PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Kevin Hawke (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Martin Philippe Njewel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Hawke
vs
Philippe Njewel

180 cm
20
155 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

170 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Determined

TFP Graphics - Pit Inc

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 Las Vegas, Kevin Hawke!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Martin Philippe Njewel!
The judges for this bout are Alan Glass, Wesley Smith and Cecil Peabody.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hawke drives through and clinches with Njewel against the cage.
Njewel is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Njewel gets underhooks to prevent Hawke's takedown attempt.
Njewel fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Hawke escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Hawke ducks under a wild hook from Njewel.

Hawke takes the fight into the clinch.
Njewel misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Hawke lands a damaging elbow.
Njewel avoiding damage as Hawke throws knees to the body.
Njewel tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Hawke breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Njewel is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Hawke.
Njewel shoots in for a takedown but Hawke shows good takedown defense.
Hawke displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Njewel throws out the jab.

Hawke moves into range and clinches up with Njewel.

Hawke breaks the clinch.

Hawke gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Hawke tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Hawke creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Njewel's defenses.
Njewel lands with a left to the head.
Njewel misses with a punch to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Hawke.
Njewel is trying to stall.
Njewel doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Njewel avoiding damage.
Hawke throws a knee to the head but misses.
Hawke misses with a punch on the inside.
Njewel looking to slow down the pace here.
Hawke misses with a knee to the head.
Hawke wants a takedown.
Njewel can't find room to land a body shot as Hawke controls the action.
Njewel misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Njewel wants to get back to striking at distance but Hawke won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Njewel is trying to pull guard but Hawke has him pressed against the cage.

Hawke breaks the clinch.
A jab from Njewel misses.
Kevin Hawke seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hawke staying out of range there.
Hawke uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Njewel.
Hawke moves away from the strike by Njewel.
Njewel throws a right hand that misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Hawke slips a straight right by Njewel.
Njewel misses with a straight left.
Hawke changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Njewel tries to avoid it but Hawke manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Njewel to the ground. Njewel escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kevin Hawke. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Njewel misses with a body shot
and Hawke counters with a big head kick but Njewel shrugs it off.

Hawke clinches up with Njewel and pushes him back against the cage.
Njewel misses with a hook from the clinch.
Njewel has had enough of the clinch but Hawke keeps him there for the moment.
Hawke tries to land a knee to the head but Njewel blocks with his arms.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
A shot in the inside from Njewel.
Hawke tries a knee to the head but Njewel blocks it.
A short right from Njewel on the inside.
Njewel takes an elbow to the forehead.
Njewel has a couple of punches blocked by Hawke.
Hawke is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Njewel is defending well for now.
Njewel is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Njewel is trying to stall.
Njewel misses with the head strike.
Hawke lands a nice elbow.
Njewel is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Hawke gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Hawke tries to land knees in the clinch but Njewel avoids the damage to the body.
Njewel lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Hawke blocks an uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Njewel struggles to land a body shot inside as Hawke controls his hands.
Njewel working hard to break the clinch.
Hawke can't get the takedown.
Hawke blocking some punches.
Njewel taking a breather.
Hawke is trying to pull guard but Njewel turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Njewel looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
A right handed body shot lands from Njewel.
Njewel is trying to maintain a safe position but Hawke gets an underhook and turns Njewel into the cage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Njewel pushes Hawke back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

Hawke has dropped down and is working for a takedown. Njewel is trying to keep an underhook but Hawke manages to get the takedown into half guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Hawke trying to control the action but Njewel is working from the bottom.
Hawke tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Njewel.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Njewel regains full guard. Nicely done.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Njewel controls Hawke momentarily but Hawke frees himself.
Hawke would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
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 Kevin Hawke will probably get the nod.
That's time! Hawke's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Hawke instigates a clinch.
Hawke takes a shot to the head.
Njewel throws a punch but it's blocked by Hawke.
Hawke blocks an uppercut.
Hawke blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Njewel misses with a body punch.
Njewel stalling in the clinch but Hawke improves position.
Njewel tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Njewel misses with the head strike.
Hawke lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Njewel misses with some punches.

Njewel decides to pull guard.

Njewel throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

Hawke drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Hawke jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Njewel is trying to control the position but Hawke postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hawke stands and steps away. Njewel gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Hawke forces Njewel back against the cage and clinches.
Njewel working aggressively here.

Hawke breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Hawke clinches.
Njewel is trying to pull guard but Hawke has him pressed against the cage.
Njewel gets underhooks to prevent Hawke's takedown attempt.
Hawke throws a knee to the head but misses.
Njewel misses with the head strike.
Njewel is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A nice left hand lands by Njewel.
Hawke tries to land a knee to the head but Njewel blocks with his arms.
Njewel tries to pull guard but Hawke holds him up against the cage and eventually Njewel drops back down to his feet.
Hawke is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Njewel gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Njewel lands a left hand that snaps the head of Hawke backwards.
Hawke wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Hawke leaning his opponent against the cage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Njewel tries to stall but Hawke uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Hawke blocking some punches.
With the fighters up against the cage, Hawke throws an elbow but misses.
Hawke doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hawke just misses with a elbow thrown towards Njewel's brow.
Hawke misses with a knee to the head.

Hawke's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Njewel with a nice cross.

Hawke closes the distance and clinches.
Hawke lands an elbow that stopped Njewel in his tracks for a moment.
Njewel lands with a left to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Njewel misses with a punch to the body.
Njewel scores with a shoulder strike.
Hawke fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kevin Hawke. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Njewel is looking to control Hawke's arms but Hawke gets an underhook and turns him. Now Njewel has his back to the cage.

Hawke jumps into guard, dragging Njewel to the mat.
Njewel wants to control from the top but Hawke keeps moving.
Njewel engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Njewel stops Hawke from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Njewel loads up on a big right hand but Hawke slips the punch.
Hawke lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Njewel circles away quickly and effectively.

Njewel gets a clinch.
Njewel scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Njewel holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Hawke's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Hawke darts in and clinches Njewel up against the cage.
Hawke drops down looking for an ankle pick but Njewel pulls his leg out and moves away.
Njewel might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Njewel scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Martin Philippe Njewel will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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!

Hawke lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Njewel circles away quickly and effectively.
Njewel throws a jab when Hawke was well out of range.

Hawke clinches up with Njewel and pushes him back against the cage.
Hawke misses with a knee to the head.
Njewel softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A hook to the body from Njewel.

Hawke breaks the clinch.

Hawke pushes Njewel up against the cage in a clinch.
Njewel lands a left hand that snaps the head of Hawke backwards.

Hawke has Njewel pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Hawke pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Njewel tumbling to the mat - Hawke dives into Njewel's guard.
Hawke would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Njewel has control of Hawke's left arm, preventing Hawke from doing any damage.
Njewel is trying to keep Hawke in close.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Njewel throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Njewel is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

Hawke stands up from guard. Let's bang!

Hawke darts in and clinches Njewel up against the cage.
Njewel scores with a nice hook to the head.
Hawke blocks a body shot from Njewel.

Hawke pulls guard effortlessly.
Njewel tries to free his leg and advance position but Hawke is retaining full guard.
Njewel trying to control but Hawke is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Njewel pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Hawke is keeping the position for now.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Nice sprawl there from Njewel as Hawke shoots in.
A swing and a miss from Njewel.
Hawke goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

Njewel moves into the clinch.
Hawke misses with an elbow over the top.
A short left from Njewel.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Njewel fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Njewel lands a hook that snaps the head of Hawke backwards.
Hawke keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Njewel's efforts to push away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Njewel struggles to land a body shot inside as Hawke controls his hands.
Njewel misses with a punch on the inside.
Hawke lands a damaging elbow.
Njewel tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Njewel lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Hawke or not.
Njewel lands a shoulder strike.
Hawke blocks an uppercut.
Njewel dodges an elbow strike from Hawke.
Njewel is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

Hawke breaks from the clinch.

Hawke instigates a clinch.
Njewel looking to stall.
Hawke with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

Njewel jumps guard and drags Hawke to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Hawke stands up from Njewel's guard - Hawke perhaps looking for a knockout.
Njewel looks to score with a jab to the body but Hawke is just out of range.
Njewel ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
A big left from Hawke misses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Njewel jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Hawke is defended easily by Njewel.

Njewel closes the distance and clinches.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A short right from Njewel on the inside.
Hawke misses with a knee strike.
Njewel avoiding damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Martin Philippe Njewel.
I think Njewel 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 30:28
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:29
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Kevin Hawke!
A relieved looking Kevin Hawke thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.