PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Sam Whitaker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zoladz Odbyt (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Zoladz Odbyt was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

Whitaker
vs
Odbyt

190 cm
25
212 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

200 cm
25
205 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sam Whitaker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Zoladz Odbyt!
The judges for this bout are Hugh Johnson, Steve Erwin and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Odbyt lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Whitaker circles away quickly and effectively.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Odbyt misses with a wild combination.
Whitaker shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Whitaker takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Whitaker doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a left and a right that stings Whitaker.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Whitaker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Whitaker fails with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Whitaker thinking.
Odbyt looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a left to the body.
Whitaker is breathing heavily.
Whitaker has his takedown stuffed
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combo that has Whitaker backing up. Whitaker nods at Odbyt to acknowledge the strikes.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Whitaker takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Sam Whitaker seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Odbyt lands a right hook to the body.
Odbyt lands a right hook to the body.
Odbyt misses with a few strikes there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Odbyt misses with the combination.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Odbyt throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Whitaker on the side of the head.
Odbyt wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Whitaker gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Odbyt.
Odbyt throws a nice looking combination but Whitaker bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Whitaker avoids a punch combination nicely.
No joy there for Odbyt, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Whitaker shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Odbyt as he jumps to the side.
Zoladz Odbyt is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Odbyt misses with the combination.
Whitaker shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Odbyt pinned against the cage. Odbyt gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Odbyt rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Whitaker moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Odbyt fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Whitaker fails to land the takedown.
Odbyt jabs Whitaker to the body, keeping him at a distance.
A punch combination from Odbyt misses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Odbyt throws a nice looking combination but Whitaker bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Whitaker looks for a takedown but Odbyt sprawls well.
Odbyt scores with a one two! Whitaker had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Odbyt fails to land with a series of punches.
Whitaker shoots for a takedown but Odbyt saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Odbyt throws a nice looking combination but Whitaker bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Odbyt stuffs the takedown.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Odbyt throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Whitaker. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Whitaker shoots in for a takedown but Odbyt shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Odbyt throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Odbyt swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Whitaker fails with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Whitaker showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Odbyt.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Whitaker is defended easily by Odbyt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Odbyt lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Odbyt lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
No luck with that takedown attempt from Whitaker.
Odbyt has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Odbyt fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Whitaker manages to avoid it.
Odbyt stuffs the takedown attempt from Whitaker. Whitaker gets slowly back to his feet.
Whitaker tries for a takedown but Odbyt circles away easily
and Odbyt counters with a nice body shot.
Odbyt displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Odbyt fails to land with a series of punches.
Horrible takedown by Whitaker or perhaps it was just good defense by Odbyt which made him look bad.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Whitaker shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
letting Odbyt counter with a right hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zoladz Odbyt dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Whitaker misses with a takedown attempt
enabling Odbyt to counter with a crisp jab.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a nice body shot.
Whitaker doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a one-two to the body.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Whitaker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Odbyt's corner calls for a 1-2. Odbyt obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Whitaker shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Odbyt makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Odbyt lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Odbyt scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Whitaker dodges the punch combination from Odbyt.
Odbyt lands a jab-cross combination.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Whitaker dodges the punch combination from Odbyt.
Whitaker misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Odbyt throws a right hand that Whitaker ducks under and follows up with a left that Whitaker also avoids with ease.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Whitaker tries for a takedown but Odbyt circles away easily
and Odbyt counters with a two punch combo.
Odbyt just misses with a punch to the body.
Whitaker tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Odbyt swivels and escapes.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a two punch combo.
Whitaker has his takedown stuffed
and Odbyt counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Odbyt misses with a looping right.
Whitaker looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Odbyt leaves Whitaker with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Whitaker shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Odbyt is trying to defend but Whitaker finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Whitaker wants to take a breather but Odbyt is having none of it.
Odbyt is on the bottom, trying to hold on to half guard. He's throwing a few small shots here, to keep his opponent honest.

Whitaker is looking for a kimura here.
Odbyt has his hands clasped together around Whitaker's back. He's all about the action.
Odbyt really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Whitaker. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Odbyt punching from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker is looking to take a break and control but Odbyt is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Whitaker wants to pass to mount but Odbyt is defending the position.
Odbyt is refusing to be controlled, as Whitaker sits in half guard.
Odbyt landing a few short strikes.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Whitaker seems to be working for a kimura but Odbyt defends the submission attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Odbyt kicks off Whitaker and gets to his feet.
Whitaker fails with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Odbyt misses with a series of wild punches.
Odbyt stuffs the takedown attempt from Whitaker. Whitaker gets slowly back to his feet.
Odbyt is working the combinations to good effect here.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Whitaker showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Odbyt.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Whitaker gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combo that has Whitaker backing up. Whitaker nods at Odbyt to acknowledge the strikes.
Whitaker with a lazy takedown attempt
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

Whitaker drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Sam Whitaker will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Whitaker has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Whitaker fails with a takedown attempt.
Odbyt throws a series of punches but Whitaker avoids them all with ease.
Odbyt throws a right and a left that Whitaker avoids nicely.
Odbyt defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Whitaker.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt counters with a lovely straight right hand!
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sam Whitaker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Odbyt fails to land with a series of punches.
Odbyt misses with the combination.
Odbyt misses with a two punch combination.
Whitaker fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt counters with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combo that has Whitaker backing up. Whitaker nods at Odbyt to acknowledge the strikes.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a two punch combo.
Whitaker misses with a takedown
and Odbyt cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a one-two to the body.
Odbyt throws a nice looking combination but Whitaker bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
No luck for Whitaker with that takedown attempt.
Whitaker shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Zoladz Odbyt seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker dodges the punch combination from Odbyt.
Whitaker tries to score a power double leg takedown but Odbyt sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Whitaker somewhat.
Whitaker tries for a takedown but Odbyt sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Odbyt swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Whitaker doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Odbyt counters with a one-two to the body.
Whitaker keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Odbyt.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Whitaker misses with a takedown attempt
and Odbyt counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Odbyt misses with a two punch combination.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt counters with a left and a right that stings Whitaker.
Whitaker shoots and misses
and Odbyt connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Odbyt stalks Whitaker and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Whitaker's face. Whitaker staggers backwards, shaken.
Whitaker with a poor takedown
and Odbyt counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Odbyt misses with a two punch combination.
Odbyt swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Whitaker shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Odbyt sprawls well. Odbyt wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Whitaker gets slowly back to his feet.
Odbyt will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Odbyt throws a series of punches but Whitaker moves out of range.
Nice sprawl there from Odbyt as Whitaker shoots in.
Odbyt rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Whitaker moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Odbyt rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Whitaker moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

Whitaker scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitaker stalling away here and it's allowed Odbyt to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Whitaker trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Odbyt is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Whitaker is controlling him.
Whitaker stands and throws Odbyt's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Odbyt is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Whitaker has just dragged him back down to the mat.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Whitaker working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Odbyt wants to get back to his feet.
Odbyt is trying to improve his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Sam Whitaker.
I think Whitaker has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Hugh Johnson scores the fight 29:30
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Sam Whitaker!