PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Tommy Reed (ranked 2504 p4p, 1104 weight class) and Oganeditse Gaolathe (ranked 145 p4p, 65 weight class). Reed comes into the arena with Tupac ft 50 Cent - Get Up Remix blaring out of the sound system. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Reed
vs
Gaolathe

168 cm
25
147
9 - 7 - 0

175 cm
25
145
8 - 1 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

KOMBAT KLOTHING
Brooklyn Apothecary

Core Combat

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Tommy Reed!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Oganeditse Gaolathe!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Yuuki Gou and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gaolathe misses with a wild body shot.
Gaolathe throws a jab when Reed was well out of range.
Reed changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.

Gaolathe gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Reed is working Gaolathe over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Reed trying to control but Gaolathe is working from the bottom.
We've been hearing that Reed has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Reed is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Reed throwing strikes from guard but Gaolathe blocks nicely.
Reed working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Reed postures up.
Reed throwing strikes from guard but Gaolathe blocks nicely.
Reed's corner is telling him to maintain position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reed distracts Gaolathe with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Reed postures up in Gaolathe's guard and throws a big left but Gaolathe blocks it.
Reed throws a strike but Gaolathe rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Gaolathe is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Gaolathe won't allow Reed to sweep him here.
Gaolathe slips nicely into half guard.
Gaolathe is thwarting Reed's attempts to control the position.
Gaolathe is looking to take a break and control but Reed is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Reed is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Gaolathe's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Gaolathe's back!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
I really don't envy Gaolathe right now.
Reed punches the canvas rather than the man.
Gaolathe is covering up but some of the strikes from Reed are getting through and doing damage.
Reed trying to control.

Reed is persistently looking for the submission but Gaolathe is defending it well.
Reed really has the hooks in deep now - there seems like no escape for Gaolathe.
Reed missing with punches from the back.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Reed misses with an elbow to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reed lands with a couple of good shots - one to the side of the head and one questionable shot that could be viewed as to the back of the head but the referee lets it go.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Oooh a big shot gets through from Reed. Many more shots like that and the referee will have to think about stepping in!
Gaolathe staying busy and making it hard for Reed to control.
Reed misses with an elbow to the head.
Reed throwing sloppy strikes.
Reed struggling to land strikes to the head as Gaolathe covers up.
Reed biding his time, looking for the opening.
Reed throws a big right hand but he misses and hits the mat. Ouch.
Reed thows a huge left but connects with the canvas and not his opponent.

Reed looking to break Gaolathe's wrist control so he can sink in the choke. Gaolathe remaining controlled and patient though - he really has to keep calm otherwise Reed will wrap this one up with the rear naked choke!
Reed punches the canvas rather than the man.
Reed loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Gaolathe hold on?
Reed lands a punch to the side of the head from the back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reed lands a shot to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
You can see the frustration on Gaolathe's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
Reed is not going to allow Gaolathe to sit and survive in this position.
Gaolathe covering up well and avoiding damage.
Gaolathe is trapped and Reed is scoring with shots to the head and body.
Reed lands a punch that was close to the back of the head but the ref thinks it's OK.
Reed connects with a series of strikes and the referee is calling for Gaolathe to escape the position.
Gaolathe rolls, trying to escape but Reed keeps control of the position.
Reed throws a big right hand but he misses and hits the mat. Ouch.
Gaolathe is in a world of trouble here. He's outmatched on the ground here and he'd better get Reed off his back sharpish unless he wants to be submitted.
Reed is hanging on to Gaolathe's back as he tries to escape.
Reed is throwing punches to the body, looking to soften Gaolathe up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tommy Reed 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.

Some bone on bone action there as Gaolathe checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Reed looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Gaolathe is fending him off so far but Reed persists. Nope, Gaolathe circles away and we're back to standing.
Oganeditse Gaolathe seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gaolathe showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Reed.
Reed throws a hook but Gaolathe blocks it.
Reed looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Gaolathe connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Reed's hands.
Gaolathe throws a body punch but Reed moves out of range.
Reed shoots for a takedown but Gaolathe saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Gaolathe keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Gaolathe now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tommy Reed. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Reed looks to land a combination. Gaolathe sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gaolathe ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Reed moves away.
A leg kick checked by Reed.
Reed tries to counter with a takedown but Gaolathe is quick to defend against it.
Reed listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Gaolathe lands a leg kick that knocks Reed off balance momentarily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gaolathe uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Reed.
Gaolathe looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Reed throws the left hand but Gaolathe avoids the punch easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gaolathe ducks under a wild hook from Reed.
Reed avoids the body shot from Gaolathe.
Reed was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Gaolathe throws a body punch but Reed moves out of range.
Gaolathe slips under a jab from Reed.
Gaolathe lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Gaolathe ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Reed moves away.
Reed fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Gaolathe avoids it really well and circles away.
Reed is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Gaolathe's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Reed dives in and grabs Gaolathe's left leg, looking for a takedown. Gaolathe pushes down on Reed's head and hops out.
Reed avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Reed throws a nice looking combination but Gaolathe bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Reed is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Gaolathe can do to turn this around?
Gaolathe avoids the head kick by Reed.

Gaolathe gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Reed throws a big elbow that misses.
Gaolathe keeping moving, preventing Reed from controlling successfully.
Reed 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 two minutes gone in the round.
Reed is working Gaolathe over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

Reed got a little sloppy there for a moment and Gaolathe has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Reed has managed to get both his arms back between Gaolathe's legs - danger averted.
Reed postures up in Gaolathe's guard and throws a big left but Gaolathe blocks it.
Gaolathe keeping full guard, as Reed tries to pass.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Gaolathe working for a triangle but Reed defends it easily.
Gaolathe is trying to control the position but Reed postures up.
Reed postures up in Gaolathe's guard and throws a big left but Gaolathe blocks it.
Reed trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Reed accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Reed working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Reed being controlled here momentarily.
Reed scoring with some ground and pound.
Reed stands up over Gaolathe, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Gaolathe seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Gaolathe trying to keep a closed guard but Reed is proving a slippery customer.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Gaolathe holds on and takes a little breather.
Gaolathe working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Reed.
Our spies down at at 3Band MMA inform us that Gaolathe has really been working on his submissions in the buildup to this fight. Will it pay off?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Reed wants to control from the top but Gaolathe keeps moving.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Tommy Reed overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Reed is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Gaolathe is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Gaolathe throws a hook but Reed avoids it easily.
Reed changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Gaolathe misses with a hook. Reed ducked under it nicely.
Reed dives in for a single leg takedown but Gaolathe sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Gaolathe ducks right into an uppercut from Reed.

Reed looking to score a takedown here. Gaolathe is defending well but Reed drives through and ends up in Gaolathe's guard.
Gaolathe preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Reed is working Gaolathe over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Gaolathe preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Reed postures up in Gaolathe's guard and throws a big left but Gaolathe blocks it.
Reed trying to control but Gaolathe is working from the bottom.
Reed trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tommy Reed dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Reed lunges at Gaolathe with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Gaolathe's hand.
Oganeditse Gaolathe seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Gaolathe misses with a wild body shot.
A jab from Gaolathe misses.
Reed scores with a nice head shot.
Gaolathe looks to score with a jab to the body but Reed is just out of range.
Gaolathe throws a hook but Reed blocks it.
Reed throws a big shot that misses.
Gaolathe looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Reed uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gaolathe.
Gaolathe ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Gaolathe changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Gaolathe bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Gaolathe connects with a body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Reed displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gaolathe throws out the jab.
A little feinted left hand from Reed on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Gaolathe takes a swing at Reed's ribcage but misses.
A lazy left from Reed finds it's target.
Reed is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Reed lands a jab to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Reed slips a straight right by Gaolathe.

Reed moves into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reed tries for a takedown. No joy.
Reed is working for takedown but Gaolathe is calmly controlling the position for now.
Reed has Gaolathe pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Gaolathe manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tommy Reed. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gaolathe scores with a shot to the side of Reed's head.
Reed blocks an uppercut.
Gaolathe misses with a body punch.

Reed gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Reed throwing shots but Gaolathe is blocking nicely.
Gaolathe is staying active underneath Reed, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Reed with the ground and pound but Gaolathe uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Gaolathe is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Reed is stalling in the full guard.
Oganeditse Gaolathe has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reed trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Gaolathe pulls Reed in close to prevent any damage.
Reed controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Gaolathe keeping moving, preventing Reed from controlling successfully.
Gaolathe is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Gaolathe misses the body punch
letting Reed counter with a right hand.
A slow jab from Gaolathe misses its intended target.
Gaolathe throws a hook to the side of Reed's head but Reed sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Gaolathe avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reed misses with a straight left.
A looping hook to the body misses from Gaolathe. Reed does a little dance to reset his feet.
Reed shoots in for a double leg but Gaolathe sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Reed uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gaolathe.
Reed throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Gaolathe misses with a body shot.
Reed fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Gaolathe avoids it really well and circles away.
Tommy Reed is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Gaolathe throws a jab but it's blocked by Reed.
Gaolathe misses with a straight left.
Reed steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gaolathe.
A slow jab from Gaolathe misses its intended target.
Gaolathe stuffs the takedown attempt from Reed. Reed gets slowly back to his feet.
Gaolathe throws a hook but Reed blocks it.
Reed takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gaolathe is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
A decent looking cross lands there for Gaolathe.
Gaolathe clobbers Reed with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Reed shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Gaolathe as he avoids it easily.
Nice body punch from Gaolathe.
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!
Gaolathe thows a leg kick but Reed checks it

and Reed counters with a single leg into guard. Gaolathe didn't expect that.
Gaolathe is pulling down on Reed's head to control his posture.
Reed is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Reed is pushing down on Gaolathe's leg trying to pass to half guard. Gaolathe is fighting to maintain full guard but Reed has managed to sneak the leg through.
Still in half guard, Reed seems content to control.
Gaolathe tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Oganeditse Gaolathe.
I think Reed 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 Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tommy Reed!
After winning the bout, Tommy Reed thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.