PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Maunu Tua (ranked 4112 p4p, 530 weight class) and Paul Daniels (ranked 7195 p4p, 685 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Tua
vs
Daniels

182 cm
26
210 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

205 cm
26
205 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

Taps On The Island

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Maunu Tua!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Paul Daniels!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Peter Branson and Winston Alpacca.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tua scores with a jab to the head.
Daniels slips under a jab from Tua.
Daniels is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Daniels throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Tua seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Daniels closes the distance but Tua moves to the side
enabling Tua to counter with a crisp jab.
Nice straight punches there by Tua. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Tua.

Daniels gets the takedown into side control.
Tua is trying to improve his position.
Tua is working hard here to advance position.
Daniels in side control, throwing shots but Tua defends.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tua can't do much from the bottom here.

Daniels tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Daniels is looking to take a break and control but Tua is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Tua is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

Daniels wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Tua, who protects the arm well.
Tua stops Daniels from passing to mount.
Tua knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Daniels on the ground.
Tua tries to bench press Daniels off him but Daniels keeps the position.
Daniels throwing strikes but Tua manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Daniels can't do much from the bottom here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tua tries to advance to mount but Daniels denies him.
Tua working the head and body with strikes.
Tua is working Daniels over with some ground and pound from side control.
Tua tries to move to mount but Daniels blocks the move with his legs.
Daniels struggling a bit here.
Daniels is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Tua throws a strike but Daniels avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Daniels looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Daniels avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Tua won't allow Daniels to get back to his feet.
Tua scoring with some ground and pound.
Daniels is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Tua landing with the ground and pound.
Tua stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Daniels swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Daniels utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Daniels looking to control.
Tua has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's four 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.
Tua looking to pass the guard.
Daniels is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Tua jabs at Daniels's body.
A head kick misses from Daniels.
An attempted straight right counter from Tua misses the target.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Daniels.

Daniels thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

Daniels tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Daniels tries to move to mount but Tua blocks the move with his legs.
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 Maunu Tua will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Daniels tries to clinch up
and Tua counters with a straight right hand.
Daniels tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Daniels wants to clinch but Tua slips to the side
and Tua counters with a stiff right hand.
Paul Daniels is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Daniels is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Paul Daniels seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Daniels tries to clinch there but Tua circles away.
Daniels tries to close the distance and clinch but Tua swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tua loads up on a big right hand but Daniels slips the punch.
Daniels tries to clinch up.
Daniels is looking to clinch but Tua is avoiding it.
Tua connects with the punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tua scores with a crisp jab that stopped Daniels in his tracks.
Tua throws an overhand right that lands on Daniels's shoulder, as Daniels tries to avoid the shot.
Daniels wants to clinch.
Daniels misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Daniels tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Tua is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Daniels can do to turn this around?
Daniels is looking to clinch but Tua is avoiding it.
Daniels fails in his attempt to clinch.
Daniels tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Tua paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Tua was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Tua keeps the fight on the outside.
Daniels defending well as Tua loads up on a big left hand.
Tua misses the shot to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Daniels misses with a kick to the body.
Daniels tries to grapple but his opponent circles
letting Tua counter with a right hand.
Daniels tries to close the distance and clinch but Tua swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
An attempted straight right counter from Tua misses the target.
Tua lands a jab to the head.
Daniels darts in trying to clinch
and Tua counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Daniels tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Tua paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Tua misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Daniels.
Daniels tries to clinch up.
Tua throwing a counter right hand but Daniels manages to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tua avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Tua throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Tua sets himself, and Daniels steps forward looking for the clinch! Tua avoids it this time.

Tua looking to score a takedown here. Daniels is defending well but Tua drives through and ends up in Daniels's guard.
Daniels preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Tua looking to pass the guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Tua trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Daniels manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!

Tua looking for a sweep. Not yet Tua, not yet.
Paul Daniels has got the better of the ground game so far.
Daniels looking to pass the guard.
Daniels trying to control but Tua is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Daniels thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Tua avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Tua trying to control the position here.
Daniels postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Daniels advances position into side control!
Tua manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Tua preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Tua is staying active underneath Daniels, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Maunu Tua dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Daniels tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Tua connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
The fight stays on the outside here - Daniels looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Daniels gets a takedown into half guard.
Tua gets back to full guard.
Daniels preventing the sweep.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tua has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Tua might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Daniels loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Tua looking for a sweep. Not yet Tua, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tua wants to improve his position but instead Daniels has moved into half guard.
Daniels thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Tua's head.
Daniels passes to full mount!
Daniels thowing shots but they're missing.
Daniels wants to control the pace but Tua is squirming around nicely.
Tua blocking the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Daniels punching from mount but Tua doing a good job of avoiding damage.

Daniels working for a submission here. He's tucked his head under his opponent's arm, looking for an arm triangle. He's hopped off into side control, looking to tighten the submission... is it going to work? He's given up a good position looking for it. Tua looks OK. Oh, I spoke too soon, he's out! That must have been tighter than I thought! Excellent work there by Daniels! Submission of the night perhaps?

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:25 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Arm Triangle). Paul Daniels!
After winning the bout, Paul Daniels thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.