PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Hakuna Matata (ranked 2148 p4p, 2041 weight class) and Craig Mack (ranked 268 p4p, 254 weight class). Hakuna Matata has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Matata
vs
Mack

169 cm
26
138
5 - 2 - 0

180 cm
26
155
7 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Counter fighter
Powerful

EL ZOIDO FEEBLE FIGHTWEAR

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 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Hakuna Matata!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Craig Mack!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Bart Greer and Michael Johnstone.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mack cracks Matata with a right hand to the side of the head.
Mack takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
A punch lands to the side of Matata 's head but he takes it in his stride.
A swing and a miss from Mack.
Mack connects with a body shot.
Danga de danga de dang - Matata scores with a four punch combination!
Matata ducks under a wild hook from Mack.
It looked like Matata wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Matata cracks Mack with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mack moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Matata swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Mack now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Mack ducks under a wild hook from Matata.
Matata changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Mack moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Matata lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Mack circles away quickly and effectively.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mack. Matata does a little dance to reset his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matata looks to throw the jab but Mack is out of range.
Matata throws a hook but Mack avoids it easily.
Matata throws a right and a left that both miss.
Mack is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Matata.

It looks like Craig Mack has been cut.
Matata dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Mack on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Matata throws an off balance right hand
and Mack counters with a stiff right hand.
Matata throws a poor cross that misses
and Mack cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Matata throws a shot from downtown. Mack moves away and avoids it.
Matata looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Mack keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Matata throws a body shot but no joy.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Mack throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Matata sees it coming and avoids it easily.
It looked like Matata wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Matata throws a hook but Mack avoids it easily.
Hakuna Matata seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Matata misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matata throws a big shot that misses.
Matata misses the shot to the body.
Matata swinging wildly here.
Mack uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Matata.
Mack fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Matata manages to avoid it.
Matata with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Mack to score with a decent uppercut.

It looks like Hakuna Matata has been cut.
Mack misses with a right hand
and Mack takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Mack throws a hook but Matata blocks it.
No joy there for Matata, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Matata cracks Mack with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Matata lands a nice hook to Mack's body. Mack takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Matata lands a glancing blow to the side of Mack's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matata lands a jab to the head.
Mack tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Matata was well out of range. Poor timing from Mack.
Mack misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Matata.
Matata was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Mack throws a lazy uppercut
and Matata counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Matata thuds his right hand into Mack's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Mack lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Matata ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Matata misses with a double jab.
Matata misses with an uppercut.
Nice defenses there by Mack.
Matata misses with a right hand
and Mack connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Matata misses with an uppercut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A jab from Matata misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mack looks to throw the jab but Matata is out of range.
Matata appears to be looking for a big counter.
Matata fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Matata scores with a shot to the body.
Matata misses with a series of wild punches.
Mack misses with a body shot.
Mack misses the jab.
Mack takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Matata misses with a jab to the body
and Mack counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Matata misses with a body shot.
Matata avoids the body shot from Mack.
A jab lands there for Matata.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hakuna Matata dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Matata fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Mack looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Matata fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hakuna Matata is winning the standup battle so far.
Matata connects with a nice looking jab.
Matata uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Mack.
Matata misses with a double jab.
A shot to the body from Matata misses
and Mack connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Mack keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Matata.
Matata scores with a hook to the body. Mack takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Matata throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Matata is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Mack can do to turn this around?
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Matata clobbers Mack with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Mack displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Matata throws out the jab.
Matata lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Matata misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Mack counters with a straight right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Matata.
Matata cracks Mack with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Matata misses with a hook
and Mack counters with a nice uppercut.
Matata throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Mack unleashes a big counter combination but Matata bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Matata throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Mack missing with a left hand there. Matata was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Mack takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Mack scores with a nice strike.
Mack throws a big shot that misses.
Matata slips a jab and a cross from Mack.
Matata with a hook.
Mack takes a body punch but keeps moving.
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!
Matata misses with a straight right.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mack slips a jab and a cross from Matata.
Mack throws out a counter right but Matata avoids it with no problem.
Matata connects with a right hand. Mack shakes it off.
Matata lands a right hook to the body.
Matata misses with an uppercut. Mack saw that one coming.
Mack swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Mack throws out a loose jab but Matata uses good head movement to avoid it.
Mack misses with an uppercut
and Matata counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A combination from Matata does no damage.
Mack swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Matata looks to land a right hand but Mack moved out of range.
A nice side step and Mack releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Mack showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Matata.
Mack walks into a jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Matata misses.
Mack scores with a sloppy right hand. Matata should have avoided that one.
Matata throws an off balance right hand
and Mack counters with a straight right hand.
Matata misses with a left hand
and Mack cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Matata is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Mack.
Matata misses with a wild body shot.
A nice side step and Mack releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Mack looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Nice uppercut there from Matata.
Matata misses with a straight left.
Mack throws out a counter right but Matata avoids it with no problem.
Matata keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Mack.
Matata throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Mack.
Nice defenses there by Mack.
Mack fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Matata on the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mack uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Matata.
A nice side step and Mack releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Matata misses with a looping left.
Matata scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Matata misses with a hook. Mack ducked under it nicely.
Mack wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Matata jabs Mack right on the nose. Mack blinks but takes it well.
Matata falls off balance throwing a combination
enabling Mack to counter with a crisp jab.
Mack ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Matata moves away.
Matata misses the shot to the body.
Matata looks to land a left hand but Mack moved out of range nicely.
Mack looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Mack scores with a body shot.
Mack keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Matata.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hakuna Matata dominated that second round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Mack lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Craig Mack has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Matata throws a hook but Mack avoids it easily.
Mack keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Matata.
Mack looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Matata throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Mack.
Mack takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Mack jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Mack slips a jab from Matata.
As Matata backs off Mack throws a huge counter combo but Matata manages to avoid it all.
Matata throws a right and a left that both miss.
Matata jabs Mack to the body, keeping him at a distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Matata takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Mack tries to bum rush Matata with a series of wild strikes but Matata uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Matata throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Mack looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Matata scores with a jab to the jaw.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matata scores with a jab to the jaw.
Matata uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Mack has time to react.
Mack walks into a jab.
Matata fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mack manages to avoid it.
Mack is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Matata with a body shot.
Matata scores with a nice head shot.
Mack moves out of range as Matata strikes.
Mack throws a jab but it's blocked by Matata.
Matata walks into a stiff left hand from Mack.
Matata misses with an uppercut. Mack saw that one coming.
Mack ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Mack throws out a counter right but Matata avoids it with no problem.
Matata misses the shot to the body.
Mack lands a really nice looking cross but Matata seems unphased.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mack scores with a jab to the jaw.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Matata throws a jab when Mack was well out of range.
Matata throws a hook but Mack blocks it.
Matata looks to land a left hand but Mack moved out of range nicely.
Matata swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Matata looks to land a left hand but Mack moved out of range nicely.
Matata fails to land with a series of punches.
Matata tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Mack was well out of range. Poor timing from Matata.
Matata cracks Mack with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Mack scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Matata doesn't seem bothered though.
Matata with a nice cross.
Matata stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Mack swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Matata throwing a counter right hand but Mack manages to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matata throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Matata connects with a jab.
Mack takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Mack bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Mack looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Matata moves away from the strike by Mack.
Matata is looking to counter punch.
Hakuna Matata is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Matata throws out a loose jab but Mack uses good head movement to avoid it.
Mack has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Matata swinging wildly here.
Matata throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Mack scores with a nice strike.
Some wild striking there from Mack.
Matata appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mack slips under a jab.
Mack throws a hook but Matata avoids it easily.
Matata thows a left - swing and a miss!
Matata jabs at Mack's body.
Matata ducks under a wild hook from Mack.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A nice combination there by Matata.
Mack works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Matata lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Mack looks to score with a jab to the body but Matata is just out of range.
Matata lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Mack scores with a decent looking hook.
Mack defending well as Matata loads up on a big left hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hakuna Matata showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Matata has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Winston Alpacca scores the fight 30:27
Judge Bart Greer scores the fight 30:27
Judge Michael Johnstone scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hakuna Matata!