PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between george st pierre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and nate thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

st pierre
vs
thomas

180 cm
25
180 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

180 cm
20
186 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, george st pierre!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, nate thomas!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Valeri Chadov and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

st pierre closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
thomas managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by st pierre.
thomas tries to buck st pierre off but st pierre is having none of it.
st pierre working the ground and pound from side control.
st pierre misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
st pierre is breathing heavily.
st pierre creates some space and throws a big elbow, but thomas sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
st pierre 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.
thomas tries to bench press st pierre off him but st pierre keeps the position.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.
st pierre shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as thomas sprawls well. thomas wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. st pierre gets slowly back to his feet.
thomas throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.
thomas lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
st pierre shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with thomas but thomas pushes him off and we're back to square one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
thomas lands a high kick!
nate thomas is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
thomas throws a head kick but st pierre moves out of range.
thomas throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by st pierre.
thomas lands a head kick!
thomas throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
thomas throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
thomas throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
st pierre shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. thomas defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for george st pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
st pierre avoids the head kick by thomas.
thomas throws a head kick but st pierre moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
st pierre throws a lazy head kick
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
thomas misses with a head kick.
st pierre lands with a nice combination. thomas backs away looking to recover.
thomas misses with a head kick.
st pierre throws a left and a right that both miss
and thomas counters with a head kick.
st pierre shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
st pierre fails with a takedown attempt.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
thomas leaves st pierre with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
thomas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
thomas lands with a slapping head kick.
st pierre misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
st pierre misses with a takedown attempt
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.
st pierre misses with a takedown attempt
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
st pierre misses with a jab, cross combination.
thomas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
thomas misses with a head kick.
st pierre throws a combination that misses
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
st pierre looks to land a combination but thomas avoids it well.
st pierre misses with a takedown
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.

st pierre throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. thomas was covering up waiting for the punch and st pierre finishes the takedown easily into guard.
st pierre with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as st pierre accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
st pierre postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
thomas preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

thomas is looking for a triangle but st pierre pushes his legs off easily.
st pierre with a flurry of punches that miss.
st pierre landing some decent shots from guard.
thomas tries to strike from the bottom.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
st pierre will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
No luck for st pierre with that takedown attempt.
thomas tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
st pierre shoots in for a takedown but thomas shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
thomas connects with a high kick.
st pierre shoots in and drives through. thomas sprawls well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

nate thomas dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
george st pierre seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
st pierre swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and thomas counters with a big head kick but st pierre shrugs it off.
thomas lands with a slapping head kick.
thomas pulls out of a head kick attempt.
thomas throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
thomas tries a head kick but it misses.
st pierre has his takedown stuffed
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
st pierre falls off balance throwing a combination
and thomas counters with a head kick.
st pierre avoids the head kick by thomas.
thomas tries a head kick but it misses.
george st pierre is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A punch combination from st pierre misses.
st pierre throws a sloppy head kick
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
st pierre looks to throw a body kick
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
st pierre fails to land with a series of punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
st pierre fails with the takedown.
A head kick misses from thomas.
st pierre throws a nice head kick!
st pierre avoids the head kick by thomas.
st pierre with a lazy takedown attempt
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for george st pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
st pierre misses with a takedown attempt
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
thomas throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by st pierre.
st pierre looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
st pierre throws a combination that misses
and thomas counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. st pierre is lucky that one didn't land flush.
st pierre shoots and misses
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
st pierre throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
st pierre misses with a double jab.
No joy there for st pierre, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
st pierre fails with the takedown.
st pierre doesn't succeed with the takedown
and thomas counters with a head kick.
st pierre swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
st pierre swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and thomas counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. st pierre is lucky that one didn't land flush.
thomas pulls out of a head kick attempt.

thomas gets caught flat footed, as st pierre shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
st pierre throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as thomas works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
st pierre content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

thomas looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
thomas preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
st pierre scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
thomas wants to sweep here but st pierre controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

thomas is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and st pierre defends well.
st pierre landing some decent shots from guard.
st pierre won't allow thomas to sweep him here.
st pierre with a nice head shot there.
st pierre with a flurry of punches that miss.
st pierre chips away with some ground and pound.
st pierre postures up in thomas's guard and throws a big left but thomas blocks it.
st pierre lands a couple of elbows.
st pierre thows a big elbow that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
st pierre loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
st pierre closes the distance and clinches up with thomas, looking for a takedown. st pierre pushes thomas against the cage but thomas circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
st pierre with a poor takedown
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
No joy there for st pierre, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.
thomas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
st pierre misses with a combination
and thomas counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. st pierre is lucky that one didn't land flush.
thomas showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from st pierre.
thomas throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
st pierre fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
thomas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
st pierre throws a left and a right that both miss
and thomas counters with a head kick.
st pierre misses with a combination
and thomas counters with a big head kick but st pierre shrugs it off.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

nate thomas showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

st pierre looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

thomas looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
st pierre is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
st pierre thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed thomas's head.
st pierre trying to mount his opponent but thomas defends it.
st pierre prevents thomas from improving his position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
thomas tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
thomas on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
st pierre with the ground and pound but thomas uses the opportunity to regain guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
st pierre throws a head kick but thomas moves out of range.
thomas throws a quick head kick that skims the top of st pierre's head.
st pierre gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
st pierre looks for a takedown but thomas sprawls well.
st pierre gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and thomas counters with a big head kick but st pierre shrugs it off.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for george st pierre. That's going to take a lot out of him.
thomas misses with a head kick.
st pierre tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
st pierre shoots and misses
and thomas counters with a flying knee. Nice.
thomas tries a head kick but it misses.
st pierre tries for a takedown but thomas circles away easily
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
st pierre tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
st pierre blocks a head kick by thomas.
st pierre misses with the combination.
st pierre shoots and misses
and thomas counters with a head kick. That will keep st pierre thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
thomas throws a sloppy head kick and st pierre moves out of range easily.
st pierre misses with a head kick.
st pierre avoids the head kick by thomas.

st pierre drives through with a takedown into guard.

thomas is looking for a triangle but st pierre pushes his legs off easily.

thomas is looking for a triangle but st pierre pushes his legs off easily.
st pierre works over thomas with some ground and pound from guard.
st pierre working some strikes from top position.

st pierre avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
st pierre won't allow thomas to sweep him here.
st pierre scoring with some ground and pound.
st pierre cracks thomas with a solid left hand.
st pierre cracks thomas with a solid left hand.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
st pierre lands a couple of digs.
st pierre trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
george st pierre overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

thomas escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. st pierre gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
st pierre distracts thomas with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
st pierre makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
st pierre in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
st pierre content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
st pierre content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells st pierre's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
st pierre thows a big elbow that misses.
st pierre missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
st pierre content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
st pierre works over thomas with some ground and pound from guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
st pierre chips away with some ground and pound.
st pierre works over thomas with some ground and pound from guard.
george st pierre has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
st pierre cracks thomas with a solid left hand.
st pierre content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
nate thomas is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
st pierre throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as thomas works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
george st pierre showed his dominance in that final round.
I think thomas 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 Sergei Dronov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... nate thomas!