PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Cholo Van Gaal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nick Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Johnson has chosen On March The Saints 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.

Van Gaal
vs
Johnson

177 cm
30
162 lbs
16 - 5 - 0

170 cm
26
159 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Sully's Bar & Grill
Spartan Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Cholo Van Gaal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Nick Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Tiny Johnson and Frank Dennis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Van Gaal throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Van Gaal throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Johnson on the side of the head.
Johnson slips under a jab.
Van Gaal misses the jab.
It seemed like Johnson was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
The fighters circling - Johnson throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Van Gaal was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Van Gaal misses with a hook to the body
letting Johnson counter with a right hand.
Johnson is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Van Gaal.
Johnson throws a hook to the side of Van Gaal's head but Van Gaal sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
A slow jab from Johnson misses its intended target.
Van Gaal throws a one two combo.
Van Gaal cracks Johnson with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Van Gaal uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Johnson.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Johnson throws a chopping leg kick but Van Gaal manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Van Gaal throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Johnson on the side of the head.
Johnson misses with a right hand
and Van Gaal counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Johnson misses with a leg kick.
Van Gaal has been working on his boxing with his coaches at O'Brannigans MMA in the buildup to the fight.
Van Gaal throws a looping overhand right but Johnson ducks down to avoid it.
Johnson chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Van Gaal can pounce on him.
Cholo Van Gaal seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Van Gaal throws out a loose jab but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Johnson tries a quick counter leg kick but Van Gaal is wise to it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson digs a good body shot into Van Gaal's ribs.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Van Gaal checks a leg kick.
Van Gaal waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Johnson.
Johnson takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Van Gaal throws an overhand right that lands on Johnson's shoulder, as Johnson tries to avoid the shot.
Johnson throws a half hearted mid kick.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Van Gaal.
Johnson takes a jab right on the kisser.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Van Gaal swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Johnson takes a jab right on the kisser.
Johnson staying out of range there.
Van Gaal misses with a low kick as Johnson jumps back.
Van Gaal loads up on a big right hand but Johnson slips the punch.
Van Gaal throws a leg kick that misses.
Good exchange - Johnson coming out on top.
Johnson lands with a thumping leg kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Van Gaal checks a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van Gaal scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Johnson connects with a looping right hand.
Van Gaal swings for the body but Johnson moves out of range.
Johnson uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Van Gaal.
Cholo Van Gaal is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Johnson is looking to slow Van Gaal down with leg kicks.
Van Gaal moves away from the strike by Johnson.
Van Gaal has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Johnson.
Van Gaal looks to land a left hand but Johnson moved out of range nicely.
Van Gaal misses with an uppercut.
Van Gaal takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Van Gaal misses with a looping left.
A big left from Johnson misses.
A little feinted left hand from Van Gaal on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Johnson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Van Gaal.
Johnson moves away from the strike by Van Gaal.
Johnson misses with a low kick.
Johnson lands with an overhand left.
Van Gaal scores with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Gaal throws a poor cross that misses
and Johnson counters with a stiff right hand.
Johnson is looking to score with low kicks.
A slapping leg kick lands for Johnson.
Van Gaal misses with a hook. Johnson ducked under it nicely.
Van Gaal misses with a lunging right hand
and Johnson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Van Gaal tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Van Gaal.
Van Gaal jabs Johnson right on the nose. Johnson blinks but takes it well.
Van Gaal misses with a wild body shot.
Johnson scoring well with a low kick there.
Decent striking displayed by Johnson there.
Van Gaal missing with a left hand there. Johnson was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Van Gaal misses with a looping right.
Johnson misses with a body shot
and Van Gaal cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Johnson thumps Van Gaal with a low kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Van Gaal. Johnson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Van Gaal lands with a straight right. Johnson didn't see that one coming.
Good work by Van Gaal as he checks the leg kick.
Van Gaal wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Van Gaal.
A good leg kick by Johnson.
Johnson finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Johnson just misses with a punch to the body.
Van Gaal misses with a hook.
Van Gaal throws a combination. Johnson tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Johnson throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Johnson is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Van Gaal.
Van Gaal checks a leg kick.
Johnson moves out of range as Van Gaal strikes.
Sloppy strikes from Van Gaal. Those never looked like landing.
Van Gaal misses the jab.
Van Gaal jabs Johnson to the body, keeping him at a distance.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Van Gaal scores with a leg kick.
That kick from Johnson tenderised Van Gaal's leg. Van Gaal is trying to keep his angry face on.
Johnson drops his hands momentarily and Van Gaal takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Van Gaal defending well as Johnson loads up on a big left hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cholo Van Gaal dominated that round.
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.

Johnson throws a shot to the body.
Johnson lands a nice shot to the body.
Van Gaal swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Johnson throws the left hand but Van Gaal avoids the punch easily.
Johnson bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Van Gaal's head backwards.
Van Gaal throws an overhand right that lands on Johnson's shoulder, as Johnson tries to avoid the shot.
Johnson takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Van Gaal throws a lazy right hand but Johnson sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Johnson staying out of range there.
Johnson fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Van Gaal misses with an uppercut. Johnson saw that one coming.
Van Gaal takes a swing at Johnson's ribcage but misses.
Johnson's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Van Gaal connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Johnson scrambles back to his feet.
Van Gaal checks a leg kick nicely.
As Johnson tries to get set, Van Gaal tries to push him back and clinch up but Johnson manages to avoid the attempt.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Van Gaal misses with a wild body shot.
Van Gaal throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Johnson.
Van Gaal lands a jab to the nose.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson throws a big shot that misses.
That kick from Johnson tenderised Van Gaal's leg. Van Gaal is trying to keep his angry face on.
Johnson wants to slow Van Gaal down by chopping away at his legs.
Johnson throws a hook but Van Gaal blocks it.
A little feinted left hand from Van Gaal on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Van Gaal tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Van Gaal.
Johnson throws out a counter right but Van Gaal avoids it with no problem.
Johnson misses with a low kick.
Johnson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Van Gaal.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Van Gaal, as that shot connected.
Van Gaal throws the left hand but Johnson avoids the punch easily.
Johnson thows a leg kick but Van Gaal checks it
and Van Gaal counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Johnson staying out of range there.
Johnson drops his hands momentarily and Van Gaal takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Van Gaal looks to land a left hand but Johnson moved out of range nicely.
Cholo Van Gaal is winning the standup battle so far.
Johnson lands with a nice body punch.
Nice jab there from Johnson.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Johnson checks the leg kick.
Johnson is looking to chop away at Van Gaal's legs.
Van Gaal is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Johnson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson punishes Van Gaal's body with a nice straight punch.
Johnson throws a shot from downtown. Van Gaal moves away and avoids it.
Johnson fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Van Gaal has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
A nice inside leg kick there by Johnson. That's going to slow Van Gaal down.
Van Gaal tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Johnson paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A nice side step and Johnson releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Van Gaal sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Johnson dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
An inside leg kick from Johnson misses.
Johnson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Van Gaal checks the leg kick.
Johnson throws a jab when Van Gaal was well out of range.
Van Gaal is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Johnson.
Van Gaal takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
An inside leg kick from Johnson misses.
Van Gaal ducks under a wild hook from Johnson.
Van Gaal swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Johnson ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Van Gaal moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Van Gaal.
Van Gaal scores with a shot to the body.
Van Gaal throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Johnson looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Van Gaal jabs at Johnson's body.
Johnson with a jab.
Van Gaal scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Johnson is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Van Gaal.
Johnson throws out a loose jab but Van Gaal uses good head movement to avoid it.
Johnson keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Van Gaal.
Johnson ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Van Gaal misses with a hook to the body
and Johnson counters with a leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Johnson ducks under a wild hook from Van Gaal.
Johnson tries a low kick but Van Gaal avoids it.
Van Gaal looks to throw the jab but Johnson is out of range.
Johnson jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson throws a body punch but Van Gaal moves out of range.
Johnson takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Van Gaal takes a jab right on the kisser.
Van Gaal bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Van Gaal misses with a lunging right hand
and Johnson counters with a nice uppercut.
Van Gaal rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Johnson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Johnson slips under a jab.
Johnson shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
A decent looking cross lands there for Johnson.
Van Gaal misses the jab.
Van Gaal lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Johnson connects with a solid leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Johnson throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Johnson throws a nice outside leg kick.
Johnson takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Van Gaal tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Van Gaal.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Nick Johnson will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Johnson wants to clinch up but Van Gaal keeps it at a distance.
Van Gaal thuds his right hand into Johnson's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Johnson lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Johnson is looking to chop away at Van Gaal's legs.
Van Gaal looks to throw the jab but Johnson is out of range.
Johnson turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Van Gaal needs to keep his hands up - Johnson had a free shot at his head there.

Johnson clinches up with Van Gaal and pushes him back against the cage.
Van Gaal goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Van Gaal throws a head punch that misses.
Johnson blocks a body shot from Van Gaal.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johnson lands a body shot in the clinch.
Van Gaal misses with some punches.

Johnson breaks the clinch.
Johnson on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Van Gaal just misses with a punch to the body.
A left lands for Van Gaal.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Gaal lands a jab to the nose.

Johnson is rocked!
A slapping leg kick lands for Johnson.
Van Gaal is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Van Gaal throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Johnson uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Van Gaal.
Johnson uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Van Gaal.
Johnson slips a straight right by Van Gaal.
Van Gaal dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Johnson moves away from the strike by Van Gaal.
Van Gaal misses with a wild combination.
Johnson loads up on a big right hand but Van Gaal slips the punch.
Van Gaal misses with a hook.
Van Gaal misses with a hook
and Johnson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnson connects with a leg kick. Van Gaal looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Van Gaal stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Johnson.
Johnson lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Johnson thumps Van Gaal with a low kick.
Johnson misses with a wild body shot.
Johnson misses with a looping right.
A looping hook to the body misses from Van Gaal. Johnson does a little dance to reset his feet.
The fighters circling - Van Gaal throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Van Gaal misses with a hook.
Johnson misses with a low kick as Van Gaal jumps back.
Van Gaal avoids the body shot from Johnson.
Van Gaal walks into a left hand.
Van Gaal slips a jab from Johnson.
Van Gaal jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Johnson jabs at Van Gaal's body.
Johnson pivots, looking for a leg kick but Van Gaal is out of range and Johnson settles back down.
Van Gaal jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Johnson tries to clinch up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Gaal throws out a loose jab but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Van Gaal stuns Johnson with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Johnson lands a nice leg kick that just misses Van Gaal's sensitive parts.
Johnson uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Van Gaal.
Johnson avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Johnson takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Van Gaal throws a shot from downtown. Johnson moves away and avoids it.
A little jabbing left from Johnson on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Van Gaal ducks under a wild hook from Johnson.
Van Gaal throws a left and a right that both miss
and Johnson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Van Gaal moves forwards but Johnson connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Johnson shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Van Gaal as he jumps to the side.
Van Gaal swings for the body but Johnson moves out of range.
Van Gaal steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Johnson.
Van Gaal throws a good cross that connects.
Johnson fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Van Gaal on the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A slapping leg kick lands for Johnson.

Johnson gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Johnson struggles to land a body shot inside as Van Gaal controls his hands.
Van Gaal swings wildly with an uppercut but Johnson uses good head movement to avoid it.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Johnson.
Van Gaal swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Van Gaal misses with a short punch on the inside.
Johnson has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Johnson tries for a takedown but Van Gaal manages to get underhooks.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Johnson throws a head punch that misses.
Van Gaal lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Van Gaal lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A short left from Van Gaal.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Van Gaal.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Cholo Van Gaal.
Well Van Gaal has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Chris Downing scores the fight 29:28
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Dennis scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cholo Van Gaal!
A very excited looking Cholo Van Gaal made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.