PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Chris To Short (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sam Thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thomas comes into a darkened arena with his song building. The Rock - Mustapha Ibrahim kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Chris To Short has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

To Short
vs
Thomas

168 cm
26
159 lbs
10 - 12 - 0

167 cm
27
152 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

ATTICUS BLACK

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 10 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Chris To Short !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Sam Thomas!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Kenichi Hosakawa and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thomas circles away from the clinch attempt.

To Short changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Thomas looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Thomas manages to get back to half guard.
To Short wants to stand up but Thomas is controlling the position.
Thomas is looking for a sweep. To Short is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
To Short working the head and body with strikes.
To Short wants to take a breather but Thomas is having none of it.
Thomas keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
To Short is thwarting Thomas's attempts to control the position.
To Short prevents Thomas from standing back up.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Thomas kicks To Short off and gets back to his feet.
Thomas walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. To Short checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
To Short fails in his attempt to clinch.
To Short throws a nice looking combination but Thomas bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Thomas throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A head kick misses from To Short .

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas tries a low kick but To Short avoids it.
To Short tries to clinch up.
To Short checks the leg kick nicely there.
Thomas lands a jab to the head.

Excellent takedown into side control there by To Short .
To Short throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Thomas is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Thomas is looking to improve his position.
Thomas gets full guard.
Thomas looking to control but To Short passes into half guard.
To Short prevents Thomas from standing back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
To Short thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Thomas is pressing down on To Short 's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Thomas trying to keep a closed guard but To Short is proving a slippery customer.

Thomas scrambles and gets back to his feet.
To Short tries to close the distance and clinch but Thomas swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from To Short .

To Short closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
To Short is working for takedown but Thomas is calmly controlling the position for now.

To Short breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Thomas digs a good body shot into To Short 's ribs.

To Short gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Thomas is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomas has To Short pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. To Short manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
To Short tries a knee to the head but Thomas blocks it.

Thomas breaks from the clinch.

To Short clinches.

Thomas wants the takedown. To Short is fighting it off but Thomas persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in To Short 's guard against the cage.
Thomas wants to control from the top but To Short keeps moving.

Thomas avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Thomas looking to pass the guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

To Short looking for subs off his back but Thomas has passed one foot through into half guard.
Thomas trying to control the pace.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

To Short is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Thomas pulls his head out easily.
Thomas not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Thomas is trying to control the action in half guard but To Short is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

To Short looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Thomas controlling the pace.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Sam Thomas will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Thomas avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
To Short tries to clinch but Thomas is having none of it.
To Short shoots in but Thomas avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Thomas fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt To Short .
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from To Short .
To Short throws a head kick but Thomas moves out of range.
Thomas lands a leg kick that knocks To Short off balance momentarily.
Chris To Short is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thomas lands with a nice body kick.
To Short checks a low kick from Thomas.
Thomas blocks a head kick by To Short .
A head kick misses from To Short .
Thomas takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Thomas looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas throws a series of strikes that have To Short backpedaling.
To Short tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Thomas does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Thomas lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and To Short has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from To Short and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Thomas feints and then cracks To Short 's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow To Short down.
A combination from To Short does no damage.
A combination from To Short does no damage.
Sam Thomas is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
That kick from Thomas tenderised To Short 's leg. To Short is trying to keep his angry face on.
Thomas connects with a leg kick. To Short looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
To Short shoots in looking for a takedown. Thomas tries to sprawl out of it but To Short keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Thomas manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Chris To Short . That's going to take a lot out of him.
To Short throws a right hand that Thomas ducks under and follows up with a left that Thomas also avoids with ease.
Thomas buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Thomas avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
To Short takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
To Short misses with a head kick.
Thomas cracks To Short with an open hand slap.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
To Short shoots in looking for a takedown but Thomas manages to keep the fight standing, pushing To Short 's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Thomas feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits To Short s jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
A bone on bone clash there as To Short blocks the leg kick.
Thomas misses with a low kick as To Short jumps back.
Thomas will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Thomas turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Thomas swings away with a leg kick that misses.
To Short throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Thomas.
Thomas swings for the body but To Short moves out of range.
To Short shoots in for a takedown but Thomas shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Thomas cracks To Short with a right hand to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomas avoids the body shot from To Short .
Thomas lands a nice looking body kick.
To Short is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
A solid leg kick lands there for Thomas.
To Short avoids a kick to the body.
A slapping leg kick lands for Thomas.
To Short tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Thomas misses with a low kick.
To Short looks for the body kick but Thomas saw that one coming.
To Short tries to clinch up but Thomas circles away and keeps his distance.
Thomas looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
A jab from Thomas does it's job there.
Thomas misses with an attempted mid kick.
To Short checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
To Short has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Thomas.
To Short misses with a double jab.
Thomas fakes a jab and throws a low kick but To Short checks it well.
Thomas fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but To Short is out of range.
To Short avoids the head kick by Thomas.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Thomas misses with a low kick.
Thomas misses with an uppercut. To Short saw that one coming.
To Short blocks a low kick nicely.
Thomas scoring well with a low kick there.
Thomas throws a half hearted mid kick.
To Short closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thomas lands a nice shot to the body.
To Short is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
To Short fails in his attempt to clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sam Thomas showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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!

To Short throws a nice looking combination but Thomas bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
To Short has a takedown stuffed.
Thomas uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by To Short .
Chris To Short seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thomas throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A nice inside leg kick there by Thomas. That's going to slow To Short down.
Thomas lands with a slapping head kick.
To Short has a takedown stuffed.
A clash of legs there as Thomas blocks the low kick.
Thomas fails to land with a series of punches.
To Short checks the leg kick.
Thomas throws a leg kick that misses.
To Short looks for a takedown but Thomas sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Chris To Short . That's going to take a lot out of him.
Thomas throws a low kick but To Short avoids it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Both fighters circling a little - Thomas finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Thomas fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but To Short is out of range.
Thomas throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Thomas misses with a low kick.
To Short on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Thomas. Thomas obviously looking to wear him down.
Nice shot lands for Thomas.
Thomas misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Good leg kick by Thomas there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
To Short is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Thomas throws a low kick but it's checked well by To Short .
To Short tries to close the distance and clinch but Thomas swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Thomas works the jab nicely.
Thomas dodges the punch combination from To Short .
Thomas scores with the left hand. To Short knows he should have avoided that one.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thomas throws a nice inside leg kick.
To Short avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thomas looks to score with a jab to the body but To Short is just out of range.
To Short fails with an attempt to clinch.
Thomas blocks the body kick.
Thomas circles away from the clinch attempt
and Thomas counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Sam Thomas seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Thomas misses with a straight left.
Thomas lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Thomas.

To Short is rocked!
Thomas scores with a kick to the midsection.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from To Short .
Thomas fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt To Short .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomas thuds a left hand into To Short 's body.
Thomas lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Thomas throws a sloppy head kick and To Short moves out of range easily.
Thomas feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits To Short s jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
To Short checks a leg kick nicely.
Thomas throws a wild body kick that To Short sees coming a mile off.
Thomas swats away the attempt to clinch by To Short .
To Short moves out of range of the leg kick from Thomas.

To Short shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Thomas wants to stand up but To Short is controlling him.
To Short has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Thomas managing to control the position.
Sam Thomas is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomas is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

To Short decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Thomas, up you get!
To Short misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Thomas pulls out of a head kick attempt.
To Short missing with a left hand there. Thomas was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A looping hook to the body misses from To Short . Thomas does a little dance to reset his feet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Thomas walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. To Short checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Thomas connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Chris To Short has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
To Short shoots and misses
and Thomas counters with a lovely straight right hand!
To Short pulls out of a head kick attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sam Thomas comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Thomas winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Taro Takaoka scores the fight 27:30
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 27:30

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