PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Mark St James (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ash Thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). St James's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, On the Eve of War - Jedi Mind Tricks. Ash Thomas is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

St James
vs
Thomas

169 cm
23
163 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

182 cm
26
168 lbs
11 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Mark St James!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ash Thomas!
The judges for this bout are William Peck, Robert Douchet and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
St James misses the shot to the body.
Thomas moves forwards but St James connects with a nice, crisp jab.
St James misses with a hook

so Thomas counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

Thomas gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
St James avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a thumping low kick.
Thomas throws a head kick but St James moves out of range.
Thomas scores with a sloppy right hand. St James should have avoided that one.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a good, hard body kick but St James shrugs it off.
Thomas lands with a kick to the ribs.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
St James tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Thomas counters with a right hand to the body.
Thomas looks to land a left hand but St James moved out of range nicely.
St James scores with a jab.
Thomas moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thomas counters with a body kick that stops St James in his tracks momentarily.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
St James thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas throws a right hand that St James ducks under and follows up with a left that St James also avoids with ease.
St James misses with an uppercut
letting Thomas counter with a right hand.
Thomas thows a body shot but no joy.
Thomas scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Thomas chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Thomas throws a quick head kick that skims the top of St James's head.
Thomas walks into a straight right hand from St James.
St James swings away with a body shot that misses
and Thomas counters with a stiff right hand.
Nice body punch from Thomas.
Nice jab there from Thomas.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thomas thows a left - swing and a miss!
Thomas closes the distance and lands a one-two.
St James moves out of range as Thomas strikes.
St James uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Thomas.
Thomas has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Thomas feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to St James's calf.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St James swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Thomas counters with a stiff right hand.
Thomas misses with a hook.
St James keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
St James lands with a nice combination. Thomas backs away looking to recover.
Thomas motions for St James to come forward. Thomas throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Thomas slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
St James throws a combination that misses
and Thomas counters with a solid body kick.
St James bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
St James throws a right hand that misses
and Thomas connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Thomas throws a series of punches but St James avoids them all with ease.
A jab lands there for St James.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a nice body kick.
Thomas lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
An inside leg kick lands from Thomas.
Thomas is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! St James had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Thomas throws a right and a left that both miss.
Thomas is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St James throws a series of punches but Thomas avoids them all with ease.
Thomas does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
St James throws an off balance right hand
and Thomas counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
St James scores with a jab.
Thomas keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
St James throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Thomas is looking to land body kicks.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps St James thinking.
Thomas tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and St James is able to avoid easily.
St James misses with a lunging right hand
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
Thomas fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. St James looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Thomas doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a straight right hand.
Nice uppercut lands for Thomas. That snapped St James's head back.
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St James misses with a lunging right hand
and St James takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
St James misses with a left hand
and Thomas counters with a straight right hand.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Thomas, as that shot connected.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
St James throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
St James lands a nice hook to Thomas's body. Thomas takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Thomas finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A slow jab from Thomas misses its intended target.
St James bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Thomas's head.
St James misses with a hook
and St James takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Thomas connects with a body shot that sends St James's belly button to the back.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Thomas throws a body punch but St James moves out of range.
Thomas misses with a low kick as St James jumps back.
St James misses with a left hand
and Thomas counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Thomas with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ash Thomas dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

St James misses with a combination
and Thomas counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
St James misses with a telegraphed body shot
letting Thomas counter with a right hand.
St James misses with an uppercut
letting Thomas counter with a right hand.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a thumping low kick.
St James takes a head kick and keeps coming.
St James misses with a left hand
enabling Thomas to counter with a crisp jab.
Thomas moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Thomas in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
St James wants to clinch but Thomas slips to the side
and Thomas makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
A head kick misses from Thomas.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Thomas, as that shot connected.
Thomas thows a left - swing and a miss!
Thomas misses with a head kick.
Thomas scores with a nice head shot.
St James ducks under a wild hook from Thomas.
Thomas tries a low kick but St James avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St James throws a right hand that misses
and Thomas makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. St James really felt that one!
St James throws a lazy uppercut
and Thomas counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Thomas attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Good leg kick by Thomas there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Thomas jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
St James on the wrong end of a nice jab.
St James misses with a left hand
and Thomas counters with an inside leg kick.
St James throws a lazy uppercut
and Thomas counters with a lovely straight right hand!
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a series of strikes. St James will be more careful next time no doubt.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
St James gets cracked there but stands up to it.
St James misses with an uppercut
and Thomas counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
St James throws a nice looking combination but Thomas bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
St James fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Thomas misses with a leg kick.
Thomas has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thomas scores with a leg kick.
St James is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Thomas's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
St James keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
St James uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
St James will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Thomas misses with a straight left.
Thomas attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
St James misses with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a nice kick to the body.
St James throws a lazy uppercut
and Thomas counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
St James swings widly with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Mark St James seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thomas looking to land some kicks to the body here.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Thomas.
St James paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
St James looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
St James throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St James lands a jab to the nose.
St James misses with a hook to the body
letting Thomas counter with a right hand.
St James slips under a jab.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
Thomas goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Thomas lands a leg kick that knocks St James off balance momentarily.
Thomas tries to bum rush St James with a series of wild strikes but St James uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thomas counters with a straight right hand.
St James blocks a low kick nicely.
St James uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Thomas.
Thomas scores with a push kick.
St James swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Thomas counters with a good, hard body kick but St James shrugs it off.
Thomas looks to score with a jab to the body but St James is just out of range.
St James throws a right hand that misses
and Thomas counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a stiff right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thomas makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
St James misses with a body shot
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
St James misses with a lunging right hand
and Thomas counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
St James misses with a hook to the body
and Thomas counters with a right hand to the body.
St James closes the distance looking to clinch
and Thomas counters with a straight right hand.
St James wants to clinch but Thomas slips to the side
and Thomas counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
St James is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Thomas tries a low kick but St James avoids it.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Thomas fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt St James.
Thomas goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
St James throws an off balance right hand
and Thomas counters with a stiff right hand.
St James misses with a left hand
enabling Thomas to counter with a crisp jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ash Thomas 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. This is the final round!

St James misses with a double jab.
St James bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Thomas throws a jab when St James was well out of range.
St James throws a right hand that misses
and Thomas counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
St James swings widly with a right hand
and Thomas counters with a leg kick.
St James tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Thomas counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
St James throws a lazy uppercut
and Thomas finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
St James misses the body punch
and Thomas finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
St James throws out a powerful jab.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! St James crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Thomas - the referee stops the clock and St James gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Thomas. St James manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Thomas connects with an inside leg kick.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a left and a right that stings St James.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
St James takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St James misses with a lunging right hand
and Thomas counters with a left to the body.
Thomas jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Thomas connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Thomas scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Thomas misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from St James.
St James on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Thomas. Thomas obviously looking to wear him down.
St James tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Thomas counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Thomas attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Thomas lands with a thumping leg kick.
Thomas lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
St James walks into a stiff left hand from Thomas.
Thomas throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by St James.
Thomas gets cracked with a nice right hand there by St James.
Mark St James has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St James connects with a right hand. Thomas shakes it off.
Thomas misses with a leg kick.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
Thomas ducks down and throws a hook to the body but St James moves away.
St James is looking to clinch but Thomas is avoiding it.
The crowd cheers as St James lands an impressive looking overhand right. Thomas doesn't seem phased though.
St James is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
St James throws a combination that misses
and Thomas counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. St James is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Thomas takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Thomas keeps the fight on the outside.
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas counters with a right hand to the body.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thomas counters with a nice leg kick.
Thomas throws a looping overhand right but St James ducks down to avoid it.

St James clinches.
A left hand lands to the body for St James.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St James misses with a punch on the inside.
Thomas wants to break the clinch but can't.
St James misses with a short punch on the inside.
St James scores with a shoulder strike.
Thomas blocks a punch to the side of the head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Thomas.
Thomas throws an elbow that misses.
Thomas blocks an uppercut.
St James swings away with an uppercut that misses.
St James scores with an uppercut up the middle.
St James fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Thomas working some nice short punches in the clinch.

Thomas's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
St James throws an ugly left hook that misses
and St James takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Thomas thows a body shot but no joy.
Ash Thomas seems to be getting the better of the standup.
St James misses with a double jab.
St James throws a body punch but Thomas moves out of range.
St James misses with a hook
and Thomas counters with a good low kick that St James was not able to check.
St James uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Thomas.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomas feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits St Jamess jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
St James tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Thomas manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
St James throws an off balance right hand
and Thomas counters with a nice uppercut.
Thomas avoids the body shot from St James.
St James throws a poor cross that misses
and Thomas counters with a good, hard body kick but St James shrugs it off.
St James rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thomas counters with a body kick that stops St James in his tracks momentarily.
St James throws an off balance right hand
and Thomas counters with a straight right hand.
Thomas walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. St James checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
St James throws an off balance right hand
and Thomas counters with an inside leg kick.
St James takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Thomas bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
St James misses with an uppercut
and Thomas counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Thomas chopping away at his opponent's legs.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Thomas is looking to slow St James down with leg kicks.
Thomas's corner calls for a 1-2. Thomas obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ash Thomas comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Thomas 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 William Peck scores the fight 26:30
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 26:30
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ash Thomas!