PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Cpl. Steve Henshaw (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nick Salvatore (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Steve Henshaw and Nick Salvatore. Both fighter's entrance songs getting the crowd jumping here.

Steve Henshaw
vs
Salvatore

176 cm
26
165 lbs
22 - 9 - 0

175 cm
29
165 lbs
18 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

[EVO] Koffin Inc. *Laundry Available*

Virtual Fighter Clothing
Sublime Supplements

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 9 - 0, fighting out of London, Cpl. Steve Henshaw!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Nick Salvatore!
The judges for this bout are Richard Clark, James Glass and Chris Edwards.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Salvatore pushes Henshaw up against the cage in a clinch.

Henshaw breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Henshaw looks to score with a jab to the body but Salvatore is just out of range.
Henshaw throws a low kick but Salvatore avoids it.
Henshaw shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Henshaw misses with a head kick.
Salvatore connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Henshaw wants to slow Salvatore down by chopping away at his legs.
Henshaw looks for the body kick but Salvatore saw that one coming.
Nice defenses there by Henshaw.
Salvatore throws a shot from downtown. Henshaw moves away and avoids it.
Henshaw thumps Salvatore with a low kick.
Cpl. Steve Henshaw seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Henshaw scores with a leg kick.
Henshaw misses with a jab to the body
and Salvatore counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Henshaw thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A bone on bone clash there as Salvatore blocks the leg kick.
Salvatore connects with a looping right hand.
Both fighters circling a little - Henshaw finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Nick Salvatore is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Henshaw throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Henshaw fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Salvatore avoids a kick to the body.
Salvatore swings for the body but Henshaw moves out of range.
Henshaw takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Salvatore throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Henshaw misses with a leg kick
and Salvatore counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Henshaw misses with the body kick
and Salvatore counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw tries to land a body kick
and Salvatore counters with a straight right hand.
Henshaw tries a low kick but Salvatore avoids it.
Salvatore blocks a low kick nicely.
Salvatore keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Salvatore fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Henshaw manages to avoid it.
Salvatore misses with a wild body shot.
Salvatore has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Henshaw.
Salvatore throws a nice looking combination but Henshaw bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Salvatore thows a body shot but no joy.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Salvatore. Henshaw shrugs it off though.
Salvatore steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Henshaw.
A low kick from Henshaw is predictable there
and Salvatore counters with a low kick, right behind Henshaw 's knee.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore lands a right hook to the body.
Salvatore changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Henshaw on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Salvatore will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
A clash of legs there as Salvatore blocks the low kick.
Salvatore doesn't manage to clinch there - Henshaw circles away.
Nice uppercut lands for Salvatore. That snapped Henshaw's head back.
Salvatore scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Henshaw takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
An inside leg kick from Henshaw misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Salvatore swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Henshaw misses with a wild body shot.
The fight stays on the outside here - Salvatore looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A slapping leg kick lands for Henshaw.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Salvatore checks a leg kick nicely.
Henshaw takes a jab right on the kisser.
Salvatore is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Henshaw.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A looping hook to the body misses from Salvatore. Henshaw does a little dance to reset his feet.
Henshaw shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Salvatore as he jumps to the side.
A jab from Henshaw misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nick Salvatore dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Salvatore scores with a jab to the jaw.
Salvatore tries to clinch there but Henshaw circles away.
Salvatore slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Henshaw throws a sloppy head kick and Salvatore moves out of range easily.
A clash of legs there as Salvatore blocks the low kick.
Henshaw misses with an uppercut.
Henshaw ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Salvatore throws a body punch but Henshaw moves out of range.
Salvatore looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Henshaw looks to score with a jab to the body but Salvatore is just out of range.
Henshaw throws a body punch but Salvatore moves out of range.
Henshaw is looking to wear down Salvatore with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Henshaw avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Henshaw throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Henshaw.
Henshaw does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Henshaw throws a quick inside leg kick.
Nick Salvatore seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Salvatore takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Henshaw throws out a leg kick but Salvatore moves out of range and Henshaw only half commits.
Henshaw misses with a body punch
and Salvatore counters with a nice body shot.
Henshaw throws a jab when Salvatore was well out of range.
Henshaw's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Salvatore connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Henshaw scrambles back to his feet.
Salvatore misses with a hook
and Henshaw counters with a body kick.
Salvatore just misses with a punch to the body.
Henshaw buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Salvatore manages to avoid it.
Salvatore swings for the body but Henshaw moves out of range.
Salvatore steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Henshaw.
Salvatore is looking to chop away at Henshaw's legs.
Salvatore moves away from the strike by Henshaw.
Henshaw uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Salvatore.
Salvatore shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Henshaw avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Henshaw scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Salvatore doesn't seem bothered though.
Henshaw dives in and grabs Salvatore's left leg, looking for a takedown. Salvatore pushes down on Henshaw's head and hops out.
Henshaw throws a body punch but Salvatore moves out of range.
Salvatore lands a nice looking body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore throws a body punch but Henshaw moves out of range.
Salvatore scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Henshaw shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Salvatore as he avoids it easily.
Salvatore misses with a body shot.
Salvatore slips a straight right by Henshaw.

Salvatore moves into the clinch successfully.
Henshaw has a couple of punches blocked by Salvatore.
Salvatore lands a body shot.
A nice left hand lands by Salvatore.
Salvatore lands a body punch.
Henshaw prevents a body shot from Salvatore.
Salvatore can't find room to land a body shot as Henshaw controls the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Henshaw lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Salvatore.
Henshaw jumps guard but Salvatore stands there with Henshaw around his waist. Henshaw gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Cpl. Steve Henshaw. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A frustrated look appears on Henshaw's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Salvatore misses with a punch to the body.
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!
Henshaw tries for a takedown but Salvatore manages to get underhooks.
Henshaw blocks a body shot from Salvatore.
Salvatore misses with a body punch.
Henshaw tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Salvatore misses with a hook to the ribs.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Salvatore can't find room to land a body shot as Henshaw controls the action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nick Salvatore showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Henshaw keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Salvatore misses with a body shot.
Henshaw pushes Salvatore away with a front kick.
Henshaw moves out of range of the leg kick from Salvatore.
Salvatore steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Henshaw. That one must have hurt.
Salvatore thows a body shot but no joy.
An inside leg kick lands from Salvatore.
Henshaw throws a jab when Salvatore was well out of range.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
A slapping body kick lands there for Henshaw.
Salvatore dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Henshaw misses with a body kick.
Salvatore ducks down and throws a hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salvatore throws a push kick but Henshaw slaps the foot to one side.
Henshaw tries to score a power double leg takedown but Salvatore sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Henshaw somewhat.
Henshaw misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Henshaw looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Henshaw jabs Salvatore right on the nose. Salvatore blinks but takes it well.
Henshaw throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Salvatore counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Henshaw throws a leg kick
and Salvatore counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Salvatore thuds a left hand into Henshaw's body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw cracks Salvatore with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
A clash of legs there as Henshaw blocks the low kick.
Salvatore swings for the body but Henshaw moves out of range.
Henshaw shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Henshaw blocks a head kick by Salvatore.
Salvatore avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Henshaw circles away from the clinch attempt.
Henshaw throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Henshaw walks into a straight right hand from Salvatore.
Salvatore doesn't manage to clinch there - Henshaw circles away.
Henshaw pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw shoots in for a double leg but Salvatore sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Cpl. Steve Henshaw. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Salvatore connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Henshaw takes one to the side of the head.
Salvatore scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Henshaw fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Henshaw looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Salvatore lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Salvatore lands a nice looking body kick.
A low kick from Henshaw misses
and Salvatore counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Salvatore avoids a kick to the body.
Some wild striking there from Salvatore.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Salvatore scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Salvatore on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Salvatore misses with a low kick.
Henshaw throws a jab when Salvatore was well out of range.
Salvatore scores with a sloppy right hand. Henshaw should have avoided that one.
Henshaw takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Henshaw misses with a wild body shot.
Henshaw slips a straight right by Salvatore.

Salvatore gets in close and instigates a clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nick Salvatore really dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Henshaw throws a body kick that misses.
Salvatore misses with an attempted mid kick.
Salvatore throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Henshaw stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Henshaw misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Henshaw fails with the takedown.
Salvatore scores with a three punch combo!
Henshaw throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

Henshaw shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Salvatore manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Henshaw wants to control from the top but Salvatore keeps moving.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salvatore wants to sweep but no luck.
Henshaw is looking to work some ground and pound but Salvatore has wrist control.
Henshaw wants to stand but Salvatore is controlling his posture from full guard.

We're going to have a standup here because Cpl. Steve Henshaw wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Nice body punch from Salvatore.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw thuds his shin into the meat of Salvatore's side.
Salvatore connects with a crisp jab.
Salvatore lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Salvatore scores with a shot to the body.
A clash of legs there as Salvatore blocks the low kick.
Salvatore buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Salvatore scores with a crisp jab that stopped Henshaw in his tracks.
Donk. Salvatore catches Henshaw right on the button with a cross.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Salvatore connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Henshaw wants to land a leg kick but Salvatore is out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Salvatore takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Henshaw fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Salvatore stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Henshaw buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Henshaw tries to land a leg kick but Salvatore saw it coming and moves away.
Henshaw pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Henshaw looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Henshaw misses with a body kick.
Salvatore swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Salvatore swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Salvatore swings away with a leg kick that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw scores with a hook to the body. Salvatore takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Salvatore lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Salvatore.
Salvatore lands a nice shot to the body.
Henshaw throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Salvatore fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Henshaw manages to avoid it.
Henshaw keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Henshaw is defended easily by Salvatore.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Cpl. Steve Henshaw. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Salvatore lands a nice hook to Henshaw's body. Henshaw takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nick Salvatore dominated that fourth round.
That's time! Henshaw's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Henshaw thows a leg kick but Salvatore checks it
and Salvatore counters with a nice uppercut.
Salvatore dodges the punch combination from Henshaw.
Salvatore looks to score with a jab to the body but Henshaw is just out of range.

Henshaw shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Henshaw showed some decent athleticism there.
Salvatore wants to get back to full guard.
Salvatore regains full guard. Nicely done.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Salvatore is trying to control the position but Henshaw postures up.
Henshaw is looking to work some ground and pound but Salvatore has wrist control.
Henshaw won't allow Salvatore to get back to his feet.
Salvatore keeping moving, preventing Henshaw from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Cpl. Steve Henshaw just wasn't active enough.
Salvatore checks the leg kick nicely there.
Henshaw ducks down and throws a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Salvatore takes a swing at Henshaw's ribcage but misses.
Salvatore jabs Henshaw to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Both fighters circling a little - Henshaw finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Salvatore slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Henshaw throws a leg kick that misses.
Salvatore moves out of range of the body kick from Henshaw.
Henshaw looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Cpl. Steve Henshaw has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Henshaw feints and as Salvatore raises his hands in defense, Henshaw changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Salvatore has Henshaw pulled in close to control his posture.
Salvatore is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Henshaw throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Salvatore works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw tries to free his leg and advance position but Salvatore is retaining full guard.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Nick Salvatore hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Henshaw on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Henshaw is looking to score with low kicks.
Henshaw ducks right into an uppercut from Salvatore.
Henshaw ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Salvatore moves away.
A looping hook to the body misses from Salvatore. Henshaw does a little dance to reset his feet.
Henshaw motions for Salvatore to come forward. Henshaw throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Henshaw misses with a leg kick
and Salvatore counters with a nice body shot.
Henshaw attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Nick Salvatore is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Salvatore works the jab nicely.
Salvatore checks a leg kick.
Some bone on bone action there as Salvatore checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Henshaw fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Salvatore checks it well.
Henshaw sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Henshaw shoots in for a takedown but Salvatore shows good takedown defense.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Salvatore fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Henshaw looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Salvatore ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Salvatore connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.

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 Cpl. Steve Henshaw.
I think Salvatore has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 46:49
Judge James Glass scores the fight 46:49
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 46:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nick Salvatore! Nick Salvatore retains his lightweight title!
After the fight, Nick Salvatore was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.