GPG 49: Hopkins vs Nambara PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Juan Velasquez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Wilson Baldoza (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Baldoza's choice of entrance music: Last Resort. Juan Velasquez could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Wilson Baldoza's chin.

Velasquez
vs
Baldoza

200 cm
24
282 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

195 cm
33
258 lbs
9 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good takedowns
Solid Muay Thai
Knockout power

Mango Nutrition
CEC Nutrition Q160 *Christmas Sale*

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 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Juan Velasquez!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Baldoza!
The judges for this bout are Emerson Jorge, Daniel Cesar and Felipe Paraventi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Baldoza shoots in for a double leg but Velasquez sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Velasquez digs a good body shot into Baldoza's ribs.
A nice leg kick lands there from Velasquez.
Velasquez lands with a shot to the body.
Baldoza looks winded!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Velasquez scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

Velasquez feints and then winds up with a huge right hand that connects perfectly and sends Baldoza sprawling to the canvas! Baldoza rolls over backwards and springs off the cage and manages to regain his footing - how acrobatic! Oh, he's still wobbly - can Velasquez finish him?!

It looks like Wilson Baldoza has been cut.
Velasquez cracks Baldoza with a brutal left hook that knocks him out cold! This one is over in a flash! Game over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:27 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Juan Velasquez!
Juan Velasquez retains his heavyweight title!
A very excited looking Juan Velasquez made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
100%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Edmundo Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Will Javis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Jr
vs
Javis

165 cm
22
155 lbs
9 - 2 - 1

185 cm
24
145 lbs
5 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

ANABOLIC LAUNDRY 90%

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 9 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Edmundo Jr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Will Javis!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Luis Engracia and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Javis tries to sprawl but Jr drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Javis is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Jr trying to pass the guard but Javis defending well.
Jr winds up and cracks Javis with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Javis trying to hold on to Jr's head to control him but Jr postures up.
Jr throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Jr is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Javis has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Jr is working away from the top position though.
Nice strikes from Jr there.
Jr performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Javis trying to control here.
Jr 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.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jr looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Jr working Javis over with strikes.
Jr trying to control the pace.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Jr takes one to the chin there.

Jr shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Javis's guard.
Jr lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jr throwing strikes from guard but Javis blocks nicely.
Jr controlling from the top position.
Jr stands up over Javis, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Jr not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Jr missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Jr postures up in Javis's guard and throws a big left but Javis blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jr is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Edmundo Jr has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Javis displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Jr.
Edmundo Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Jr scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Javis trying to control from the bottom.
Jr tries to pass the half guard into mount. Javis knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Javis is staying active underneath Jr, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
The fighters are battling for position here. Javis manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Javis looks winded!
Jr is looking to work some ground and pound but Javis has wrist control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Javis is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Jr content to stall in guard here.
Jr stands up over Javis, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Jr wants to control from the top but Javis keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jr looking to pass the guard.

Javis looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Edmundo Jr dominated that round.
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.

Jr gets a double leg takedown into Javis's guard.
Jr working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Javis's head.
Jr trying to control but Javis is working from the bottom.
Jr loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Javis can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Jr controls the pace.
Jr lands a couple of elbows.
Jr sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Jr wants to control from the top but Javis keeps moving.
Javis is breathing heavily.

Javis escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Jr gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jr makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Jr landing with the ground and pound.
Jr is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Jr is in close to Javis's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Jr lands a couple of decent looking shots.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Jr accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Jr controlling from the top position.
Jr makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jr prevents Javis from getting back to his feet.
Jr looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Jr looking to sit in guard and control but Javis gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Javis missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Jr has Javis pulled in close to control his posture.
Javis wants to stand but Jr is controlling his posture from full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Jr has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Javis off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.

Jr shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Javis manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Jr scoring with some ground and pound.
Jr is working Javis over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Jr scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Javis can't keep his opponent in guard - Jr advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Still in half guard, Jr seems content to control.
Jr seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Jr prevents Javis from improving his position.
Edmundo Jr overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Jr drops an elbow to the side of Javis's head.
Jr trying to mount his opponent but Javis defends it.
Jr is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Javis on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Jr slows the pace down in half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jr working over Javis with some ground and pound. Javis looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Edmundo Jr dominated that second round.
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. This is the final round!

Javis throws a right and a left that Jr avoids nicely.

Javis clinches with his opponent.

Javis pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Jr.
Javis tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Javis displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Jr.

Jr shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Jr working over Javis with some ground and pound. Javis looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Jr stalling.
Jr's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Javis takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jr slips a nice elbow through Javis's hands, connecting with Javis's forehead.
Jr winds up and cracks Javis with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Jr looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Javis with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Jr winds up and cracks Javis with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Ground and pound from Jr.
Jr is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Jr lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Edmundo Jr is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jr working Javis over with strikes.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Jr content to control rather than advance.
Jr is pressing down on Javis's thigh, looking to free his foot. Javis is holding on for now.
Jr working the head and body with strikes.
Jr slips a nice elbow through Javis's hands, connecting with Javis's forehead.
Ground and pound from Jr.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Jr connects with a nice short shot to Javis's temple.

Javis is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Javis on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Javis is still in real trouble! Can Jr finish him?
Jr is nestled in close to Javis, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Jr sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Jr winds up and cracks Javis with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Jr looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Jr looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Javis with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Jr lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Jr looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jr is pressing down on Javis's thigh, looking to free his foot. Javis is holding on for now.
Javis seems to have recovered his senses.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Jr in particular looking to stall.
This has been an exciting period of action!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Jr shoots in and bounces Javis off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Edmundo Jr showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Jr, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 30:27
Judge Luis Engracia scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Edmundo Jr!
A victorious Edmundo Jr thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
69%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ultimate Hellbane (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sho Shinjo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hellbane comes to the cage accompanied by Barkley, Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden theme. Shinjo comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Theme of Sho kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Ultimate Hellbane is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples... Tweaking his own nipples that is.

Hellbane
vs
Shinjo

150 cm
21
170 lbs
9 - 4 - 0

176 cm
25
171 lbs
12 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Ultimate Hellbane!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Sho Shinjo!
The judges for this bout are Edson Gomes, Thiago Cunha and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shinjo connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Horrible takedown by Hellbane or perhaps it was just good defense by Shinjo which made him look bad.
The fighters circling - Hellbane throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hellbane works the jab nicely.
Shinjo throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Hellbane connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Shinjo slips under a jab from Hellbane.
Shinjo fails with an attempt to clinch.
Hellbane throws a poor cross that misses
letting Shinjo counter with a right hand.
Hellbane misses with a looping left.
Hellbane misses with an uppercut. Shinjo saw that one coming.
Hellbane thows a body shot but no joy.
Hellbane throws a jab but it's blocked by Shinjo.
Hellbane tests Shinjo's chin there with a solid looking shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nice defenses there by Shinjo.
Hellbane changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Shinjo tries to avoid it but Hellbane manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Shinjo to the ground. Shinjo escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Hellbane shoots in and gets a takedown into Shinjo's guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Hellbane wants to control from the top but Shinjo keeps moving.
Shinjo looking for a sweep. Not yet Shinjo, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hellbane throwing strikes from guard but Shinjo blocks nicely.
Hellbane passes into half guard.
Hellbane is thwarting Shinjo's attempts to control the position.
Shinjo is refusing to be controlled, as Hellbane sits in half guard.
Shinjo gets back to full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Shinjo keeping moving, preventing Hellbane from controlling successfully.
Shinjo tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Hellbane scoring with punches to the head and body.
Hellbane might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Shinjo lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Hellbane!
Hellbane tries to lock up and control but Shinjo gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shinjo controlling his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Shinjo raining down hammerfists from mount.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shinjo working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Shinjo landing strikes from the mount.
Hellbane is in all sorts of trouble here.
Shinjo lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Hellbane hang on?

Shinjo looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
Hellbane takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Shinjo scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Shinjo lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Shinjo breaks from Hellbane's wrist control and lands an elbow.

Hellbane is rocked!
Shinjo dominating with strikes here.
Oh Hellbane is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hellbane working to try and regain half guard.
Shinjo controlling his opponent.
Hellbane tries to hold on but Shinjo postures up.
Shinjo landing shots from mount.
Shinjo lands a big shot there that rocks Hellbane but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Shinjo drops a big elbow. That's hurt Hellbane! More shots from Shinjo and the ref steps in! The fight is over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:34 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Sho Shinjo!
A very excited looking Sho Shinjo made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
85%

Co-main event

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Josie Marquez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Melekh David (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Marquez's entrance music is the most annoying Mexican polka music you have heard in your life. A fine choice. Melekh David told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Marquez
vs
David

173 cm
22
148 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

170 cm
26
149 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

ADCC Champion
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ace of Spades Clothing

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 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Josie Marquez!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Melekh David!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Thiago Cunha and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Marquez rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and David counters with a series of strikes. Marquez will be more careful next time no doubt.
Marquez needs to keep his hands up - David had a free shot at his head there.

It looks like Josie Marquez has been cut.

David gets a clinch.

David pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Marquez lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.

It looks like Melekh David has been cut.
David misses with a hook.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A big right from Marquez misses.
Marquez looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
David throws a body punch but Marquez moves out of range.
Marquez thows a left - swing and a miss!
David throws a looping overhand right but Marquez ducks down to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marquez's hands are dropping dangerously low here and David connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Marquez scrambles back to his feet.
Marquez pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
David swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Melekh David seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

David closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Marquez lands with a short shot to the head.
A frustrated look appears on Marquez's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Marquez fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Marquez swings wildly with an uppercut but David uses good head movement to avoid it.
Marquez tried to land a shot to the body but connects with David's elbow.

David pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
David swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Marquez.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
David digs a good hook to Marquez's body.
The fighters circle momentarily. David darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Marquez misses the shot to the body.
Marquez takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
David misses with a double jab.
Marquez misses with a hook. David ducked under it nicely.

David has Marquez up against the cage in a clinch.
David working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

David manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
David preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marquez preventing the sweep.

David is looking for a triangle but Marquez pushes his legs off easily.
Marquez with a flurry of punches that miss.
Marquez wants to pass the guard but David is keeping the position.
Marquez trying to control but David is working from the bottom.
Marquez content to stall in guard here.
Marquez throws a big elbow that misses.
David keeping full guard, as Marquez tries to pass.
David trying to keep a closed guard but Marquez is proving a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Marquez trying to control but David is working from the bottom.

We're going to have a standup here because Josie Marquez wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Marquez swings and misses with a hook to the body.

David drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Marquez tries to bench press David off him but David keeps the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Marquez manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

David in half guard on the top. He's looking for a kimura... He's got it locked and he's managed to free his trapped foot. Marquez tries to escape but it's on too tight and he has to tap! Great BJJ skills there from David!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Melekh David!
Melekh David is the new bantamweight champion!
Melekh David was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
38%

Main event

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Anthony Hopkins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nezu Nambara (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nambara comes into a darkened arena with his song building. This Is Goodbye - Blue Foundation kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Hopkins
vs
Nambara

185 cm
26
180 lbs
12 - 1 - 0

190 cm
25
183 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Great elbows
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Hopkins!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Nezu Nambara!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Alexandre Firmino and Edson Gomes.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nambara scores with a sloppy right hand. Hopkins should have avoided that one.
Hopkins fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Nambara avoids it really well and circles away.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Nambara.
Hopkins dives in and grabs Nambara's left leg, looking for a takedown. Nambara pushes down on Hopkins's head and hops out.
Hopkins ducks under a wild hook from Nambara.
Nambara slaps away a takedown attempt from Hopkins, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Anthony Hopkins. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Hopkins gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Nambara blocks the elbow strike.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Nice body punch from Nambara - that landed with a thud.
Nambara can't find room to land a body shot as Hopkins controls the action.
Nambara lands a body shot in the clinch.
Nambara swings wildly with an uppercut but Hopkins uses good head movement to avoid it.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Nambara tries to work over Hopkins's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nambara on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Hopkins ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Hopkins no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Nambara wants to get up but he can't break Hopkins's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Hopkins wants to sweep here but Nambara controlling him for the moment.
Nambara really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Hopkins. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Nambara wants to stand but Hopkins has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Hopkins looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Hopkins manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Nambara manages to get himself to full guard.
Nambara wants to stand but Hopkins is controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins pushes down on Nambara's leg and manages to get into half guard.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Nambara is trying to stand back up but Hopkins is controlling him
Hopkins uses his free foot to push down on Nambara's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Nambara.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nambara squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Hopkins lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hopkins takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Hopkins cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Nambara is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Hopkins takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
You get the feeling that Nambara really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Hopkins scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Nambara?
Nambara's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Hopkins tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Hopkins with the ground and pound from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
BOOM! Hopkins connects with a massive shot to the dome!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Hopkins cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Hopkins connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Nambara is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.

Hopkins working for a submission here. He's tucked his head under his opponent's arm, looking for an arm triangle. He's hopped off into side control, looking to tighten the submission... is it going to work? He's given up a good position looking for it. Nambara looks OK. Oh, I spoke too soon, he's out! That must have been tighter than I thought! Excellent work there by Hopkins! Submission of the night perhaps?

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:48 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Arm Triangle). Anthony Hopkins!
Anthony Hopkins retains his welterweight title!