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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jonathan Thor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mike Matthews (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thor comes to the cage accompanied by Boom - P.O.D. Mike Matthews has the eye of the tiger tonight.
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| 185 cm
20
192 lbs
6 - 5 - 0 |
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205 cm
20
200 lbs
4 - 4 - 0 |
BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Good chin |
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BJJ Purple Belt
Good elbows
Knockout power |
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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
6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Jonathan Thor!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Mike Matthews!
The judges for this bout are Richard Clark, Paul Tew and Donald Grub.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Matthews throws out a leg kick but Thor moves out of range and Matthews only half commits.
Matthews throws a body kick that misses.
Thor throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Matthews connects with the punch.
A punch combination from Matthews misses.
Matthews throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Thor.
Thor throws a leg kick but Matthews sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Thor throws a low kick but it's checked well by Matthews.
Matthews misses with a takedown
and Thor decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Matthews's guard.
We've been hearing good reports from Thor's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
Matthews keeping moving, preventing Thor from controlling successfully.
Thor has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Thor throws a big elbow that misses.
Thor might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Matthews is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Thor trying to control the position from guard on top but Matthews is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Thor throws a big right hand that misses.
Thor throws a strike but Matthews rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Thor looking to hit a scissor sweep but Matthews is one step ahead there.
Thor working a defensive guard here.
In the pre-fight buildup videos we saw Matthews working his ground and pound in the gym. He isn't landing a great percentage of his ground strikes so far though.
Matthews engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
It looks like Matthews might be adopting somewhat of a lay and pray gameplan here, which I'm sure won't go down too well with the paying fans in attendance... Or the ring announcers come to think of it.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Thor keeping moving, preventing Matthews from controlling successfully.
Matthews would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Thor keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Matthews scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Matthews staying out of range there.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor connects with a leg kick. Matthews looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Thor will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Decent striking displayed by Matthews there.
Matthews takes a swing at Thor's ribcage but misses.
Matthews throws a right hand that Thor ducks under and follows up with a left that Thor also avoids with ease.
Matthews uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Thor.
Matthews throws a series of punches but Thor avoids them all with ease.
Matthews connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Some bone on bone action there as Matthews checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Matthews ducks right into an uppercut from Thor.
Thor wants to land a leg kick but Matthews is out of range.
Matthews throws a low kick but it's checked well by Thor.
Matthews misses with a kick to the body.
Matthews takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Thor goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Matthews throws out a leg kick but Thor moves out of range and Matthews only half commits.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Matthews smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matthews changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Thor tries to avoid it but Matthews manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Thor to the ground. Thor escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Jonathan Thor has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mike Matthews.
Thor steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Matthews.
Thor misses with a low kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Thor misses the target.
Matthews is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Thor pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Thor misses with a body shot.
Thor jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Matthews displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Thor.
Matthews moves in looking to clinch but Thor pushes him off.
Matthews keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Thor tried to score with a low kick but Matthews checks it.
A head kick misses from Thor.
Thor throws a hook to the side of Matthews's head but Matthews sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Thor pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
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 Jonathan Thor will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.
Matthews throws a head kick but Thor moves out of range.
Thor is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Matthews's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Matthews misses with a jab, cross combination.
Thor shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Matthews defends it nicely.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Nice takedown defense from Thor. No joy for Matthews on that attempt.
Thor shoots in for a double leg but Matthews sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Matthews is looking to clinch but Thor is avoiding it.
Matthews will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Matthews misses with a two punch combination.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
No joy there for Matthews, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Jonathan Thor seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Matthews moves out of range as Thor strikes.
Matthews fails with an attempt to clinch.
Thor blocks a head kick by Matthews.
A slow jab from Matthews misses its intended target.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Thor circles away quickly and effectively.
Thor is looking to chop away at Matthews's legs.
A low kick from Matthews misses
and Thor counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Thor.
Matthews is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Matthews is trying to keep Thor in close.
Thor distracts Matthews with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Thor wants to control from the top but Matthews keeps moving.
Matthews looking to control.
Thor with a flurry of punches that miss.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thor tries to free his leg and advance position but Matthews is retaining full guard.
Thor postures up.
The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Thor swings widly with a right hand
and Matthews counters with a nice leg kick.
Matthews tries to clinch but Thor is having none of it.
Mike Matthews seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Matthews closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Thor avoids a punch combination nicely.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Matthews on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Jab, jab by Matthews - just one landing.
Matthews misses with a series of wild punches.
Thor avoids the body shot from Matthews.
Thor shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Matthews is trying to defend but Thor finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thor is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Matthews defends it well.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor is trying to control. Matthews wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Matthews is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Thor thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Jonathan Thor overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Matthews is not content to let Thor control the position.
Thor is stalling here. Matthews is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Thor seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Matthews has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Thor regains half guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matthews stops Thor from getting back to his feet.
Matthews is keen to just control but Thor is a slippery customer.
Matthews thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Thor is concentrating on defense, preventing Matthews from advancing position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Well, if Matthews is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Matthews missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Thor wants to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Mike Matthews showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!
Thor fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Matthews looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Thor is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Matthews.
Matthews has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Matthews is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Thor's half guard.
Thor looking for submissions off his back.
Matthews is looking to take a break and control but Thor is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Matthews thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Thor's head.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews is thwarting Thor's attempts to control the position.
Matthews takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Matthews wants to get back to his feet.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Matthews throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Matthews misses with the combination.
Matthews throws a wild body kick that Thor sees coming a mile off.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Thor tries to land a front kick but Matthews steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Matthews does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Thor throws a leg kick that misses.
Matthews ducks under a wild hook from Thor.
An inside leg kick lands from Thor.
Matthews closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Matthews swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Thor throws a low kick but it's checked well by Matthews.
Thor throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Matthews was covering up waiting for the punch and Thor finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Thor lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Matthews is looking to stand up but Thor isn't so interested in that idea.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Thor tries to move to full mount but Matthews actually manages to regain half guard.
Thor is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Thor lands a nice short elbow.
Thor passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Matthews!
Matthews wants to hold on but Thor pushes him away.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thor lands with some strikes.
Thor with shots to the head and body - Matthews looks very uncomfortable down there.
Thor lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Thor thowing shots but they're missing.
Matthews is desperately trying to improve his position but Thor has a good base and remains in mount.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Matthews defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Thor.
Thor throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
And that's the end of the fight!
Jonathan Thor showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Thor 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 Richard Clark scores the fight 29:29
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 29:28
In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Jonathan Thor!
The defeated Mike Matthews had this to say: 'I will take alot from this loss, but a rematch is on the cards, maybe next time he wont be so lucky'.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
41% |
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