PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between CJ Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stan Rivers (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Johnson comes to the cage accompanied by 2pac & Dr.Dre - California Love. Rivers has chosen Cyco Vision as his entrance music. 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.

Johnson
vs
Rivers

170 cm
33
144 lbs
28 - 13 - 0

182 cm
29
135 lbs
17 - 11 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, CJ Johnson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 11 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Stan Rivers!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Yves DeLean and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johnson defending well as Rivers loads up on a big left hand.
Rivers pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Rivers throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Johnson fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Rivers keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Johnson looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Rivers is fending him off so far but Johnson persists. Nope, Rivers circles away and we're back to standing.
Rivers looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Johnson throws a hook but Rivers blocks it.
Rivers throws a body punch but Johnson moves out of range.
Rivers throws a sloppy head kick
and Johnson counters with a leg kick.
Rivers tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnson was well out of range. Poor timing from Rivers.
Johnson thuds his shin into the meat of Rivers's side.
Rivers throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Johnson connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Rivers momentarily.
Rivers thows a body shot but no joy.
Rivers misses with a two punch combination.
Johnson fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Rivers manages to avoid it.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Johnson.
Rivers takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Rivers blocks a low kick nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson throws a big shot that misses.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Rivers - that will leave a mark!
Rivers moves out of range as Johnson strikes.
Johnson misses with a wild combination.
Johnson swings for the body but Rivers moves out of range.
Johnson throws a hook but Rivers blocks it.
Rivers misses with a wild combination.
Johnson swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Stan Rivers is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rivers throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rivers misses with the combination.
Johnson walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Rivers checks the leg kick.
Stan Rivers seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A head kick misses from Johnson.
Rivers ducks under a wild hook from Johnson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivers misses with a hook

and Johnson counters with a nice double leg into side control. Rivers won't be happy with that.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Johnson working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Johnson working the head and body with strikes.
Johnson misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Johnson in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Rivers controls the position for a moment.
Rivers is looking to regain half guard here but Johnson keeps moving and retains side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Johnson throws an elbow but Rivers slips to the side and avoids it well.
Rivers taking punishment in the form of punches.
Johnson wants to control but Rivers is keeping him busy.
You can see the frustration on Rivers's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rivers being controlled for a moment.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Johnson trying to control the action but Rivers is working from the bottom.
Johnson working away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Johnson working the ground and pound but Rivers is defending the strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

CJ Johnson dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Rivers jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Johnson on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Nice body punch from Rivers.
Rivers looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Johnson throws a sloppy head kick and Rivers moves out of range easily.
Rivers scoring well with a low kick there.
Johnson throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Rivers misses with a jab, cross combination.
Johnson cracks Rivers with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Rivers throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Jab from Johnson.
Nice jab there from Rivers.
Rivers falls off balance throwing a combination
and Johnson counters with a nice uppercut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rivers takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Rivers throws a front kick that sends Johnson stumbling back into the cage.
Johnson moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Johnson. That snapped Rivers's head back.
Johnson throws a nice looking combination but Rivers bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Johnson takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Johnson takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

Johnson is rocked!
Johnson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Rivers.
Rivers pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Johnson tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Rivers defends well and Johnson ends up having to push Rivers into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.

Rivers breaks the clinch.
Johnson moves out of range of the body kick from Rivers.
Stan Rivers is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Rivers misses with a looping right.
Rivers throws a jab when Johnson was well out of range.
Johnson tried to score with a low kick but Rivers checks it.
A combination from Rivers does no damage.
Johnson feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Rivers's calf.
Rivers looks for the body kick but Johnson saw that one coming.
Rivers is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson scoring well with a low kick there.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rivers swinging wildly here.
Johnson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Johnson moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Johnson scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Rivers doesn't seem bothered though.
Johnson takes a jab right on the kisser.
Rivers throws a big shot that misses.
Johnson misses with a body shot.
A jab from Johnson does it's job there.
Rivers keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Rivers walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Johnson checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Rivers slips under a jab from Johnson.
Rivers takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Johnson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rivers throws out the jab.
A punch combination from Rivers misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivers misses with a wild combination.
Johnson swings for the body but Rivers moves out of range.
Rivers misses with a low kick.
Rivers swings for the body but Johnson moves out of range.
Rivers lands with a kick to the temple. Johnson shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Johnson throws a nice inside leg kick.
Johnson feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Riverss jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Rivers takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Johnson throws a head kick that misses.
A jab from Rivers misses.
Rivers takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Johnson closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Rivers chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Johnson can pounce on him.
Johnson ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Johnson lands with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Johnson misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnson tests Rivers's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Johnson throws a body kick that misses.
Rivers throws out a leg kick but Johnson moves out of range and Rivers only half commits.
Stan Rivers seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Johnson cracks a nice hook into Rivers's ribs.
Johnson throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Johnson looks to land a left hand but Rivers moved out of range nicely.
Rivers ducks under a wild hook from Johnson.
Johnson thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Rivers if he has to take too many more of those.
A slapping leg kick lands for Johnson.
Rivers cracks Johnson with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Rivers looks to land a combination but Johnson avoids it well.
Rivers misses with a jab, cross combination.
Left hook, right uppercut from Rivers.
Johnson throws a leg kick which misses Rivers's front leg but catches the back leg as Rivers tries to avoid it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Stan Rivers will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Johnson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Johnson feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Rivers's calf.
Johnson stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Johnson avoids a punch combination nicely.
Johnson jabs at Rivers's body.
Rivers is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Good shot there by Rivers.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Rivers lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Johnson has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Johnson and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Rivers throws a left and a right that both miss

and Johnson counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Rivers!
Johnson lands a nice forearm strike.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rivers tries to improve position but can't.
Johnson has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Johnson swings around for an armbar but Rivers sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Johnson's guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Johnson is on top in guard.
Rivers is trying to keep Johnson in close.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson throws an elbow that misses. Rivers uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Johnson's guard. Nice move by Rivers!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rivers stopping the sweep attempt from Johnson.
CJ Johnson overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rivers slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Rivers taking a breather here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
Johnson tries to hold on but Rivers pushes him away.
Johnson looking to escape from mount but he's given up his back!
The crowd hopeful of a finish here - Rivers's supporters are on their feet, screaming for him to go for the rear naked choke.
Johnson tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
Rivers trying to control but Johnson is having none of it.
Johnson working to try and regain half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson tries to improve his position but instead Rivers has taken his back!

Rivers has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Johnson has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
Rivers is trying to stick to Johnson's back but Johnson is turning into Rivers. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Rivers's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Johnson.
Rivers working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Johnson.
Johnson trying to control the position from guard on top but Rivers is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Rivers working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Johnson.
Rivers looking to hit a scissor sweep but Johnson is one step ahead there.
Johnson throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

And that's the end of the fight!
CJ Johnson showed his dominance in that final round.
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 Elvis Blanc scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... CJ Johnson!
After winning the bout, CJ Johnson thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.
In defeat, Stan Rivers stepped up to the mic, saying 'I want to thank all you fans for coming out tonight, my sponsor Kaiser, my team at Hey Steve's Fight Shack, all of my loved ones back home, and Kyle F for letting me fight here in Hardcore Montreal Fighting League...really wanted the win tonight, I'll get it next time...'.