PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Shaquille Oneal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jim Raynor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Oneal
vs
Raynor

217 cm
25
280 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

197 cm
20
245 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Dangerous GnP
Excellent boxer
Prefers standup

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Shaquille Oneal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jim Raynor!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Marco Blurström and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Oneal misses with a jab, cross combination.
Oneal throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Raynor gets a clinch.

Raynor wants the takedown. Oneal is fighting it off but Raynor persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Oneal's guard against the cage.
Oneal working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Raynor.
Raynor throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Raynor loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Raynor throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Raynor trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Raynor missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Raynor chips away with some ground and pound.
Raynor throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Oneal works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Raynor has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Raynor throwing strikes but missing.
Raynor thows a big elbow that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raynor is looking to work some ground and pound but Oneal has wrist control.
Raynor with a flurry of punches that miss.
Oneal preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Raynor throwing strikes but missing.
Raynor missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Oneal's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Oneal duly obliges.
Oneal tries to clinch but Raynor moves away

and Raynor counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Oneal knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Raynor on the ground.
Oneal is breathing heavily.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raynor not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Raynor sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Oneal defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raynor throwing shots but Oneal is blocking nicely.
Raynor misses with a head shot. Oneal uses the momentum to regain guard.
Oneal wants to get back to his feet but Raynor is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Raynor throws and elbow that misses. Oneal uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Raynor's guard. Nice move by Oneal!

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Raynor pushes Oneal off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raynor will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Oneal tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Oneal throws a series of strikes that have Raynor backpedaling.
A head kick from Oneal lands but Raynor takes it in his stride.
Shaquille Oneal is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Raynor shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Oneal's guard.
Raynor throws a strike but Oneal rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Raynor thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Raynor has a closed guard, preventing Oneal from standing up.
Oneal has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Raynor is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Oneal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Raynor thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Oneal's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Raynor throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Oneal blocking the ground and pound attempt from Raynor.
Oneal wants to get back to his feet.
Oneal avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Raynor.
Oneal avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Raynor.
Raynor wants to pass the guard but Oneal is defending well.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Oneal lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

Raynor shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Oneal manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jim Raynor dominated 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.

Oneal throws a head kick but Raynor moves out of range.

Raynor closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Raynor lands in his opponent's guard.
Oneal preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Raynor loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Oneal utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Raynor with a flurry of punches that miss.
Raynor throwing strikes from guard but Oneal blocks nicely.
Raynor throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Oneal will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raynor in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Raynor trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Horrible takedown by Raynor or perhaps it was just good defense by Oneal which made him look bad.
Oneal throws a head kick that half lands.
Oneal wants to clinch

and Raynor counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Oneal looks like he's trying to stand up.
Raynor throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raynor lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raynor thows a huge punch but Oneal dodges it nicely.
Oneal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Oneal blocking the ground and pound attempt from Raynor.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Oneal lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

Raynor shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Raynor misses with a head shot.
Raynor thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Raynor looking to ground and pound but Oneal is blocking nicely.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raynor misses with a head shot.
BOOM! Raynor connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Raynor throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Oneal because Raynor loaded up on that one.
Raynor throwing strikes here but Oneal is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
A nice elbow there by Raynor.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Raynor cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Raynor has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Oneal's face.
Oneal holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Raynor tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Oneal in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Raynor looking to ground and pound but Oneal is blocking nicely.
Raynor lands with some strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Raynor throws a strike there. Oneal manages to avoid it well and slips a leg under to get to half guard.
Oneal is trying to stand.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Raynor. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Oneal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jim Raynor showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Raynor shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Oneal is trying to defend but Raynor finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Raynor missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Raynor prevents Oneal from standing back up.
Oneal avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Raynor.
Raynor sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Oneal defending well though.
Oneal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Oneal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Oneal regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Raynor.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raynor stands up over Oneal, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Oneal preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Jim Raynor has got the better of the ground game so far.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Oneal looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Oneal falls off balance throwing a combination

and Raynor counters with a nice double leg into guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Raynor accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Raynor works over Oneal with some ground and pound from guard.
Oneal preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Raynor throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Oneal works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Raynor loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oneal wants to get back to his feet but Raynor is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Raynor is looking to work some ground and pound but Oneal has wrist control.
Raynor throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Oneal works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Oneal swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Raynor scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Oneal tries to kick Raynor off but Raynor keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Raynor thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Oneal's head.
Oneal won't allow Raynor to pass to mount.
Raynor looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Oneal with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raynor throwing shots but Oneal is blocking nicely.
Raynor thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Oneal avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Raynor.

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

Raynor closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Oneal did well to prevent Raynor getting side control.
Raynor throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Raynor missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Raynor sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Oneal defending well though.
Raynor has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Raynor thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Oneal's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Raynor thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Raynor missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raynor looks to land a strike but Oneal avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Raynor trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Raynor fails to land with a series of punches.
Raynor has a takedown stuffed.
Oneal misses with the combination.
Oneal throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Raynor.
Oneal closes the distance looking to clinch

and Raynor counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Raynor.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Raynor looking to pass the guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jim Raynor comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Raynor winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 27:30
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 27:30
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jim Raynor!