PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Doug Harden (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thomas Callahan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Callahan has chosen Everybody Wants To Rule The World as his entrance music. Doug Harden has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Harden
vs
Callahan

186 cm
23
172 lbs
14 - 6 - 0

175 cm
23
177 lbs
12 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Charlie Wang's Tattered Rags-$10 or less & Laundry
Conviction

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 14 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Doug Harden!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Thomas Callahan!
The judges for this bout are Columbo Gatti, John Roberts and Steve Montenegro.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Harden lands a right hook to the body.
Callahan swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Harden.

It looks like Doug Harden has been cut.
Callahan misses with a body shot.
A nice inside leg kick there by Callahan. That's going to slow Harden down.
Callahan throws a series of punches but Harden moves out of range.
Harden throws out a powerful jab.
Callahan ducks under a wild hook from Harden.
Harden with a jab.
Callahan misses with a jab, cross combination.
Callahan scores with a jab. Harden acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
A combination from Harden does no damage.
Harden thows a body shot but no joy.
Harden misses the shot to the body.

Callahan throws a left that rocks Harden and follows with a right that sends him tumbling to the canvas! Callahan dives into side control, looking to finish! Can Harden regain composure!

Harden is rocked!
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

Callahan looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Oh Harden is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Callahan throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Harden seems to have got his legs back now.
Callahan fails to land a wild elbow strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Callahan is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Callahan in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.

Callahan wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Harden, who protects the arm well.
Callahan is looking to take a break and control but Harden is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Harden is trying to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Callahan misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Callahan wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harden keeps working.
Callahan working the strikes but Harden uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Callahan working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Harden trying to control here.
Callahan not doing much here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Callahan seems to be working for a kimura but Harden defends the submission attempt.
Callahan is looking to take a break and control but Harden is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Callahan throwing shots but Harden is blocking nicely.
Callahan is pressing down on Harden's thigh, looking to free his foot. Harden is holding on for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Callahan works his way into full mount!
Harden blocking the ground and pound.
Callahan can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Harden is looking to escape.
Callahan throws some wild stikes that Harden manages to avoid easily.
Harden on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Harden tries to get out of the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Callahan is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Harden is surviving well by controlling Callahan's body position as best he can.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Callahan dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Doug Harden's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Harden swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Harden. Callahan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Harden cracks Callahan with an open hand slap.
Thomas Callahan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Harden misses with a hook. Callahan ducked under it nicely.
Callahan bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Harden misses with a body shot.
Harden swings widly with a right hand
and Harden takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
A jab from Harden misses.
Harden rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
letting Callahan counter with a right hand.
Harden rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Callahan counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Harden thinking.
Harden misses with a right hand
and Callahan counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Callahan is trying hard to land a takedown here. Harden sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Callahan throws a nice outside leg kick.
Harden takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Callahan swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Harden.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harden takes a swing at Callahan's ribcage but misses.
Harden lands the left hand.
Harden fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Callahan stalks Harden and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Harden's face. Harden staggers backwards, shaken.
Harden misses with a hook.
Nice body punch from Harden.
Doug Harden is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Callahan throws a sloppy head kick and Harden moves out of range easily.
Callahan walks into a left hand.
Callahan getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Callahan darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Callahan tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Callahan shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Harden throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Callahan bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Harden's head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Harden scores with the left hand. Callahan knows he should have avoided that one.
Callahan ducks under a wild hook from Harden.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harden lands with a nice body punch.
Harden ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Callahan moves away.
Callahan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Harden manages to avoid it.
Callahan shoots in but Harden avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Doug Harden has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Thomas Callahan.
Harden jabs at Callahan's body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Callahan. Harden does a little dance to reset his feet.

Callahan gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Callahan effectively controlling the action here.
Callahan misses with a hook to the ribs.
Callahan tries to pull guard but Harden holds him up against the cage and eventually Callahan drops back down to his feet.
Callahan tries to work over Harden's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A right handed body shot lands from Callahan.
Callahan pushes Harden back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Callahan dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Callahan wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Callahan keeps control of Harden as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Harden wants to break free but Callahan has control.
Harden misses with a shot to the kidneys.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Callahan lands a hook that snaps the head of Harden backwards.
A right handed body shot lands from Callahan.
Callahan avoiding damage.
Harden keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Callahan's efforts to push away.
Harden wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Callahan throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Hardens head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thomas Callahan showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Doug Harden's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Harden swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Harden swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Callahan makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Callahan looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Callahan moves out of range as Harden strikes.
Callahan throws a right and a left that both miss.
Callahan tries to clinch up but Harden circles away and keeps his distance.
Harden lands a right hook to the body.
Callahan takes a swing at Harden's ribcage but misses.
Callahan throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Callahan takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Callahan lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Harden circles away quickly and effectively.
Callahan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Harden.
Harden throws a hook but Callahan avoids it easily.
Harden throws a right hand that Callahan ducks under and follows up with a left that Callahan also avoids with ease.
Harden just misses with a punch to the body.
Callahan misses with a low kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harden takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Callahan fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Harden fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Harden ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Callahan moves away.

Callahan closes the distance and clinches.
Callahan lands a right hand.
Harden is stalling here.
A right hand to the body from Callahan.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Callahan is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Harden gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Harden.

Callahan escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Thomas Callahan is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Harden fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Callahan manages to avoid it.
Harden throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Doug Harden has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Harden takes a shot to the body in his stride.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Harden gets tackled into the cage by Callahan. Callahan maintains the clinch.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Callahan takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Callahan prevents Harden from breaking the clinch.
Callahan lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Harden or not.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Harden escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Callahan tries to clinch but Harden moves out of range.

Callahan scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Callahan content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Thomas Callahan.
Harden swings for the body but Callahan moves out of range.
Callahan lands with an uppercut that bounces Harden off the cage and back into range.
Harden pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Thomas Callahan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Callahan shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Harden pinned against the cage. Harden gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Harden misses with an uppercut. Callahan saw that one coming.
Callahan throws a one two combo.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Harden gets tackled into the cage by Callahan. Callahan maintains the clinch.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Harden stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Harden can't find room to land a body shot as Callahan controls the action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Thomas Callahan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Callahan has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Columbo Gatti scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thomas Callahan!
During a confident post fight interview, Thomas Callahan thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.