PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Bobby Thornton (ranked 5881 p4p, 0 weight class) and Anub Ben Aiss (ranked 8793 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd giving both fighters a great reception on their way into the arena. That's good to see.

Thornton
vs
Ben Aiss

220 cm
18
161 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

175 cm
18
154 lbs
0 - 2 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Bobby Thornton!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 1, fighting out of London, Anub Ben Aiss!
The judges for this bout are Phil Schofield, Richard Clark and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice sprawl there from Thornton as Ben Aiss shoots in.
Thornton appears to be looking for a big counter.
Ben Aiss looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Ben Aiss tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Thornton tries to bum rush Ben Aiss with a series of wild strikes but Ben Aiss uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Thornton throws a series of punches but Ben Aiss moves out of range.
Anub Ben Aiss seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ben Aiss throws a right hand that Thornton ducks under and follows up with a left that Thornton also avoids with ease.

Ben Aiss darts in and clinches Thornton up against the cage.

Thornton breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Thornton throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Ben Aiss checks a leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ben Aiss avoids the body shot from Thornton.

Thornton fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ben Aiss, pushing him back against the cage.

Thornton manages to break the clinch.

Thornton throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Ben Aiss tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Thornton is in Ben Aiss's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thornton keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Thornton scoring with punches to the head and body.
Thornton working some strikes from top position.
Thornton lands a couple of elbows.
Thornton distracts Ben Aiss with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Thornton lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Thornton lands a couple of elbows.
Thornton is working Ben Aiss over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Thornton is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ben Aiss has momentary wrist control but Thornton slips an elbow through the middle.
Thornton postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Thornton lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Thornton makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Thornton is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Thornton cracks Ben Aiss with a solid left hand.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Thornton's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thornton stands up over Ben Aiss, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Thornton distracts Ben Aiss with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Thornton landing with the ground and pound.
Thornton scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Thornton cracks Ben Aiss with a solid left hand.
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Thornton postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Thornton with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Thornton postures up and lands a big shot to Ben Aiss's brow.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Thornton's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Thornton lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Thornton works over Ben Aiss with some ground and pound from guard.
Thornton with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Thornton is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ben Aiss has momentary wrist control but Thornton slips an elbow through the middle.
Thornton distracts Ben Aiss with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Thornton is working Ben Aiss over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Thornton is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Thornton is in close to Ben Aiss's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Ben Aiss striking off his back but it's not causing Thornton any problems.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Thornton's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Thornton scoring with punches to the head and body.
Thornton really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Thornton connects with a couple of short punches.
Thornton postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Thornton scoring with some ground and pound.
Thornton will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Thornton postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Ben Aiss doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Thornton 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.
Thornton scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Ben Aiss has momentary wrist control but Thornton slips an elbow through the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thornton connects with a couple of short punches.
Thornton chips away with some ground and pound.
Thornton stands up over Ben Aiss, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Thornton landing with the ground and pound.
Ben Aiss 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.
Ben Aiss striking off his back but it's not causing Thornton any problems.
Ben Aiss has momentary wrist control but Thornton slips an elbow through the middle.
Thornton postures up and lands a big shot to Ben Aiss's brow.
Thornton content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Thornton makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Thornton postures up and lands a big shot to Ben Aiss's brow.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Thornton is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Thornton dominated that round.
That's time! Thornton's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

A head kick misses from Thornton.
A shot to the liver by Thornton. Beautiful body shot.
Ben Aiss has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

Ben Aiss has managed to clinch.
Thornton misses with a knee strike.

Thornton breaks from the clinch.
Ben Aiss keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Thornton swings for the body but Ben Aiss moves out of range.
Ben Aiss now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Thornton takes the fight into the clinch.
Thornton misses with a body punch.
Ben Aiss is breathing heavily.
Thornton misses with a knee strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thornton tries a knee to the head but Ben Aiss blocks it.
Thornton looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Thornton misses with a body punch.
Ben Aiss is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.

Ben Aiss jumps guard.
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Bobby Thornton overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Thornton lands a couple of digs.
Thornton landing with the ground and pound.
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Thornton is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Ben Aiss can do to turn this around?
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Thornton is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Thornton scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Thornton's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thornton working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Thornton works over Ben Aiss with some ground and pound from guard.
Thornton cracks Ben Aiss with a solid left hand.
Thornton working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Thornton postures up.
Thornton scoring with some ground and pound.
Thornton stands up over Ben Aiss, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Thornton postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Thornton postures up and lands a big shot to Ben Aiss's brow.
Ben Aiss looking to control.
Thornton postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Thornton landing with the ground and pound.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thornton working some strikes from top position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thornton lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Thornton works over Ben Aiss with some ground and pound from guard.
Thornton scoring with punches to the head and body.
Thornton in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Thornton cracks Ben Aiss with a solid left hand.
Thornton throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Ben Aiss is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Thornton connects with a couple of short punches.
Thornton with a nice head shot there.
Thornton is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

Ben Aiss is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thornton lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Thornton working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ben Aiss's head.
Thornton stands up over Ben Aiss, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Thornton missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Thornton missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Thornton gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Ben Aiss fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Thornton avoids it really well and circles away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ben Aiss tries for a takedown but Thornton circles away easily
and Thornton counters with a two punch combo.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Thornton dominated that second round.
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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Ben Aiss rushes Thornton and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Thornton escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Thornton throws a nice looking combination but Ben Aiss bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Thornton misses with the combination.

Thornton has Ben Aiss up against the cage in a clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thornton misses with the head strike.
Thornton pushes off an throws an elbow but Ben Aiss leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Ben Aiss takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ben Aiss is trying to drag Thornton to the mat but Thornton just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
The referee calls for Thornton to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Thornton turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!

Thornton wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Ben Aiss, who protects the arm well.
Ben Aiss is trying to get back to half guard.
Thornton working the ground and pound.
Ben Aiss is working to avoid the ground and pound but Thornton connects with a decent elbow.
Thornton looks up at the clock and then as Ben Aiss takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Thornton smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Thornton working the head and body with strikes.
Thornton lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Thornton working the head and body with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thornton working the head with strikes.

Thornton wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Ben Aiss, who protects the arm well.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ben Aiss is trying to get back to half guard.
Thornton working the head and body with strikes.
Ben Aiss tries to buck Thornton off but Thornton is having none of it.
Ben Aiss is trying to buck Thornton off.

Thornton tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Thornton has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Thornton working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thornton lands a nice forearm strike.
Ben Aiss tries to bench press Thornton off him but Thornton keeps the position.
Thornton lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Ben Aiss down.
Ben Aiss takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Thornton looks up at the clock and then as Ben Aiss takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Thornton smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Ben Aiss wants to control but Thornton postures up.

Thornton is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Ben Aiss knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Ben Aiss taking a bit of punishment here - Thornton scoring with strikes.

Thornton goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Ben Aiss rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Thornton's guard! Nice work there by Ben Aiss!
Ben Aiss controlling from the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thornton utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Ben Aiss stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Thornton swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Thornton throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Ben Aiss got a little sloppy there for a moment and Thornton has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Ben Aiss has managed to get both his arms back between Thornton's legs - danger averted.
Anub Ben Aiss has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bobby Thornton is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ben Aiss with a flurry of punches that miss.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bobby Thornton showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Thornton has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:26
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 30:26
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bobby Thornton!