PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Sonny Durant (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thurgood Jenkins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jenkins has chosen Mary Jane as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Durant
vs
Jenkins

172 cm
31
144 lbs
20 - 13 - 1

170 cm
36
143 lbs
26 - 27 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Fury Nutrition Inc.

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 20 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Sonny Durant!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 26 - 27 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Thurgood Jenkins!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Durant clinches with his opponent.
I was talking to Durant's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Durant tries to land knees in the clinch but Jenkins avoids the damage to the body.
Jenkins wants a takedown but no success here.
Durant'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.
Durant tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Jenkins tries to stall but Durant uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Durant lands with a light punch inside.
Jenkins is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Durant is defending well.
Jenkins fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Jenkins misses with some punches.
Jenkins is leaning against Durant and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Durant digs a right hand underneath Jenkins's ribcage. Jenkins let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Durant scores with a shoulder strike.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Durant doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Durant lands with a light punch inside.
Jenkins has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Durant is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Sonny Durant has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Thurgood Jenkins.
Jenkins can't get the takedown.
A hook to the body from Durant.
Durant can't find room to land a body shot as Jenkins controls the action.
Durant taking a breather.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jenkins tries to pull guard but Durant holds him up against the cage and eventually Jenkins drops back down to his feet.
Nice body punch from Durant.
Jenkins has a couple of punches blocked by Durant.
Durant misses with a short punch on the inside.
Durant tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Jenkins's elbow.
Durant tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Durant lands a nice uppercut.
Durant is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Durant scores with a hook to the body.
Jenkins has a couple of punches blocked by Durant.
Durant lands a shoulder strike.
Jenkins doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Durant is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Durant throws a punch but it's blocked by Jenkins.
Durant goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Jenkins goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jenkins lands a hook that snaps the head of Durant backwards.
Jenkins struggles to land a body shot inside as Durant controls his hands.
Jenkins blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Durant tries a body shot but Jenkins blocks it.
Durant is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Durant tries to work over Jenkins's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A short left from Jenkins.
Durant lands a right hand that snaps the head of Jenkins backwards.
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!
Durant tries to stall but Jenkins uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Durant lands with a light punch inside.
Durant is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
A short uppercut from Jenkins.
Durant tries to work over Jenkins's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Durant can't find room to land a body shot as Jenkins controls the action.
Durant goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A nice left hand lands by Jenkins.

Jenkins has double underhooks and is working for a body lock takedown. He's got it. The fighters land in half guard but Durant regains guard immediately.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Jenkins avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Durant keeping moving, preventing Jenkins from controlling successfully.
Jenkins wants to pass the guard but Durant is keeping the position.
Jenkins trying to control the position from guard on top but Durant is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Jenkins connects with a couple of short punches.
Jenkins tries to free his leg and advance position but Durant is retaining full guard.
Jenkins showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Jenkins trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Durant is controlling Jenkins's posture.

Durant throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Jenkins trying to control but Durant is working from the bottom.
Jenkins pushing down on Durant's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Jenkins wants to take a breather but Durant is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sonny Durant dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Jenkins takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Durant avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Durant throws a nice inside leg kick.
Durant dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Jenkins. That did some damage!
Durant swings for the body but Jenkins moves out of range.
Durant scores with a jab to the body.
Nice cross by Durant.
Jenkins looks to score with a jab to the body but Durant is just out of range.
Durant throws a quick inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Durant lands a nice hook to Jenkins's body. Jenkins takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Jenkins 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.
Durant wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Jenkins chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Durant can pounce on him.
Durant lands with an overhand left.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Jenkins takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Jenkins has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Durant looks to throw the jab but Jenkins is out of range.
Durant throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Jenkins on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Durant looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Sonny Durant seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jenkins scores with a hook.
A head kick misses from Jenkins.
Durant stuns Jenkins with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Durant throws a leg kick which misses Jenkins's front leg but catches the back leg as Jenkins tries to avoid it.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Jenkins lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Durant has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Durant and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Jenkins tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Durant was well out of range. Poor timing from Jenkins.
Sonny Durant is winning the standup battle so far.
Jenkins tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

Jenkins darts in and clinches Durant up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jenkins taking a breather.
Durant makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Durant working aggressively here.
Jenkins lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Jenkins softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A nice left hand lands by Durant.
Jenkins lands an uppercut.

Jenkins pulls guard effortlessly.
Durant passes Jenkins's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Jenkins trying to control but Durant postures up.
Jenkins is refusing to be controlled, as Durant sits in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jenkins is trying to get back to full guard.
Durant trying to control the action but Jenkins is working from the bottom.
Jenkins regains full guard. Nicely done.
Durant pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Jenkins is keeping the position for now.
Jenkins working a defensive guard but Durant manages to pass into side control anyway.
Jenkins is not content to let Durant control the position.

Durant tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Durant wants to control but Jenkins is keeping him busy.
Jenkins can't do much from the bottom here.
Jenkins regains half guard.
Jenkins is looking to improve his position.
Durant is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Jenkins can do to turn this around?
Jenkins is trying to maintain the position but Durant is very close to passing his half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sonny Durant dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Jenkins waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Durant.
Jenkins shoots in looking for a takedown. Durant tries to sprawl out of it but Jenkins keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Durant manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Jenkins fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Durant pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Jenkins misses with an uppercut
and Durant counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Durant fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Jenkins manages to avoid it.
Durant connects with a nice looking jab.
Durant lands with a straight right. Jenkins didn't see that one coming.

Jenkins is rocked!
Jenkins switches off momentarily and Durant cracks him with a monster right hand! Jenkins topples backwards and makes a semi conscious attempt to cover up, as Durant dives in to land one more shot, before the referee has time to call the fight. What a finish by Durant!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:58 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Sonny Durant!
During a confident post fight interview, Sonny Durant thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.