PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Angel Concepcion (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stephen Hawking (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Concepcion comes into the arena with The Descent blaring out of the sound system. The crowd seem to be enjoying Hawking's choice of entrance music: One Winged Angel by The Black Mages. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Concepcion
vs
Hawking

170 cm
34
155 lbs
34 - 14 - 1

175 cm
36
153 lbs
32 - 12 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Damnfield clothing
Brute

Brute

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 34 - 14 - 1, fighting out of London, Angel Concepcion!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 32 - 12 - 0, fighting out of London, Stephen Hawking!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, Chris Edwards and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A nice combination there by Concepcion.

It looks like Stephen Hawking has been cut.
Concepcion shoots and misses

and Hawking counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Hawking looking to pass the guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Concepcion 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.
Concepcion working a defensive guard here.
Hawking prevents Concepcion from getting back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Angel Concepcion wasn't doing enough on the ground.

Hawking shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Concepcion has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Hawking is working away from the top position though.
Hawking trying to pass the guard but Concepcion defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Concepcion wants to get back to his feet.
Concepcion is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Angel Concepcion wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Hawking tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Concepcion paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Concepcion is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Hawking.
Hawking stuffs the takedown attempt from Concepcion. Concepcion gets slowly back to his feet.

Concepcion shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Hawking is trying to defend but Concepcion finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Concepcion not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Concepcion is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Hawking moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Concepcion passes Hawking's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Hawking blocking the ground and pound attempt from Concepcion.
Concepcion is nestled in close to Hawking, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

Hawking makes his way to full guard, as Concepcion worked for a kimura.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hawking manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Concepcion manages to regain half guard. Good work.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hawking tries to pass the half guard into mount. Concepcion knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Angel Concepcion will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Stephen Hawking's cut.
That's time! Concepcion's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Concepcion misses with a combination
and Hawking counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Concepcion fails with a takedown attempt.
Hawking shoots for a double leg takedown but Concepcion sprawls well. He's pushed Hawking's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Concepcion scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Concepcion misses with a double jab

and Hawking counters by clinching up.

Concepcion's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Hawking stalling in the clinch but Concepcion improves position.
Hawking's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Hawking digs a right hand underneath Concepcion's ribcage. Concepcion let out a lung full of air as it connected.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Concepcion breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Concepcion tries for a takedown but Hawking sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Concepcion doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Concepcion takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Angel Concepcion. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Hawking darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Concepcion is trying to control but can't.
Hawking slips a nice elbow through Concepcion's hands, connecting with Concepcion's forehead.
Concepcion wants to get back to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Concepcion makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Angel Concepcion is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hawking looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Concepcion is fending him off so far but Hawking persists. Nope, Concepcion circles away and we're back to standing.
Hawking blocks a leg kick.
A combination from Concepcion does no damage.
An inside leg kick from Concepcion misses.
Concepcion falls off balance throwing a combination
letting Hawking counter with a right hand.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Concepcion is defended easily by Hawking.
Hawking moves out of range of the body kick from Concepcion.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Concepcion gets caught flat footed, as Hawking shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Concepcion tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Concepcion is wriggling around but Hawking manages to pass to half guard.
Concepcion is trying to control but Hawking manages to pass to mount!
Concepcion is desperately trying to improve his position but Hawking has a good base and remains in mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Concepcion in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Hawking pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Hawking looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Concepcion working to try and regain half guard.
Hawking landing strikes, looking to finish!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Concepcion tries to reverse the position but Hawking maintains control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stephen Hawking showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Stephen Hawking's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Concepcion lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hawking circles away quickly and effectively.
Concepcion wants to clinch.
Concepcion keeps the fight on the outside.
Concepcion tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Concepcion falls off balance throwing a combination

so Hawking counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Concepcion wants to improve his position but instead Hawking has moved into half guard.
Hawking slips a nice elbow through Concepcion's hands, connecting with Concepcion's forehead.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawking stops Concepcion from getting back to his feet.
Hawking uses his free foot to push down on Concepcion's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Concepcion.
Concepcion really wants to buck Hawking off and get back to his feet.
Hawking avoids the attempt from Concepcion to control.
You get the feeling that Concepcion really doesn't like being in this position too much.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hawking lands a big shot there that rocks Concepcion but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Concepcion is trying to escape the mount.
Hawking with a couple of short strikes.
Concepcion keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Hawking has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Concepcion's face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Concepcion is bucking up trying to escape but Hawking cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Concepcion is in all sorts of trouble here.
Hawking lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Concepcion is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Hawking with the ground and pound from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hawking cracks Concepcion with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Concepcion is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Concepcion wants to control but Hawking is having none of it.
Concepcion is trying to escape the mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stephen Hawking really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Stephen Hawking's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Concepcion misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hawking.

Hawking shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Concepcion is trying to defend but Hawking finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Concepcion regains full guard. Nicely done.
Concepcion 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.
Hawking pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Concepcion is keeping the position for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hawking postures up.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Hawking with a flurry of punches that miss.

We're going to have a standup here because Angel Concepcion wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Hawking avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

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.
Concepcion will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Concepcion shoots in and drives through. Hawking sprawls well.
Angel Concepcion is winning the standup battle so far.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Hawking is defended easily by Concepcion.
Hawking has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Concepcion.
Concepcion stuffs the takedown attempt from Hawking. Hawking gets slowly back to his feet.
Concepcion shoots in and drives through. Hawking sprawls well.

Hawking gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Concepcion to score an easy takedown into full guard.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Hawking is on top in guard.
Stephen Hawking has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Concepcion looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Hawking passes into half guard.
Concepcion is trying to stand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Hawking looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Concepcion trying to control from the bottom.
Concepcion is trying to stand.
Hawking passes the guard and advances to mount!
Concepcion can't escape the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Angel Concepcion will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Stephen Hawking's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! 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.

Concepcion throws a combination that misses

and Hawking moves into the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Concepcion throws an elbow but misses.
A shot in the inside from Hawking.
Hawking slowing the pace effectively.
Concepcion blocking some punches.
Hawking pushes Concepcion back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Hawking is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Hawking lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Concepcion wants to stall.
Hawking lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Hawking dodges an elbow strike from Concepcion.
Concepcion misses with a body punch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hawking managing to block the knees to the body from Concepcion.
Hawking lands with a light punch inside.
Concepcion tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hawking avoids it.
Hawking is struggling to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Concepcion has a couple of punches blocked by Hawking.
Hawking dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Hawking has Concepcion pressed against the cage, preventing Concepcion from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Concepcion blocks a body shot from Hawking.
Hawking trying to stall but Concepcion improves his position.
Hawking is leaning against Concepcion and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Hawking manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Still in the clinch, Hawking scores with a nice short uppercut.
Concepcion pushes off an throws an elbow but Hawking leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Concepcion tries a body shot but Hawking blocks it.
Hawking lands with a left to the head.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Concepcion is leaning against Hawking and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hawking blocking some punches.
Concepcion wants to break free but Hawking has control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Hawking.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Concepcion goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short right from Hawking on the inside.
Still in the clinch, Hawking scores with a nice short uppercut.
Hawking lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Hawking wants to stall.
Hawking blocking some punches.
Hawking is trying to stall.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Hawking takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Concepcion blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Hawking keeps control of Concepcion as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Concepcion pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Hawking fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Concepcion avoids it really well and circles away.

Hawking shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Hawking was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hawking landing strikes.
Hawking throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Concepcion pushes Hawking away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Hawking gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Concepcion is working to avoid the ground and pound but Hawking connects with a decent elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Concepcion gets back to half guard.
Concepcion makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Concepcion.
Hawking pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Concepcion is keeping the position for now.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Concepcion looking to control.

And that's the end of the fight!
Stephen Hawking comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Hawking 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 47:48
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 47:48
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Stephen Hawking!
Stephen Hawking is the new featherweight champion!
Stephen Hawking looked relieved post fight as he said the following; 'I am the best lookin, smartest and baddest man on this planet !!! NO ONE CAN DEFEAT ME !!! '.