PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Magnus Thoressen (ranked 1629 p4p, 2373 weight class) and Bazar Al Jhit (ranked 180 p4p, 267 weight class). Al Jhit comes into a darkened arena with his song building. The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Bazar Al Jhit has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Magnus Thoressen's chin.

Thoressen
vs
Al Jhit

178 cm
29
167
13 - 10 - 0

178 cm
30
158
12 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

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 13 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Magnus Thoressen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Bazar Al Jhit!
The judges for this bout are Kenichi Hosakawa, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yasuomi Hirokawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thoressen throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Al Jhit throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Al Jhit lands a lovely overhand right.
Bazar Al Jhit seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thoressen slips under a jab.
Thoressen displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Al Jhit.
Thoressen moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
A combination from Thoressen does no damage.
Thoressen lands a leg kick that knocks Al Jhit off balance momentarily.
Al Jhit stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thoressen ducks under a wild hook from Al Jhit.
Thoressen throwing a counter right hand but Al Jhit manages to avoid it.
Thoressen walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Al Jhit lands a head shot.
Thoressen avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thoressen wants to clinch.
Thoressen lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Al Jhit misses with a hook
and Thoressen counters with an inside leg kick.
Al Jhit takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Al Jhit waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Thoressen.
Al Jhit on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Thoressen misses with an uppercut. Al Jhit saw that one coming.

Al Jhit gets the takedown into side control.
Thoressen is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Al Jhit is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Al Jhit throws some wild stikes that Thoressen manages to avoid easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Al Jhit lands a couple of good shots and Thoressen has given up his back, trying to escape the position!
Thoressen covering up well and avoiding damage.
Thoressen is trying to break free.

Al Jhit is remaining active here, looking for the choke. The more discerning members of the crowd will appreciate his efforts.
Al Jhit controlling well, preventing Thoressen from escaping the position.

Al Jhit is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Thoressen knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Thoressen for a finish.
Well, with Al Jhit on his back, surely it's only a matter of time before Thoressen is tapping out... Can he escape the position?

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Thoressen is in a bad position with Al Jhit working for a choke. Thoressen manages to spin nicely into guard and the danger is over for the moment.

Al Jhit escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Thoressen gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Thoressen preventing the sweep.
Thoressen postures up.
Our spies down at at Finish the Fight inform us that Al Jhit has really been working on his submissions in the buildup to this fight. Will it pay off?
Thoressen trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen wants to stand but Al Jhit is controlling his posture from full guard.
Thoressen has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Thoressen stands and steps away. Al Jhit gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Thoressen ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Al Jhit fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Thoressen moves away from the strike by Al Jhit.
Al Jhit misses with an uppercut
and Thoressen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A jab from Al Jhit finds it's way through Thoressen's defenses.
Al Jhit bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nice cross by Al Jhit.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Bazar Al Jhit will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Thoressen clinches up with Al Jhit and pushes him back against the cage.
Thoressen throws a knee to the head but misses.
Thoressen gets through Al Jhit's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Al Jhit has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Thoressen is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Thoressen has a couple of punches blocked by Al Jhit.
Thoressen tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Al Jhit blocking some punches.
Thoressen lands a left hand that snaps the head of Al Jhit backwards.

Al Jhit successfully pulls guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thoressen slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Thoressen stopping the sweep attempt from Al Jhit.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thoressen has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Al Jhit is proving hard to escape from.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Thoressen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Al Jhit swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Thoressen controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Bazar Al Jhit has got the better of the ground game so far.
Thoressen wants to stand but Al Jhit has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

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

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Al Jhit looks to land a right hand but Thoressen moved out of range.
As Al Jhit looks to move away, Thoressen throws a big counter combo but Al Jhit just gets out of the way.
Jab from Thoressen.
Thoressen avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Thoressen lands a nice shot that snaps Al Jhit's head back.
A telegraphed right hand from Thoressen misses the target.
Thoressen is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Al Jhit swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Al Jhit jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Thoressen throwing a counter right hand but Al Jhit manages to avoid it.

Thoressen tries to keep at a distance but Al Jhit has taken the fight into the clinch.
Al Jhit looking to slow down the pace here.
Thoressen throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Al Jhit blocks it with crossed arms.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Thoressen misses with the head strike.
Thoressen using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Al Jhit has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Al Jhit changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Thoressen fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Thoressen connects with a crisp jab.
Al Jhit slips under a jab from Thoressen.
Al Jhit slips a jab and a cross from Thoressen.
Al Jhit swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Thoressen throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Al Jhit! But no joy.
A swing and a miss from Al Jhit.
Al Jhit misses the shot to the body.
A little feinted left hand from Thoressen on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Al Jhit.
Thoressen is looking to counter punch.
Thoressen connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Nice defenses there by Thoressen.
Thoressen misses with a straight right.
Magnus Thoressen is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Thoressen lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Al Jhit circles away quickly and effectively.
Al Jhit swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Thoressen is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Thoressen scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Al Jhit might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Al Jhit scores with a jab.
Al Jhit rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thoressen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Thoressen will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
And Al Jhit tries to counter it with a takedown but Thoressen pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Thoressen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Al Jhit scores with a shot to the body.
Thoressen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Magnus Thoressen dominated that second round.
That's time! Thoressen's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Thoressen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Al Jhit.
Al Jhit throws a body shot but no joy.
A looping hook to the body misses from Al Jhit. Thoressen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Al Jhit swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Thoressen swinging wildly here.
A telegraphed right hand from Al Jhit misses the target.
Al Jhit feints a jab promting Thoressen to slip. Al Jhit then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Thoressen slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Thoressen misses with a few strikes there.
Al Jhit throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Thoressen stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Al Jhit takes a swing at Thoressen's ribcage but misses.
A little feinted left hand from Thoressen on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Al Jhit catches Thoressen with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
A left lands for Thoressen.
Al Jhit ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Al Jhit connects with a body shot.
Al Jhit throws a lazy uppercut
and Thoressen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Al Jhit misses with a hook. Thoressen ducked under it nicely.
Thoressen throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Al Jhit throws a right and a left that Thoressen avoids nicely.
Thoressen tries a low kick but Al Jhit avoids it.
Thoressen rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Al Jhit moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Al Jhit let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Al Jhit circles away from the clinch attempt.
Al Jhit throws a lazy uppercut
enabling Thoressen to counter with a crisp jab.
Al Jhit connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Thoressen momentarily.
Thoressen misses with a series of wild punches.
Thoressen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
It looked like Thoressen wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen throws the left hand but Al Jhit avoids the punch easily.
Nice cross by Thoressen.
Al Jhit throws a right and a left that both miss.
Magnus Thoressen is winning the standup battle so far.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Thoressen clinches up with Al Jhit and pushes him back against the cage.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Thoressen creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Stalling in the clinch from Al Jhit.
Thoressen connects with a knee to the head.
Al Jhit misses with the head strike.
Thoressen tries a knee to the head but Al Jhit blocks it.
Thoressen with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Thoressen throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Al Jhit blocks it with crossed arms.
Al Jhit is stalling here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen lands a hook that snaps the head of Al Jhit backwards.
Al Jhit is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Thoressen fails to land.
Al Jhit working hard to break the clinch.
Thoressen misses with a knee strike.
Thoressen looking to throw knees to the head but Al Jhit is blocking nicely.
Thoressen misses with some punches.
Thoressen misses with a knee strike.
Thoressen lands with a right to the head.
Thoressen connects with a nasty looking knee right to Al Jhit's face.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thoressen throws a punch but it's blocked by Al Jhit.
Thoressen lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Thoressen is defending well against a takedown attempt.
A head punch on the inside from Thoressen fails to land.
Thoressen misses with a knee to the head.
Al Jhit goes for a takedown in the clinch but Thoressen prevents it.
Al Jhit stalling against the cage.
Al Jhit throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
A head punch on the inside from Thoressen fails to land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Magnus Thoressen showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Thoressen 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 Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 29:28
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Magnus Thoressen!
Magnus Thoressen decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.