PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mike Matthews (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jonathan Thor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thor has chosen Boom - P.O.D as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. This should be fireworks!

Matthews
vs
Thor

205 cm
21
200 lbs
5 - 8 - 0

185 cm
21
192 lbs
8 - 6 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent elbows
Experienced

BJJ Purple Belt
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 5 - 8 - 0, fighting out of London, Mike Matthews!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of London, Jonathan Thor!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, Richard Clark and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thor tries to work over Matthews's front leg with a kick but Matthews checks it.
Thor throws a leg kick but Matthews checks it.
Matthews half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Matthews really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Matthews blocks the body kick.
Matthews tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Thor defends well and Matthews ends up having to push Thor into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Matthews throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Thor blocks a head kick by Matthews.
Thor feints the counter takedown.
Matthews definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Matthews lands a two punch combo.
Thor gets off balance looking for a body kick

and Matthews counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Matthews stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Thor swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Thor wants to stand but Matthews is controlling the position.
Matthews will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Matthews has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Thor is proving hard to escape from.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Matthews gets to his feet - Thor follows without any prompting.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Matthews goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Thor throws a low kick but Matthews avoids it.
It looked like Matthews wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Matthews throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Thor throws a wild body kick that Matthews sees coming a mile off.
Matthews shoots in looking for a takedown. Thor tries to sprawl out of it but Matthews keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Thor manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Thor looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mike Matthews. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thor wants to land a leg kick but Matthews is out of range.
Matthews throws a head kick but Thor moves out of range.
Thor feints a counter leg kick.
Thor shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Matthews but Matthews pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Thor looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Matthews looks to land a combination but Thor avoids it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews tries to clinch there but Thor circles away.
Thor fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Matthews.
Jonathan Thor seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A nice combination there by Matthews.
Matthews on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Thor. Thor obviously looking to wear him down.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Matthews fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Matthews uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Thor.
Matthews wants to clinch.

Thor shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Thor scoring with punches to the head and body.
Matthews preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Thor controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Thor is looking to work some ground and pound but Matthews has wrist control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor throws a big right hand that misses.
Thor trying to control the position from guard on top but Matthews is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Thor pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Matthews is keeping the position for now.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Matthews shoots in looking for a takedown but Thor manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Matthews's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
A jab from Matthews finds it's way through Thor's defenses.
Thor blocks a head kick by Matthews.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matthews bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

Thor shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Matthews's guard.
Thor wants to control from the top but Matthews keeps moving.
Thor throws a strike but Matthews rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Thor has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Matthews has passed into side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Matthews cracks Thor with a big elbow.
Matthews wants to control but Thor is keeping him busy.
Matthews wants to stand but Thor is controlling his arm.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mike Matthews dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Some wild striking there from Matthews.
Thor fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Matthews throws a nice looking combination but Thor bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Thor throws a front kick aimed at Matthews's knee but Matthews avoids it well.
Matthews feinted with a counter takedown.
Matthews closes the distance and clinches up with Thor, looking for a takedown. Matthews pushes Thor against the cage but Thor circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Matthews backing away here, and Thor unleashes a leg kick that just misses.

Thor pushes Matthews up against the cage in a clinch.
Thor drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Matthews gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Thor lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Matthews stalling against the cage.
Matthews jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Thor walks away with a smile on his face. Matthews gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Thor tries to work over Matthews's front leg with a kick but Matthews checks it.
Matthews was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Matthews shoots in looking for a takedown. Thor tries to sprawl out of it but Matthews keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Thor manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mike Matthews. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jab, jab by Thor - just one landing.
Thor shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Thor just manages to avoid a counter high kick fromMatthews.
Matthews misses with a two punch combination.
Matthews throws a series of punches but Thor avoids them all with ease.
Thor misses with a kick to the body.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Matthews jumps into guard, dragging Thor to the mat.
Thor trying to control the position from guard on top but Matthews is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Thor throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews can't keep his opponent in guard - Thor advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Mike Matthews overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Matthews pushes Thor off looking to stand but Thor dives back in and keeps control.
Thor is looking to pass Matthews's guard but actually Matthews recovers to full guard.
Thor stays in close to Matthews's body and controls the position.
Thor is looking to work some ground and pound but Matthews has wrist control.
Thor wants to control from the top but Matthews keeps moving.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Matthews holds on and takes a little breather.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor trying to control but Matthews is working from the bottom.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Matthews.
Thor misses with an attempted mid kick.
Matthews moves out of range as Thor throws a body kick.
Thor throws a leg kick but Matthews checks it.
Thor tries a low kick but Matthews avoids it.
Thor looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Thor lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Matthews misses with a wild combination.
Matthews shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
A little jabbing left from Thor on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Matthews checks a leg kick.

Matthews has closed the distance and engaged Thor in a clinch.
Thor misses with a knee strike.

Matthews breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Matthews throws out a powerful jab.
Matthews is looking to land body kicks.
Matthews misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Thor.
Matthews throws a nice looking combination but Thor bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Matthews is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

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 throws an elbow that misses. Matthews uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Thor's guard. Nice move by Matthews!

And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Mike Matthews will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Thor misses with a low kick as Matthews jumps back.
Thor has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Matthews with a hook.

Thor darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Thor trying to pass the guard but Matthews defending well.
Thor throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Matthews is not content to let Thor control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Thor.
Matthews keeping moving, preventing Thor from controlling successfully.
Thor throwing strikes from guard but Matthews blocks nicely.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Mike Matthews is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Matthews tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Matthews defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Thor.
Matthews misses with the combination.
Matthews tries to clinch there but Thor circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Thor can pounce on him.
Thor misses with a body kick.
A nice leg kick lands there from Thor.
Thor scores with a kick to the midsection.
Matthews looks to land a combination but Thor avoids it well.
Matthews lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Thor circles away quickly and effectively.
Thor throws a jab when Matthews was well out of range.
Matthews blocks the body kick.
Jonathan Thor has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That kick from Thor tenderised Matthews's leg. Matthews is trying to keep his angry face on.
Matthews throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Thor.
Mike Matthews is winning the standup battle so far.
Matthews throws a series of punches but Thor moves out of range.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Matthews takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Matthews doesn't manage to clinch there - Thor circles away.

Thor looking to score a takedown here. Matthews is defending well but Thor drives through and ends up in Matthews's guard.
Thor in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thor trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Matthews manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!

Matthews stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Thor swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Thor is looking to stand up but Matthews isn't so interested in that idea.
Matthews wanted to stand there but Thor had control of the position.
Matthews loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Thor preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Thor striking from the bottom here.
Thor looking to hit a scissor sweep but Matthews is one step ahead there.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Matthews checks the leg kick.
Matthews throws a right and a left that Thor avoids nicely.
A right-left combo lands from Matthews.
Mike Matthews is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Matthews misses with a double jab.
An inside leg kick from Thor misses.
Matthews tries to clinch but Thor moves out of range.
Thor lands a head kick. Matthews smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Matthews moves out of range of the body kick.
Matthews feinted with a counter takedown.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Jonathan Thor.
I think Matthews 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 28:29
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:28
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Mike Matthews!
Mike Matthews thanked the fans post fight for their support.