PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Tormund Giantsbane (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tom Stroud (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Giantsbane might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Entrance Michal Bicki. Stroud comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Vallenfyre - Iconoclast kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Giantsbane
vs
Stroud

180 cm
26
157 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

178 cm
27
168 lbs
14 - 12 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Powerful

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 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Tormund Giantsbane!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 12 - 0, fighting out of London, Tom Stroud!
The judges for this bout are James Atkins, Daniel Bishop and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stroud is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Giantsbane ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Stroud moves away.
Stroud misses with an attempted mid kick.
Stroud gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Giantsbane scores with a crisp jab that stopped Stroud in his tracks.
Stroud tries to score a power double leg takedown but Giantsbane sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Stroud somewhat.
Giantsbane lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Stroud at a distance.
Stroud swings widly with a right hand
and Giantsbane counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Stroud misses with a wild body shot.
Giantsbane bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Stroud's head.
Giantsbane with a nice cross.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Giantsbane throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

Stroud pushes Giantsbane up against the cage in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud is controlling him.
Stroud tries for a takedown. No joy.

Stroud breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Stroud ducks right into an uppercut from Giantsbane.
Stroud with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Giantsbane to score with a decent uppercut.
Tormund Giantsbane is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Stroud throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Giantsbane stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Stroud staying out of range there.
Stroud throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Giantsbane counters with a left to the body.
Stroud fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Giantsbane manages to avoid it.
Stroud misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Tormund Giantsbane has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tom Stroud.

Stroud moves into the clinch.

Stroud manages to break the clinch.
Giantsbane darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Giantsbane slaps away a takedown attempt from Stroud, before circling back to the center of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nice jab there from Giantsbane.
Stroud on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Stroud stalks Giantsbane and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Giantsbane's face. Giantsbane staggers backwards, shaken.
Stroud looks to land a left hand but Giantsbane moved out of range nicely.
Stroud wants to clinch up but Giantsbane keeps it at a distance.
Stroud catches Giantsbane with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Stroud shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Giantsbane defends it nicely.
Stroud scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Stroud throws a series of punches but Giantsbane avoids them all with ease.
Giantsbane lands a right hook to the body.
Giantsbane is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Stroud takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Stroud.
Stroud looks winded!
A big right from Giantsbane misses.
Stroud misses with a wild body shot.
Giantsbane throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Stroud gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Stroud keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Giantsbane's efforts to push away.
Giantsbane tries to break the clinch but Stroud is controlling the position.
Stroud goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Giantsbane tries to break free but Stroud pushes him back against the cage.
Stroud prevents Giantsbane from breaking the clinch.

Stroud breaks from the clinch.
Stroud jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Stroud displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Giantsbane throws out the jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Giantsbane slips a straight right by Stroud.
Giantsbane moves out of range of the strikes.
Stroud fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Giantsbane is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Giantsbane ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Giantsbane misses with an uppercut. Stroud saw that one coming.
Some wild striking there from Stroud.
Stroud looks to land a combination but Giantsbane avoids it well.
Tom Stroud seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Stroud falls off balance throwing a combination
enabling Giantsbane to counter with a crisp jab.
Giantsbane lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Stroud misses with a jab, cross combination.
Giantsbane 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.
Stroud displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Giantsbane throws out the jab.
Giantsbane misses with a wild body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tormund Giantsbane 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.

Stroud keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Giantsbane stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Giantsbane wants it to stay on the feet.
Giantsbane throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Stroud tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Stroud takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Stroud tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Giantsbane paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Stroud tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Tormund Giantsbane is winning the standup battle so far.
Giantsbane takes a swing at Stroud's ribcage but misses.
Stroud throws a lazy uppercut
and Giantsbane cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Stroud staying out of range there.
Giantsbane lands a jab to the head.
Stroud blocks a jab.
Giantsbane connects with a good right hand that stumbles Stroud. Stroud circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Tom Stroud is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Stroud darts in looking for a takedown but Giantsbane gets double underhooks and turns Stroud into the cage.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stroud misses with a straight right.
Stroud throws a right and a left that both miss.
A head kick misses from Stroud.

Stroud has taken the fight to the clinch.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud has him pressed against the cage.
Stroud stalling.
Giantsbane has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

Stroud pulls Giantsbane into guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Stroud trying to control the position here.

Stroud manages to wriggle out and sneak his way back up to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stroud gets through Giantsbane's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.

Stroud breaks from the clinch.
Stroud shoots in and drives through. Giantsbane sprawls well.
Tormund Giantsbane has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tom Stroud.
Stroud throws an ugly left hook that misses
letting Giantsbane counter with a right hand.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Giantsbane swats away the attempt to clinch by Stroud.
Giantsbane scores with a crisp jab that stopped Stroud in his tracks.

Stroud clinches with his opponent.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud is controlling him.

Stroud breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Giantsbane throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Stroud tries for a takedown but Giantsbane sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Giantsbane tests Stroud's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Stroud.
Giantsbane circles away from the clinch attempt.
Giantsbane scores with the left hand. Stroud knows he should have avoided that one.
Stroud defending well as Giantsbane loads up on a big left hand.
Giantsbane lands with a shot to the body.
Giantsbane scores with a hook.
Giantsbane misses with a hook
and Stroud counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Stroud has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Giantsbane punishes Stroud's body with a nice straight punch.
Giantsbane tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Stroud was well out of range. Poor timing from Giantsbane.
Giantsbane swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Stroud.
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!
Giantsbane misses with a straight right.
Stroud clobbers Giantsbane with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Giantsbane tests Stroud's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Stroud scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Stroud moves into the clinch successfully.

Stroud escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Stroud closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Giantsbane is trying to break free.
Stroud fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Giantsbane is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud has him pressed against the cage.
Stroud is trying to drag Giantsbane to the mat but Giantsbane just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Stroud lands a left hand.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud is controlling him.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Tormund Giantsbane will probably get the nod.
That's time! Giantsbane's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Stroud throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Giantsbane throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Stroud tries to clinch
letting Giantsbane counter with a right hand.
Stroud fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Giantsbane checks it well.
Stroud tests Giantsbane's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Stroud misses with the combination.

Giantsbane gets tackled into the cage by Stroud. Stroud maintains the clinch.

Stroud escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A telegraphed right hand from Giantsbane misses the target.
Nice shot by Giantsbane.
Giantsbane scores with a decent looking hook.
Stroud walks into a jab.
A swing and a miss from Giantsbane.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stroud takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.

Stroud feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Stroud throwing strikes but missing.
Stroud working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Stroud missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Giantsbane keeping moving, preventing Stroud from controlling successfully.
Stroud in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Stroud wants to pass the guard but Giantsbane is keeping the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stroud trying to control but Giantsbane is working from the bottom.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Tom Stroud was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Giantsbane throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Giantsbane lands a nice shot that snaps Stroud's head back.
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!
Stroud with a jab.
Giantsbane darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Stroud connects with a jab.
Stroud takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Stroud tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Giantsbane defends well and Stroud ends up having to push Giantsbane into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Stroud takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stroud wants to take the fight to the mat but Giantsbane manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Giantsbane is trying to break the clinch but Stroud has him pressed against the cage.
Giantsbane has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

Stroud pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Nice cross by Giantsbane.
Stroud fails with an attempt to clinch.
Stroud throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Giantsbane's waist but Giantsbane gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Stroud off to one side.
Tormund Giantsbane has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tom Stroud.
Stroud uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Giantsbane.
Stroud throws a front kick aimed at Giantsbane's knee but Giantsbane avoids it well.

Stroud takes the fight into the clinch.
Giantsbane wants to get back to striking at distance but Stroud won't allow it.
Stroud tries to work over Giantsbane's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Stroud lands a left hand that snaps the head of Giantsbane backwards.
Giantsbane is looking to break free of the clinch but Stroud has double underhooks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stroud taking a breather.

Giantsbane breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Giantsbane misses with a looping right.
Giantsbane catches Stroud with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Giantsbane fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Stroud looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Giantsbane fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Stroud looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Giantsbane throws a shot to the body.
Stroud wants to clinch.
Giantsbane is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Stroud.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Giantsbane misses the shot to the body.
Tom Stroud has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Giantsbane lands with a shot to the body.
Giantsbane cracks Stroud with an open hand slap.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Tormund Giantsbane.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Giantsbane, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 James Atkins scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 30:27
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tormund Giantsbane!
Tormund Giantsbane made sure to give a little speech post fight, saying 'Har!'.