Referee: Dusty Whittaker

 

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ROUND ONE

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[Griffin Dawson and Dang Tay both come out of their corners, and touch gloves in the center to get the fight started with a showing of respect. Dang Tay closes the distance immediately and looks to secure a text book double collar thai clinch early! Dawson tries to fight out of the hold, but Tay uses this momentum to leap forward with a jumping knee strike that lands flush on the solar plexus of his opponent. The impact of the blow sends Griff to the mat hard, and Tay rushes forward to capitalize on the knockdown. Dawson shows her toughness though, and she pops right back to her feet as the crowd comes alive.]

 

[Tay shoots forward immediately and tries to secure a takedown, but Dawson doesn’t budge. Instead, the grappling comes to a stalemate, and this forces Dang Tay to resort to pulling guard. The pair of fighters hitting the mat echoes out with an audible thud, but within seconds Griffin Dawson finds herself swept and in a bad position, as Dang Tay secures Full Mount!]

 

[Tay tries to open up on Dawson with a few sweeping strikes with his right elbow... But Griff manages to block them with her arms, while successfully using this moment to scramble and wind up in half guard. Dawson keeps working however, and soon she is able to move Dang Tay back into her closed guard. Tay postures up without warning however, and he launches a barrage of vicious punches that target the already injured body of Griffin Dawson.]

 

[Griff sucks in a few deep breaths, and she tries to answer back with a hammer fist to Tay's ribs in retaliation. Tay doesn’t like this and decides to move immediately.  He’s  able to jump over into the side mount position, but it is only momentary, as Dawson shows some improved ground skills and transitions Tay back into half guard. This seems to frustrate Tay, and he tries to open up Dawson with a few more looping strikes from his right elbow. Dawson blocks the majority of the shots however,  and this forces Dang to look for another option here.]

 

[Tay quickly tries to scramble to the side mount, but Dawson wraps her legs around Dang Tay’s leg and prevents him from moving. Tay scrambles a bit here but he seems to slip up and this allows Griffin Dawson to seize an opportunity to counter him!  Griff gets an arm clenched tightly, and she throws her legs up to try for an armbar out of nowhere. Tay spins out, but Griffin has it scouted and she quickly switches to a triangle choke! The choke looks tight, but Dang Tay shows his impressive Jiu JItsu skills and manages to pop his head free and stand up.  He backs up and motions Dawson back to the feet and  Dusty Whittaker halts the fight to stand Dawson up and the fight resumes with both fighters standing.]

[The fans inside of the TD Garden are cheering loudly for the fighters here as they circle each other and look for a point of attack. A quick hook by Dang Tay glances off Dawson's arms, who then steps back a bit to take a deep breath. Tay isn’t having any of that though, and he steps forward with a good lead switch kick to the body of Griff Dawson. Dawson stumbles backwards a bit after that shot, and it’s clear that she is in pain from the liver kick! Tay closes the distance carefully, looking for a measured shot to put the fight away.]

 

[Griffin Dawson keeps him at bay with a looping right hand, and Dang Tay jumps back with a jab, but he isn’t able to avoid the full brunt of the punch, and he’s clipped on the chin. Dang Tay seems unaffected by the shot. In fact, he opens up and counters with a few punches of his own. This leads to a great exchange here, with neither fighter getting the upper hand and both landing some clean shots.]
 

[We enter the final ten seconds, and Griffin Dawson fakes a punch, before launching herself at Dang Tay with a leaping roundhouse attempt.. Tay makes her miss as he backpedals quickly, and He’s about to land a nasty counter punch down the pipe... when the referee separates the fighters and the buzzer sounds.]

 

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ROUND TWO

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[We start the second round and Tay comes out quickly, trying to take control of the round early with a Thai Plum clinch. Griffin Dawson tries her best to push Tay away and keep the fight at striking range but “Red Death” doesn't want to break the clinch and he hangs on tight to deliver yet another leaping knee strike to the body of Dawson. It’s clear that the knee hurts pretty bad, and Griff works quickly to pummel into a Thai clinch of her own. She tries to mimic the knee strike, but Tay sees it coming from a mile away and he moves away from danger while blocking the strike.]

 

[Griffin Dawson charges forward and tries to bring the fight to the ground but Tay won't budge, forcing Dawson to pull guard this time.  Dang Tay lands in closed guard over Dawson. Griff tries to roll on the ground but Dang Tay uses his weight to pin her and unleash some hard shots aimed at her ribs. Griff manages to block a majority of them and she moves to try and reverse the situation. She doesn;t seem to go anywhere and after a while it seems like she is cooling the fight on the ground. The referee decided to stand the fighters up, since there was a lack of action on the ground. Both fighters climb to their feet to a standing ovation from the crowd.]

 

[Dawson’s cornermen are yelling for her man to keep distance from Tay and not let him get his hands on her, but the two step into the center of the cage and give the fans a show by exchanging wildly. Both land at will, but without much steam behind the shots, that is until Dawson launches a furious low kick! Tay manages to check the kick and the sound echoes out through the arena. This gets another roar from the fans, and triggers Dawson to unleash a brilliant combination that lands HARD on the block of Dang Tay. He answers by stepping back and unloading another nasty body kick that lands just below the ribs of Dawson.]

 

[Dawson tries to fire a kick right back but Tay catches her right leg and he tries to go for a single leg trip takedown. Griffin shows great balance though, and she pushes Tay away to circle out and get some distance. Dawson steps back in quickly and she launches a couple of jabs, but they are instantly answered by Tay who makes her pay with a solid right cross! This triggers a whirlwind of an exchange from both fighters! Dawson's left eye is visibly bruised after the exchange, and she steps back to gingerly touch it.]

 

[This prompts Dang Tay to fake a punch to close the distance, and he pushes his opponent back against the cage as he obtains a troublesome thai clinch again in this fight. Tay begins launching some brutal dirty boxing hooks to the injured body of Dawson. Griff  tries to shrug her way out of the clinch but Tay pummels through and manages to retain his position.He tries to launch another great knee when he finds a narrow space, but Dawson uses this movement to break the clinch and the knee goes wide!]

 

[Tay doesn’t let Dawson escape, however. Instead, he chases after her and is able to land an ankle pick that takes the fight back to the ground with him in open guard over Dawson Tay tries to improve position but Dawson adjusts and closes her guard. Without warning, Griff rolls and grabs a leg, going for a slick kneebar! Tay blocks the attempt after a bit of struggle, and he uses the opportunity to seize half guard. Tay postures up to launch a few punches and Dawson sees this as an opportunity to scramble! There’s a battle here on the ground as the two jockey for dominant position but ultimately it’s Dawson who ends up on the losing end, clumsily giving up her back with 10 seconds left!]

 

[Tay tries to make something happen here with a few hard strikes from the back mount and Griff does her best to block them with her arms while taking this opportunity to rest. Tay continues working while Dawson stalls here and he’s able to get one hook in! Dawson struggles, trying to break Tay's control but the buzzer sounds, marking the end of the round.]

 

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ROUND THREE

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[We start round three and Dang Tay feints a punch and shows some excellent footwork moving inside to close the distance. Dawson launches a leg kick to counter him and Tay manages to check it, but when he plants his leg back onto the canvas it looks as though he has some trouble putting weight on it for a moment. Griff spots this like a veteran and pushes forward quickly to fire off a sequence of pointpoint, violent punches! This prompts Dang Tay to answer with his own barrage and both fighters engage in a wild exchange of punches as the crowd goes wild! Both fighters are connecting flush, and the crowd are on their feet as this war could be over with a single lucky shot.]

 

[Tay stumbles back from the exchange, his right cheek bruised and starting to swell visibly, while Dawson keeps pressing forward! Tay tries to fire off an inside leg kick, but it’s checked quickly by Dawson. Tay uses Griff’s forward aggression and he plants himself suddenly to tie her up in a text book double collar thai clinch! Griffin tries to push Tay away to stay at striking range, but Tay doesn't want to break the clinch. Getting frustrated, Dawson launches a knee of her own but Tay pushes Griffin Dawson back and the knee hits nothing but air.]

 

[Dang Tay circles out and Griff continues coming forward like a true warrior. Tay fakes a punch and launches himself forward at Griffin pushing his opponent against the cage in another troublesome thai clinch. Dawson pummels first position and gets double underhooks. She turns Tay into the cage, and looks for the takedown but Dang is able to fight it off and remain standing. The action stalls for a bit and Dusty Whittaker separates the fighters to restart in the middle of the cage.]

 

[Dang Tay feints a punch and shows some footwork as he closes the distance to get inside again behind his jab. Dawson shoots forward with a double leg attempt and pushes her opponent against the fence to pummel up to a single collar tie position. Tay is right at home in the clinch and he ducks under Griffin Dawson’s embrace and puts some distance between them. Griffin closes the distance again and Dang makes her pay with a nasty hook to the body.]

 

[Dawson didn't like that, and she takes a few steps back to get a couple seconds to recover her breath. Dang Tay doesn’t relent though, and he pushes the pace and attempts a sweep single. Tay catches Griffin Dawson's far ankle and trips her to the mat with a slick takedown! Tay lands in closed guard over Dawson, and he uses some of his wrestling skills to escape and jump to side mount, and then mount in a seamless transition!]

 

[The crowd in TD Garden are going nuts once again as Tay tries to open up Dawson with a few more vicious strikes from his right elbow. Some nice shots are landing, and Dawson is trying to block them with her hands the best she can. Finally, she rolls and gives up her back out of desperation! Tay immediately gets both hooks in, and he works on the ground with his fingers over Dawson's face, trying to limit her airflow. The only problem is, he seems to poke her eye in doing so and Dusty Whittaker sees it.]

[Dusty Whittaker halts the fight to give Dawson time to recover, and he takes away one point from Dang Tay for eye poke without even a warning. Dawson seems to be ready to fight again, and even looks a bit more fired up after getting a breather.]

 

[The fight resumes with both fighters standing and Griffin Dawson fires first with a well timed overhand that clocks Tay. Tay moves forward though and he surprises Dawson with a double overhook clinch that presses Dawson backwards until she hits the fence. Dang transitions to a Thai plum and unloads a barrage of knees, looking to put this fight away after losing a point. Brutal knees land to Dawson's face, followed by alternating knees to the body from Dang Tay! Bang! Dawson can’t take many more shots like these!]

 

[She tries to shrug her way out of the clinch, but Tay is determined to do some damage here. He pummels through to maintain his position and makes her pay with a few more vicious knees right as the ten second marker sounds. Nice hits to Dawson's ribs! One, two, three! Tay doesn't stop launching the heat seekers that seem to be finding a home over and over again.]

 

[Finally, one particularly devastating knee lands square on Dawson' chin! The pop is so loud that it’s heard throughout the arena! The crowd erupts at the same time the horn does to signal the end of the fight. It’s too late though as Dawson folds like fresh linen. Dang Tay lands the knockout blow that he wanted! Dawson is down! Dawson has been absolutely destroyed here! A great last second finish for Dang Tay!]

 

Winner: Dang Tay by KO (Knees) at 5:00 Round 3

 

Statistics: Griffin Dawson

Punches 13/20 (65%)

Kicks 0/1 (0%)

Clinch strikes 0/2 (0%)

Takedowns 0/3 (0%)

GnP strikes 3/4 (75%)

Submissions 3/3 (100%)

Clinch Attempts 0/1 (0%)

Time on the ground 357 s

 

Statistics: Dang Tay

Punches 11/17 (65%)

Kicks 2/3 (67%)

Clinch strikes 14/20 (70%)

Takedowns 1/2 (50%)

GnP strikes 10/24 (42%)

Submissions 0/0 (0%)

Clinch Attempts 2/2 (100%)

Time on the ground 346 s