PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rauno Tonts (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hawk Bennett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tonts comes to the cage accompanied by DMX - Intro. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Tonts
vs
Bennett

195 cm
19
256 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

188 cm
21
220 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rauno Tonts!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Hawk Bennett!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Daniel Franklin and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice takedown defense from Bennett. No joy for Tonts on that attempt.

Tonts looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Tonts won't allow Bennett to sweep him here.
Bennett striking from the bottom here.
Tonts postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Tonts preventing the sweep.
Bennett is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Bennett trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Bennett trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Bennett throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Bennett stuffs the takedown.

Bennett scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Bennett working the head and body with strikes.
Bennett has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Tonts on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
You can see the frustration on Tonts's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Bennett cracks Tonts with a big elbow.
Bennett lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Tonts down.
Tonts is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Bennett off and has taken his back!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bennett breaks Tonts's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Bennett in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Bennett with a flurry of punches that miss.
Bennett works over Tonts with some ground and pound from guard.
Bennett scoring with punches to the head and body.
Bennett looks gassed!
Bennett scoring with some ground and pound.
Bennett postures up and lands a big shot to Tonts's brow.
Bennett trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Bennett throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Tonts works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Tonts lands a decent shot there.
Tonts looking to control.
Tonts bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Bennett's guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Tonts's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Bennett throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bennett striking from the bottom.
Tonts lands a couple of digs.
Tonts is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bennett tries to strike from the bottom.
Bennett wants to sweep here but Tonts controlling him for the moment.
Bennett throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Bennett keeping moving, preventing Tonts from controlling successfully.
Bennett wants to stand up but Tonts is controlling him.
Tonts wants to control from the top but Bennett keeps moving.
Bennett throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Tonts has his takedown stuffed

and Bennett counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rauno Tonts. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bennett is nestled in close to Tonts, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Bennett throwing shots but Tonts is blocking nicely.
Bennett not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tonts is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Bennett scores with a couple of nice shots.
Bennett lands strikes from half guard.
Tonts blocking the ground and pound attempt from Bennett.
Tonts slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Bennett postures up and lands a big shot to Tonts's brow.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Bennett shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Tonts takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Bennett landing punches.
Tonts takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Bennett is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Tonts can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
BOOM! Bennett connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Tonts tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Bennett connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tonts wants to control but Bennett is having none of it.
Bennett with a couple of short strikes.
Bennett landing strikes from the mount and Tonts is in trouble!
Bennett scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Bennett lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Bennett landing strikes, looking to finish!
Tonts is wriggling around trying to escape.
Bennett with good strikes from the mount here!
Bennett looking to finish Tonts with some ground and pound. This is bad for Tonts!
Bennett landing strikes from the mount.
Bennett working Tonts over with strikes here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Bennett landing strikes from the mount.
Bennett working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Bennett working the ground and pound effectively.
Bennett lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hawk Bennett dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Bennett is looking to clinch.
Rauno Tonts is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bennett misses with a takedown attempt

and Tonts decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Bennett's guard.
Bennett looking for a sweep. Not yet Bennett, not yet.
Bennett throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Tonts wants to pass the guard but Bennett is keeping the position.
Tonts takes a decent strike to the side of the head.
Tonts lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Bennett wants to sweep here but Tonts controlling him for the moment.
Bennett looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Tonts puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.
Bennett is not content to let Tonts control the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Tonts throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Bennett's head.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tonts with a poor takedown
and Bennett counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

Bennett shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Bennett lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Tonts is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Bennett scores with a couple of nice shots.
Tonts tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Bennett scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Bennett looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Tonts with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Bennett sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Tonts defending well though.
Bennett seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Bennett lands with a punch from half guard.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Tonts looks to clinch

and Bennett counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Tonts!
Bennett lands a nice shot to the head.
Tonts can't escape the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bennett working Tonts over with strikes here.
Bennett landing shots from mount.
Tonts is trying desperately to improve position.
Tonts throwing hammer fists to the chest of Bennett. What's that going to do exactly?
Bennett dominating with strikes here.
Tonts wants to control but Bennett is having none of it.
Bennett in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Bennett looking to finish Tonts with some ground and pound. This is bad for Tonts!
Bennett postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Tonts looks a forlorn figure.
Bennett breaks from Tonts's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Bennett pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
A nice elbow there by Bennett.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bennett looking to finish Tonts with some ground and pound. This is bad for Tonts!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bennett with good strikes from the mount here!
The referee warns Tonts that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Bennett looking to finish Tonts with some ground and pound. This is bad for Tonts!
Hawk Bennett has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bennett lands a nice shot to the head.
Bennett lands a big elbow.
Bennett fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Bennett landing strikes, looking to finish!
A nice elbow there by Bennett.
The referee warns Tonts that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Bennett working Tonts over with strikes here.
Bennett won't let Tonts get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Tonts is wriggling around trying to escape.
Bennett working the ground and pound effectively.
Tonts working to try and regain half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Bennett with shots to the head and body - Tonts looks very uncomfortable down there.
Tonts tries to reverse the position but Bennett maintains control.
Bennett blocks Tonts's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Tonts is looking to get to half guard.
Bennett lands with some strikes.
Bennett putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Bennett lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Bennett has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tonts's face.
Tonts throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Tonts taking shots to the head.
Bennett has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tonts's face.
Bennett punishing his opponent with strikes.
Bennett punishing his opponent with strikes.
Tonts in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Hawk Bennett will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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. And we move into the final round!

Tonts fails with the takedown

and Bennett counters with a nice double leg into side control. Tonts won't be happy with that.
Tonts on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Bennett lands a nice forearm strike.
Bennett advances to full mount.
Bennett pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Tonts takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Bennett working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Bennett lands a nice shot to the head.
Tonts landing with some feeble shots from his back... He should probably try escaping the position instead.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Bennett cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Tonts tries to lock up and control but Bennett gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bennett with a couple of short strikes.
Tonts is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Bennett breaks from Tonts's wrist control and lands an elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Bennett cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Bennett landing shots from mount.
Tonts is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Tonts is desperately trying to improve his position but Bennett has a good base and remains in mount.
Bennett scoring with strikes but Tonts is staying in there.
Bennett breaks from Tonts's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Bennett is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Bennett connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Bennett is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Tonts slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Bennett lands with a punch from half guard.
Bennett scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Bennett looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Bennett looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Tonts with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Bennett looks to land a strike but Tonts avoids it nicely and regains full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tonts wants to sweep here but Bennett controlling him for the moment.
Bennett makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Tonts is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Bennett fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Tonts sprawls well initially but Bennett persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Bennett looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Bennett lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Bennett scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Tonts has hold of Bennett's hands but Bennett slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Tonts won't allow Bennett to pass to mount.
Tonts manages to get to full guard.
Bennett content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bennett throwing strikes but missing.
Bennett throwing strikes but missing.
Bennett is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Bennett is working Tonts over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Tonts is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Bennett looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Bennett is working Tonts over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Bennett postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Bennett postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Bennett throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Bennett avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bennett lands a couple of elbows.
Bennett stopping the sweep attempt from Tonts.
Bennett lands a couple of digs.
Tonts will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Bennett shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Bennett landing punches.
Bennett is landing with some decent strikes but Tonts is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Tonts gets back to half guard.
Bennett seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Tonts trying to control here.
Rauno Tonts has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Hawk Bennett is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Bennett is trying to control the action in half guard but Tonts is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hawk Bennett comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Bennett winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 27:30
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hawk Bennett!