PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Johnny Hawkins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nino Marques (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Johnny Hawkins has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Hawkins
vs
Marques

185 cm
25
200 lbs
5 - 6 - 0

188 cm
25
200 lbs
5 - 11 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Johnny Hawkins!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Nino Marques!
The judges for this bout are Anthony Taglia, Steve Montenegro and Russell Pearce.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hawkins moves into range and clinches up with Marques.
Marques looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Marques drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Marques tries to break the clinch but Hawkins is controlling the position.
Marques with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Marques throws an elbow that misses.

Hawkins has Marques pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Hawkins pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Marques tumbling to the mat - Hawkins dives into Marques's guard.
Hawkins controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Hawkins stands up from Marques's guard - Hawkins perhaps looking for a knockout.

Hawkins looking for a takedown here - he's got it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawkins working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Hawkins won't allow Marques to get back to his feet.
Hawkins wants to pass the guard but Marques is keeping the position.

Hawkins decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Marques, up you get!
Hawkins throws a combination. Marques tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Hawkins fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

Hawkins closes the distance and clinches.
Hawkins has Marques pressed against the cage, preventing Marques from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Hawkins escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Hawkins misses with a few strikes there.

Hawkins closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Hawkins working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Hawkins slows the pace down.

Hawkins decides to stand back up.
Hawkins misses with the combination.
Marques pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Crunch! Hawkins slams his shin into Marques's torso.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marques tries for a takedown but Hawkins circles away easily

and Hawkins counters by clinching up.

Hawkins breaks from the clinch.
A big right from Hawkins misses.

Hawkins takes the fight into the clinch.
Marques throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Hawkins has Marques pressed against the cage, preventing Marques from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Marques looking to throw knees to the head but Hawkins is blocking nicely.
Hawkins stalling.
Marques drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Johnny Hawkins has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nino Marques.
Marques goes for a takedown in the clinch but Hawkins prevents it.
Marques wants to break free but Hawkins has control.

Hawkins decides to pull guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hawkins throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Marques prevents Hawkins from getting back to his feet.
Marques trying to control the position from guard on top but Hawkins is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Marques postures up.
Hawkins wants to get back to his feet but Marques is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

Hawkins pushes Marques off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Nino Marques seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hawkins throws a nice head kick!

Marques shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Hawkins dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Hawkins bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

Hawkins has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.

Hawkins looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Hawkins is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Hawkins keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Hawkins looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Marques with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Johnny Hawkins overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Marques wants to get back to his feet.
Marques won't allow Hawkins to pass to mount.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawkins takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Marques wants to control but Hawkins is keeping busy.
Hawkins trying to control the pace.
Hawkins trying to control the action but Marques is working from the bottom.
Marques is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Hawkins scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's two 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.

Marques is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Hawkins pulls his head out easily.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
No joy there for Hawkins, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Hawkins has closed the distance and engaged Marques in a clinch.
Hawkins blocks an elbow strike.

Hawkins has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Marques uses from the top position.

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

Hawkins rushes Marques and presses him up against the cage.

Hawkins breaks the clinch.
Marques misses with a takedown attempt
and Hawkins counters with a thumping low kick.
Marques throws a combination that misses
and Hawkins counters with a straight right hand.
Marques throws a head kick that misses.
Marques misses with a takedown attempt

and Hawkins counters by moving into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hawkins keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Marques's efforts to push away.
Hawkins taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Hawkins landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Marques tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Johnny Hawkins has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nino Marques.

Marques breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Hawkins throws a left and a right that both miss
and Marques counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Hawkins is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Marques lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
The crowd cheers as Hawkins lands an impressive looking overhand right. Marques doesn't seem phased though.
A head kick by Marques misses

so Hawkins counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Marques is looking to stand up but Hawkins isn't so interested in that idea.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Marques has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Hawkins is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Marques.
Marques wants to get back to his feet but Hawkins drags him back down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Hawkins stands up and we're back to a striking position.
Hawkins ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Marques misses with a takedown attempt
and Hawkins counters with a straight right hand.
Marques throws a sloppy head kick and Hawkins moves out of range easily.
Marques doesn't succeed with the takedown

so Hawkins counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Marques wants to stand and escape but Hawkins is having none of it.
Hawkins throwing strikes but missing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Hawkins dominated that second 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!

Marques takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Marques scores with a head kick.

Marques gets caught flat footed, as Hawkins shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

Hawkins decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Marques with a lazy takedown attempt

and Hawkins counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

Hawkins stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.
Marques throws a head kick but Hawkins moves out of range.
Hawkins slips a jab and a cross from Marques.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Hawkins throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Marques was covering up waiting for the punch and Hawkins finishes the takedown easily into guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Marques wants to stand and escape but Hawkins is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marques being controlled here, momentarily.
Hawkins seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Marques for as long as he can get away with.
Marques is trying to keep Hawkins in close.
Hawkins trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

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.
Marques looking to control.
Marques is looking to stand up but Hawkins isn't so interested in that idea.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Marques tries for a takedown but Hawkins circles away easily

and Hawkins counters with a shoot takedown. Marques fights it but they end up in guard.
Marques will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Marques is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Hawkins trying to control the position from guard on top but Marques is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hawkins prevents Marques from getting back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Hawkins's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

Hawkins gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Marques.
Hawkins is trying to control Marques's posture but Marques avoids it.
Hawkins tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Marques wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

Marques tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Marques has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Hawkins is trying to get back to half guard.
Hawkins is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Marques can do to turn this around?

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Marques is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Hawkins has escaped the position, nice work there.
Hawkins manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Marques is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Hawkins pulls his head out easily.
Nino Marques has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Johnny Hawkins is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Hawkins not doing much here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Johnny Hawkins showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Hawkins has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:26
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 30:26
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Johnny Hawkins!