PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Johnny Thunders (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Haloti Gnata (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thunders comes to the cage accompanied by Ain't That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Thunders
vs
Gnata

188 cm
28
215 lbs
9 - 3 - 0

192 cm
21
209 lbs
6 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 9 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Johnny Thunders!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Haloti Gnata!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Franklyn Lucas and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gnata misses with a double jab.
Thunders feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Gnata's calf.
A slapping body kick lands there for Thunders.
Thunders misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gnata.
Gnata takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Gnata throws out a leg kick but Thunders moves out of range and Gnata only half commits.
Thunders throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Gnata looks to land a combination. Thunders sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

It looks like Johnny Thunders has been cut.
A jab from Thunders finds it's way through Gnata's defenses.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gnata misses the jab.
Gnata jabs Thunders to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Gnata swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Thunders.
Thunders thows a left - swing and a miss!
Thunders clobbers Gnata with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Gnata throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Thunders misses with an uppercut
and Gnata counters with a straight right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thunders throws a right hand that misses
and Gnata counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Thunders looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Thunders throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Gnata.
Thunders throws a nice inside leg kick.
Thunders takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Gnata lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Gnata lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Gnata.
Gnata connects with a crisp jab.
Thunders misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Gnata throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Gnata displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Thunders throws out the jab.
Gnata misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Thunders.
Gnata throws a leg kick but Thunders sees it coming and moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thunders getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Thunders misses with a wild combination.
Gnata misses with a low kick.
Gnata misses with the combination.
Thunders throws a jab when Gnata was well out of range.
Gnata avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Thunders uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gnata.
Gnata swings widly with a right hand
and Thunders counters with a nice leg kick.
Gnata tries to work over Thunders's front leg with a kick but Thunders checks it.
Thunders blocks a head kick by Gnata.
Thunders takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thunders falls off balance throwing a combination
and Gnata counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Thunders ducks under a wild hook from Gnata.
Thunders misses with a combination
and Gnata counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Thunders bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Gnata's head backwards.
Gnata slips under a jab from Thunders.
Thunders lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Gnata throws a leg kick but Thunders sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Thunders misses with a wild body shot.
Gnata on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Gnata is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Thunders had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Thunders moves out of range of the leg kick from Gnata.
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!
Gnata scoring well with a low kick there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gnata moves out of range as Thunders strikes.
Gnata throws a hook but Thunders avoids it easily.
Thunders throws a series of punches but Gnata moves out of range.
A head kick by Thunders misses
and Gnata counters with a nice uppercut.
Gnata checks the leg kick.
Thunders connects with a single shot there.
Thunders walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Thunders thuds a left hand into Gnata's body.
Gnata misses with a hook. Thunders ducked under it nicely.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Thunders misses with a right hand
and Gnata counters with a stiff right hand.
Thunders tries to score with a low kick but Gnata moves his leg out of the way.
A right-left combo lands from Gnata.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Thunders dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Johnny Thunders's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Thunders swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Thunders will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Gnata misses with a few strikes there.
Thunders throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A head kick misses from Thunders.
Thunders swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Gnata counters with a straight right hand.
Gnata misses with a few strikes there.
Thunders takes one on the button.
Gnata tries to bum rush Thunders with a series of wild strikes but Thunders uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Thunders throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
enabling Gnata to counter with a crisp jab.
Thunders moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

It looks like Haloti Gnata has been cut.
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!
A punch combination from Gnata misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gnata missing with a left hand there. Thunders was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nice uppercut lands for Thunders. That snapped Gnata's head back.
Gnata fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Thunders manages to avoid it.
Thunders misses with an uppercut. Gnata saw that one coming.
Thunders misses with a hook. Gnata ducked under it nicely.
Gnata throws a big shot that misses.
Johnny Thunders is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thunders swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Thunders throws a big shot that misses.
Gnata moves out of range as Thunders strikes.
Thunders scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Gnata showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Thunders.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Thunders slips a jab and a cross from Gnata.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thunders jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
A low kick from Gnata is predictable there
and Thunders connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnny Thunders seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gnata connects with a good right hand that stumbles Thunders. Thunders circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Gnata throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Gnata will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Gnata throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Gnata tries to land a leg kick but Thunders saw it coming and moves away.
Thunders scores with a one two! Gnata had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Thunders works over Gnata's head and body with a nice combination.
Thunders throws a hook but Gnata blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thunders swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Thunders steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gnata.
Sloppy strikes from Thunders. Those never looked like landing.
Gnata lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Gnata blocks a jab.
Some bone on bone action there as Thunders checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Gnata ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Gnata ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Gnata pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Thunders throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Gnata on the side of the head.
Gnata swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Thunders counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Thunders misses with a wild combination.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thunders throws a jab when Gnata was well out of range.
Thunders connects with the punch.
Thunders ducks under a wild hook from Gnata.
Gnata throws a shot from downtown. Thunders moves away and avoids it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Thunders misses with a wild body shot.
Thunders is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Gnata looks to land a combination. Thunders sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Gnata throws out a loose jab but Thunders uses good head movement to avoid it.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Thunders missing with a left hand there. Gnata was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gnata misses with a low kick.
A punch lands to the side of Gnata 's head but he takes it in his stride.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Johnny Thunders dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Thunders stalks Gnata and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Gnata's face. Gnata staggers backwards, shaken.
Thunders looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Thunders moves forwards but Gnata connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Gnata connects with a good right hand that stumbles Thunders. Thunders circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Thunders throws a shot from downtown. Gnata moves away and avoids it.
Gnata misses with a double jab.
Thunders throws a jab when Gnata was well out of range.
Gnata fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Thunders is out of range.
A big left from Gnata misses.
Gnata tests Thunders's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Thunders loads up on a big right hand but Gnata slips the punch.
A punch combination from Thunders misses.
Thunders cracks Gnata with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big right from Gnata misses.
Thunders misses with a straight right.
Thunders pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Thunders throws a hook to the side of Gnata's head but Gnata sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Gnata uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Thunders.
Gnata scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Thunders fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Gnata manages to avoid it.
Gnata will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Thunders misses with a combination
enabling Gnata to counter with a crisp jab.
Gnata blocks a jab.
Gnata stalks Thunders and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Thunders's face. Thunders staggers backwards, shaken.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gnata misses with an uppercut.
Thunders throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gnata throws a combination that misses
and Thunders counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Gnata thinking.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Thunders.
Gnata takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thunders lands a jab to the head.
Thunders swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Thunders misses with a low kick.
A big left from Thunders misses.
Gnata bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Thunders throws a nice inside leg kick.
Thunders missing with a left hand there. Gnata was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gnata swinging wildly here.
Johnny Thunders is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thunders throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Johnny Thunders is winning the standup battle so far.
Gnata keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Gnata rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Thunders moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Gnata throws a head kick that misses
and Thunders counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Good shot there by Thunders.
Thunders misses with a looping right.
Gnata paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Gnata slips a jab from Thunders.
Haloti Gnata has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Thunders throws a series of strikes that have Gnata backpedaling.
Thunders throws a body punch but Gnata moves out of range.
Gnata lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Thunders circles away quickly and effectively.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thunders stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Thunders takes a swing at Gnata's ribcage but misses.
Thunders avoids a punch combination nicely.
Thunders throws out a powerful jab.
Thunders staying out of range there.
Gnata throws a good cross that connects.

Johnny Thunders's cut is getting worse.
Thunders thuds his right hand into Gnata's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thunders is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Gnata.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gnata lands a glancing blow to the side of Thunders's head.
Gnata misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Thunders.

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 Johnny Thunders.
Well Thunders has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 John Roberts scores the fight 30:27
Judge Franklyn Lucas scores the fight 30:28
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Johnny Thunders!
In his post fight interview, Johnny Thunders started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.