PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Andre Giant (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gaz Ghonda (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring eachother down here, as Gaz Ghonda enters the cage!

Giant
vs
Ghonda

225 cm
18
300 lbs
0 - 1 - 1

225 cm
22
280 lbs
1 - 2 - 1

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Schwarzenegger Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 1, fighting out of London, Andre Giant!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 1, fighting out of London, Gaz Ghonda!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Chris Edwards and Paul Tew.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Giant feints and as Ghonda raises his hands in defense, Giant changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Giant lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Giant is working Ghonda over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Giant makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Giant wanted to stand there but Ghonda had control of the position.
Ghonda is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Giant tries to stand but Ghonda is controlling from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ghonda wants to sweep but no luck.
Connects with an elbow from the bottom, proving to the judges that he's still active off his back.

Ghonda is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Ghonda is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Ghonda has a closed guard, preventing Giant from standing up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Giant closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Ghonda can't do much from the bottom here.
Ghonda is working to avoid the ground and pound but Giant connects with a decent elbow.
Ghonda gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Giant thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ghonda's head.
Giant thows a huge punch but Ghonda dodges it nicely.
Giant knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Ghonda on the ground.
Ghonda wants to control but Giant is keeping busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Giant prevents Ghonda from standing back up.
Ghonda looks gassed!

Giant decides he's had enough of the ground and stands up.
Ghonda tries to clinch but Giant is having none of it.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Giant.
Giant lands a nice forearm strike.
You can see the frustration on Ghonda's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Ghonda is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Giant off and has taken his back!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ghonda is trying to stick to Giant's back but Giant is turning into Ghonda. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Ghonda's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Giant.

Ghonda pushes Giant off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Giant on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Ghonda fails with an attempt to clinch.
Ghonda shoots and misses
and Giant counters with a one-two to the body.
Ghonda throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Giant shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Ghonda pinned against the cage. Ghonda gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Ghonda closes the distance but Giant moves to the side

and Giant counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Ghonda's guard now.
Giant throws and elbow that misses. Ghonda uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Giant's guard. Nice move by Ghonda!
Giant keeping moving, preventing Ghonda from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Giant has a closed guard, preventing Ghonda from standing up.

Giant pushes Ghonda off and scrambles back to his feet.
Ghonda keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Giant.
Ghonda tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Giant paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Ghonda moves in looking to clinch but Giant pushes him off.
Ghonda lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ghonda avoids the body shot from Giant.
Ghonda stuffs the takedown attempt from Giant. Giant gets slowly back to his feet.

Giant fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ghonda, pushing him back against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Giant 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.

Giant avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ghonda scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Giant waving his hands out infront of him, looking to distract Ghonda.
Ghonda shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Giant pinned against the cage. Giant gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Ghonda gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Giant.
Ghonda avoids a kick to the body.
Ghonda shoots and misses

and Giant counters by clinching up.
Ghonda tries to pull guard but Giant holds him up against the cage and eventually Ghonda drops back down to his feet.
Andre Giant has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gaz Ghonda.

Giant manages to break the clinch.

Giant closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Giant lands in his opponent's guard.
Giant is working Ghonda over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Giant's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

Ghonda wriggles free and stands up.
Ghonda tries to clinch but Giant moves away

and Giant counters with a single leg into guard. Ghonda didn't expect that.
Giant has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Ghonda is proving hard to escape from.
Giant sitting in guard here, content to control.
Ghonda wants to get back to his feet but Giant is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Giant wants to get up but he can't break Ghonda's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Ghonda scrambles and gets back to his feet.
Ghonda's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Ghonda duly obliges.
Andre Giant is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Ghonda scoring well with a low kick there.

Ghonda fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Giant, pushing him back against the cage.
Ghonda tries to break the clinch but Giant is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Ghonda is fighting off a takedown attempt but Giant is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Ghonda to the mat. Ghonda regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Giant won't allow Ghonda to get back to his feet.
Ghonda being controlled here, momentarily.
Giant is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Giant trying to stand up but can't free himself from Ghonda's guard.
Ghonda wants to stand up but Giant is controlling him.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Giant accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ghonda is looking to stand up but Giant isn't so interested in that idea.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Giant closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Giant winds up and cracks Ghonda with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Giant lands strikes from half guard.
Giant performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Giant lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Giant dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Giant on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Ghonda wants to clinch

and Giant counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Ghonda wants to stand but Giant is controlling the position.

Giant stands up and waves to Ghonda to follow him.
Ghonda tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Giant paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Ghonda looks to land a combination but Giant avoids it well.

Giant gets the takedown into side control.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Ghonda is looking to reverse the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ghonda sneaks back into half guard.
Andre Giant overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Giant with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Giant is trying to control. Ghonda wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Giant is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Ghonda is trying to maintain the position but Giant is very close to passing his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.

Ghonda manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Giant misses with an uppercut.
Gaz Ghonda seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Giant moves forwards but Ghonda connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Ghonda scores with a one two! Giant had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Ghonda misses with a takedown attempt

and Giant counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Ghonda has had enough of the clinch but Giant keeps him there for the moment.
Giant keeps control of Ghonda as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Ghonda has had enough of the clinch but Giant keeps him there for the moment.

Giant escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A punch combination from Ghonda misses.
Danga de danga de dang - Ghonda scores with a four punch combination!
Ghonda misses with a two punch combination.
Giant scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Giant takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Giant misses with the combination.
Ghonda misses with a series of wild punches.
Giant dodges the punch combination from Ghonda.
Ghonda tries to close the distance and clinch but Giant swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Giant takes a swing at Ghonda's ribcage but misses.
Giant avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Ghonda fails with an attempt to clinch.
Ghonda doesn't manage to clinch there - Giant circles away.
No luck for Giant with that takedown attempt.
Ghonda shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

Giant gets the takedown into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ghonda is looking for a sweep.
Ghonda taking a bit of punishment here - Giant scoring with strikes.
Giant trying to control the action but Ghonda is working from the bottom.
Gaz Ghonda has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Giant is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Ghonda will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Ghonda is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Giant's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Andre Giant is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Ghonda looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Andre Giant showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Giant, 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 William Gold scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Andre Giant!