PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Angelo Balic (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tommy Thunder (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Balic might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Now we are free. Tommy Thunder has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Balic
vs
Thunder

175 cm
19
160 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

178 cm
18
161 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Angelo Balic!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Tommy Thunder!
The judges for this bout are Alec Ball, Ian Loll and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A combination from Balic does no damage.
Thunder throws a series of punches but Balic avoids them all with ease.
Balic throws a head kick but Thunder moves out of range.
Thunder takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
The fight stays on the outside here - Balic looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Balic throws a head kick that misses.

Thunder looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Balic manages to get to full guard.
Balic keeping moving, preventing Thunder from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thunder showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thunder passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Balic is looking to reverse the position.
Thunder wants to lay and pray for a moment but Balic keeps working.
Thunder landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
You can see the frustration on Balic's face as Thunder controls the position.
Thunder tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.

Thunder tries for a kimura but Balic is defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Balic wants to get back to his feet.
Thunder remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Thunder tries to advance to mount but Balic denies him.
Balic is looking for a sweep.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here as Thunder stalls from top position.
Thunder working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Thunder blocks a head kick by Balic.

Thunder shoots in and bounces Balic off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Thunder stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Balic swivels though and keeps the full guard.

Balic isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Thunder stacks Balic on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Thunder!
Balic is breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Check out the look on Thunder's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Thunder lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Thunder works to advance to full mount. Balic defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Thunder is landing with some decent strikes but Balic is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Thunder controlling the pace for now.
Thunder dominating with strikes here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tommy Thunder dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Balic checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Balic throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Thunder misses with a takedown attempt - Balic sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Thunder throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Balic's head.
Balic tries to clinch but Thunder moves out of range.
Thunder lands with a thumping leg kick.
Balic wants to clinch up but Thunder keeps it at a distance.
Balic misses with a head kick.
Balic misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Thunder drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.

Balic looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Balic utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Balic had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Thunder is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Balic Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Thunder's back instead.

Thunder preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Balic.

Thunder defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.

Thunder preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Balic.
Thunder breaks Balic's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thunder lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Balic keeping moving, preventing Thunder from controlling successfully.
Thunder not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Balic keeping moving, preventing Thunder from controlling successfully.

Balic throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Balic looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Thunder missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Thunder must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Balic being controlled here, momentarily.
Thunder throws a big right hand that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Thunder scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Thunder throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Balic works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Balic preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Thunder trying to control but Balic is working from the bottom.
Thunder lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Thunder is in close to Balic's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Thunder looking to sit in guard and control but Balic gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Thunder looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Angelo Balic will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Balic throws a lazy head kick
and Thunder cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Thunder throws a combination that misses
and Balic counters with a big head kick but Thunder shrugs it off.
Balic dodges the punch combination from Thunder.
Balic avoids a punch combination nicely.
Balic clinches but Thunder breaks the clinch

and Thunder counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Balic!
BOOM! Thunder connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Thunder lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.

Balic is rocked!
Thunder scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Oh Balic is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Thunder working the ground and pound effectively.
Thunder pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thunder with shots to the head and body - Balic looks very uncomfortable down there.
A big strike lands for Thunder! That's really hurt Balic and he's turned his back - Thunder keeps firing away and the ref dives in to stop the fight! Thunder Jumps to his feet to celebrate the victory!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:31 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Tommy Thunder!