PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Aaron Blood (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jacob Whitehorse (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Whitehorse's choice of entrance music: The Builders and The Butchers - Black Dresses. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Blood
vs
Whitehorse

160 cm
22
145 lbs
9 - 2 - 0

161 cm
22
140 lbs
8 - 0 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Aaron Blood!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Jacob Whitehorse!
The judges for this bout are Hirohito Nitta, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Blood takes a swing at Whitehorse's ribcage but misses.
Blood's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Blood duly obliges.
Whitehorse throws a lazy right hand but Blood sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Blood pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Blood throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Whitehorse waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Blood.
A little feinted left hand from Blood on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
A shot to the liver by Whitehorse. Beautiful body shot.
Whitehorse tries to score with a low kick but Blood moves his leg out of the way.
Aaron Blood seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Whitehorse blocks a head kick by Blood.
Whitehorse lands a body shot.
Blood misses with a takedown

and Whitehorse holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Whitehorse misses with an elbow strike.
Blood misses with a punch on the inside.
Whitehorse scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Whitehorse throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Bloods head.
Whitehorse lands a shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blood misses with the head strike.
Whitehorse looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Whitehorse works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Whitehorse is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Blood is defending well for now.
Blood drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Whitehorse gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Whitehorse scores with a shot to the side of Blood's head.
Whitehorse lands with a right to the head.
Whitehorse lands a body punch.
Blood misses with the head strike.
With the fighters clinched against the ropes, Whitehorse creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
A short left from Whitehorse.
I was talking to Blood's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Whitehorse lands a body punch.
Blood fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Aaron Blood. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Blood.
Blood lands a left hand that snaps the head of Whitehorse backwards.
Whitehorse tries a body shot but Blood blocks it.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Whitehorse obliges.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blood blocks a body shot from Whitehorse.
Whitehorse lands a shoulder strike.
Blood misses with a hook from the clinch.
Whitehorse lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Whitehorse working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Blood taking a breather.
Blood looking to slow down the pace here.

Blood escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Whitehorse thows a leg kick but Blood checks it

and Blood counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Whitehorse is adopting a defensive guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blood works over Whitehorse with some ground and pound from guard.
Blood with a flurry of punches that miss.
Blood working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Whitehorse preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Blood trying to control the position from guard on top but Whitehorse is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Blood controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Blood throws a strike but Whitehorse rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Whitehorse wants to control from the top but Blood keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Whitehorse accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Blood is pulling down on Whitehorse's head. It's preventing any offense from Whitehorse, at least for the moment.
Whitehorse won't allow Blood to sweep him here.

Blood looking for a guillotine here but Whitehorse defends easily.
Blood is trying to keep Whitehorse in close.
Blood keeping full guard, as Whitehorse tries to pass.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jacob Whitehorse dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Blood lands a jab to the head.
Blood ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Blood thuds a left hand into Whitehorse's body.
Whitehorse tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Blood defends well and Whitehorse ends up having to push Blood into the ropes where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Blood takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Nice sprawl there from Whitehorse as Blood shoots in.
A little jabbing left from Whitehorse on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Whitehorse thows a left - swing and a miss!
Whitehorse takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Blood fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Whitehorse manages to avoid it.
Whitehorse throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Whitehorse wants to slow Blood down by chopping away at his legs.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Whitehorse throws out a loose jab but Blood uses good head movement to avoid it.
A quick step to the side and Blood tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Blood on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Blood misses with a head kick.
Blood throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Blood shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Blood showed some decent athleticism there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Whitehorse is looking to improve his position.
Blood 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.
Blood is looking to take a break and control but Whitehorse is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Blood passes into side control, despite Whitehorse's attempt to control the position.
Aaron Blood overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Whitehorse is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Whitehorse looking for a sweep but Blood has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Whitehorse is trying to escape the mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Blood goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Whitehorse turns into him and now he's in Blood's guard.
Blood being controlled here, momentarily.
Whitehorse is fighting to break Blood's control of his arms but Blood is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Blood keeping full guard, as Whitehorse tries to pass.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Whitehorse working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

Blood looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Whitehorse makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Whitehorse keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Blood's head.
Whitehorse landing some decent shots from guard.
Whitehorse controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Whitehorse throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Whitehorse is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Whitehorse scoring with some ground and pound.

Blood looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Blood trying to keep a closed guard but Whitehorse is proving a slippery customer.

Blood working for a triangle but Whitehorse defends it easily.
Whitehorse sitting in guard here, content to control.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Whitehorse is in close to Blood's body, working some short punches and elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aaron Blood dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Whitehorse throws a body shot but no joy.
Blood throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Whitehorse.
Aaron Blood is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Blood moves out of range of the body kick.
Whitehorse tries to score a power double leg takedown but Blood sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Whitehorse somewhat.
Whitehorse jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Whitehorse scores with a nice head shot.
Whitehorse misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Blood.
Whitehorse loads up on a big right hand but Blood slips the punch.

Blood closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Blood throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Blood trying to pass the guard but Whitehorse defending well.
Blood thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blood looks to land a strike but Whitehorse avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Blood is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Blood looking to sit in guard and control but Whitehorse gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Whitehorse postures up.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Blood looking for a sweep. Not yet Blood, not yet.
Whitehorse is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Whitehorse trying to control but Blood is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blood looking to hit a scissor sweep but Whitehorse is one step ahead there.
Whitehorse is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Blood looking for a sweep. Not yet Blood, not yet.
Whitehorse makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Blood keeping moving, preventing Whitehorse from controlling successfully.
Blood looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Whitehorse gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

Blood has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Whitehorse uses from the top position.
Blood looking to control.

Blood working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Whitehorse has passed into half guard!
Whitehorse is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Whitehorse seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Blood does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Whitehorse slips a nice elbow through Blood's hands, connecting with Blood's forehead.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whitehorse with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Whitehorse is thwarting Blood's attempts to control the position.
Blood is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Whitehorse is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Whitehorse lands a nice short elbow.
Still in half guard, Whitehorse seems content to control.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Blood is looking for a sweep. Whitehorse is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Blood is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Whitehorse scores with a couple of nice shots.
Blood is not content to let Whitehorse control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Jacob Whitehorse just about did enough to take it.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Blood keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Blood takes a swing at Whitehorse's ribcage but misses.
Jab by Blood.
Blood throws a head kick that misses.
Whitehorse with the counter takedown but Blood avoids it easily.
Blood throws a shot to the body.
Blood misses the shot to the body.
Whitehorse wants to clinch up but Blood keeps it at a distance.
Blood throws a head kick that misses
and Whitehorse counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Whitehorse uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Whitehorse fails with an attempt to clinch.

Whitehorse closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Blood has a couple of punches blocked by Whitehorse.
Whitehorse lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Blood working hard to break the clinch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Whitehorse.
Blood takes a shot to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Blood escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Nice body punch from Whitehorse.
Blood feints a jab promting Whitehorse to slip. Blood then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Whitehorse slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Blood moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Whitehorse lands a right hook to the body.
Whitehorse pivots, looking for a leg kick but Blood is out of range and Whitehorse settles back down.
Blood feinted with a counter takedown.
Blood misses with a straight right.
Nice body punch from Blood.
Blood swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Whitehorse has managed to clinch.
Whitehorse goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Whitehorse blocks a punch to the side of the head.
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!
Whitehorse throws an elbow that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blood wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Whitehorse lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Jacob Whitehorse seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Whitehorse presses Blood against the ropes and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Whitehorse pushes Blood back against the ropes and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A short right from Whitehorse.

Blood is rocked!
A shot in the inside from Whitehorse.
Oh Blood is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Whitehorse scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Whitehorse creates some distance for himself and unleashes a massive uppercut that sends Blood's eyes rolling into the back of his head! Blood drops to his knees and Whitehorse pours it on with more strikes until the referee steps in to end the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:37 of round 4, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Jacob Whitehorse!
Jacob Whitehorse is the new bantamweight champion!
A relieved looking Jacob Whitehorse thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.
Aaron Blood spoke after the fight, saying 'Jacob Whitehorse was too much for me tonight. The better game plan won tonight. I will wear this belt again, mark my words!'.