PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Gage Bennett (ranked 2441 p4p, 3278 weight class) and Edd Norton (ranked 361 p4p, 454 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Bennett
vs
Norton

189 cm
29
206
10 - 10 - 0

190 cm
29
212
14 - 12 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

Bondi MMA 🏝️

Furnace Performance 🔥
Silverguard Outfitters 🛡

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 10 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Gage Bennett!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Edd Norton!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Percy O'Donnell and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bennett tries to score with a low kick but Norton moves his leg out of the way.
Norton swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Bennett tries to land a leg kick but Norton saw it coming and moves away.
Norton uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bennett.
Bennett pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Norton slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Norton blocks a jab.
Bennett misses the shot to the body.
Bennett throws a right hand that misses
and Norton counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Bennett misses with a body shot.
Norton steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Bennett. That one must have hurt.
A low kick from Bennett is predictable there
and Norton counters with a nice body kick.
Bennett looks to throw the jab but Norton is out of range.
Bennett is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Norton.
Bennett lands a lovely overhand right.

Norton clinches with his opponent.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bennett fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bennett tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Norton just stands there and leans against the cage.
Norton leaning his opponent against the cage.
Norton doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Bennett tries to pull guard but Norton forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Norton blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Norton misses with a short punch on the inside.
Bennett lands with a short shot to the head.
Bennett lands a shoulder strike.
Bennett is trying to pull guard but Norton has him pressed against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gage Bennett. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head punch on the inside from Bennett fails to land.
Norton blocks an uppercut.
Bennett lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Norton backwards.
Bennett fails to pull guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Norton stalling the fight.

Norton breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Bennett misses with a double jab
and Norton counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Bennett needs to keep his hands up - Norton had a free shot at his head there.
Bennett throws a head kick that misses.
Norton throws out a counter right but Bennett avoids it with no problem.
Bennett throws a big shot that misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bennett throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Norton sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Norton steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Bennett.
A big right from Bennett misses.
Norton follows through with a counter body kick but it doesn't land.
Bennett is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Norton.
Norton tries to clinch up but Bennett circles away and keeps his distance.
Bennett misses with a double jab.
Norton cracks Bennett with a good jab.
Bennett throws a lazy head kick
and Norton counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Bennett gets tackled into the cage by Norton. Norton maintains the clinch.
Norton blocks a body shot from Bennett.
Bennett misses with a hook from the clinch.
Bennett working aggressively here.

Norton manages to break the clinch.
Bennett misses with a hook
and Norton counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Norton keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bennett.
Norton moves out of range of the strikes.
A little jabbing left from Norton on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Bennett throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Norton.
Bennett throws a left and a right that both miss
and Norton makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Bennett fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Norton manages to avoid it.
Norton doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Bennett misses with a right hand
and Norton counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

It looks like Gage Bennett has been cut.
Bennett tries to land a body kick
and Norton counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bennett throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Norton makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Bennett throws a predictable looking body shot
and Norton counters with a stiff right hand.
Norton is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Bennett had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Norton closes the distance and clinches.
Norton lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Bennett has a couple of punches blocked by Norton.
Norton blocks an uppercut.
Bennett lands a left hand that snaps the head of Norton backwards.
Bennett tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Bennett throws a head punch that misses.
Bennett scores with a shoulder strike.
Bennett working aggressively here.
Bennett misses with a short punch on the inside.
Bennett tries to pull guard but Norton forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Norton lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Bennett backwards.
Norton throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Bennetts head.
Bennett has a couple of punches blocked by Norton.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Edd Norton will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Gage Bennett's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A good leg kick by Norton.

Norton moves into the clinch.
Bennett works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Norton slows down the pace here.
Bennett lands a right hand.
Bennett swings wildly with an uppercut but Norton uses good head movement to avoid it.
Norton is trying to force a seperation but Bennett has the dominant position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Norton misses with some punches.
Bennett has a couple of punches blocked by Norton.
I was talking to Bennett's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Bennett tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Bennett lands with a right to the head.
Norton lands with a short shot to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Norton manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Bennett holding his opponent close, against the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Norton blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Bennett struggles to land a body shot inside as Norton controls his hands.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Bennett.
Bennett swings wildly with an uppercut but Norton uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bennett misses with a short punch on the inside.
Norton stalls.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bennett has a couple of punches blocked by Norton.
Norton is struggling to control the position.
Norton wants to get back to striking at distance but Bennett won't allow it.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Norton.
Bennett jumps guard but Norton turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Norton is struggling to control the position.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Bennett takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Bennett lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Norton backwards.
Bennett swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Bennett lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Norton trying to control the position but instead, Bennett has worked for underhooks and has pushed Norton into the cage.
Bennett misses with a punch on the inside.
Bennett is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Norton in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Bennett misses with a punch on the inside.

Norton escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Edd Norton seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bennett has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Norton.
Norton lands a body shot.

Norton moves into range and clinches up with Bennett.
Bennett jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Norton walks away with a smile on his face. Bennett gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Bennett throws a shot from downtown. Norton moves away and avoids it.
Bennett throws a right hand that Norton ducks under and follows up with a left that Norton also avoids with ease.
Bennett throws an off balance right hand
and Norton counters with a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bennett works Norton's body with a nice hook.
Norton swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bennett throws out a leg kick but Norton moves out of range and Bennett only half commits.
Bennett just misses with a punch to the body.
Bennett turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Bennett throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bennett misses with a left hand
and Norton counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bennett throws a series of punches but Norton avoids them all with ease.
Norton dips to his left and cracks Bennett with an uppercut!
Norton displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Bennett throws out the jab.
Bennett misses with an uppercut
and Norton counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Bennett misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Norton moves away from the strike by Bennett.
Norton looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Bennett swings widly with a right hand
and Norton counters with a stiff right hand.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Gage Bennett will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Gage Bennett's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Bennett throws a sloppy body shot
and Norton connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Norton darts in and clinches Bennett up against the cage.
Stalling in the clinch from Norton.
Bennett tries to pull guard but Norton forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Bennett jumps guard but Norton stands there with Bennett around his waist. Bennett gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Bennett working aggressively here.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Bennett misses with a hook to the ribs.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bennett is trying to maintain a safe position but Norton gets an underhook and turns Bennett into the cage.
Norton stalling in the clinch.
Norton stalling against the cage.
Norton stalling the fight.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bennett lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Bennett lands a nice uppercut.
Bennett tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Norton avoids it.
Norton is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Norton blocks an uppercut.
Bennett misses with a hook from the clinch.
Bennett jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Norton walks away with a smile on his face. Bennett gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gage Bennett. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bennett throws a big shot that misses.
An inside leg kick lands from Bennett.
Bennett misses with a right hand
and Norton cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Norton catches Bennett with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Bennett misses with a lunging right hand
and Norton counters with a stiff right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bennett throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Norton counters with a nice uppercut.
Norton steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Bennett.
Bennett tries a head kick but it misses.
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!
Bennett misses with a double jab
and Norton counters with a nice uppercut.
Norton fails with an attempt to clinch.
Norton walks into a left hand.
Bennett throws a poor cross that misses
and Norton counters with a right hand to the body.
Norton tries to close the distance and clinch but Bennett swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Norton closes the distance and clinches.
Bennett is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Bennett.
Bennett tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Norton's elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Norton avoiding damage.
Norton blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Norton softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Bennett misses with a short punch on the inside.
Bennett is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Norton blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Bennett throws a punch but it's blocked by Norton.
Bennett manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
A short right from Bennett on the inside.
Norton pushes Bennett back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bennett taking a breather.
Still in the clinch, Bennett scores with a nice short uppercut.
Norton lands an uppercut.
Bennett swings wildly with an uppercut but Norton uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bennett misses with a short punch on the inside.
Bennett jumps guard but Norton stands there with Bennett around his waist. Bennett gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Bennett throws a punch but it's blocked by Norton.
Bennett misses with some punches.
Bennett misses with some punches.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Norton prevents a body shot from Bennett.
Bennett tries to throw a body punch but Norton avoids it by throwing Bennett back against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Edd Norton.
I think Norton has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Edd Norton!
During a confident post fight interview, Edd Norton thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.