PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Josh Kirkland (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jordan Thurber (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kirkland comes to the cage accompanied by My Life Be Like- by GRITS. There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.

Kirkland
vs
Thurber

192 cm
20
264 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

197 cm
25
275 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Solid boxing
Big right hand

Decent wrestler
Basic striking
Granite chin

New Age Warriors

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Josh Kirkland!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Jordan Thurber!
The judges for this bout are Trevor Gratis, Ian Loll and Robert Douchet.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kirkland moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Kirkland throws a series of punches but Thurber avoids them all with ease.
Kirkland connects with a crisp jab.

It looks like Jordan Thurber has been cut.
Thurber tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Thurber moves into range and clinches up with Kirkland.
Thurber blocking some punches.
Thurber throws a punch but it's blocked by Kirkland.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Thurber.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kirkland tries to score a body lock takedown but Thurber shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Kirkland swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Thurber tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kirkland works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Thurber scores with a shot to the side of Kirkland's head.
Kirkland has Thurber pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Thurber manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Kirkland misses with a hook from the clinch.
Thurber is pressed up against the cage. Kirkland has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Thurber down to the mat. Thurber avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Josh Kirkland. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thurber tries to clinch up but Kirkland circles away and keeps his distance.
Thurber tries to clinch but Kirkland is having none of it.
Thurber takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Thurber blocks a jab.
Kirkland fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Thurber looks gassed!
Kirkland looks to land a left hand but Thurber moved out of range nicely.
Nice defenses there by Thurber.
Thurber is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thurber stuffs the takedown.
Thurber looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Kirkland is fending him off so far but Thurber persists. Nope, Kirkland circles away and we're back to standing.
Kirkland swings for the body but Thurber moves out of range.
Thurber defending well as Kirkland loads up on a big left hand.
Thurber is looking to clinch but Kirkland is avoiding it.
Thurber tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kirkland throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Josh Kirkland seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thurber fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kirkland will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Thurber avoids a kick to the body.
No joy there for Kirkland, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Thurber slips a jab and a cross from Kirkland.
Kirkland throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Kirkland fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Thurber is out of range.
Kirkland loads up on a big right hand but Thurber slips the punch.
Kirkland thows a body shot but no joy.
Kirkland digs a good hook to Thurber's body.

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.
Kirkland shoots in for a takedown but Thurber shows good takedown defense.

Thurber has Kirkland up against the cage in a clinch.
A shot in the inside from Thurber.
Kirkland tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Kirkland working hard to break the clinch.
Thurber lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A bit of stalling here from Thurber.
A body shot lands from Thurber.
Thurber pushes Kirkland back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Thurber pushes Kirkland back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Kirkland is looking to control Thurber's arms but Thurber gets an underhook and turns him. Now Kirkland has his back to the cage.
Thurber lands a left hand that snaps the head of Kirkland backwards.
Thurber doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Thurber doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Kirkland blocking some punches.
Thurber is working Kirkland over against the cage.
Thurber doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Thurber.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Thurber.
Thurber just leaning against Kirkland, taking a breather.
Thurber tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kirkland throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thurber lands a body shot.
Kirkland has had enough of the clinch but Thurber keeps him there for the moment.
A head punch on the inside from Thurber fails to land.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Thurber.
Thurber scores with a nice hook to the head.
Thurber blocks a body shot from Kirkland.
Kirkland is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Thurber stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

Kirkland has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Thurber uses from the top position.

Thurber avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Kirkland has a closed guard, preventing Thurber from standing up.
Kirkland looking for a sweep. Not yet Kirkland, not yet.

Kirkland is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Kirkland has his foot on Thurber's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Thurber works his way back into a safe position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Thurber gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Kirkland swats away the attempt to clinch by Thurber.
Thurber is looking to clinch but Kirkland is avoiding it.
Kirkland swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Thurber.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Thurber lands a body punch.
Thurber gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Kirkland.
Kirkland letting Thurber take a breather here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thurber tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A right hand to the body from Thurber.
Kirkland wants to break free but Thurber has control.
Thurber pushes Kirkland back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Josh Kirkland will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jordan Thurber's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

The fight stays on the outside here - Thurber looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kirkland shoots in but no luck this time.
Kirkland connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Kirkland misses the jab.
Thurber tries to clinch there but Kirkland circles away.
Kirkland misses with a body shot.
The fighters circling - Kirkland throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Thurber tries to clinch up but Kirkland circles away and keeps his distance.
Kirkland misses with a series of wild punches.
Thurber is looking to clinch.
Kirkland throws a jab when Thurber was well out of range.
The fighters circling - Kirkland throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kirkland will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Thurber wants to clinch up but Kirkland keeps it at a distance.
Nice uppercut lands for Kirkland. That snapped Thurber's head back.
Kirkland throws a nice looking combination but Thurber bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Kirkland misses with a straight left.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thurber catches Kirkland with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Kirkland scores with a jab to the jaw.
Thurber tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kirkland fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Thurber manages to avoid it.
Kirkland avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Josh Kirkland is winning the standup battle so far.

Kirkland closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Thurber did well to prevent Kirkland getting side control.
Thurber wants to get back to his feet.
Kirkland is keen to just control but Thurber is a slippery customer.
Kirkland missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Kirkland throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

Thurber is defending against the submission attempts here by Kirkland.

Kirkland is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kirkland is pressing down on Thurber's thigh, looking to free his foot. Thurber is holding on for now.

Kirkland is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Kirkland sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Thurber defending well though.
Kirkland looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Thurber with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

Kirkland seems to be looking for submissions.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kirkland moves nicely into side control.

Kirkland tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Kirkland has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Kirkland prevents Thurber from escaping the position.
Kirkland 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.
Kirkland scores with a couple of short elbows.

Kirkland wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Thurber, who protects the arm well.

Kirkland goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Thurber has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Kirkland but great work by Thurber.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kirkland gets back to half guard.

Kirkland looking for submissions off his back.
Kirkland wants to control but Thurber is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Thurber tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
Kirkland is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Thurber's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Thurber's back!
Kirkland struggling to keep hold of the position.

Kirkland is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Thurber knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Thurber for a finish.
Thurber is trying to get back to his feet but Kirkland has full control of the position and if anything, Thurber has just worked his way into a worse spot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Josh Kirkland dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Jordan Thurber's cut.
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!

Thurber tries to clinch up.
Kirkland shoots in but Thurber avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Kirkland throws a jab when Thurber was well out of range.
Kirkland is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Thurber tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kirkland manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kirkland misses with a two punch combination.
Kirkland throws a jab but it's blocked by Thurber.
Kirkland will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.

Thurber has taken the fight to the clinch.
Thurber lands a right hand.

Thurber drags the fight down to the ground.
Thurber is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Kirkland is controlling him.

Kirkland is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Kirkland stops Thurber from standing up.
Thurber takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kirkland passes Thurber's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Thurber really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Kirkland. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Kirkland seems to be working for a kimura but Thurber defends the submission attempt.

Kirkland wants to work for an arm triangle but Thurber is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Kirkland is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kirkland thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Kirkland is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Thurber doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Kirkland.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Kirkland seems to be working for a kimura but Thurber defends the submission attempt.

Kirkland is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Thurber defends it well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kirkland moves into full mount! Thurber won't be happy about that!
Kirkland with shots to the head and body - Thurber looks very uncomfortable down there.
Kirkland with a couple of short strikes.
Thurber is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.

Kirkland is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Thurber has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Thurber!
Kirkland is trying to keep Thurber in close.

Kirkland has his foot on Thurber's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Thurber works his way back into a safe position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thurber wants to stand but Kirkland has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Kirkland looking to hit a scissor sweep but Thurber is one step ahead there.
Jordan Thurber has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Kirkland is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Thurber is aware though and is defending well.
Kirkland looking for a sweep. Not yet Kirkland, not yet.

Thurber gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Kirkland tests Thurber's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Kirkland misses with an uppercut.
Josh Kirkland is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Kirkland swats away the attempt to clinch by Thurber.
Thurber takes one to the chin there.

And that's the end of the fight!
Josh Kirkland showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Kirkland, 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 Trevor Gratis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 30:28
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Josh Kirkland!