PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ray Thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mikel Millar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Millar has chosen Gangnam Style as his entrance music. Mikel Millar has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Thomas
vs
Millar

192 cm
24
194 lbs
4 - 8 - 0

195 cm
25
185 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Great elbows
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ray Thomas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Mikel Millar!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Hirohito Nitta and Ren Mimura.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thomas fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Millar on the side of the head.

It looks like Mikel Millar has been cut.
Thomas fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Thomas throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Thomas is looking to clinch.
Thomas circles away from the clinch attempt.
Thomas leaves Millar with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

Millar tries to keep at a distance but Thomas has taken the fight into the clinch.
Thomas tries to land a knee to the head but Millar blocks with his arms.
Thomas is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Millar is defending well.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Millar drops down looking for an ankle pick but Thomas pulls his leg out and moves away.

Millar shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Millar showed some decent athleticism there.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Thomas gets full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Thomas holds on and takes a little breather.
Millar wants to control from the top but Thomas keeps moving.
Millar is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Mikel Millar has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Thomas feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Millars jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!

Millar bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Millar looks gassed!
Thomas striking from the bottom but nothing landed.
Thomas prevents Millar from moving into mount.
Thomas is in a bad spot here and he knows it... just holding on for now.
Thomas wants to control but Millar postures up.
Millar throwing strikes but Thomas manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Thomas trying to control the position but Millar is working away.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Millar trying to control but Thomas flips him over like a cheap hooker and has his back!
Millar manages to reverse the position and now he's in Thomas's guard. Nice work there by Millar.
Millar wants to control from the top but Thomas keeps moving.
Thomas wants to stand up but Millar is controlling him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Thomas wriggles free and stands up.
Thomas avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Millar tries a head kick but it misses.
Ray Thomas seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Millar fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Ray Thomas has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mikel Millar.
Decent striking displayed by Thomas there.
Millar drops his hands momentarily and Thomas takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Thomas wants to clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thomas stalks Millar and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Millar's face. Millar staggers backwards, shaken.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Thomas dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Mikel Millar'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.

Thomas's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Thomas duly obliges.

Millar shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Thomas's guard.

Millar got a little sloppy there for a moment and Thomas has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Millar has managed to get both his arms back between Thomas's legs - danger averted.
Thomas trying to control the position.
Millar showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Mikel Millar has got the better of the ground game so far.
Millar wants to control from the top but Thomas keeps moving.
Millar must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Millar is stalling in the full guard.
Millar is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Mikel Millar hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Thomas connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Millar's hands.
Millar walks into a jab.

Millar rushes Thomas and presses him up against the cage.
Thomas drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Millar gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Thomas is looking to take this one to the mat.
Millar scores a nice knee to the body.

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

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thomas throws a right and a left that Millar avoids nicely.
Millar fails with a takedown attempt.
Thomas throws a good cross that connects.
Thomas looks to throw the jab but Millar is out of range.
Millar moves in looking to clinch but Thomas pushes him off.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Millar.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Millar shoots in for a double leg but Thomas sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Ray Thomas has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mikel Millar.
Thomas wants to clinch.
Good exchange - Thomas coming out on top.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Thomas instigates a clinch.
Millar looking for a takedown.
Thomas lands a nice uppercut.
Thomas wants a takedown.
Thomas goes for a takedown attempt but Millar pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Millar shoots in but Thomas avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Thomas lands with a good body shot.
Thomas lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Ray Thomas is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Millar doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Millar wants to clinch.
A jab lands there for Thomas.
Millar walks into a straight right hand from Thomas.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Millar.

Millar gets tackled into the cage by Thomas. Thomas maintains the clinch.
Thomas looking for a takedown.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Millar has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Thomas avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Thomas has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Millar after a bit of a struggle.
Millar is stalling here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ray Thomas dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Mikel Millar's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Thomas lunges at Millar with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Millar's hand.
Nice uppercut lands for Thomas. That snapped Millar's head back.
Thomas throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Thomas fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Millar tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Thomas paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Thomas lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Thomas tries to close the distance and clinch up but Millar swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Millar shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Thomas but Thomas pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Some wild striking there from Thomas.
Ray Thomas is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Millar closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Millar presses Thomas against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Millar tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Millar tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Thomas just stands there and leans against the cage.
Ray Thomas has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mikel Millar.
Millar drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Thomas gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Thomas decides to pull guard.
Thomas lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Millar!
Thomas tries to control but Millar wriggling away.
Millar is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Millar blocking the ground and pound.
Millar is desperately trying to improve his position but Thomas has a good base and remains in mount.

Thomas goes for an armbar but he's fallen flat on his backside there and now Millar is on top in guard.
Millar in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Millar wants to get up but he can't break Thomas's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

Thomas is looking for a triangle but Millar pushes his legs off easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Millar trying to control the position from guard on top but Thomas is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Thomas trying to keep a closed guard but Millar is proving a slippery customer.
Millar preventing the sweep.
Millar controlling from the top position.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Mikel Millar was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Thomas throws a predictable looking body shot

and Millar counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Thomas's guard now.
Thomas working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Millar.
Millar controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomas not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Millar wants to control from the top but Thomas keeps moving.

Thomas is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Thomas keeping moving, preventing Millar from controlling successfully.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Mikel Millar hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.

Thomas clinches with his opponent.
Mikel Millar has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Millar wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Mikel Millar.
I think Thomas has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 29:28
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:28
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ray Thomas!