PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Hannibal Barca (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mike Thorn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Barca's entrance music is Across the Alps. A fine choice. Thorn comes into a darkened arena with his song building. AC/DC - TNT kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Barca
vs
Thorn

195 cm
20
215 lbs
9 - 1 - 0

180 cm
23
205 lbs
9 - 2 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Win Nutritional

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Hannibal Barca!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mike Thorn!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Robert Twigg and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thorn throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Barca wants to clinch.
Thorn leaves Barca with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Thorn misses the jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barca will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barca shoots in but no luck this time.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hannibal Barca. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thorn lands with a cross.
Barca shoots in but no luck this time.
Barca avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Thorn throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thorn takes a swing at Barca's ribcage but misses.
No luck for Barca with that takedown attempt.
Barca closes the distance and clinches up with Thorn, looking for a takedown. Barca pushes Thorn against the cage but Thorn circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Thorn lands a slapping body shot.
Thorn throws a body punch but Barca moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thorn throws a body punch but Barca moves out of range.
Thorn swats away the attempt to clinch by Barca.
Thorn throws a looping overhand right but Barca ducks down to avoid it.
Barca moves in looking to clinch but Thorn pushes him off.
Mike Thorn is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Thorn misses with a hook.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Barca slips a jab from Thorn.
The fighters circling - Thorn throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Barca shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Thorn rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Barca moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Thorn throws a nice looking combination but Barca bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Barca moves out of range as Thorn strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mike Thorn dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Thorn throws a right and a left that Barca avoids nicely.
A slow jab from Thorn misses its intended target.
Thorn throws a lazy right hand but Barca sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Thorn throws out a loose jab but Barca uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barca is trying hard to land a takedown here. Thorn sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Thorn is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Barca shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thorn circles away from the clinch attempt.
Thorn tries to bum rush Barca with a series of wild strikes but Barca uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Thorn is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Barca.
Thorn swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Thorn keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hannibal Barca. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Barca is looking to clinch but Thorn is avoiding it.
Mike Thorn is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Thorn takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.

Barca clinches up against the cage.
Barca fails to pull guard.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.

Barca drags the fight down to the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Barca has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Thorn can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

Barca is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Thorn defends well.
Barca wants to sweep but no luck.

Barca throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Thorn escapes and throws Barca's legs to the side, diving into side control!
You can see the frustration on Barca's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

Thorn stands up and we're back to a striking position.
Thorn throws a lazy right hand but Barca sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Thorn avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Barca avoids the body shot from Thorn.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mike Thorn showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Thorn works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Thorn lands with an uppercut that bounces Barca off the cage and back into rage.
Thorn swinging wilding here.
Thorn misses with a straight left.
Thorn swats away the attempt to clinch by Barca.
Mike Thorn seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barca fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Thorn throws a hook but Barca blocks it.
Thorn loads up on a big right hand but Barca slips the punch.
Barca closes this distance looking for a takedown but Thorn circles away.
Barca tries to score a power double leg takedown but Thorn sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Barca somewhat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hannibal Barca. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Thorn loads up on a big right hand but Barca slips the punch.
Thorn misses with a looping left.
Thorn keeps the fight on the outside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Thorn misses.
Thorn tries to bum rush Barca with a series of wild strikes but Barca uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Thorn is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Barca.
Thorn throws a hook but Barca blocks it.
Thorn throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Barca sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Barca moves away from the strike by Thorn.

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.
Nice uppercut there from Thorn.
Barca moves out of range of the strikes.
Thorn throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Thorn lands a really nice looking cross but Barca seems unphased.
Barca ducks under a wild hook from Thorn.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mike Thorn really dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Barca.

Barca closes the distance and clinches.
A right hook to the body lands for Thorn.
Barca tries to pull guard but Thorn won't allow it.
Barca tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Thorn just stands there and leans against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hannibal Barca. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Barca is leaning against Thorn and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Barca tries to pull guard but Thorn holds him up against the cage and eventually Barca drops back down to his feet.
Barca tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Barca stalling against the cage.

Thorn breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thorn ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Barca moves away.
Thorn keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Thorn swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Barca throws a leg kick but Thorn moved away.

Barca darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barca thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Thorn is in trouble now - Barca has advanced to mount!
Barca fails to move to back control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thorn is looking to improve his position but Barca isn't that keen on the idea.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thorn is in a horrible position here. Barca smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Barca sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Barca thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Thorn holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Barca tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.

Barca wants to finish this one by submission but Thorn is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Barca.
Thorn is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barca tries to control but Thorn wriggling away.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Thorn can do anything to dispel that myth.
Barca throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Barca throwing strikes here but Thorn is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Thorn in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Barca controlling the position easily from mount.
Barca working Thorn over with strikes here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hannibal Barca had his way with Mike Thorn in that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Thorn throws a lazy right hand but Barca sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Barca ducks under a wild hook from Thorn.
Barca displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Thorn throws out the jab.
Barca tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A slow jab from Thorn misses its intended target.
Barca takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barca is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Thorn.
Barca on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Barca fails with an attempt to clinch.
Barca connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.

Barca clinches up against the cage.
Hannibal Barca has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barca jumps guard but Thorn stands there with Barca around his waist. Barca gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Barca manages to pull guard.

Thorn stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Barca showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Thorn.
Barca tries to clinch but Thorn moves out of range.
Thorn throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Barca.
Barca tries to clinch up.
Thorn 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.
Thorn throws a big shot that misses.
Barca slips a jab and a cross from Thorn.
Mike Thorn is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Thorn looks to score with a jab to the body but Barca is just out of range.
Thorn misses with a straight left.
Barca defending well as Thorn loads up on a big left hand.
Thorn keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hannibal Barca. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thorn swinging wilding here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mike Thorn comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Thorn has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 46:49
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 46:49
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 46:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mike Thorn!
Mike Thorn is the new light heavyweight champion!