PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Alexi Taiga (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and William Buckley (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Taiga's entrance music is Through Gardens Of Grief, At The Gates. A fine choice. Alexi Taiga could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to William Buckley's chin.

Taiga
vs
Buckley

201 cm
28
266 lbs
19 - 7 - 1

195 cm
21
260 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Solid Muay Thai
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 7 - 1, fighting out of New York, Alexi Taiga!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, William Buckley!
The judges for this bout are Eddie Farnsworth, Lou da Vinci and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A bone on bone clash there as Buckley blocks the leg kick.
Taiga moves to clinch but Buckley breaks away
and Buckley counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

Buckley closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Taiga quickly recovers to half guard.
Buckley missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Buckley sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Taiga defending well though.
Taiga wants to improve his position but Buckley is controlling well.
Buckley thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Taiga's head.
Buckley thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Buckley throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Taiga on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Taiga tries to kick Buckley off but Buckley keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Taiga is looking to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Taiga manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Taiga pulls Buckley in close to prevent any damage.
Buckley throws and elbow that misses. Taiga uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Buckley's guard. Nice move by Taiga!
Buckley has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Buckley really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Taiga. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Taiga stopping the sweep attempt from Buckley.
Taiga controlling from the top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Taiga trying to control but Buckley is working from the bottom.

Alexi Taiga has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Taiga with a jab.
Buckley misses with a takedown

and Taiga counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Taiga.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Buckley tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Buckley is trying to keep Taiga in close.
Taiga pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Buckley is keeping the position for now.
Taiga trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taiga working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Buckley's head.
Taiga scoring with punches to the head and body.
Taiga trying to control the position from guard on top but Buckley is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Taiga is really struggling to control Buckley but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Buckley wants to sweep here but Taiga controlling him for the moment.
Taiga being controlled here momentarily.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Buckley drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Buckley throws a strike but Taiga rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Buckley is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckley can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Taiga controls the pace.
Buckley keeping moving, preventing Taiga from controlling successfully.
Buckley is looking to sweep but instead, Taiga has passed into half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Buckley is trying to control but can't.
Taiga content to control rather than advance.
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 Alexi Taiga 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.

Buckley avoids the body shot from Taiga.
Taiga wants to clinch

and Buckley counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Taiga is looking to stand up but Buckley isn't so interested in that idea.
Taiga wants to sweep but no luck.
Buckley throws a strike but Taiga rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Taiga postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Taiga controls from within his opponent's guard.
Buckley is trying to keep Taiga in close.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Buckley can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckley wants to get back to his feet but Taiga passes into half guard.
Buckley is trying to stand back up but Taiga is controlling him
William Buckley has got the better of the ground game so far.
Buckley tries to get to full guard but Taiga has control of the leg.
Buckley is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Taiga wants to control but Buckley is keeping him busy.
Buckley trying to control but Taiga postures up.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Buckley is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

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.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Taiga tries to clinch there but Buckley circles away.
Buckley with a lazy takedown attempt
and Taiga counters with a straight right hand.
Taiga connects with a jab.

It looks like William Buckley has been cut.
Taiga darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Taiga tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Buckley paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Taiga misses the shot to the body.

Buckley feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Taiga is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Buckley throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Taiga works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Buckley throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Taiga works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Buckley throws a big right hand that misses.
Taiga wants to stand and escape but Buckley is having none of it.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Buckley throws and elbow that misses. Taiga uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Buckley's guard. Nice move by Taiga!

Taiga gets to his feet - Buckley follows without any prompting.

Buckley decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Buckley missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Buckley looks to land a strike but Taiga avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Buckley in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Taiga utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Buckley won't allow Taiga to sweep him here.
Buckley must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckley with a flurry of punches that miss.
Taiga is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Buckley throws and elbow that misses. Taiga uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Buckley's guard. Nice move by Taiga!
Buckley is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Taiga dives into side control.
Buckley is trying to control Taiga's posture but Taiga avoids it.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Buckley tries to get back to half guard but can't.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alexi Taiga dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on William Buckley's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Taiga gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Buckley counters with a shoot takedown. Taiga fights it but they end up in guard.
Buckley throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Buckley thows a big elbow that misses.
Buckley throws a strike but Taiga rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Buckley lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Taiga!
Taiga regains half guard.
Buckley thows a huge punch but Taiga dodges it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckley throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Buckley not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Buckley landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Buckley trying to advance position but Taiga counters by regaining guard.
Buckley postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Taiga avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Buckley throws and elbow that misses. Taiga uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Buckley's guard. Nice move by Taiga!
Taiga trying to control the position from guard on top but Buckley is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Buckley kicks Taiga off and gets to his feet.
Buckley moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Buckley tries to score a power double leg takedown but Taiga sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Buckley somewhat.
Taiga wants to clinch

and Buckley counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Buckley looks to land a strike but Taiga avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Taiga utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Buckley scoring with punches to the head and body.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Buckley accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Taiga looking to hit a scissor sweep but Buckley is one step ahead there.
Buckley scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Buckley accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Taiga utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Buckley throws a strike but Taiga rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Taiga wants to get up but he can't break Buckley's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

Buckley has his feet on Taiga's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Taiga tries to clinch

and Buckley counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Taiga!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckley throws a sloppy strike and Taiga uses the opportunity to reverse the position! A bit of a scramble here and Taiga has ended up in Buckley's guard.
Buckley working a defensive guard but Taiga manages to pass into side control anyway.
Buckley struggling a bit here.
Taiga wants to control but Buckley is keeping him busy.
Buckley is looking for a sweep.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Buckley struggling a bit here.
Buckley is looking to regain half guard here but Taiga keeps moving and retains side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

William Buckley really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on William Buckley's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Taiga uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Alexi Taiga seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Taiga tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Buckley was well out of range. Poor timing from Taiga.
Taiga jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Buckley circles away from the clinch attempt

and Buckley counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Buckley throwing shots but Taiga is blocking nicely.
Buckley seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Buckley throwing shots but Taiga is blocking nicely.
Buckley prevents Taiga from improving his position.
Buckley throwing shots but Taiga is blocking nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taiga keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Buckley thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Taiga avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Buckley.
Taiga blocking the ground and pound attempt from Buckley.
Buckley looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Buckley not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Taiga blocking the ground and pound attempt from Buckley.
Buckley lands strikes from half guard.
Buckley working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Buckley sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Taiga defending well though.
Taiga wants to get back to full guard.
Buckley missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Buckley thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Buckley throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Buckley landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Buckley trying to mount his opponent but Taiga defends it.
Buckley sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Taiga defending well though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taiga on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Taiga is looking for a sweep. Buckley is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Buckley not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Buckley lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Taiga keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Buckley throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Taiga avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Buckley.
Taiga wants to control but Buckley is keeping busy.
Buckley throwing shots but Taiga is blocking nicely.
Taiga on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Buckley thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Buckley seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Buckley working the head and body with strikes.
Buckley missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Buckley lands strikes from half guard.
Buckley is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Taiga keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Buckley seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

William Buckley dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on William Buckley's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Taiga moves to clinch but Buckley breaks away

and Buckley counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Taiga avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Buckley.
Buckley misses with a head shot. Taiga uses the momentum to regain guard.
Buckley postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Buckley throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Taiga works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Taiga looking for a sweep. Not yet Taiga, not yet.
Buckley throws and elbow that misses. Taiga uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Buckley's guard. Nice move by Taiga!
Buckley controlling Taiga's posture.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Buckley trying to control the position.

Taiga gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Buckley shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Taiga looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Taiga tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Buckley counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Buckley not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Buckley throwing shots but Taiga is blocking nicely.
Taiga tries to roll over but Buckley keeps him under control.
Buckley missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Taiga avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Buckley.
Buckley landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Taiga moves into full guard.
Taiga avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Taiga preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Buckley lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Buckley lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Taiga is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Buckley throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Taiga works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Buckley content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Taiga has momentary wrist control but Buckley slips an elbow through the middle.
Buckley in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Buckley connects with a couple of short punches.
Buckley postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Buckley is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Buckley in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Buckley postures up in Taiga's guard and throws a big left but Taiga blocks it.
Taiga avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Taiga working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Buckley.
Buckley postures up and lands a big shot to Taiga's brow.
Buckley chips away with some ground and pound.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Taiga avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Taiga wants to stand but Buckley is controlling the position.
Buckley with a flurry of punches that miss.

And that's the end of the fight!
William Buckley comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Buckley 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 47:48
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 47:48
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... William Buckley!
William Buckley is the new heavyweight champion!