PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Aadilou Ankutse (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Markus Thomson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ankutse's entrance music is i ka kane . A fine choice. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Ankutse
vs
Thomson

168 cm
20
149 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

178 cm
19
149 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Good in bed

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Good gas tank

PWNAGE™ (WOT)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Aadilou Ankutse!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Markus Thomson!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Dean Styles and Anthony Taglia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thomson connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Ankutse momentarily.
Nice sprawl there from Thomson as Ankutse shoots in.
Thomson throws a series of punches but Ankutse avoids them all with ease.
Nice sprawl there from Thomson as Ankutse shoots in.
Thomson slaps away a takedown attempt from Ankutse, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Aadilou Ankutse. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Ankutse closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Thomson to the mat! Thomson manages to get full guard.
Ankutse is looking to work some ground and pound but Thomson has wrist control.
Ankutse wants to control from the top but Thomson keeps moving.
Thomson really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Ankutse. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Thomson is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Thomson can do anything to dispel that myth.
Thomson is trying to keep Ankutse in close.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Markus Thomson.
Nice sprawl there from Thomson as Ankutse shoots in.
Ankutse shoots in for a takedown but Thomson shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
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!
Thomson ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ankutse moves away.
Ankutse shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Thomson defends it nicely.
Nice takedown defense from Thomson. No joy for Ankutse on that attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ankutse takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Thomson connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Ankutse's hands.
Thomson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Ankutse has closed the distance and engaged Thomson in a clinch.
Thomson makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Ankutse jumps guard but Thomson stands there with Ankutse around his waist. Ankutse gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Ankutse drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Ankutse tries to pull guard but Thomson holds him up against the cage and eventually Ankutse drops back down to his feet.

Thomson pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Thomson keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Ankutse shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Ankutse takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Thomson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A punch combination from Thomson misses.
Thomson cracks Ankutse with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Thomson lunges at Ankutse with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Ankutse's hand.
Nice jab there from Thomson.
Thomson scores with a sloppy right hand. Ankutse should have avoided that one.
Thomson throws a low kick but Ankutse moves out of range easily.
Ankutse tries to close the distance and clinch but Thomson swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Thomson lands an overhand right.
Ankutse shoots for a takedown but Thomson saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Good shot there by Thomson.
Thomson is looking to score with low kicks.
Thomson lands with an overhand left.

Ankutse is rocked!
Thomson misses with a few strikes there.
Good shot there by Thomson.
Oh Ankutse is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Thomson scores with a shot to the body.
Ankutse seems to have got his legs back now.
Thomson fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ankutse manages to avoid it.
Thomson throws a series of punches but Ankutse moves out of range.
Thomson has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomson takes a swing at Ankutse's ribcage but misses.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Ankutse fails with the takedown.
Thomson swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ankutse walks into a straight right hand from Thomson.
Thomson keeps the fight on the outside.
A combination from Thomson does no damage.
Thomson throws a good cross that connects.
Thomson swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Ankutse looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Ankutse won't allow Thomson to sweep him here.
Ankutse 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.
Thomson keeping full guard, as Ankutse tries to pass.
Ankutse slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Ankutse working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Thomson is looking for a sweep.
Thomson can't do much from the bottom here.

Ankutse is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Thomson has escaped the position, nice work there.

Ankutse is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Thomson has escaped the position, nice work there.
Thomson is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Ankutse tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Ankutse has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Markus Thomson dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Thomson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ankutse.
Thomson throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

Ankutse shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Ankutse showed some decent athleticism there.

Ankutse 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.

Ankutse wants to work for an arm triangle but Thomson is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Ankutse throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

Ankutse seems to be looking for submissions.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomson is trying to maintain the position but Ankutse is very close to passing his half guard.
Ankutse works his way into full mount!
Ankutse avoids the attempt from Thomson to control.
Ankutse with shots to the head and body - Thomson looks very uncomfortable down there.
Thomson manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Thomson is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Ankutse's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Ankutse's back!
Ankutse turns into Thomson and is now in his guard.
Ankutse works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Ankutse looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Thomson avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Ankutse.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Thomson is looking for a sweep. Ankutse is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Thomson trying to control but Ankutse postures up.
Thomson is looking to improve his position.
Thomson gets full guard.
Thomson is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Thomson trying to keep a closed guard but Ankutse is proving a slippery customer.
Thomson seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Ankutse preventing the sweep.
Thomson keeping moving, preventing Ankutse from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Thomson scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomson misses with a series of wild punches.
Thomson throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Thomson throws a right hand that Ankutse ducks under and follows up with a left that Ankutse also avoids with ease.
Ankutse fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Thomson misses with a series of wild punches.
Sloppy strikes from Thomson. Those never looked like landing.
Ankutse shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Thomson sprawls well. Thomson wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Ankutse gets slowly back to his feet.

Thomson darts in and clinches Ankutse up against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Ankutse fails to land.
Thomson lands a left hand.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Thomson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomson lands a shot to the body.
A short uppercut from Ankutse.
Thomson lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Ankutse or not.
Ankutse tries a body shot but Thomson blocks it.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Ankutse tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Ankutse is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Thomson to keep the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Aadilou Ankutse. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ankutse tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
The referee is keeping an eye on Thomson - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thomson scores with a hook to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thomson lands a nice shot to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Thomson pushes Ankutse back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Ankutse is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Thomson gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.

Thomson's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Markus Thomson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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 crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Ankutse shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Thomson as he avoids it easily.

Thomson moves into range and clinches up with Ankutse.
Ankutse tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Thomson smiles and moves away.
Ankutse shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Thomson but Thomson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Aadilou Ankutse. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice body punch from Thomson.
Thomson connects with a right hand. Ankutse shakes it off.
Thomson throws a right hand that Ankutse ducks under and follows up with a left that Ankutse also avoids with ease.
Ankutse looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Thomson is fending him off so far but Ankutse persists. Nope, Thomson circles away and we're back to standing.
Thomson looks to land a combination. Ankutse sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

Thomson pushes Ankutse up against the cage in a clinch.
Thomson lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
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!
Ankutse wants a takedown.

Thomson pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Ankutse tries to close the distance and clinch up but Thomson swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Thomson swinging wildly here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ankutse moves in looking to clinch but Thomson pushes him off.
Thomson throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ankutse.

Ankutse closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Thomson is holding on to half guard well.
Thomson tries to get to full guard but Ankutse has control of the leg.

Ankutse is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Thomson doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Ankutse.
Thomson trying to control but Ankutse postures up.
Ankutse slips a nice elbow through Thomson's hands, connecting with Thomson's forehead.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thomson wants to control the action here but instead Ankutse manages to pass to full mount!
Ankutse looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.

Ankutse is working for a guillotine from mount but Thomson frees his head quite easily.
Thomson keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ankutse unloads with some shots from mount but Thomson bucks and avoids them well.
Aadilou Ankutse overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Ankutse working for a guillotine from mount but Thomson is in no mood to give up.
Thomson wants to control but Ankutse is having none of it.
Thomson regains half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomson tries to roll over but Ankutse keeps him under control.

Ankutse is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Thomson sees it coming and defends easily.
Thomson won't allow Ankutse to pass to mount.
Thomson is staying active underneath Ankutse, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Thomson is looking to control Ankutse's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Thomson avoid being mounted?

Ankutse is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Thomson won't allow Ankutse to pass to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomson trying to control but Ankutse postures up.
Thomson is trying to get back to full guard.
Markus Thomson is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Ankutse thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ankutse is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Ankutse raining down hammerfists from mount.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Ankutse cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Aadilou Ankutse has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Ankutse wants to take his opponent's back but Thomson doesn't allow it.

Ankutse with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Thomson can't escape the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Aadilou Ankutse.
I think Thomson 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 Chad Campbell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Dean Styles scores the fight 28:29
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Markus Thomson!
Markus Thomson was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.