PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Anthony Hopkins (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Moji Joaninho (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Hopkins
vs
Joaninho

185 cm
20
180 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

188 cm
21
182 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Decent elbows
Granite chin

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Hopkins!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Moji Joaninho!
The judges for this bout are Matheus Silva, Mauricio Rocha and Thiago Cunha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Joaninho misses with a body shot.
Joaninho swinging wildly here.
Hopkins moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Joaninho throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch up but Joaninho swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Hopkins tries to clinch but Joaninho is having none of it.
Joaninho thows a body shot but no joy.
Joaninho circles away from the clinch attempt.

Hopkins moves into the clinch.
Joaninho on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hopkins is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Joaninho is defending well for now.
Hopkins leaning against his opponent.
Joaninho working hard to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hopkins's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Hopkins gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

It looks like Moji Joaninho has been cut.
Hopkins leaning against his opponent.
Hopkins throws an elbow that misses.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Joaninho is trying to force a seperation but Hopkins has the dominant position.
Hopkins creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Joaninho blocks an elbow strike from Hopkins.
Joaninho has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins leaning against his opponent.
Hopkins misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Joaninho.
Joaninho blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Hopkins tries to land knees in the clinch but Joaninho avoids the damage to the body.
Joaninho avoids a wild elbow strike from Hopkins.
Joaninho wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Hopkins has him pressed against the cage.
Hopkins misses with the head strike.
A frustrated look appears on Joaninho's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Hopkins effectively controlling the action here.
Joaninho tries to break free but Hopkins pushes him back against the cage.
Hopkins trying to land knees to the body.
The referee calls for Hopkins to work.
Hopkins crunches a lovely knee into Joaninho's ribcage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Joaninho is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Hopkins pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Joaninho is trying to break free.
Joaninho wants to break the clinch but can't.
Hopkins will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Joaninho up against the cage.
Joaninho dodges an elbow strike from Hopkins.
Hopkins with a knee to the head.

Joaninho breaks from the clinch.
Joaninho keeps the fight on the outside.
Hopkins is looking to clinch.
Hopkins tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Hopkins tries to clinch but Joaninho moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins tries to clinch but Joaninho is having none of it.
Hopkins fails with an attempt to clinch.
Hopkins uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Joaninho.
Joaninho just misses with a punch to the body.

Hopkins has managed to clinch.
Hopkins lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Hopkins misses with an elbow over the top.

Joaninho manages to break the clinch.
Hopkins scores with a sloppy right hand. Joaninho should have avoided that one.
Hopkins wants to clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hopkins tries to clinch there but Joaninho circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anthony Hopkins dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Moji Joaninho's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

The fight stays on the outside here - Hopkins looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Joaninho misses the shot to the body.
Donk. Joaninho catches Hopkins right on the button with a cross.
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Joaninho paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Hopkins has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch up but Joaninho swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Hopkins clinches up with Joaninho and pushes him back against the cage.
Hopkins misses with an elbow strike.
A frustrated look appears on Joaninho's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Hopkins.
Joaninho avoids a wild elbow strike from Hopkins.
Joaninho wants to break free but Hopkins has control.
Hopkins stalling in the clinch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Hopkins obliges.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hopkins pressing his opponent against the cage.
Hopkins pushes off an throws an elbow but Joaninho leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Come on Hopkins - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Hopkins misses with an elbow strike.
Joaninho blocks an elbow strike.
Hopkins just leaning against Joaninho, taking a breather.
Hopkins gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Anthony Hopkins.
Joaninho throws a hook but Hopkins avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Joaninho throws a right and a left that Hopkins avoids nicely.
Hopkins tries to clinch but Joaninho is having none of it.
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Joaninho paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Joaninho throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Joaninho misses with a wild combination.
Hopkins misses with a hook. Joaninho ducked under it nicely.
The fight stays on the outside here - Hopkins looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Hopkins fails with an attempt to clinch.
Hopkins is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Joaninho swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Hopkins fails to land with a series of punches.

Hopkins has Joaninho up against the cage in a clinch.
Joaninho wants to get back to striking at distance but Hopkins won't allow it.

Joaninho's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hopkins on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Hopkins wants to clinch.
Anthony Hopkins seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Joaninho keeps the fight on the outside.
Hopkins slips under a jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins tries to clinch up
and Joaninho connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hopkins doesn't manage to clinch there - Joaninho circles away.
Joaninho keeps the fight on the outside.
Joaninho scores with a nice strike.
Joaninho fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Hopkins is out of range.
Hopkins is looking to clinch but Joaninho is avoiding it.
Hopkins tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Joaninho throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Joaninho ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Hopkins moves away.
Hopkins tries to close the distance and clinch but Joaninho swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Anthony Hopkins dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Moji Joaninho's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Joaninho displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Hopkins throws out the jab.
Hopkins tries to clinch but Joaninho is having none of it.
Anthony Hopkins is winning the standup battle so far.

Hopkins moves into the clinch.
Hopkins lands a damaging elbow.
Joaninho avoids the elbow strike from Hopkins, against the cage.
Joaninho tries to circle away but Hopkins has him pinned against the cage.
Hopkins tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Joaninho avoids it.
Joaninho wants to break the clinch but can't.
Hopkins misses with a knee to the head.
Joaninho on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Joaninho wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Hopkins pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Joaninho blocks an elbow strike from Hopkins.
Joaninho wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Joaninho avoids a wild elbow strike from Hopkins.
Hopkins softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Joaninho is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Hopkins looking to throw knees to the head but Joaninho is blocking nicely.
Hopkins lands an elbow inside.
Joaninho managing to block the knees to the body from Hopkins.
With the fighters up against the cage, Hopkins throws an elbow but misses.
Joaninho avoids a wild elbow strike from Hopkins.
Joaninho avoiding damage as Hopkins throws knees to the body.
Hopkins throws an elbow but it misses.
Hopkins trying to land knees to the body.
Hopkins stalling.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hopkins just misses with a elbow thrown towards Joaninho's brow.
Hopkins dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hopkins lands an elbow just above Joaninho 's eye.
Joaninho is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Joaninho wants to break free but Hopkins has control.
Joaninho tries to break the clinch but Hopkins is controlling the position.
Joaninho looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Hopkins is stalling here.
Hopkins misses with an elbow over the top.
Hopkins lands an elbow just above Joaninho 's eye.

That has opened up Moji Joaninho's cut even more.
Joaninho blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hopkins lands an elbow that stopped Joaninho in his tracks for a moment.
Joaninho is trying to break free.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hopkins is struggling to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice elbow from Hopkins.

The cut above Moji Joaninho's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Hopkins lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Hopkins tries to throw a body punch but Joaninho avoids it by throwing Hopkins back against the cage.
Joaninho avoids the elbow strike from Hopkins, against the cage.
Hopkins looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Hopkins working the clinch nicely. Joaninho is working for position but Hopkins cracks him with a big knee to the head! Joaninho crumples up against the cage and Hopkins lands two more shots before the ref can save Joaninho! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:49 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Knee & Punches). Anthony Hopkins!