PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Aidan Gabriel (ranked 3969 p4p, 4503 weight class) and Tanner Hopkins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tanner Hopkins has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Gabriel
vs
Hopkins

185 cm
24
210
1 - 2 - 0

188 cm
18
205
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Dangerous knees
Very strong

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Aidan Gabriel!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tanner Hopkins!
The judges for this bout are Stewart Dunkirk, Alan Glass and George Francis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hopkins scores with a nice right hand.
Hopkins lands a jab.
Hopkins cracks Gabriel with a good jab.
Gabriel moves forwards but Hopkins connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Hopkins fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Gabriel throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Hopkins enables Gabriel to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Hopkins manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.

Hopkins is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Gabriel stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Gabriel paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Hopkins scores with a sloppy right hand. Gabriel should have avoided that one.

Gabriel darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Hopkins moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hopkins escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Gabriel gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Gabriel advances position into side control!

Gabriel decides to stand back up. Gabriel steps back and let's Hopkins get back to his feet.
Hopkins lands with an uppercut that bounces Gabriel off the cage and back into range.

Gabriel shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

Gabriel stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Gabriel takes one on the chin but seems OK.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins thuds his right hand into Gabriel's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Hopkins throws out a leg kick but Gabriel moves out of range and Hopkins only half commits.
Gabriel punishes Hopkins's body with a nice straight punch.
Tanner Hopkins seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hopkins throws a shot to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Gabriel closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Gabriel lands in his opponent's guard.
Gabriel scoring with punches to the head and body.

Hopkins has an active guard here but Gabriel has managed to pass into half guard.

Gabriel is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Hopkins defends it well.
Hopkins is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Gabriel jumps into side control!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gabriel in side control lands a decent elbow.

Gabriel stands up.
A decent looking cross lands there for Hopkins.
Hopkins with a hook.
Tanner Hopkins is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hopkins's corner calls for a 1-2. Hopkins obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Hopkins works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.

Gabriel shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Hopkins's guard.
Gabriel working some strikes from top position.
Hopkins really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Gabriel. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Gabriel thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gabriel advances to half guard.
Gabriel content to control rather than advance.

Gabriel looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Hopkins wants to sweep but Gabriel has passed to side control!
Hopkins tries to get back to half guard but can't.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Aidan Gabriel will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hopkins with a hook.
Hopkins cracks Gabriel with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Hopkins smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Gabriel misses with a body punch
and Hopkins counters with a nice uppercut.

Gabriel drives through and clinches with Hopkins against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Gabriel.

Gabriel has dropped down and is working for a takedown. Hopkins is trying to keep an underhook but Gabriel manages to get the takedown into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Gabriel slips a nice elbow through Hopkins's hands, connecting with Hopkins's forehead.
Gabriel content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Gabriel working Hopkins over with strikes.
Hopkins is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Gabriel scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gabriel moves nicely into side control.
Hopkins struggling a bit here.
Gabriel happy to just control the position for now.

Gabriel working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Gabriel is putting a hurting on Hopkins here, landing some big shots from side control.
Gabriel is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Hopkins's shoulder. That is not cool.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gabriel working away.
Gabriel looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

Gabriel decides to stand back up.
Hopkins cracks Gabriel with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Hopkins lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Hopkins connects with a nice looking jab.
Hopkins keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Hopkins misses with a left hand
and Gabriel counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Hopkins tests Gabriel's chin there with a solid looking shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hopkins connects with a nice looking jab.
A head kick misses from Gabriel.
Hopkins swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Gabriel sends Hopkins crashing to the mat with a devastating uppercut! Gabriel is motioning to the referee to let Hopkins up. He wants to try and finish this one on the feet!

Hopkins is rocked!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hopkins tries to keep at a distance but Gabriel has taken the fight into the clinch.
Gabriel looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.

Gabriel decides to pull guard.

Hopkins drops back, looking for a kneebar! Gabriel looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Gabriel looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Gabriel!

Gabriel looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Gabriel is staying tight to Hopkins's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Gabriel lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Hopkins can't do much from the bottom here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Gabriel decides to stand back up.
Hopkins dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Gabriel walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Aidan Gabriel is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Hopkins enables Gabriel to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Hopkins manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Gabriel stands and steps away. Hopkins gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Hopkins lands a nice shot that snaps Gabriel's head back.
Gabriel connects with a high kick.
Hopkins rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Gabriel counters with a crisp one two that drops Hopkins! Gabriel thinks about following him to the mat for a moment but instead steps back and waves Hopkins to his feet! Hopkins is in big trouble!
Hopkins is still on wobbly legs! Can Gabriel finish him?

Gabriel drives through and clinches with Hopkins against the cage.
Hopkins letting Gabriel take a breather here.
Hopkins misses with a punch on the inside.

Gabriel breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Gabriel lands a huge takedown. Hopkins is out but the ref is slow to react and Gabriel lands 3 more undefended punches before the fight is stopped. Brutal finish. Hopkins lies on the canvas for a good minute before the doctors bring him round. Good to see he's OK.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:59 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Aidan Gabriel!