PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Gahn Jah (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Shane Hardy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Jah
vs
Hardy

193 cm
22
210 lbs
6 - 7 - 0

190 cm
22
246 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Experienced

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Gahn Jah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Shane Hardy!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Alan Glass and Stewart Dunkirk.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jah tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hardy paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Hardy moves into the clinch.

Hardy successfully pulls guard.
Hardy is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Jah is fighting to break Hardy's control of his arms but Hardy is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Hardy doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Jah distracts Hardy with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Hardy really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Jah. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Hardy doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Hardy can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Jah controls the pace.

Hardy is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Jah is aware though and is defending well.
Jah keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Hardy's head.
Jah throwing strikes but missing.
Jah scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Hardy looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Hardy tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Jah's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Hardy throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Hardy controls Jah momentarily but Jah frees himself.
Jah scoring with some ground and pound.
Hardy looking to hit a scissor sweep but Jah is one step ahead there.
Jah being controlled here momentarily.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Hardy can do anything to dispel that myth.
Hardy looking to control.
Jah pushes down on Hardy's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Hardy is not content to let Jah control the position.
Jah missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hardy moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Jah preventing the sweep.
Hardy is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Hardy is on top in guard.
Hardy throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Hardy stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Jah swivels though and keeps the full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Jah is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Jah looking for a guillotine here but Hardy defends easily.
Jah working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Hardy.
Jah 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 three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Hardy postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Hardy won't allow Jah to get back to his feet.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Jah will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Hardy throws a body punch but Jah moves out of range.
Hardy throws a hook to the side of Jah's head but Jah sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Jah looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
A nice combination there by Hardy.

It looks like Gahn Jah has been cut.

Hardy clinches with his opponent.
Hardy is leaning against Jah and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Jah is breathing heavily.

Hardy turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Hardy manages to end up in side control.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hardy trying to control the action but Jah is working from the bottom.
Hardy misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Hardy is looking to take a break and control but Jah is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hardy lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Jah down.
An elbow from Hardy crashes against the mat.
Hardy in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Hardy postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Hardy throwing strikes but Jah manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Hardy is trying to get back to half guard.
Hardy tries to strike but it doesn't land.
Jah working the body and head with strikes.
Hardy tries to improve position but can't.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Jah wants to lay and pray for a moment but Hardy keeps working.
Hardy looks to move to half guard but instead Jah has passed into mount! Damn!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shane Hardy dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Gahn Jah's cut.
That's time! Jah's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

A swing and a miss from Hardy.
Jah avoids a kick to the body.
Jah cracks Hardy with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Hardy misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Gahn Jah is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Hardy bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Hardy throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Jah tries to improve position but can't.

Hardy tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Hardy has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Hardy working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
The ground and pound from Hardy seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
Jah pushes Hardy away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Hardy gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Hardy tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Hardy fails to land a wild elbow strike.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

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

Jah instigates a clinch.
Hardy stops a takedown attempt from Jah.
Jah prevents the takedown attempt.
Jah has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Hardy is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Jah tries for a takedown. No joy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gahn Jah. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Jah has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Hardy avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.

Hardy gets a trip takedown into half guard.
Hardy is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Hardy sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Jah defending well though.
Jah keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Hardy not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Still in half guard, Hardy seems content to control.
Jah keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Hardy not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Jah avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Hardy.
Hardy stops Jah from getting back to his feet.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Hardy fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Jah, pushing him back against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jah goes for a takedown attempt but Hardy pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Jah thows a body shot but no joy.
Jah needs to keep his hands up - Hardy had a free shot at his head there.
Hardy lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Hardy is looking to land body kicks.
Jah has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Jah there as he acknowledges the shot.
Hardy misses with a straight right.
Jah misses with a head kick.
A nice combination there by Hardy.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hardy lands a body shot.
Hardy misses with a leg kick.

Hardy gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Hardy has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Jah uses from the top position.
Jah stopping the sweep attempt from Hardy.
Hardy tries to strike from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hardy trying to strike off his back.
Jah wants to stand but Hardy is controlling his posture from full guard.
Hardy is trying to keep Jah in close.
Hardy is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Hardy avoids the head kick by Jah.
Hardy throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Jah stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
A head kick misses from Jah.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Jah ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Hardy lands with a straight right. Jah didn't see that one coming.
Jah swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Hardy connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Jah momentarily.
Hardy tests Jah's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Hardy drives through and clinches with Jah against the cage.
Hardy lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Jah backwards.
Jah tries to score a body lock takedown but Hardy shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Hardy works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Hardy postures up in Jah's guard and throws a big left but Jah blocks it.
Hardy stops Jah from standing up.
Hardy trying to control the position from guard on top but Jah is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hardy throwing strikes but missing.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hardy trying to control the position from guard on top but Jah is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shane Hardy showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Gahn Jah's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Hardy instigates a clinch.
Hardy changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Jah fights it off and pushes away nicely.

Hardy moves into the clinch.

Hardy lands a takedown into guard.
Hardy wants to control from the top but Jah keeps moving.
Hardy not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Hardy with a flurry of punches that miss.
Hardy in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Shane Hardy has got the better of the ground game so far.
Jah is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Hardy is controlling him.

Hardy throws a sloppy strike and Jah has hooked up an armbar on the loose arm! He's turned and extended fully! Hardy is forced to tap! Great BJJ from Jah!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:05 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Gahn Jah!