PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Holden Rosenthal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Calvin Thompson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rosenthal's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Rick Derringer - I Am a Real American. Both fighters really staring eachother down here, as Calvin Thompson enters the cage!

Rosenthal
vs
Thompson

185 cm
18
194 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

182 cm
19
195 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Lightning Fight Gear
MMA's Best Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Holden Rosenthal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Calvin Thompson!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Lou da Vinci and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rosenthal shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Thompson tries to bum rush Rosenthal with a series of wild strikes but Rosenthal uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Thompson swings for the body but Rosenthal moves out of range.
Thompson tests Rosenthal's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Thompson fakes the leg kick and cracks Rosenthal in the body.
Rosenthal moves out of range as Thompson strikes.
Thompson misses with a jab, cross combination.
Thompson keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Thompson misses the shot to the body.
Rosenthal changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Thompson tries to avoid it but Rosenthal manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Thompson to the ground. Thompson escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Holden Rosenthal. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Rosenthal changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Thompson looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Thompson tries to improve position but can't.
Rosenthal tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Thompson tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Rosenthal wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Thompson is trying to work for a sweep but Rosenthal has mounted him!
Thompson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rosenthal controlling the pace for now.
Thompson is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
A nice elbow there by Rosenthal.
Thompson is looking to get to half guard.
Rosenthal has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Thompson's face.
Thompson is wriggling around trying to escape.

Rosenthal is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Thompson can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Rosenthal tries to control but Thompson wriggling away.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Thompson's face.
Thompson really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Rosenthal. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Rosenthal working Thompson over with strikes here.
Thompson can't escape the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thompson is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Rosenthal postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Thompson looks a forlorn figure.
Thompson is desperately trying to improve his position but Rosenthal has a good base and remains in mount.
Rosenthal avoids the attempt from Thompson to control.
Thompson looks gassed!
Rosenthal landing shots from mount.
Rosenthal with good strikes from the mount here!
Thompson is desperately trying to improve his position but Rosenthal has a good base and remains in mount.
Thompson taking shots to the head.
Thompson tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Rosenthal 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.
Rosenthal is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Rosenthal connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Rosenthal wants to control the pace but Thompson is squirming around nicely.
Rosenthal prevents Thompson from getting the reversal.
Thompson in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thompson in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rosenthal lands with some strikes.
Rosenthal lands a big elbow.
The referee warns Thompson that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Thompson is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Thompson takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Thompson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Rosenthal with good strikes from the mount here!
Rosenthal punishing his opponent with strikes.
Rosenthal with a couple of short strikes.
Rosenthal landing strikes from the mount.
Rosenthal lands with some strikes.
Rosenthal looking to control and managing it successfully.
Rosenthal cracks Thompson with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Thompson slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Rosenthal thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Thompson's head.
Rosenthal not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Thompson misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Rosenthal is thwarting Thompson's attempts to control the position.
Rosenthal prevents Thompson from improving his position.
Thompson wants to control but Rosenthal passes into side.
Thompson tries to bench press Rosenthal off him but Rosenthal keeps the position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Thompson takes a swing at Rosenthal's ribcage but misses.
Rosenthal avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Thompson misses the jab.
Rosenthal changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Thompson tries to avoid it but Rosenthal manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Thompson to the ground. Thompson escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Thompson throws an overhand right that lands on Rosenthal's shoulder, as Rosenthal tries to avoid the shot.
Horrible takedown by Rosenthal or perhaps it was just good defense by Thompson which made him look bad.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Holden Rosenthal dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Thompson fails with the takedown

and Rosenthal counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Rosenthal.
Rosenthal trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Rosenthal is in close to Thompson's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Thompson throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Rosenthal is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Rosenthal wants to control from the top but Thompson keeps moving.
Rosenthal postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Rosenthal trying to control but Thompson is working from the bottom.
Thompson controls Rosenthal momentarily but Rosenthal frees himself.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Thompson swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Rosenthal counters with a single leg into guard. Thompson didn't expect that.
Rosenthal trying to control but Thompson is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rosenthal forces his way into half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Thompson throws a strike from the bottom that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rosenthal content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
The fighters are battling for position here. Thompson manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Rosenthal slips nicely into half guard.
Rosenthal lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Rosenthal is keen to just control but Thompson is a slippery customer.
Thompson wants to improve his position but Rosenthal is controlling well.
Rosenthal seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Thompson does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Rosenthal missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Thompson is looking to escape.
Thompson has a hand on Rosenthal's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Rosenthal takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal controlling the pace for now.
Thompson is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal landing punches.
Rosenthal lands a big shot there that rocks Thompson but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal wants to control the pace but Thompson is squirming around nicely.
Thompson is in all sorts of trouble here.
BOOM! Rosenthal connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Thompson wants to hold on but Rosenthal pushes him away.
BOOM! Rosenthal connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Thompson tries to hold on but Rosenthal postures up.
Rosenthal lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Thompson is desperately trying to improve his position but Rosenthal has a good base and remains in mount.
Rosenthal is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Thompson can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Rosenthal with good strikes from the mount here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal controlling the position easily from mount.
Thompson is looking to improve his position but Rosenthal isn't that keen on the idea.
Rosenthal looking to finish Thompson with some ground and pound. This is bad for Thompson!
Rosenthal working Thompson over with strikes here.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Rosenthal cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Thompson tries to reverse the position but Rosenthal maintains control.
Rosenthal is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Rosenthal working the ground and pound effectively.
Rosenthal punishing his opponent with strikes.
Thompson wants to control but Rosenthal is having none of it.
Holden Rosenthal overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rosenthal raining down shots from the mount!
Thompson tries to lock up and control but Rosenthal gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Rosenthal looking to finish Thompson with some ground and pound. This is bad for Thompson!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thompson is in a horrible position here. Rosenthal smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Rosenthal is landing with some decent strikes but Thompson is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Rosenthal cracks Thompson with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Thompson is working to get back to half guard.
Rosenthal lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Thompson hang on?
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rosenthal is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Holden Rosenthal dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Thompson stalks Rosenthal and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Rosenthal's face. Rosenthal staggers backwards, shaken.
Rosenthal shoots in looking for a takedown. Thompson tries to sprawl out of it but Rosenthal keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Thompson manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Thompson throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Rosenthal counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Rosenthal.
Rosenthal works over Thompson with some ground and pound from guard.
Rosenthal working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Rosenthal working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Thompson manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Rosenthal manages to get himself to full guard.
Rosenthal working a defensive guard here.
Thompson must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Rosenthal preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Thompson is in close to Rosenthal's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Thompson wants to control from the top but Rosenthal keeps moving.
Rosenthal lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Thompson!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rosenthal landing shots from mount.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal looking to finish Thompson with some ground and pound. This is bad for Thompson!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thompson is in all sorts of trouble here.
Rosenthal lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Thompson hang on?
Rosenthal unloading with bombs!
Rosenthal raining down shots from the mount!
Thompson tries to lock up and control but Rosenthal gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Thompson can't escape the position.
Thompson wants to hold on but Rosenthal pushes him away.
Rosenthal lands a big shot there that rocks Thompson but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Rosenthal lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Thompson hang on?
Rosenthal dominating with strikes here.
Thompson flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Rosenthal cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Thompson taking shots to the head.
Rosenthal landing shots from mount.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Rosenthal cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Thompson flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Rosenthal wants to control the pace but Thompson is squirming around nicely.
Calvin Thompson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal lands a big elbow.
Rosenthal is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Thompson can't escape the position.
Rosenthal is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Thompson can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Rosenthal breaks from Thompson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Thompson is desperately trying to improve his position but Rosenthal has a good base and remains in mount.
Thompson tries to hold on but Rosenthal postures up.
Thompson is trying to escape the mount.
Rosenthal putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Rosenthal prevents Thompson from getting the reversal.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal lands a heavy elbow.
Thompson is desperately trying to improve his position but Rosenthal has a good base and remains in mount.
Rosenthal cracks Thompson with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Thompson taking shots to the head.
Thompson tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Rosenthal with the ground and pound from mount.
Rosenthal working the ground and pound effectively.
Rosenthal breaks from Thompson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Rosenthal landing shots from mount.
Rosenthal wants to control the pace but Thompson is squirming around nicely.
Thompson tries to hold on but Rosenthal pushes him away.
Thompson keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Rosenthal is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Thompson can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rosenthal looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Rosenthal lands with some strikes.
Rosenthal working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Rosenthal landing strikes from the mount and Thompson is in trouble!
Thompson is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Rosenthal dominating with strikes here.
Thompson is working to get back to half guard.
Thompson wants to hold on but Rosenthal pushes him away.
Thompson is looking to improve his position but Rosenthal isn't that keen on the idea.
Thompson is squirming around, avoiding Rosenthal's attempts to control the action.
Thompson is looking to improve his position but Rosenthal isn't that keen on the idea.

And that's the end of the fight!
Holden Rosenthal showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rosenthal, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Chad Campbell scores the fight 30:26
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 30:26
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Holden Rosenthal!