PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Balrog Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kevin Matthews (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Matthews has chosen Disturbed-Conflict as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Kevin Matthews acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Johnson
vs
Matthews

192 cm
25
223 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

185 cm
26
210 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Balrog Johnson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Kevin Matthews!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Jonathan Paton and David Schapiro.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johnson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Matthews.
Matthews pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Matthews fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Matthews throws a hook to the side of Johnson's head but Johnson sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Matthews tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Johnson swivels and escapes.
Johnson darts in and out, connecting with a jab.

Johnson clinches up with Matthews and pushes him back against the cage.

Matthews escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Matthews takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Matthews misses with a shot to the body
and Johnson counters with a straight right hand.
Johnson jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Johnson misses with a body shot.
Matthews takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Matthews looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Johnson is fending him off so far but Matthews persists. Nope, Johnson circles away and we're back to standing.
Balrog Johnson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kevin Matthews.
Johnson fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Jab, jab by Johnson - just one landing.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnson with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Johnson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Matthews walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Matthews takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Johnson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kevin Matthews seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Johnson fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Balrog Johnson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Matthews misses with a double jab
letting Johnson counter with a right hand.
Matthews looks gassed!
Matthews doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Johnson counters with a nice uppercut.
Matthews is trying desperately to land a takedown but Johnson is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for Matthews.
Matthews closes the distance but Johnson moves to the side
and Johnson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Matthews looks to land a left hand but Johnson moved out of range nicely.
Matthews moves to clinch but Johnson breaks away
and Johnson counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Johnson gets a clinch.
Johnson is leaning against Matthews and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Matthews wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Matthews misses with a hook to the ribs.
Johnson lands a body punch.
Matthews misses with a punch to the body.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Johnson takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
A right hook to the body lands for Johnson.
Johnson gets through Matthews's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Johnson lands a shot to the body.
Nice body punch from Johnson.
Johnson is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
A short uppercut from Johnson.
Johnson lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Johnson is working Matthews over against the cage.
Johnson pressing his opponent against the cage.
Matthews tries to break free but Johnson pushes him back against the cage.
A short uppercut from Johnson.
Johnson lands a damaging elbow.
Johnson digs a right hand into Matthews's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Matthews's gas tank.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Matthews fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Johnson working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Johnson lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Johnson lands with a right to the head.
Johnson lands with a left to the head.
Johnson digs a right hand underneath Matthews's ribcage. Matthews let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Johnson cracks Matthews with a nice body shot.
Johnson utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Nice body punch from Johnson - that landed with a thud.
Johnson lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Johnson gets through Matthews's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Matthews is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Johnson digs a right hand underneath Matthews's ribcage. Matthews let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Johnson pushes Matthews back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Johnson gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Johnson lands an elbow inside that Matthews shrugs off.
Johnson lands a left hand that snaps the head of Matthews backwards.
Johnson lands a left hand.
Matthews is trying to break free.
Johnson scores with a shot to the side of Matthews's head.
Matthews has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Matthews avoiding damage as Johnson throws knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson blocking some punches.
Johnson is leaning against Matthews and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Nice body punch from Johnson.
Johnson pushes Matthews back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Come on Johnson - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
A right hook to the body lands for Johnson.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Johnson lands a left hand that snaps the head of Matthews backwards.
Matthews letting Johnson take a breather here.
Matthews is trying to break the clinch but Johnson has him pressed against the cage.
Matthews's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Matthews wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Johnson lands a body shot.
Johnson lands an elbow just above Matthews 's eye.
Johnson throws a head punch that misses.
Matthews tries to throw a body punch but Johnson avoids it by throwing Matthews back against the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Johnson lands a hook that snaps the head of Matthews backwards.
Johnson lands a body punch in the clinch.
Johnson is leaning against Matthews and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Johnson working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Johnson prevents a takedown attempt there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Balrog Johnson 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 connects with a good right hand that stumbles Matthews. Matthews circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Johnson slips a straight right by Matthews.
Matthews misses with a straight right.
Johnson blocks a jab.
Matthews shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Johnson sprawls well. Johnson wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Matthews gets slowly back to his feet.
Johnson smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Johnson lands a right hand that snaps the head of Matthews backwards.
Johnson misses with a hook to the ribs.
Still in the clinch, Johnson scores with a nice short uppercut.
Matthews drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Matthews is breathing heavily.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Matthews throws a combination that misses
letting Johnson counter with a right hand.
A looping hook to the body misses from Johnson. Matthews does a little dance to reset his feet.
Matthews wants to clinch
and Johnson counters with a stiff right hand.
Matthews closes the distance looking to clinch
enabling Johnson to counter with a crisp jab.
Matthews shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Johnson counters with a nice uppercut.
Balrog Johnson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kevin Matthews.
Matthews misses with a combination
and Johnson counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Matthews is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Matthews misses with a takedown attempt
and Johnson cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matthews wants to clinch
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
enabling Johnson to counter with a crisp jab.
Johnson uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Matthews.
Matthews falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Johnson counter with a right hand.
No luck for Matthews with that takedown attempt.
Jab from Johnson.
Balrog Johnson is winning the standup battle so far.
A decent looking cross lands there for Johnson.
Kevin Matthews is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Johnson connects with a body shot that sends Matthews's belly button to the back.
Nice body punch from Johnson.
Johnson jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Matthews has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Johnson digs a good body shot into Matthews's ribs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Matthews looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Johnson scores with the left hand. Matthews knows he should have avoided that one.
Johnson lands a nice hook to Matthews's body. Matthews takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Matthews fails with a takedown attempt.
Johnson lands with an uppercut that bounces Matthews off the cage and back into rage.
Matthews misses with an uppercut.
Matthews tries for a takedown but Johnson circles away easily
and Johnson counters with a left to the body.
Matthews shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Matthews takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Johnson circles away from the clinch attempt

and Johnson counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Johnson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Johnson throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Matthewss head.

Matthews's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Johnson thuds his right hand into Matthews's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Matthews shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Matthews looks to clinch
and Johnson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnson thuds a left hand into Matthews's body.
Johnson lands an overhand right.
Matthews tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Johnson holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Johnson lands a hook to the side of the head.
A hook to the body from Johnson.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Johnson lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Johnson manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Good body shot from Johnson.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Balrog Johnson dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Johnson uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.

Matthews is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Johnson's half guard.
Matthews is looking to advance position but Johnson won't allow it.
Matthews with the ground and pound but Johnson uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Johnson keeping moving, preventing Matthews from controlling successfully.
Matthews throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Johnson works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Matthews tries to stand but Johnson is controlling from the bottom.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matthews pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Johnson is keeping the position for now.
Matthews in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Matthews has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Matthews postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Matthews wanted to stand there but Johnson had control of the position.
Johnson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Matthews thows a big elbow that misses.
Johnson keeping moving, preventing Matthews from controlling successfully.
Matthews sitting in guard here, content to control.
Johnson knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Matthews on the ground.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Johnson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Matthews controls from within his opponent's guard.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Kevin Matthews hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Matthews has a takedown stuffed.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matthews loads up on a big right hand but Johnson slips the punch.
Johnson misses the shot to the body.

Matthews closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Johnson did well to prevent Matthews getting side control.
Matthews missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Johnson keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Matthews works his foot free and advances to mount.
Matthews landing shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matthews postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Johnson looks a forlorn figure.
Johnson avoids a series of strikes thrown by Matthews.
Matthews looking to control but Johnson is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Matthews looking to finish Johnson with some ground and pound. This is bad for Johnson!
Matthews lands a heavy elbow.
Kevin Matthews has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Matthews lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kevin Matthews comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Johnson has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Chad Campbell scores the fight 29:26
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 29:26
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight 29:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Balrog Johnson!