PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Imran Khan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Maunu Tua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Khan
vs
Tua

186 cm
25
210 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

192 cm
28
218 lbs
8 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Good chin

Dangerous GnP
Decent boxing
Solid chin

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 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Imran Khan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Maunu Tua!
The judges for this bout are Donatello Bradman, Summer Carpenter and Eliza Hachem.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Khan has closed the distance and engaged Tua in a clinch.
Khan works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Tua misses with a punch on the inside.
Khan unloads a knee to the mid-section.
A head punch on the inside from Tua fails to land.
Tua misses with a short punch on the inside.
Khan blocks an uppercut.
Khan misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Tua.
Tua prevents Khan from breaking the clinch.
Khan stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Tua swings wildly with an uppercut but Khan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tua lands a shoulder strike.
Khan scores with a shot to the side of Tua's head.

Khan pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Khan throws a big shot that misses.

Khan clinches up with Tua and pushes him back against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Khan manages to break the clinch.

Khan has Tua up against the cage in a clinch.
Khan is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Tua is defending well for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tua working aggressively here.
Tua doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Khan scores with a hook to the body.
Tua misses with a punch on the inside.
With the fighters up against the cage, Khan throws an elbow but misses.
Khan misses with a punch to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Khan fails to land.
Khan is trying to push Tua away but Tua has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Khan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Imran Khan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Khan closes the distance and pushes Tua back into the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Tua fails to land.
Tua misses with a punch on the inside.
Khan using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Tua throws a punch but it's blocked by Khan.

Khan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Khan takes one on the button.

Khan gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tua misses with a punch to the body.
Tua lands with a short shot to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tua working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tua scores with a shot to the side of Khan's head.
Tua swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Khan blocks a body shot from Tua.

Khan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Khan moves into the clinch.
Tua misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Tua struggles to land a body shot inside as Khan controls his hands.
Khan lands with a short shot to the head.
Tua lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Khan.
Tua misses with some punches.
Tua throws a punch but it's blocked by Khan.
Khan blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tua swings wildly with an uppercut but Khan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tua swings wildly with an uppercut but Khan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Khan misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Tua.
Tua scores with a shoulder strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tua managing to block the knees to the body from Khan.
Khan wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Khan creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Khan blocks an uppercut.
Tua fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Khan crunches a lovely knee into Tua's ribcage.
Tua scores with a shoulder strike.
Tua lands a nice uppercut.
Tua working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tua throws a head punch that misses.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Khan.
Khan stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

Khan breaks from the clinch.

Khan clinches up with Tua and pushes him back against the cage.
Khan with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Good body shot from Tua.
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!
Khan stalling in the clinch but Tua improves position.
Tua has a couple of punches blocked by Khan.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tua swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Khan prevents a body shot from Tua.
Tua working aggressively here.
Khan wants to stall.
Khan tries to land knees in the clinch but Tua avoids the damage to the body.
Khan tries to land knees in the clinch but Tua avoids the damage to the body.
Tua throws a head punch that misses.
Khan tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Tua avoids it.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Tua cracks Khan with a nice body shot.
Khan is breathing heavily.
Tua digs a right hand into Khan's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Khan's gas tank.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Tua.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Khan looking to slow down the pace here.
Khan takes a shot to the head.
Tua tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Tua is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Khan is keeping busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Maunu Tua will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Tua shoots for a takedown but Khan saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Tua pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Khan back to the cage. Tua follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Maunu Tua seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Tua decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Khan tries to kick Tua off but Tua keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Khan trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Khan moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tua content to stall in guard here.

Khan pushes Tua off and scrambles back to his feet.
Tua throws an overhand right that lands on Khan's shoulder, as Khan tries to avoid the shot.
Tua throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A looping hook to the body misses from Khan. Tua does a little dance to reset his feet.

Khan clinches up with Tua and pushes him back against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tua working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Tua digs a right hand underneath Khan's ribcage. Khan let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Khan blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Khan scores with a shoulder strike.

Khan manages to break the clinch.

Khan moves into the clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Tua.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A short right hand to the side of the head by Tua.
Tua swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Tua lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Khan blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Khan is trying to force a seperation but Tua has the dominant position.
Khan blocks a body shot from Tua.
Khan tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Tua avoids it.
Tua has a couple of punches blocked by Khan.
Tua has a couple of punches blocked by Khan.
Tua working aggressively here.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Tua.
Khan with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tua can't find room to land a body shot as Khan controls the action.
Tua swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Tua struggles to land a body shot inside as Khan controls his hands.
Tua misses with some punches.
Khan stalling in the clinch but Tua improves position.
Tua can't find room to land a body shot as Khan controls the action.
Tua pushes Khan back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Tua stalling in the clinch but Khan improves position.
Tua doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Khan blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Khan lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Tua backwards.
Tua tries to work over Khan's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Khan landing knees to the head.
Khan tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Khan misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Tua.
Khan blocks a body shot from Tua.
Khan tries to land knees in the clinch but Tua avoids the damage to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Tua fails to land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khan lands a nice shot to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Khan.
Khan blocks a body shot from Tua.
Khan has had enough of the clinch but Tua keeps him there for the moment.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tua swings wildly with an uppercut but Khan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Tua misses with a punch to the body.
Tua lands with a short shot to the head.
Tua working aggressively here.
Tua takes an elbow to the temple.
Tua tries a body shot but Khan blocks it.
Tua blocks an elbow strike.
Tua throws a punch but it's blocked by Khan.

Khan's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tua scores with the left hand. Khan knows he should have avoided that one.

Khan takes the fight into the clinch.
Khan looking to throw knees to the head but Tua is blocking nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Maunu Tua showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. And we move into the final round!

Tua missing with a left hand there. Khan was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Tua ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Khan moves away.
Khan is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Tua.

Tua scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Khan wants to get back to his feet.
Tua creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Khan sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Tua looks up at the clock and then as Khan takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Tua smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Khan is looking for a sweep.
Khan wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tua connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Khan some visible discomfort.
Khan takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Tua working away.
Khan is working to avoid the ground and pound but Tua connects with a decent elbow.
Khan is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Khan tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Tua wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
You can see the frustration on Khan's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Khan is trying to get back to his feet.
Khan sneaks back into half guard.

Tua moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Khan.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Tua lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tua working the ground and pound from side control.
Tua trying to control the action but Khan is working from the bottom.
Imran Khan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Tua scores with a couple of short elbows.
Tua is looking to take a break and control but Khan is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khan tries to improve position but can't.
Khan is trying to buck Tua off.
Tua creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Maunu Tua is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tua avoids the strikes from the bottom by Khan.

And that's the end of the fight!
Maunu Tua comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Tua has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Donatello Bradman scores the fight 27:30
Judge Summer Carpenter scores the fight 27:30
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Maunu Tua!