PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Gurney Halleck (ranked 388 p4p, 44 weight class) and Brian Jones (ranked 573 p4p, 66 weight class). Halleck's entrance music is Simple Minds - Changeling. A fine choice. Jones has chosen Take my hand as his entrance music. Gurney Halleck has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Halleck
vs
Jones

183 cm
29
158 lbs
15 - 9 - 0

165 cm
30
146 lbs
17 - 11 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Zenith Nutrition (160q/225$)
Aspire Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 9 - 0, fighting out of New York, Gurney Halleck!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Brian Jones!
The judges for this bout are Ian Loll, Elvis Blanc and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jones takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Gurney Halleck seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Halleck throws a leg kick that misses.
Jones avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Halleck ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Jones moves away.
Halleck misses with a series of wild punches.
A jab from Halleck does it's job there.
Jones uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Halleck.
Jones feints a counter leg kick.
Halleck tried to score with a low kick but Jones checks it.

Halleck closes the distance and clinches.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Halleck lands a shot to the body.
Halleck throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Joness head.

Halleck escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Good leg kick by Halleck there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Jones moves out of range of the body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halleck misses with a hook
and Jones counters with an inside leg kick.
Halleck takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Jones avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A jab from Halleck finds it's way through Jones's defenses.
Jones closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Gurney Halleck is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Jones lands with a good body shot.
Halleck has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Jones.

Halleck instigates a clinch.
Halleck misses with a short punch on the inside.
Halleck lands with a left to the head.
Halleck lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Jones backwards.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Halleck lands a left hand.
Jones has Halleck pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Halleck manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Halleck creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Jones trying to land knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Jones breaks the clinch.
Halleck throws a shot to the body.
Jones fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Halleck.
Halleck throws a shot from downtown. Jones moves away and avoids it.
Jones feints a counter leg kick.
Jones slips under a jab.
Halleck looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Halleck misses with a shot to the body
and Jones counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Jones throws the left hand but Halleck avoids the punch easily.

Jones drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Jones looking to sit in guard and control but Halleck gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Halleck engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jones tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Jones bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Halleck's guard.

Halleck wants to sweep but no luck.
Jones wants to control from the top but Halleck keeps moving.
Jones controls from within his opponent's guard.
Jones trying to control but Halleck is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Jones trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Jones looking to sit in guard and control but Halleck gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Halleck stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Jones swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Jones trying to control the position.
Halleck is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

Jones is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Halleck is aware though and is defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gurney Halleck dominated that round.
That's time! Halleck's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Halleck lunges at Jones with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Jones's hand.
Halleck is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Jones can do to turn this around?
Halleck moves into range and connects with a jab.
Halleck lands a nice looking body shot.
Halleck thows a left - swing and a miss!
Jones on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Halleck connects with the punch.
Halleck is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Halleck throws a lazy uppercut
and Jones counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Halleck misses with a left hand
and Jones counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Halleck takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Halleck misses with an uppercut.
Halleck misses with a hook. Jones ducked under it nicely.
Jones thinks about the counter body kick.
Jones finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Halleck dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halleck misses with a wild body shot.
Jones tries a quick counter leg kick but Halleck is wise to it.
Halleck swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Jones.
Jones lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Halleck falls off balance throwing a combination
and Jones counters with a leg kick.
Halleck uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Jones.
Halleck fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Jones looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Jones is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Halleck rather than just go for the knockout.
Sloppy strikes from Halleck. Those never looked like landing.
Halleck misses with an uppercut
and Jones counters with a leg kick.
Halleck throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Jones stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Jones staying out of range there.
Gurney Halleck is winning the standup battle so far.
Jones uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Halleck.
Jones appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jones thuds a left hand into Halleck's body.
Jones ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Halleck swings widly with a right hand
enabling Jones to counter with a crisp jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Halleck tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Jones was well out of range. Poor timing from Halleck.
Jones tries a quick counter leg kick but Halleck is wise to it.
Jones throws a chopping leg kick but Halleck manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Jones lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Jones fails with a takedown attempt.
Jones fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Halleck has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jones ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Jones appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Halleck throws an overhand right that lands on Jones's shoulder, as Jones tries to avoid the shot.
Halleck lands a nice hook to Jones's body. Jones takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.

Halleck instigates a clinch.
Jones goes for a takedown attempt but Halleck pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Halleck jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Halleck swings widly with a right hand
and Jones counters with an outside leg kick.
Halleck swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Jones makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Jones lands a nice looking body shot.
Jones uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Halleck.
Jones thuds a left hand into Halleck's body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halleck throws an off balance right hand
and Jones finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Halleck throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Halleck throws a lazy body kick
and Jones counters with a nice leg kick.
Halleck on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Jones throws a quick inside leg kick.
Halleck throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Halleck throws a body punch but Jones moves out of range.
Halleck misses with a left hand
and Jones counters with a nice low kick that buckles Halleck's knee momentarily.
Halleck throws a poor cross that misses
and Jones makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Halleck misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Jones.
Halleck is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Halleck misses with an uppercut.
Jones wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
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 Gurney Halleck will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. And we move into the final round!

Jones connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Halleck throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Halleck throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Halleck misses with a kick to the body.
Jones drops his hands momentarily and Halleck takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Jones scores with a kick to the midsection.
Jones drops his hands momentarily and Halleck takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Jones uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Halleck.
Jones misses with a low kick as Halleck jumps back.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Halleck wants to clinch
and Halleck takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Halleck misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Jones counters with a nice leg kick.
Jones is looking to slow Halleck down with leg kicks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halleck throws a poor cross that misses
and Jones counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Halleck is looking to clinch but Jones is avoiding it.
Jones replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Halleck blocks it well.
Jones jabs at Halleck's body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Jones walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Halleck throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Jones looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Halleck throws a half hearted mid kick.
Jones missing with a left hand there. Halleck was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Halleck moves in looking to clinch but Jones pushes him off.
Jones doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Jones takes a swing at Halleck's ribcage but misses.
Halleck thows a left - swing and a miss!
Halleck misses with a lunging right hand
and Jones counters with an inside leg kick.
Halleck checks a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halleck lands with a straight right. Jones didn't see that one coming.
Halleck thows a left - swing and a miss!
Halleck scores with a hook.
Jones fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Halleck.
Brian Jones has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Halleck scores with a shot to the body.
Jones slips a jab from Halleck.
Halleck connects with a nice looking jab.
Halleck throws an overhand right that lands on Jones's shoulder, as Jones tries to avoid the shot.
Jones tries to work over Halleck's front leg with a kick but Halleck checks it.
Jones lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Halleck moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jones slips under a jab.
Jones blocks a low kick nicely.
Good exchange - Halleck coming out on top.
Halleck misses with a left hand
and Jones counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Jones lands a right hook to the body.
Halleck fakes the leg kick and cracks Jones in the body.
Jones scores with a shot to the body.
Gurney Halleck is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Halleck misses with a body kick.
A nice side step and Jones releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Jones lands with an uppercut that bounces Halleck off the cage and back into range.
Halleck avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Halleck tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Jones paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Jones was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
A lazy body kick from Halleck
and Jones counters with a low kick, right behind Halleck 's knee.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A shot to the liver by Halleck. Beautiful body shot.
Halleck checks a leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Halleck checks the leg kick nicely there.
Halleck lunges at Jones with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Jones's hand.
Jones throws a body punch but Halleck moves out of range.
Halleck is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Jones.
Jones feints a counter leg kick.
Halleck throws a body kick that misses.
Halleck looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Jones feints a counter leg kick.
Halleck keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Jones displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Halleck throws out the jab.
Halleck fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Jones on the side of the head.
Halleck throws a big shot that misses.

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 Gurney Halleck.
Well Halleck 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 Ian Loll scores the fight 30:28
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:28
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Gurney Halleck!
Post fight, an emotional Gurney Halleck said 'https://soundcloud.com/spinmanfinn'.