PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Lyoto Machida (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gavin Thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Machida
vs
Thomas

225 cm
20
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

196 cm
22
175 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Great low kicks
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Tends to cut

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Lyoto Machida !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Gavin Thomas!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Alan Glass and Frank Dennis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Thomas rushes Machida and presses him up against the cage.
Thomas comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Thomas lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Thomas landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Thomas.
Thomas lands an elbow that stopped Machida in his tracks for a moment.

Thomas escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Thomas pushes Machida up against the cage in a clinch.

Thomas breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Machida will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Thomas wants to clinch up but Machida keeps it at a distance.
Machida fails with a takedown attempt.
Thomas tries to clinch up but Machida circles away and keeps his distance.

Thomas has Machida up against the cage in a clinch.
Thomas comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Thomas lands a damaging elbow.
Machida takes an elbow to the temple.

Thomas pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Thomas misses with a double jab.
Machida will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lyoto Machida . That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Thomas duly obliges.
Thomas is looking to clinch but Machida is avoiding it.

Thomas moves into the clinch.
Machida takes an elbow to the forehead.

Thomas's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Thomas clinches with his opponent.

Thomas breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Thomas tries to clinch up but Machida circles away and keeps his distance.
Machida misses with a takedown attempt - Thomas sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Machida tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Thomas paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Some wild striking there from Thomas.

Thomas has Machida up against the cage in a clinch.
Thomas lands a damaging elbow.
Machida takes an elbow to the temple.

Thomas's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Thomas throws a series of punches but Machida moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Thomas gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Thomas pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Thomas looks gassed!
A head punch blocked on the inside by Machida .
Machida avoids a wild elbow strike from Thomas.
Thomas throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Thomas throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Thomas lands an elbow that stopped Machida in his tracks for a moment.
Thomas tries to land knees in the clinch but Machida avoids the damage to the body.
Thomas lands an elbow inside that Machida shrugs off.
Machida managing to block the knees to the body from Thomas.
With the fighters up against the cage, Thomas throws an elbow but misses.
Thomas has had enough of the clinch but Machida keeps him there for the moment.
Machida avoids a wild elbow strike from Thomas.
Thomas lands an elbow just above Machida 's eye.
Thomas throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
With the fighters up against the cage, Thomas throws an elbow but misses.
Machida tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Thomas smiles and moves away.
Machida tries to clinch there but Thomas circles away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Machida throws a series of strikes that have Thomas backpedaling.
Machida looks for a takedown but Thomas sprawls well.
Horrible takedown by Machida or perhaps it was just good defense by Thomas which made him look bad.
Thomas stuffs the takedown attempt from Machida . Machida gets slowly back to his feet.
Machida tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Thomas paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Machida really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Machida shoots for a double leg takedown but Thomas sprawls well. He's pushed Machida 's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Thomas tries to clinch but Machida is having none of it.
Thomas avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Thomas throws a sloppy body shot
and Machida cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Machida fails in his attempt to clinch.
Machida fails with the takedown.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Machida .

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Machida tries to clinch up but Thomas circles away and keeps his distance.
Machida stalks Thomas and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Thomas's face. Thomas staggers backwards, shaken.
Machida shoots in but no luck this time.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Machida .
Thomas keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Thomas wants to clinch.
Machida shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Thomas pinned against the cage. Thomas gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Thomas tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Thomas wants to clinch up but Machida keeps it at a distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gavin Thomas dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Gavin Thomas's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Thomas slaps away a takedown attempt from Machida , before circling back to the center of the mat.
Thomas tries to clinch but Machida moves out of range.
Thomas is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Thomas misses with a series of wild punches.
Thomas is looking to clinch.
Thomas looks to land a combination but Machida avoids it well.
Machida tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Thomas paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Machida shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Thomas as he avoids it easily.
Machida shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Thomas as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lyoto Machida . That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Machida keeps the fight on the outside.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Thomas throws a body punch but Machida moves out of range.
Thomas misses with a combination
and Thomas takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Machida is defended easily by Thomas.
Machida shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Thomas defends it nicely.
Thomas throws a left and a right that both miss
and Machida cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Machida shoots in for a takedown but Thomas shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Gavin Thomas is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Machida .
Machida fails in his attempt to clinch.
Machida tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Machida tries to clinch up but Thomas circles away and keeps his distance.
Thomas stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Thomas wants it to stay on the feet.

Thomas closes the distance and pushes Machida back into the cage.
Machida tries to pull guard but Thomas holds him up against the cage and eventually Machida drops back down to his feet.
Thomas throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Thomas is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thomas pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Thomas throws an elbow that misses.
Machida has Thomas pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Thomas manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.

Machida jumps guard and drags Thomas to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

Thomas wants to stand up, so he's looking to wriggle free of Machida 's closed guard. He's half up but Machida has locked on to an arm! Uh oh! Machida pivots and extends the arm, Thomas falls face first to the mat and taps??... does he?? YES! He's tapping! Excellent counter grappling there by Machida ! Well done that man!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:37 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Lyoto Machida !