PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Forrest Griffin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kevin Shannon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Griffin kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is MMA Entrance Theme. Shannon is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Onyx -Slam. The key to victory for Forrest Griffin has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Griffin
vs
Shannon

193 cm
19
205 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

180 cm
22
205 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Enjoys gardening

Zentrope Fighting Universe
Punishment Nutrition - All 159Q products now $75

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Forrest Griffin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Kevin Shannon!
The judges for this bout are Richard Clark, Chris Edwards and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Griffin tries to sprawl but Shannon drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Griffin is looking to escape.
Shannon 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 fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Shannon decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.
Griffin misses with a wild combination.
A head kick misses from Griffin.
Griffin scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Shannon tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Griffin paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Shannon drives through with a takedown into Griffin's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet but Shannon is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

Shannon stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Griffin swings for the body but Shannon moves out of range.
Griffin leaves Shannon with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Shannon tries for a takedown but Griffin sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shannon misses with a takedown attempt - Griffin sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Forrest Griffin has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kevin Shannon.

Shannon shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Shannon was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Shannon sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Griffin squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Shannon controlling his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Kevin Shannon was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Shannon tries to score a power double leg takedown but Griffin sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Shannon somewhat.

Shannon feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Shannon stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Shannon avoids a kick to the body.
Griffin tries a head kick but it misses.
Griffin lands with a hook. Shannon tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Griffin looks to land a combination. Shannon sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Griffin displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.

Shannon is rocked!

It looks like Kevin Shannon has been cut.
Griffin tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Shannon is able to avoid easily.
Shannon is still on wobbly legs! Can Griffin finish him?
Shannon should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shannon will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Shannon seems to have recovered his senses.

Shannon shoots in and bounces Griffin off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Griffin will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Shannon decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Griffin, up you get!
Griffin misses with a low kick.
Griffin throws a head kick but Shannon moves out of range.
Nice takedown defense from Griffin. No joy for Shannon on that attempt.
Griffin fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Shannon checks it well.
Griffin misses with an uppercut

and Shannon counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shannon stands and throws Griffin's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Griffin is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Shannon is controlling him well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Shannon decides to stand up, so the ref orders Griffin to his feet.

Shannon decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Shannon looks gassed!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shannon takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet.

Shannon stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Griffin to get to his feet.

Shannon shoots in for a takedown and gets it.

Griffin kicks off Shannon and gets to his feet.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Shannon shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Griffin pinned against the cage. Griffin gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

Shannon closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Griffin did well to prevent Shannon getting side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kevin Shannon dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Kevin Shannon's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Griffin tried to score with a low kick but Shannon checks it.

Shannon closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Griffin quickly recovers to half guard.
Shannon thows a huge punch but Griffin dodges it nicely.

Shannon stands up and beckons Griffin to join him on the feet.
Griffin lands a nice hook to Shannon's body. Shannon takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Shannon looks for a takedown but Griffin sprawls well.

Shannon looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Shannon won't allow Griffin to get back to his feet.
Griffin utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Shannon decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Griffin, up you get!
Forrest Griffin is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Griffin tries a head kick but it misses.
Griffin tries to land a front kick but Shannon steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Griffin throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Griffin lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Griffin throws a sloppy head kick and Shannon moves out of range easily.
Griffin scores with a punch to the head.

Shannon shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Shannon was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Griffin is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Shannon controlling the pace for now.
Griffin really wants to buck Shannon off and get back to his feet.
Shannon tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Shannon's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Kevin Shannon wasn't active enough on the ground.
Griffin looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Nice takedown defense from Griffin. No joy for Shannon on that attempt.
Nice takedown defense from Griffin. No joy for Shannon on that attempt.
Forrest Griffin has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kevin Shannon.
Griffin keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Shannon shoots in but no luck this time.
Shannon avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Shannon looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Griffin makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!

Shannon moves into the clinch.

Griffin pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Shannon looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Shannon decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.
Shannon misses with a takedown attempt
and Griffin counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice takedown defense from Griffin. No joy for Shannon on that attempt.
Shannon blocks a head kick by Griffin.
Griffin lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Shannon at a distance.
Griffin throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Shannon counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Griffin's guard now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Griffin manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Shannon checks a low kick from Griffin.
Griffin lands with a straight right. Shannon didn't see that one coming.

Shannon looking to score a takedown here. Griffin is defending well but Shannon drives through and ends up in Griffin's guard.
Shannon stands and throws Griffin's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Griffin is not content to let Shannon control the position.
Griffin is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Shannon asserts his dominance and retains side control.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Shannon decides to stand back up. Shannon steps back and let's Griffin get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kevin Shannon showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Kevin Shannon's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Shannon blocks a head kick by Griffin.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Shannon.
A head kick by Griffin misses

and Shannon counters with a shoot takedown. Griffin fights it but they end up in guard.
Shannon must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Shannon content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Shannon engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Shannon won't allow Griffin to get back to his feet.
Shannon controls from within his opponent's guard.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Shannon slips nicely into half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Griffin on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Shannon working the head and body with strikes.

Shannon stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Griffin to get to his feet.
A head kick by Griffin misses

and Shannon counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Shannon postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Griffin to stand up.

Shannon shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shannon takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Let's hope that Shannon has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Griffin is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Shannon takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Kevin Shannon wasn't active enough on the ground.
Some wild striking there from Griffin.
A head kick by Griffin misses

and Shannon counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Shannon.
Shannon is stalling in the full guard.

Shannon gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Griffin goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Shannon.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Shannon decides to stand up, so the ref orders Griffin to his feet.

Shannon changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Griffin looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

Shannon decides to stand back up.
Griffin is looking to score with low kicks.

Griffin tries to sprawl but Shannon drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet.

Shannon decides he's had enough of the ground and stands up.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Griffin lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Shannon circles away quickly and effectively.
Kevin Shannon is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Griffin misses with a head kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shannon looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

Shannon gets a clinch.
Shannon has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Griffin after a bit of a struggle.
Forrest Griffin has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kevin Shannon.
Griffin tries to circle away but Shannon has him pinned against the cage.
Griffin tries to break the clinch but Shannon is controlling the position.
Griffin is looking to break free of the clinch but Shannon has double underhooks.
Shannon is working for takedown but Griffin is calmly controlling the position for now.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Griffin is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Griffin wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Shannon has him pressed against the cage.
Forrest Griffin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Griffin has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kevin Shannon comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Shannon winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 27:30
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kevin Shannon!
Kevin Shannon tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.