Askren seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Askren shoots in for a takedown but Malaipet shows good takedown defense.

Askren shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Askren showed some decent athleticism there.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Askren lands a nice short elbow.
Malaipet looks like he's trying to stand up.
Askren trying to control from half guard but Malaipet is working away.
Askren sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Malaipet defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Askren is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Malaipet is looking to escape.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Askren seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Malaipet does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Malaipet doesn't manage to clinch there - Askren circles away.
Askren shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Malaipet defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Askren. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Askren closes this distance looking for a takedown but Malaipet circles away.
Malaipet throws a head kick but Askren moves out of range.
Malaipet tries to work over Askren's front leg with a kick but Askren checks it.
Askren shoots in for a takedown but Malaipet shows good takedown defense.
Askren fails with the takedown.

Askren throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Malaipet was covering up waiting for the punch and Askren finishes the takedown easily into guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Askren preventing the sweep.
Askren won't allow Malaipet to get back to his feet.
Askren trying to control the position from guard on top but Malaipet is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Askren tries to free his leg and advance position but Malaipet is retaining full guard.
Askren is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Askren working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Malaipet's head.
Askren controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Askren thows a big elbow that misses.
Askren throws a strike but Malaipet rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Malaipet wants to stand but Askren has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Malaipet wants to pass the guard but Askren is keeping the position.
Malaipet is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Malaipet trying to stand up but can't free himself from Askren's guard.
Malaipet is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
No luck for Askren with that takedown attempt.
Askren shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Malaipet pinned against the cage. Malaipet gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Malaipet moves in looking to clinch but Askren pushes him off.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Askren dominated that round.
That's time! Askren's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Malaipet swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Malaipet throws a head kick that Askren semi-blocks.

It looks like Ben Askren has been cut.
Nice takedown defense from Malaipet. No joy for Askren on that attempt.
Askren fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Malaipet avoids it really well and circles away.
A nice inside leg kick there by Malaipet. That's going to slow Askren down.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Askren.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Askren. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The fight stays on the outside here - Malaipet looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Malaipet throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Malaipet gets caught flat footed, as Askren shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Malaipet wants to stand up but Askren is controlling him.
Askren throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Askren 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.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Askren wants to control from the top but Malaipet keeps moving.
Askren trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Malaipet working a defensive guard here.
Askren prevents Malaipet from getting back to his feet.
Askren throwing strikes from guard but Malaipet blocks nicely.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Askren fails to land the takedown.
Askren closes the distance and clinches up with Malaipet, looking for a takedown. Askren pushes Malaipet against the cage but Malaipet circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Malaipet keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Askren shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Malaipet napping and manages to drive through into side control!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Askren throws an elbow but Malaipet slips to the side and avoids it well.
Askren creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Malaipet sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.

Askren tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Askren has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Askren prevents Malaipet from escaping the position.
Malaipet is trying to control Askren's posture but Askren avoids it.
Malaipet wants to get back to his feet but Askren drags him back down.
Malaipet struggling a bit here.
Malaipet gets back to half guard.
Malaipet wants to get back to his feet.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Malaipet gets caught flat footed, as Askren shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Malaipet wants to stand but Askren is controlling the position.
Askren working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Malaipet's head.
Malaipet wants to stand and escape but Askren is having none of it.
Askren working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

Askren thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Askren throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Malaipet works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Malaipet is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Askren is controlling him.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Askren.
Malaipet misses with an uppercut. Askren saw that one coming.

That's four 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.
Malaipet stuffs the takedown attempt from Askren. Askren gets slowly back to his feet.

Malaipet closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Askren tries to score a body lock takedown but Malaipet shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Malaipet trying to control the position but instead, Askren has worked for underhooks and has pushed Malaipet into the cage.
Askren has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Malaipet avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Askren has Malaipet pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Malaipet manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Malaipet connects with a nasty looking knee right to Askren's face.
Malaipet taking a breather.

Malaipet's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Malaipet gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Askren has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Malaipet is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Malaipet is looking to break free of the clinch but Askren has double underhooks.
Malaipet misses with an elbow over the top.
Askren is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Malaipet gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kaennor Malaipet showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Ben Askren's cut.
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. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Malaipet tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Askren dives in and grabs Malaipet's left leg, looking for a takedown. Malaipet pushes down on Askren's head and hops out.
Malaipet throws a leg kick which misses Askren's front leg but catches the back leg as Askren tries to avoid it.
Malaipet lands with a kick to the temple. Askren shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Malaipet tries a head kick but it misses.
Malaipet pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Askren is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Malaipet's half guard.
Askren thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Malaipet trying to hold on to Askren's head to control him but Askren postures up.
Askren throwing shots but Malaipet is blocking nicely.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Askren stops Malaipet from getting back to his feet.
Malaipet is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Askren is trying to control the action in half guard but Malaipet is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Malaipet is looking to escape.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Askren throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Malaipet's waist but Malaipet gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Askren off to one side.
Malaipet thows a left - swing and a miss!
Malaipet throws a head kick but Askren moves out of range.
Malaipet throws a solid leg kick but Askren takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Malaipet.
Malaipet tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Askren will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ben Askren. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Askren closes the distance and clinches up with Malaipet, looking for a takedown. Askren pushes Malaipet against the cage but Malaipet circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Askren looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Malaipet is fending him off so far but Askren persists. Nope, Malaipet circles away and we're back to standing.
Askren blocks a head kick by Malaipet.

That's two 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.
Malaipet feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Askren's calf.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Malaipet.
Malaipet connects with a high kick.
Askren chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Malaipet can pounce on him.
Malaipet thumps Askren with a low kick.
Malaipet fails in his attempt to clinch.
Askren fails to land the takedown.
Askren chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Malaipet can pounce on him.
Askren is trying hard to land a takedown here. Malaipet sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Malaipet keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Malaipet throws a sloppy head kick and Askren moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Askren tries for a takedown but Malaipet sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Malaipet throws a head kick but Askren moves out of range.
Malaipet pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Askren closes this distance looking for a takedown but Malaipet circles away.
Malaipet fails in his attempt to clinch.

Malaipet gets caught flat footed, as Askren shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Askren stops Malaipet from standing up.
Malaipet working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Askren.
Askren trying to control the position from guard on top but Malaipet is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Askren prevents Malaipet from getting back to his feet.
Ben Askren overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Askren postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Malaipet keeping full guard, as Askren tries to pass.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Askren takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
A nice inside leg kick there by Malaipet. That's going to slow Askren down.
Askren shoots for a takedown but Malaipet saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Askren avoids the head kick by Malaipet.
Malaipet tries to close the distance and clinch up but Askren swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Askren fails with the takedown.
Malaipet lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Askren steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Malaipet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kaennor Malaipet comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Malaipet 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 Nard Betker scores the fight 28:29
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paul Aken scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kaennor Malaipet!