PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Sydney Raised (ranked 3794 p4p, 25174 weight class) and John Thomas (ranked 76 p4p, 110 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Raised
vs
Thomas

168 cm
25
130
2 - 0 - 0

183 cm
25
182
1 - 4 - 0

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Heavy handed

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Sydney Raised!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, John Thomas!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot by Thomas.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Raised.

Raised looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Raised slows the pace down.

Raised wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Thomas, who protects the arm well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thomas wants to control but Raised postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas throws an elbow to the body but it doesn't land.
Thomas wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!
Raised wants to control but Thomas is keeping him busy.
Raised controlling the position from side mount.

Raised is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Thomas is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Raised moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's two 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.

Raised is trying to get an arm triangle but Thomas is defending well.
You can see the frustration on Thomas's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Thomas fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Raised takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

Raised has taken the fight to the clinch.
Thomas stalling in the clinch but Raised improves position.

Raised has clasped his hands together around Thomas's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.

Thomas sneaks out the side door and pushes Raised away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Raised clinches up with Thomas and pushes him back against the cage.

Raised successfully pulls guard.
Thomas must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Raised bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Thomas's guard.

Raised wants to pass the guard but Thomas is keeping the position.
Raised controls from within his opponent's guard.
Raised looking to pass the guard.
Thomas is wriggling around but Raised manages to pass to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Raised seems to be looking for submissions.
Raised is keen to just control but Thomas is a slippery customer.
We've been informed that Thomas has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Raised working Thomas over with strikes.
Thomas manages to get to full guard.
Raised sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Thomas's guard.
Thomas has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Raised is working away from the top position though.
Raised wants to pass to mount but Thomas is defending the position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Sydney Raised dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Thomas getting the better of the striking in that exchange.

Raised darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Thomas trying to control but Raised postures up.
Thomas holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
Thomas is looking for a sweep. Raised is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Raised lands a nice short elbow.
Thomas is looking to improve his position.
Raised stalling away here and it's allowed Thomas to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Raised not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Thomas has Raised pulled in close to control his posture.
Raised trying to control the position from guard on top but Thomas is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Raised won't allow Thomas to sweep him here.
Raised throws a big elbow that misses.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Raised postures up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
John Thomas is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Thomas misses the shot to the body.

That's two 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.

Raised drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Raised looking to pass the guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Thomas is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Raised tries to free his leg and advance position but Thomas is retaining full guard.
Raised might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Raised preventing the sweep.
Raised seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Raised tries to free his leg and advance position but Thomas is retaining full guard.
Raised keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Thomas's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raised trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Thomas trying to keep a closed guard but Raised is proving a slippery customer.
Raised showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Thomas connects with a nice looking jab.

Raised shoots in and gets a takedown into Thomas's guard.
Thomas trying to keep a closed guard but Raised is proving a slippery customer.
Raised is working Thomas over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Thomas is trying to keep Raised in close.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomas wants to sweep but no luck.
Raised sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Raised preventing the sweep.
Sydney Raised overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Raised slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Thomas lands a head shot.
Thomas scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Thomas lunges at Raised with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Raised's hand.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but John Thomas will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Raised needs to keep his hands up - Thomas had a free shot at his head there.
Raised ducks under a wild hook from Thomas.
Raised walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Thomas has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

Raised shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Thomas's guard.
Thomas is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Raised's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Raised with a flurry of punches that miss.

Raised gets to his feet - Thomas follows without any prompting.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nice body punch from Thomas.

Thomas rushes Raised and presses him up against the cage.

Raised ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Raised no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Raised controlling Thomas's posture.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas wants to control from the top but Raised keeps moving.
Raised seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Thomas wants to control from the top but Raised keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Raised throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Raised looking to hit a scissor sweep but Thomas is one step ahead there.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
John Thomas seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Jab from Thomas.
Sydney Raised is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thomas lands with a hook. Raised tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

Raised throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Thomas tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Raised is in Thomas's guard.
Raised controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Thomas bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Raised's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomas showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Thomas throws an elbow that misses. Raised uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Thomas's guard. Nice move by Raised!

Thomas controls Raised momentarily but Raised frees himself.
Raised looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Thomas tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Thomas looking to control.

Raised stands and steps away. Thomas gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Raised fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Thomas sprawls well initially but Raised persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Raised is pressing down on Thomas's thigh, looking to free his foot. Thomas is holding on for now.
Thomas wants to improve his position but Raised is controlling well.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Raised is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to John Thomas.
I think Thomas 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Sydney Raised!