PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Anthony Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ripley Reynolds (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.

Johnson
vs
Reynolds

188 cm
25
189 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

185 cm
18
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Inexperienced

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Anthony Johnson !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ripley Reynolds!
The judges for this bout are Joseph Jones, Lou da Vinci and Eddie Farnsworth.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johnson lands with a nice combination. Reynolds backs away looking to recover.
Anthony Johnson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Reynolds shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Johnson sprawls well. Johnson wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Reynolds gets slowly back to his feet.
Reynolds fails in his attempt to clinch.
Reynolds doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Johnson keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Johnson throws a right hand that Reynolds ducks under and follows up with a left that Reynolds also avoids with ease.
Reynolds takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Horrible takedown by Reynolds or perhaps it was just good defense by Johnson which made him look bad.
Anthony Johnson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ripley Reynolds.
Johnson throws a good cross that connects.
Johnson rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Reynolds moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Reynolds doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Johnson swinging wildly here.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Reynolds fails with the takedown
and Johnson counters with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Reynolds gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Johnson counters with a stiff right hand.
Reynolds looks gassed!
Reynolds slips a jab and a cross from Johnson .
Reynolds goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Johnson lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.

It looks like Ripley Reynolds has been cut.
Reynolds moves out of range as Johnson throws a body kick.
Johnson misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Johnson ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Reynolds is trying desperately to land a takedown but Johnson is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for Reynolds.
Johnson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Johnson scores with a jab to the body.
Johnson scores with a hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Reynolds has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Johnson misses with a two punch combination.
Johnson throws a sloppy head kick and Reynolds moves out of range easily.
Johnson stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Johnson wants it to stay on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Johnson misses with a few strikes there.
Reynolds is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Johnson .
Johnson throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Reynolds.
Johnson scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Johnson scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Johnson lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Reynolds backs up against the cage.
Johnson throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Johnson lands with a right hand.
Reynolds closes the distance and clinches up with Johnson , looking for a takedown. Reynolds pushes Johnson against the cage but Johnson circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Johnson throws a sloppy head kick and Reynolds moves out of range easily.
Johnson defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Reynolds.
Johnson lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Reynolds circles away quickly and effectively.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Johnson avoids it really well and circles away.
Johnson throws a series of strikes that have Reynolds backpedaling.
Johnson scores with a nice strike.
Johnson slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Johnson scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Anthony Johnson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Reynolds fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Johnson dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Johnson 's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Johnson duly obliges.
Reynolds fails with an attempt to clinch.
Johnson misses with a series of wild punches.
Johnson thuds a left hand into Reynolds's body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Johnson avoids it really well and circles away.
Johnson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Reynolds looks to score with a jab to the body but Johnson is just out of range.
Johnson throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Johnson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Johnson .
Johnson misses with a kick to the body.
A bone on bone clash there as Johnson blocks the leg kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Reynolds showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Johnson .

Reynolds shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Reynolds showed some decent athleticism there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anthony Johnson dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ripley Reynolds's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Johnson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
No luck for Reynolds with that takedown attempt.
No joy there for Johnson , who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Reynolds shoots in for a takedown but Johnson shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Johnson catches Reynolds with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Johnson throws a right and a left that Reynolds avoids nicely.
Johnson bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Reynolds's head.
A cross from Johnson lands.
Johnson goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Johnson is working the combinations to good effect here.
Reynolds is breathing heavily.
Johnson lands with a nice combination. Reynolds backs away looking to recover.
Johnson lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson throws a series of punches but Reynolds avoids them all with ease.
A punch combination from Johnson misses.
Johnson misses with the combination.
Reynolds tries to score a power double leg takedown but Johnson sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Reynolds somewhat.
Anthony Johnson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ripley Reynolds.
Reynolds shoots in looking for a takedown but Johnson manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Reynolds's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Johnson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Johnson .
Johnson with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Reynolds has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Johnson misses with the combination.
Reynolds gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Johnson .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds moves out of range of the body kick from Johnson .
Johnson lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Reynolds on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Reynolds.
Johnson looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Nice takedown defense from Johnson . No joy for Reynolds on that attempt.
Johnson lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Reynolds at a distance.
Johnson swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Anthony Johnson is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Reynolds checks a leg kick.
Reynolds is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Reynolds takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Reynolds ducks right into an uppercut from Johnson .
Reynolds dives in and grabs Johnson 's left leg, looking for a takedown. Johnson pushes down on Reynolds's head and hops out.
Reynolds closes the distance and clinches up with Johnson , looking for a takedown. Reynolds pushes Johnson against the cage but Johnson circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Johnson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Johnson .
Reynolds shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Johnson as he avoids it easily.
Reynolds slips a jab and a cross from Johnson .
Reynolds takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Johnson throws a series of punches but Reynolds avoids them all with ease.
Johnson defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Reynolds.
Johnson rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Reynolds moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Johnson misses with a two punch combination.
Johnson throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Johnson tries to avoid it but Reynolds manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Johnson to the ground. Johnson escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Reynolds takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Reynolds is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Johnson .
Reynolds with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Johnson to score with a decent uppercut.
Reynolds blocks the body kick.
Johnson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Reynolds throws out the jab.
Reynolds tries to move into range but Johnson moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
A nice combination there by Johnson .
Nice shot lands for Johnson .
This has been an exciting period of action!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Johnson lands a nice hook to Reynolds's body. Reynolds takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Johnson is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Reynolds can do to turn this around?
Johnson throws a right and a left that Reynolds avoids nicely.
Anthony Johnson is winning the standup battle so far.
Johnson swinging wildly here.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Reynolds.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anthony Johnson dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ripley Reynolds's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Johnson keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Reynolds gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Johnson throws a right and a left that Reynolds avoids nicely.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with eachother but Reynolds might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Johnson has got the better of the exchanges.
Sloppy strikes from Johnson . Those never looked like landing.
Johnson misses with a few strikes there.
Johnson lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Johnson 's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Johnson duly obliges.
Reynolds fails with an attempt to clinch.
Johnson will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Reynolds.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Reynolds goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Reynolds shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Johnson napping and manages to drive through into side control!
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Johnson is trying to improve his position.
Johnson knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Reynolds on the ground.
Johnson is pushing Reynolds's head away, looking to escape. Reynolds manages to hold on to the position though.
Reynolds wants to lay and pray for a moment but Johnson keeps working.

Reynolds tries for a kimura but Johnson is defending well.

Johnson sneaks out the side door and pushes Reynolds away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Reynolds has a takedown stuffed.
Johnson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Johnson misses with a two punch combination.
Some wild striking there from Johnson .
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Reynolds.
Anthony Johnson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ripley Reynolds.
Reynolds is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Johnson .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Reynolds.
Johnson stuffs the takedown attempt from Reynolds. Reynolds gets slowly back to his feet.
Johnson scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Reynolds has a takedown stuffed.
Reynolds with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Johnson to score with a decent uppercut.
Reynolds falls off balance throwing a combination
and Johnson counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Johnson lands a nice shot that snaps Reynolds's head back.
Reynolds takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
An inside leg kick from Johnson misses.
Reynolds avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Reynolds shoots in but no luck this time.
Johnson misses with a double jab.
Reynolds dives in and grabs Johnson 's left leg, looking for a takedown. Johnson pushes down on Reynolds's head and hops out.
Johnson swinging wildly here.
Johnson misses with a two punch combination.
Reynolds shoots in but no luck this time.
Johnson lands a really nice looking cross but Reynolds seems unphased.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Reynolds shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Johnson as he jumps to the side.
Johnson throws a series of punches but Reynolds moves out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Anthony Johnson showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Johnson , 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 Joseph Jones scores the fight 30:27
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 30:27
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Anthony Johnson !