PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kappa Knox (ranked 1739 p4p, 2001 weight class) and John Lawrence (ranked 67 p4p, 80 weight class). Knox's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, 'Til I Collapse | Eminem. Lawrence has chosen No Surrender as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. I don't know about you partner, but I'm pumped for this one!

Knox
vs
Lawrence

189 cm
27
195
12 - 10 - 0

180 cm
28
195
16 - 11 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Money Inc. (160Q with Proof ) 165$

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 10 - 0, fighting out of London, Kappa Knox!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, John Lawrence!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Stewart Dunkirk and Robert Twigg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Knox slaps away a takedown attempt from Lawrence, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Lawrence pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Lawrence throws a hook to the side of Knox's head but Knox sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
John Lawrence seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Knox moves forwards but Lawrence connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Knox bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Lawrence has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Lawrence misses with a straight left.
Lawrence thumps Knox with a low kick.
Lawrence finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Knox connects with an inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lawrence slips a straight right by Knox.
Knox throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Lawrence drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Knox defends it well.
Lawrence throws a hook to the side of Knox's head but Knox sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Lawrence scores with a jab. Knox acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Lawrence sizes up Knox with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
A big left from Lawrence misses.
Lawrence has his takedown stuffed
and Knox counters with a thumping low kick.
Kappa Knox is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lawrence scores with a jab. Knox acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Lawrence checks a low kick from Knox.

Lawrence moves into the clinch successfully.
Lawrence works on Knox's body with a couple of short punches.

Lawrence pulls guard effortlessly.
Knox postures up.

Lawrence looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Knox sitting in guard here, content to control.
Knox has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Lawrence is looking for a triangle here but Knox uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence tries to buck Knox off but Knox is having none of it.
Knox definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Knox controls the position.
Lawrence is trying to get back to half guard.
Knox controlling from side mount.
Lawrence tries to bench press Knox off him but Knox keeps the position.
Knox tries to move into full mount but can't pass Lawrence's legs.
Knox working away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence is looking for a sweep.
Knox working away.
Lawrence gets back to half guard.
Knox looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Lawrence tries to get to full guard but Knox has control of the leg.
Lawrence regains full guard. Nicely done.
Lawrence is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Lawrence looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Lawrence bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Knox's guard.

Lawrence in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Knox preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lawrence throws a big right hand that misses.
Knox is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Lawrence is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Lawrence throwing strikes from guard but Knox blocks nicely.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lawrence connects with a couple of short punches.
Lawrence looking to pass the guard.
Lawrence is stalling in the full guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

A jab from Lawrence does it's job there.
Knox throws a body shot but no joy.
Lawrence has his takedown stuffed
and Knox makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

Lawrence gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Knox prevents the takedown attempt.

Knox pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Lawrence has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Lawrence scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knox swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Lawrence doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Lawrence finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Knox checks a leg kick.
Lawrence throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Knox listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence misses with a kick to the body.
Lawrence misses the shot to the body.
Knox appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
The fighters circling - Lawrence throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Knox throwing a counter right hand but Lawrence manages to avoid it.
Lawrence tries to work over Knox's front leg with a kick but Knox checks it.
Lawrence misses with a hook.
Knox on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Lawrence throws a leg kick which misses Knox's front leg but catches the back leg as Knox tries to avoid it.
Lawrence swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Knox fires out a quick counter leg kick but Lawrence just manages to avoid it.
Lawrence misses with a leg kick
and Knox counters with a nice low kick that buckles Lawrence's knee momentarily.
Knox is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Lawrence.
Decent striking displayed by Lawrence there.
Knox with the inside leg kick.
Lawrence moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence jabs Knox right on the nose. Knox blinks but takes it well.
Knox displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lawrence throws out the jab.
Knox is looking to counter punch.
Lawrence jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Lawrence looks to throw the jab but Knox is out of range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Knox tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Knox takes a kick to the side of the head.

Lawrence moves into range and clinches up with Knox.
Lawrence is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Knox pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Kappa Knox has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Lawrence.
Knox misses with a hook from the clinch.
Knox working aggressively here.
Lawrence jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Knox walks away with a smile on his face. Lawrence gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Lawrence looks to score with a jab to the body but Knox is just out of range.
Knox uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lawrence.
Knox pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Lawrence waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Knox.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence tests Knox's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Lawrence moves out of range as Knox strikes.
Lawrence connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Lawrence misses with a kick to the body.
Knox is looking to counter with head kicks.
Lawrence misses with a lunging right hand
and Knox counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Lawrence pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Knox takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Nice sprawl there from Knox as Lawrence shoots in.
Knox lands with a thumping leg kick.
Knox paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Lawrence misses with an uppercut. Knox saw that one coming.
A big left from Knox misses.
A left lands for Lawrence.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knox leaves Lawrence with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Knox misses with the body kick
and Lawrence counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A jab from Lawrence misses.
Lawrence throws out a leg kick but Knox moves out of range and Lawrence only half commits.
A clash of legs there as Lawrence blocks the low kick.
Lawrence uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Knox.
A telegraphed right hand from Lawrence misses the target.
Knox throws a looping overhand right but Lawrence ducks down to avoid it.
Knox checks the leg kick.
Knox throws out a loose jab but Lawrence uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lawrence thuds his right hand into Knox's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Knox lands a slapping body shot.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

John Lawrence showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Knox takes one to the side of the head.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Knox. Lawrence shrugs it off though.
Lawrence scores with a shot to the body.
Lawrence throws the left hand but Knox avoids the punch easily.
Knox cracks Lawrence with a good jab.
Lawrence takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Lawrence looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Knox is fending him off so far but Lawrence persists. Nope, Knox circles away and we're back to standing.
Knox missing with a left hand there. Lawrence was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nice defenses there by Knox.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Knox throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A head kick by Lawrence misses
and Knox counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Lawrence keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Knox.
Knox throws a quick inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Lawrence takes a swing at Knox's ribcage but misses.
Knox appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Knox fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Lawrence has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Knox blocks a jab.
Lawrence fails with the takedown
and Lawrence takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Lawrence's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Knox scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Knox displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lawrence throws out the jab.
Lawrence ducks down and throws a hook to the body.

Lawrence moves into the clinch.

Knox breaks the clinch.
Knox jabs Lawrence right on the nose. Lawrence blinks but takes it well.

Lawrence clinches up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence fails to pull guard.
Kappa Knox has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Lawrence.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A short right from Knox.
Knox makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Lawrence goes for a takedown attempt but Knox pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Lawrence takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Lawrence misses with a hook. Knox ducked under it nicely.
Knox ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Knox misses with a body shot.
A telegraphed right hand from Lawrence misses the target.
John Lawrence seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A jab from Knox does it's job there.
Lawrence will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Knox is looking for a counter combo.
Lawrence connects with a crisp jab.
Knox displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lawrence throws out the jab.
Knox motions for Lawrence to come forward. Knox throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
John Lawrence is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Lawrence takes a jab right on the kisser.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Knox comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Lawrence with the inside leg kick.
Knox lands with a straight right. Lawrence didn't see that one coming.

Lawrence is rocked!
A jab from Knox misses.
Knox is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Lawrence.
Lawrence moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Lawrence just misses with a punch to the body.
Lawrence tries to work over Knox's front leg with a kick but Knox checks it.
Knox looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Knox throws a hook but Lawrence avoids it easily.
Lawrence changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Knox connects with a right hand. Lawrence shakes it off.
Lawrence misses with a leg kick.
Lawrence throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Lawrence shoots in but Knox avoids the takedown attempt easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Knox.
Kappa Knox has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Lawrence darts in and clinches Knox up against the cage.
Knox lands with a short punch from the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Knox lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Lawrence tries to pull guard but Knox forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Knox makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Knox displaying some good clinch control by pressing Lawrence up against the cage.
Lawrence being controlled against the cage.

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

And that's the end of the fight!
Kappa Knox showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Lawrence has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Wesley Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Lawrence!
John Lawrence decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.
The defeated Kappa Knox had this to say: '"If you haven't lost in this sport, you haven't fought the right guys yet." (Matt Hughes)'.