PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Hai Howru (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thaddeus Fitzgerald (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thaddeus Fitzgerald has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Hai Howru's chin.

Howru
vs
Fitzgerald

168 cm
26
142 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

176 cm
25
144 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Hai Howru!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Thaddeus Fitzgerald!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Bart Greer and Sandra Marshall.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Howru misses with a hook. Fitzgerald ducked under it nicely.
A punch combination from Fitzgerald misses.
Fitzgerald with a nice cross.

Fitzgerald clinches.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Fitzgerald as Howru tries to tie him up.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Howru throws a series of punches but Fitzgerald moves out of range.

Fitzgerald darts in and clinches Howru up against the cage.
Fitzgerald wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Howru has him pressed against the cage.
Howru throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Fitzgerald lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Fitzgerald managing to block the knees to the body from Howru.
Fitzgerald avoids a wild elbow strike from Howru.
Fitzgerald's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Howru lands a knee to the body.
Fitzgerald blocks an elbow strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Fitzgerald throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Howrus head.
A right hook to the body lands for Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A slow jab from Howru misses its intended target.
Fitzgerald appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Fitzgerald avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Howru looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Fitzgerald moves out of range as Howru strikes.

Fitzgerald moves into the clinch.
Howru misses with an elbow strike.
A shot in the inside from Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald tries to land a knee to the head but Howru blocks with his arms.

Fitzgerald manages to break the clinch.
Howru misses with a low kick.
Fitzgerald cracks Howru with a right hand to the side of the head.

Fitzgerald gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Howru working Fitzgerald over with knees to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Fitzgerald misses with a hook to the ribs.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch.
Howru listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.

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

Fitzgerald rushes Howru and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Howru connects with a nasty looking knee right to Fitzgerald's face.
With the fighters up against the cage, Howru throws an elbow but misses.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch.
Howru rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Fitzgerald counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Fitzgerald thuds a left hand into Howru's body.
Howru throws a solid leg kick but Fitzgerald takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Howru.

Fitzgerald closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Fitzgerald misses with a body punch.
Fitzgerald throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Howru blocks it with crossed arms.

Fitzgerald's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Fitzgerald lands a two punch combo.
Howru is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Fitzgerald's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Fitzgerald throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Howru misses with a shot to the body
and Fitzgerald counters with a series of strikes. Howru will be more careful next time no doubt.

Howru is rocked!
Howru scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Oh Howru is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Fitzgerald blocks a jab.
Howru seems to have got his legs back now.
Howru throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Fitzgerald gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Fitzgerald's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Howru lands an elbow inside that Fitzgerald shrugs off.
Fitzgerald lands a nice uppercut.
Howru is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Fitzgerald is defending well for now.
Fitzgerald lands a hook to the side of the head.
Fitzgerald can't find room to land a body shot as Howru controls the action.
A short right from Fitzgerald on the inside.
Fitzgerald missing with knees to the body.
Fitzgerald tries to stall but Howru uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Howru throws a head punch that misses.
Howru letting Fitzgerald take a breather here.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Fitzgerald misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Howru went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Howru pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Howru avoids a punch combination nicely.
Howru moves forwards but Fitzgerald connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Fitzgerald throws a head kick but Howru moves out of range.

Howru clinches up with Fitzgerald and pushes him back against the cage.
Fitzgerald lands a hook to the side of the head.
Howru lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Fitzgerald doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Fitzgerald looking to stall.
Howru takes a knee to the side of the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A body shot lands from Howru.
Howru stalling in the clinch but Fitzgerald improves position.
Howru is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thaddeus Fitzgerald dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Howru fails to land with a series of punches.
Fitzgerald swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Howru lands a really nice looking cross but Fitzgerald seems unphased.
Fitzgerald has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Fitzgerald lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Fitzgerald jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Fitzgerald fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Howru showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald misses with a leg kick.

Fitzgerald closes the distance and clinches.
Howru misses with a knee to the head.
Howru pushes off an throws an elbow but Fitzgerald leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

Fitzgerald manages to break the clinch.

Fitzgerald takes the fight into the clinch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Howru throws an elbow that misses.
Thaddeus Fitzgerald seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Fitzgerald's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Howru looks to throw an elbow but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fitzgerald avoids the elbow strike from Howru, against the cage.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Howru misses with the combination.
Fitzgerald with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Howru will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Fitzgerald has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.

Fitzgerald clinches up with Howru and pushes him back against the cage.

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

Howru tries to keep at a distance but Fitzgerald has taken the fight into the clinch.
Howru has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Fitzgerald is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Howru is defending well for now.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Howru lands an elbow inside that Fitzgerald shrugs off.
Howru looking to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fitzgerald works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Fitzgerald lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Howru.
Howru misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Fitzgerald blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Howru throws an elbow but it's blocked.
A nice right hand lands inside from Fitzgerald.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Fitzgerald avoids the elbow strike from Howru, against the cage.
Fitzgerald tries to work over Howru's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Fitzgerald's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Howru avoids a punch combination nicely.
Fitzgerald displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Howru throws out the jab.
Fitzgerald now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Fitzgerald misses the shot to the body.
Howru throws a body shot but no joy.
Howru jabs Fitzgerald to the body, keeping him at a distance.

Fitzgerald clinches up with Howru and pushes him back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fitzgerald lands a hook that snaps the head of Howru backwards.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

Fitzgerald's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Fitzgerald scores with a jab to the body.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Fitzgerald escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Howru moves in looking to clinch but Fitzgerald pushes him off.
Howru has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Fitzgerald finds it's way round the side to connect with Howru's head.
Fitzgerald misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Thaddeus Fitzgerald is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Howru keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Fitzgerald takes a shot to the body in his stride.
A swing and a miss from Howru.
Howru moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Thaddeus Fitzgerald seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Howru scores with a jab to the jaw.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Fitzgerald forces Howru back against the cage and clinches.
Fitzgerald has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Howru misses with an elbow over the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Howru pushes Fitzgerald back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Howru misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has had enough of the clinch but Howru keeps him there for the moment.
A short right from Howru on the inside.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch.

Fitzgerald rushes Howru and presses him up against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Howru.
Nice body punch from Fitzgerald - that landed with a thud.
Fitzgerald digs a right hand into Howru's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Howru's gas tank.
Howru missing with knees to the body.
Fitzgerald is looking to break free of the clinch but Howru has double underhooks.
Fitzgerald trying to land knees to the body.
Howru misses with a hook to the ribs.
Fitzgerald tries a body shot but Howru blocks it.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Howru pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thaddeus Fitzgerald showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Fitzgerald swings away with a leg kick that misses.
It looked like Howru wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Howru closes the distance but Fitzgerald moves to the side
and Fitzgerald counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Howru thinking.
Howru finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Fitzgerald misses with a double jab.
Howru thows a left - swing and a miss!

Howru clinches up with Fitzgerald and pushes him back against the cage.
Fitzgerald tries to land knees in the clinch but Howru avoids the damage to the body.
Fitzgerald lands with a light punch inside.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Howru as Fitzgerald tries to tie him up.
Fitzgerald tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fitzgerald blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Fitzgerald is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Howru is looking to control Fitzgerald's arms but Fitzgerald gets an underhook and turns him. Now Howru has his back to the cage.
A right hook to the body lands for Fitzgerald.
Howru throws an elbow that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Fitzgerald manages to break the clinch.
Howru misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Fitzgerald.
Howru throws a jab but it's blocked by Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald lands with a straight right. Howru didn't see that one coming.
Howru moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Howru throws a hook but Fitzgerald blocks it.
It seemed like Fitzgerald was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Fitzgerald throws an overhand right from the outside, which connects and sends Howru stumbling backwards into the cage! Howru bounces back off the cage towards Fitzgerald, who cracks him with a two punch combination that drops him to his knees! Fitzgerald lands two more shots before the referee has chance to intervene - what a finish! Fitzgerald celebrates with his corner as the crowd cheer loudly.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:27 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Punches). Thaddeus Fitzgerald!
After winning the bout, Thaddeus Fitzgerald thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.