PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Chris Poirier (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Benito Vasquez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Vasquez has chosen StrangleHold as his entrance music. Chris Poirier had real problems making weight for this fight. After initially coming in at 147.3lbs, he had two hours to make the official fight weight. He made it but it will have taken a lot out of him to cut those extra few pounds. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Poirier
vs
Vasquez

175 cm
23
159 lbs
7 - 3 - 0

173 cm
24
155 lbs
8 - 4 - 1

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

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 7 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Chris Poirier!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Benito Vasquez!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Ren Mimura and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Poirier takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Poirier on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Vasquez misses with a looping right.
Vasquez bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Vasquez lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Vasquez looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Poirier on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Poirier swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Vasquez counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Poirier misses with a double jab.
Poirier misses with a left hand
and Vasquez counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Benito Vasquez seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Vasquez jabs Poirier right on the nose. Poirier blinks but takes it well.
Vasquez digs a good hook to Poirier's body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vasquez works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Vasquez lands an overhand right.
Poirier misses with a lunging right hand
and Vasquez counters with a stiff right hand.
Poirier misses with a straight left.
Vasquez throws a shot to the body.
Poirier takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Poirier misses with a right hand
and Poirier takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Poirier throws an off balance right hand
and Vasquez counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Poirier lands a jab to the head.
Vasquez fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Poirier on the side of the head.
Vasquez fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez clobbers Poirier with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Poirier misses with a right hand
and Vasquez cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Poirier misses with a double jab
and Vasquez counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Poirier keeps the fight on the outside.
Vasquez throws a big shot that misses.
Good standup being displayed there by Vasquez as he connects with a hook.
Vasquez thuds a left hand into Poirier's body.
Vasquez works Poirier's body with a nice hook.
Poirier is breathing heavily.
Vasquez misses with a straight left.
Vasquez changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Poirier throws a right and a left that Vasquez avoids nicely.
Vasquez fails to land with a series of punches.
Vasquez thuds his right hand into Poirier's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Vasquez swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vasquez misses with a series of wild punches.
Vasquez scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Poirier doesn't seem bothered though.
Poirier misses with a hook
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Poirier throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with an open hand slap.
Poirier avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Poirier misses with a lunging right hand
and Vasquez counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Vasquez tests Poirier's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Poirier takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Poirier looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Vasquez scores with a jab. Poirier acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Poirier drops his hands momentarily and Vasquez takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Poirier misses with a few strikes there.
Vasquez lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Poirier uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Vasquez.
Poirier throws an off balance right hand
letting Vasquez counter with a right hand.
Nice defenses there by Poirier.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Vasquez. That snapped Poirier's head back.
Poirier keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Vasquez misses with a body shot.
Vasquez throws a lazy uppercut
and Poirier counters with a one-two to the body.
Vasquez is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Poirier had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Vasquez throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Poirier stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Poirier takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Vasquez throws a head kick but Poirier moves out of range.
Vasquez fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Poirier manages to avoid it.
Vasquez bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Poirier on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Poirier takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez swings for the body but Poirier moves out of range.
A big right from Vasquez misses.
Poirier takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Vasquez plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
A combination from Poirier does no damage.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Vasquez swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Poirier takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Vasquez jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Poirier swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Vasquez counters with a right hand to the body.
Vasquez displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Poirier falls off balance throwing a combination
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Vasquez throws a shot from downtown. Poirier moves away and avoids it.
Vasquez fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Poirier has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Vasquez looks to land a right hand but Poirier moved out of range.
Vasquez throws a poor cross that misses
and Poirier counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Vasquez looks to land a right hand but Poirier moved out of range.
Poirier misses with the combination.
A punch combination from Poirier misses.
Vasquez misses with a jab to the body
and Poirier counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Poirier falls off balance throwing a combination
and Vasquez counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
The fight stays on the outside here - Vasquez looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Vasquez misses with a combination
and Poirier counters with a right hand to the body.
Vasquez throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Poirier stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Poirier misses with a body shot
and Vasquez counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Vasquez dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Vasquez with a hook.
Vasquez throws a sloppy head kick and Poirier moves out of range easily.
Poirier swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Vasquez counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez lands a jab.
Poirier misses with a double jab
enabling Vasquez to counter with a crisp jab.
A big right from Vasquez misses.
Poirier walks into a left hand.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Vasquez looks to score with a jab to the body but Poirier is just out of range.
Vasquez fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Vasquez ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Poirier moves away.
Poirier keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Poirier misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Vasquez.
Poirier moves out of range of the body kick from Vasquez.
Vasquez scores with a jab.
Poirier throws an off balance right hand
and Vasquez counters with a stiff right hand.
Vasquez throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Poirier slips a straight right by Vasquez.
Poirier misses with a lunging right hand
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Poirier bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nice body punch from Vasquez.
Vasquez fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Poirier manages to avoid it.
Vasquez lands a right hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Poirier misses with a combination
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Poirier defending well as Vasquez loads up on a big left hand.
Vasquez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Poirier paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Vasquez scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Poirier doesn't seem bothered though.
A shot to the body from Poirier misses
and Vasquez counters with a right hand to the body.
Vasquez avoids the body shot from Poirier.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Vasquez scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Vasquez dips to his left and cracks Poirier with an uppercut!
Poirier misses with a lunging right hand
and Vasquez counters with a body kick that stops Poirier in his tracks momentarily.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez tries to clinch but Poirier moves out of range.
Chris Poirier is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Poirier throws a combination that misses
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Vasquez looks to score with a jab to the body but Poirier is just out of range.
Vasquez throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Vasquez moves in looking to clinch but Poirier pushes him off.
Poirier has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Vasquez jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Poirier throws a nice looking combination but Vasquez bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Vasquez throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Poirier stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Poirier takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Poirier keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Poirier takes a shot to the body in his stride.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Poirier might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Vasquez looks to land a combination but Poirier avoids it well.
Vasquez throws a left and a right that both miss
and Poirier counters with a stiff right hand.
Vasquez misses with a two punch combination.
Vasquez scores with a crisp jab that stopped Poirier in his tracks.
Vasquez misses with a wild combination.
Poirier is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Poirier avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
A punch lands to the side of Poirier 's head but he takes it in his stride.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Poirier counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Vasquez lands a jab to Poirier's midsection.
Vasquez swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Poirier misses with a combination
letting Vasquez counter with a right hand.
Vasquez misses the shot to the body.
Poirier throws a series of punches but Vasquez moves out of range.
Vasquez scores with a jab to the jaw.

Poirier is rocked!
Vasquez throws out a loose jab but Poirier uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nice straight punches there by Vasquez. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Vasquez.
Poirier throws a left and a right that both miss
and Vasquez counters with a stiff right hand.
Oh Poirier is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Poirier seems to have got his legs back now.
Poirier uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Vasquez.
Vasquez throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Poirier on the side of the head.
Vasquez ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Vasquez jabs Poirier to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Poirier misses with a double jab
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Benito Vasquez seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Vasquez fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Poirier misses with a left hand
and Vasquez cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Poirier displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Vasquez connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Poirier misses with a body punch
and Vasquez counters with a left to the body.
Vasquez misses with an uppercut.
Poirier throws a combination that misses
letting Vasquez counter with a right hand.
Vasquez with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Poirier ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Vasquez has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Vasquez throws a looping overhand right but Poirier ducks down to avoid it.
Vasquez works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Poirier walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Vasquez swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A big left from Poirier misses.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Poirier throws a predictable looking body shot
and Vasquez counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Vasquez throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Poirier on the side of the head.
Vasquez will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Vasquez fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Vasquez fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Poirier checks it well.
Vasquez throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Poirier throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Vasquez counters with a right hand to the body.
Vasquez throws a shot to the body.
Vasquez scores with a punch to the head.
Vasquez lands with a right hand.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez lands with a nice body punch.
Vasquez misses with a straight right.
Vasquez misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Poirier counters with a left to the body.
Vasquez tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Poirier was well out of range. Poor timing from Vasquez.
Vasquez fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Vasquez rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Poirier moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vasquez lands a nice shot to the body.
Poirier avoids the body shot from Vasquez.
Poirier moves away from the strike by Vasquez.
Poirier avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Vasquez scores with a jab to the jaw.
Poirier scores with a nice right hand.
Vasquez connects with a right hand. Poirier shakes it off.
Vasquez throws out a loose jab but Poirier uses good head movement to avoid it.
Vasquez works the jab nicely.
Poirier connects with a looping right hand.
Poirier takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Vasquez lands a body shot.
Poirier on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Vasquez swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Poirier.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Benito Vasquez showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Poirier misses with an uppercut
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Vasquez throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Poirier stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Vasquez throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Poirier sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Vasquez throws a right hand that Poirier ducks under and follows up with a left that Poirier also avoids with ease.
Vasquez lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Vasquez throws an overhand right that lands on Poirier's shoulder, as Poirier tries to avoid the shot.
Poirier throws a left and a right that both miss
and Vasquez counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Poirier thinking.
Poirier dips to his left and cracks Vasquez with an uppercut!
Poirier throws a hook to the side of Vasquez's head but Vasquez sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Vasquez misses with a straight right.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Poirier.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Vasquez thows a body shot but no joy.
The fight stays on the outside here - Vasquez looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Poirier swats away the attempt to clinch by Vasquez.
Poirier misses with a combination
and Vasquez connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Poirier falls off balance throwing a combination
enabling Vasquez to counter with a crisp jab.
Vasquez misses with a hook. Poirier ducked under it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Vasquez throws a series of punches but Poirier avoids them all with ease.
Vasquez has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Poirier finds it's way round the side to connect with Vasquez's head.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a right hand to the side of the head.
Vasquez connects with a body shot.
Vasquez lands the left hand.
Vasquez scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Vasquez lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Poirier at a distance.
Vasquez is looking to slow Poirier down with leg kicks.
Poirier ducks right into an uppercut from Vasquez.
Vasquez avoids the body shot from Poirier.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Poirier takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Vasquez connects with a good right hand that stumbles Poirier. Poirier circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Poirier thinking.
Vasquez misses with a jab, cross combination.
Vasquez closes the distance but Poirier moves to the side
and Poirier counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vasquez displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
A swing and a miss from Vasquez.
Poirier blocks the body kick.
Poirier shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Poirier on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Vasquez lands a glancing blow to the side of Poirier's head.
Poirier chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Vasquez can pounce on him.
Vasquez pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Poirier back to the cage. Vasquez follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Vasquez digs a good body shot into Poirier's ribs.
Vasquez lands with a right hand.
Vasquez throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Poirier stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Vasquez scores with a hook.
Vasquez lands an overhand right.
Poirier showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Vasquez.
Poirier misses with a few strikes there.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Vasquez takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Vasquez throws a shot from downtown. Poirier moves away and avoids it.
Vasquez lands a leg kick that knocks Poirier off balance momentarily.
Vasquez looks to land a right hand but Poirier moved out of range.
Vasquez misses the body punch
and Poirier counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
A punch lands to the side of Poirier 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Poirier looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Vasquez lands a nice looking body shot.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Vasquez connects with a nice looking jab.
Poirier swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Poirier misses with an uppercut
and Vasquez counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
A jab from Vasquez misses.
Poirier falls off balance throwing a combination
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Poirier falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Vasquez counter with a right hand.
Poirier circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Poirier rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Vasquez counters with a stiff right hand.
Poirier misses with an uppercut
and Vasquez counters with a stiff right hand.
Nice cross by Vasquez.
Poirier with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Vasquez to score with a decent uppercut.
Vasquez thows a body shot but no joy.
Vasquez scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Poirier avoids the head kick by Vasquez.
Poirier throws a poor cross that misses
and Vasquez counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vasquez scores with a three punch combo!
Poirier rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Vasquez connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Vasquez works Poirier's body with a nice hook.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Poirier looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Vasquez lands with a straight right. Poirier didn't see that one coming.
Vasquez thuds his right hand into Poirier's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Poirier moves out of range of the strikes.
Vasquez works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
A punch combination from Vasquez misses.
Vasquez rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Poirier moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vasquez throws a hook but Poirier avoids it easily.
Poirier throws a series of punches but Vasquez moves out of range.
Vasquez slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Vasquez jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Vasquez looks to score with a jab to the body but Poirier is just out of range.
Vasquez takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Vasquez misses with a jab to the body
and Poirier counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Poirier uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Vasquez.
Poirier swings widly with a right hand
and Vasquez cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Poirier misses with a hook
and Vasquez counters with a straight right hand.
Vasquez missing with a left hand there. Poirier was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Vasquez smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Chris Poirier has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Benito Vasquez is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Vasquez cracks Poirier with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.

And that's the end of the fight!
Benito Vasquez comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Vasquez 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 Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight for Benito Vasquez!
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight for Benito Vasquez!
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight for Benito Vasquez!

Benito Vasquez wins by unanimous decision!