PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Jose Aldo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jonathan Hawkes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Aldo kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Rough Rida. Hawkes comes into a darkened arena with his song building. I'm Shipping Up to Boston kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Aldo
vs
Hawkes

180 cm
28
179 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

180 cm
27
181 lbs
12 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

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 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Jose Aldo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Jonathan Hawkes!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Yamamoto, Shigeki Fujiwara and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hawkes throws a head kick but Aldo moves out of range.
Hawkes throws a body punch but Aldo moves out of range.
Hawkes avoids a punch combination nicely.
Aldo avoids the head kick by Hawkes.
Hawkes looks to throw the jab but Aldo is out of range.

Hawkes takes the fight into the clinch.
Aldo tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Aldo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Aldo tries to pull guard but Hawkes forces him back to his feet, against the ropes.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Hawkes.
Aldo misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hawkes missing with knees to the body.
Hawkes is defending well against a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jose Aldo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Hawkes.
Hawkes with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

It looks like Jose Aldo has been cut.
Aldo tries to pull guard but Hawkes holds him up against the ropes and eventually Aldo drops back down to his feet.
Hawkes scores with a nice hook to the head.
Aldo misses with a punch on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aldo is working Hawkes over against the ropes.
Aldo lands with a left to the head.
Aldo lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Aldo misses with a punch to the body.
Aldo working aggressively here.
Aldo misses with a punch on the inside.
Aldo lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Hawkes or not.
Aldo throws a head punch that misses.
Aldo tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Hawkes smiles and moves away.
Aldo slips a straight right by Hawkes.
Hawkes scores with a push kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Hawkes darts in and clinches Aldo up against the ropes.
Hawkes misses with the head strike.
Aldo misses with a hook from the clinch.
Hawkes with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Hawkes digs a right hand into Aldo's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Aldo's gas tank.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hawkes throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hawkes is pressed up against the ropes. Aldo has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Hawkes down to the mat. Hawkes avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Hawkes rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Aldo counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Hawkes thinking.
Hawkes throws a solid leg kick but Aldo takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Hawkes.
Hawkes goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Hawkes.
Aldo blocking some punches.
Aldo gets through Hawkes's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Aldo lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Aldo lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Aldo scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A head punch on the inside from Hawkes fails to land.
Aldo tries for a takedown but Hawkes manages to get underhooks.
Hawkes softening up his opponent with strikes, against the ropes.
Hawkes with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Aldo lands a shoulder strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aldo blocking some punches.

Aldo manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Hawkes tries to stand but Aldo is controlling from the bottom.
Hawkes looks gassed!
Hawkes postures up.
Hawkes trying to control the position from guard on top but Aldo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Aldo wants to sweep here but Hawkes controlling him for the moment.
Aldo is trying to control the position from the bottom.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Jonathan Hawkes hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Hawkes throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hawkes throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Jonathan Hawkes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Aldo scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Hawkes tries a head kick but it misses.
A head kick misses from Hawkes.
Nice shot lands for Aldo.
A combination from Hawkes does no damage.
Hawkes needs to keep his hands up - Aldo had a free shot at his head there.

Aldo forces Hawkes back against the ropes and clinches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Aldo.
Aldo looking for a takedown.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hawkes looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Aldo pushes Hawkes back against the ropes and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Hawkes throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Aldo blocks it with crossed arms.
Aldo tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

Aldo drags the fight down to the ground.
Hawkes pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Aldo is keeping the position for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Jose Aldo will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jose Aldo's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Hawkes throws a push kick but Aldo slaps the foot to one side.
The crowd cheers as Aldo lands an impressive looking overhand right. Hawkes doesn't seem phased though.
Aldo swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Hawkes.
Hawkes tries to clinch there but Aldo circles away.
Aldo's jab looks to have found its range, popping Hawkes under the eye.
A looping hook to the body misses from Aldo. Hawkes does a little dance to reset his feet.
Aldo comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Hawkes has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Aldo finds it's way round the side to connect with Hawkes's head.
Hawkes misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Hawkes throws a push kick but Aldo slaps the foot to one side.
Jonathan Hawkes seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hawkes bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Aldo connects with a looping right hand.
Aldo moves out of range as Hawkes throws a body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawkes throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Aldo sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Hawkes keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Aldo with a poor takedown
and Hawkes counters with a nice body shot.

Aldo moves into the clinch.
Aldo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Aldo pulls guard successfully.
Hawkes trying to control but Aldo is working from the bottom.
Hawkes throws a big right hand that misses.
Aldo trying to keep a closed guard but Hawkes is proving a slippery customer.
Aldo has momentary wrist control but Hawkes slips an elbow through the middle.
Aldo working a defensive guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Aldo has his foot on Hawkes's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Hawkes works his way back into a safe position though.
Hawkes cracks Aldo with a solid left hand.
Aldo looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hawkes tries to free his leg and advance position but Aldo is retaining full guard.
Hawkes stays in close to Aldo's body and controls the position.

Aldo has an active guard here but Hawkes has managed to pass into half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hawkes throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Hawkes frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aldo is wriggling around trying to escape.
Hawkes dominating with strikes here.
Hawkes tries to control but Aldo wriggling away.
Hawkes dominating with strikes here.
Hawkes scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Hawkes with shots to the head and body - Aldo looks very uncomfortable down there.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hawkes has his opponent pinned against the ropes, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Aldo's face.
Hawkes lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Aldo hang on?
Aldo is working to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hawkes has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Hawkes raining down hammerfists from mount.
Aldo tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Hawkes lands a big shot there that rocks Aldo but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
BOOM! Hawkes connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Hawkes working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Hawkes controlling from the full mount.
The referee warns Aldo that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hawkes trying to control but Aldo is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jonathan Hawkes showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Jose Aldo's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Hawkes throws a sloppy head kick and Aldo moves out of range easily.
Aldo looks for a takedown but Hawkes sprawls well.
Hawkes keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Aldo is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Hawkes.
Hawkes throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Aldo shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Aldo was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Aldo prevents Hawkes from getting the reversal.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Aldo is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Hawkes has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Hawkes!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawkes landing with the ground and pound.
Aldo not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Hawkes with a nice head shot there.
Hawkes wanted to stand there but Aldo had control of the position.
Aldo is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Hawkes postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Hawkes working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aldo not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Hawkes trying to control the position from guard on top but Aldo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hawkes lands a couple of elbows.
Aldo is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Aldo utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Hawkes stopping the sweep attempt from Aldo.
Hawkes tries to free his leg and advance position but Aldo is retaining full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aldo looking to control.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Jose Aldo just wasn't active enough.

Hawkes has taken the fight to the clinch.
Aldo's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Aldo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hawkes with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Aldo lands an uppercut.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Aldo.
Aldo has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Hawkes after a bit of a struggle.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jose Aldo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hawkes misses with a knee strike.
Aldo swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A hook to the body from Aldo.
Jose Aldo has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Aldo lands a hook that snaps the head of Hawkes backwards.
Aldo lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Hawkes backwards.
Aldo lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hawkes lands with a short shot to the head.
Aldo swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Hawkes has a couple of punches blocked by Aldo.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aldo works on Hawkes's body with a couple of short punches.
Still in the clinch, Hawkes scores with a nice short uppercut.
Aldo lands a body shot.
Hawkes takes a shot to the head.
Aldo lands with a right to the head.
Aldo scores with a shoulder strike.

Aldo jumps guard and drags Hawkes to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Hawkes is looking to advance position but Aldo has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!
Aldo fails to move to back control.

Aldo looking to secure an arm triangle but Hawkes defends it well.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Aldo working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Jose Aldo.
I think Aldo has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 29:28
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 29:28
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Jose Aldo!