PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Robin Banks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Clifford Bridges (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bridges comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Young Buck, TI, Game & Ludacris - Stomp kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Clifford Bridges acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Banks
vs
Bridges

150 cm
26
159 lbs
5 - 4 - 1

175 cm
26
155 lbs
4 - 2 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Granite chin

Steel Terror-Trition: Video Proven 160Q

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 5 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Robin Banks!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Clifford Bridges!
The judges for this bout are Donatello Bradman, Winston Howard and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Banks lands with a shot to the body.
Bridges moves out of range as Banks strikes.
Bridges tries to close the distance and clinch up but Banks swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bridges's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Bridges duly obliges.
A big right from Bridges misses.
Bridges swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Banks throws a hook to the side of Bridges's head but Bridges sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Bridges lands with a hook. Banks tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Banks swinging wildly here.
Banks takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Bridges just misses with a punch to the body.
Banks throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bridges dodges the punch combination from Banks.
Bridges shoots for a takedown but Banks saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Bridges throws a lazy right hand but Banks sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bridges throws a hook but Banks blocks it.
Bridges checks the leg kick nicely there.
Banks rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Bridges moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Banks swings for the body but Bridges moves out of range.
Bridges shoots in but no luck this time.
Banks throws a right and a left that both miss.
Bridges slips under a jab.
Banks scores with a sloppy right hand. Bridges should have avoided that one.
Bridges looks to score with a jab to the body but Banks is just out of range.
Banks's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Bridges connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Banks scrambles back to his feet.
Some wild striking there from Bridges.
Banks walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Banks. Bridges does a little dance to reset his feet.
Banks loads up on a big right hand but Bridges slips the punch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bridges throws a hook but Banks blocks it.
Banks fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Bridges checks it well.
Banks tries to score a power double leg takedown but Bridges sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Banks somewhat.
Bridges throws a hook to the side of Banks's head but Banks sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Banks looks to score with a jab to the body but Bridges is just out of range.
Banks swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Bridges counters with a lovely straight right hand!
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Bridges connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Bridges avoids a punch combination nicely.
No joy there for Bridges, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Bridges fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Banks manages to avoid it.
Banks staying out of range there.
Banks bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banks throws a right hand that Bridges ducks under and follows up with a left that Bridges also avoids with ease.
Bridges throws a hook but Banks blocks it.
Bridges misses with a looping left.
Bridges throws a jab when Banks was well out of range.
Bridges misses with a takedown attempt - Banks sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Robin Banks has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Clifford Bridges.
Banks circles away from the clinch attempt
and Banks connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Banks shoots in and gets a takedown into Bridges's guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Banks trying to control but Bridges is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Banks engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Bridges working a defensive guard here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banks trying to control but Bridges is working from the bottom.
Bridges not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

We're going to have a standup here because Robin Banks wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Bridges closes the distance and clinches.
Banks presses Bridges against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A quick uppercut on the inside from Banks.
Bridges prevents Banks from breaking the clinch.
Banks on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bridges with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Banks pushes Bridges back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Bridges throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Banks blocks it with crossed arms.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bridges lands a hook to the side of the head.
Bridges misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Banks.
Banks blocks an elbow strike from Bridges.
Bridges looking to throw knees to the head but Banks is blocking nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Clifford Bridges will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Banks swings away with a leg kick that misses.

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

Bridges had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Banks defends it easily.
Bridges looking to control.
Banks throwing strikes but missing.
Bridges has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Banks has passed into side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bridges can't do much from the bottom here.
Banks wants to control but Bridges is keeping him busy.
Banks has knee on belly and moves into mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bridges is looking to improve his position but Banks isn't that keen on the idea.
Banks trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Bridges tries to hold on but Banks postures up.
Banks in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Bridges is trying to escape the mount.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Banks cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Bridges tries to reverse the position but Banks maintains control.
Banks lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bridges is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bridges is squirming around, avoiding Banks's attempts to control the action.
Banks scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Bridges?
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Banks cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Bridges is looking to improve his position but Banks isn't that keen on the idea.
Bridges is bucking up trying to escape but Banks cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Bridges regains half guard.
Banks 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.
Banks prevents Bridges from improving his position.
Banks is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Banks thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Banks landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bridges keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Nice strikes from Banks there.
Banks slips a nice elbow through Bridges's hands, connecting with Bridges's forehead.

Banks is looking for a kimura but Bridges is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Banks to get the leverage.
Banks winds up and cracks Bridges with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Bridges is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Banks trying to control the pace.
Bridges wants to get back to full guard.
Banks drops an elbow to the side of Bridges's head.
Bridges has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Banks is working away from the top position though.
Bridges taking some punishment here, with Banks in his half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bridges makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Bridges.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Banks works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Banks missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Banks moves nicely into side control.
Banks works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Bridges tries to buck Banks off but Banks is having none of it.
Banks scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Bridges to see if he's OK.
Bridges tries to bench press Banks off him but Banks keeps the position.
Banks 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.
Banks trying to control the action but Bridges is working from the bottom.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Robin Banks dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Banks ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Banks throws a right hand that Bridges ducks under and follows up with a left that Bridges also avoids with ease.

Banks drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Banks trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Bridges trying to control the position.
Banks won't allow Bridges to sweep him here.
Bridges is trying to keep Banks in close.
Banks throwing strikes but missing.
Bridges wants to sweep here but Banks controlling him for the moment.

Bridges working for a triangle but Banks defends it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Banks won't allow Bridges to sweep him here.
Banks tries to free his leg and advance position but Bridges is retaining full guard.
Bridges keeping moving, preventing Banks from controlling successfully.
Banks pushing down on Bridges's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Robin Banks overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Banks looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Banks is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Bridges tries to get to full guard but Banks has control of the leg.
Banks lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bridges wants to control but Banks is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Banks lands strikes from half guard.
Banks slows the pace down in half guard.
Ground and pound from Banks.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

Banks is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Bridges has managed to free his arm - good work.
Bridges trying to control but Banks postures up.
Banks lands with a punch from half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Bridges manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Banks wants to control from the top but Bridges keeps moving.
Bridges is trying to control the position but Banks postures up.
Banks landing with the ground and pound.
Banks is pushing down on Bridges's leg trying to pass to half guard. Bridges is fighting to maintain full guard but Banks has managed to sneak the leg through.
Banks throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Bridges to regain full guard.
Bridges is trying to control the position but Banks postures up.

Banks drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Banks jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Bridges is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Banks trying to control the position from guard on top but Bridges is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Bridges keeping full guard, as Banks tries to pass.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Banks loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Bridges being controlled here, momentarily.
Banks throws a big elbow that misses.

Bridges looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Banks stopping the sweep attempt from Bridges.
Banks in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Bridges looking for a guillotine here but Banks defends easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
Robin Banks showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Banks 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 Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28
Judge Winston Howard scores the fight 29:28
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Robin Banks!