PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Matth Thibodeaux (ranked 3272 p4p, 2651 weight class) and Aiko Inhanamoto (ranked 416 p4p, 343 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Inhanamoto's choice of entrance music: Veruca Salt - "Stoneface". Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Thibodeaux
vs
Inhanamoto

175 cm
28
170
6 - 4 - 0

178 cm
26
182
7 - 2 - 2

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

BE Younick

Seventh Circle Clothing

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 6 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Matth Thibodeaux!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 2 - 2, fighting out of Sydney, Aiko Inhanamoto!
The judges for this bout are James Atkins, Daniel Bishop and William Gold.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Thibodeaux misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Inhanamoto to counter with a crisp jab.

Inhanamoto closes the distance and clinches.

Inhanamoto breaks the clinch.
Inhanamoto misses the shot to the body.
Thibodeaux swings for the body but Inhanamoto moves out of range.
Inhanamoto tries to counter by closing the distance.
Thibodeaux misses with a body shot.
Inhanamoto misses with an uppercut
and Thibodeaux counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Inhanamoto connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Inhanamoto staying out of range there.
Thibodeaux pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Inhanamoto scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Inhanamoto dodges the punch combination from Thibodeaux.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thibodeaux jabs Inhanamoto to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Inhanamoto throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Thibodeaux misses with a left hand
and Inhanamoto cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Thibodeaux takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
A jab lands there for Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto lands with a hook. Thibodeaux tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Inhanamoto misses with a series of wild punches.
Thibodeaux was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Inhanamoto misses with a hook.
Inhanamoto tries to bum rush Thibodeaux with a series of wild strikes but Thibodeaux uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Inhanamoto swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Thibodeaux with a nice cross.
Thibodeaux throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
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!
Thibodeaux takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Inhanamoto misses with a hook
and Thibodeaux counters with a stiff right hand.

Thibodeaux cracks Inhanamoto with a big right hand and Inhanamoto goes down!

Inhanamoto is rocked!
Thibodeaux wants to control from the top but Inhanamoto keeps moving.
Inhanamoto is still in real trouble! Can Thibodeaux finish him?
Inhanamoto wants to stand but Thibodeaux is controlling the position.
Inhanamoto seems to have recovered his senses.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Inhanamoto can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thibodeaux is standing up over Inhanamoto. Inhanamoto looks to escape but Thibodeaux dives into side control.
Thibodeaux wants to lay and pray for a moment but Inhanamoto keeps working.
Inhanamoto prevents Thibodeaux from improving position.
Thibodeaux trying to control the action but Inhanamoto is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Inhanamoto wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Inhanamoto with a body punch. A glancing blow.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Matth Thibodeaux will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Inhanamoto swings for the body but Thibodeaux moves out of range.
Thibodeaux throws a big counter combination but Inhanamoto scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Thibodeaux has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Thibodeaux there as he acknowledges the shot.
Inhanamoto has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Thibodeaux ducks under a wild hook from Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
It looked like Thibodeaux was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto lands with a right hand.
Thibodeaux misses with a body shot.
Inhanamoto swinging wildly here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Thibodeaux slips under a jab.
Inhanamoto bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Thibodeaux's head backwards.
Inhanamoto lands a right hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Inhanamoto throws a lazy right hand but Thibodeaux sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Thibodeaux lands a slapping body shot.
Thibodeaux throws a body punch but Inhanamoto moves out of range.
Thibodeaux takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
A left lands for Inhanamoto.
Matth Thibodeaux is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thibodeaux misses with a head kick.
A swing and a miss from Thibodeaux.
Thibodeaux takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Inhanamoto keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Inhanamoto wants to counter the offense by Thibodeaux and move into the clinch position.
Inhanamoto changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Inhanamoto misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Thibodeaux.
Nice shot lands for Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
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!
Thibodeaux looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Thibodeaux slips under a jab from Inhanamoto.
Thibodeaux is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto falls off balance throwing a combination
and Thibodeaux makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Thibodeaux throws an ugly left hook that misses
enabling Inhanamoto to counter with a crisp jab.
Thibodeaux is looking to wear down Inhanamoto with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Inhanamoto misses with a wild body shot.
Thibodeaux is looking to counter punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thibodeaux misses with a hook.
Inhanamoto scores with a jab.
Aiko Inhanamoto seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Inhanamoto takes the fight into the clinch.
Inhanamoto keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Thibodeaux's efforts to push away.
Inhanamoto misses with a shot to the kidneys.

Inhanamoto breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Inhanamoto gets a clinch.
Inhanamoto swings wildly with an uppercut but Thibodeaux uses good head movement to avoid it.
Thibodeaux wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Inhanamoto has him pressed against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Inhanamoto pushes Thibodeaux back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Inhanamoto tries a body shot but Thibodeaux blocks it.

Inhanamoto manages to break the clinch.

Inhanamoto clinches with his opponent.
Thibodeaux letting Inhanamoto take a breather here.
Inhanamoto stalling.

Inhanamoto breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Thibodeaux misses with a body punch
and Inhanamoto counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Inhanamoto displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Thibodeaux throws out the jab.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Aiko Inhanamoto 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!

Thibodeaux swings widly with a right hand
enabling Inhanamoto to counter with a crisp jab.

Inhanamoto has Thibodeaux up against the cage in a clinch.
Inhanamoto lands a right hand that snaps the head of Thibodeaux backwards.
Inhanamoto pushes Thibodeaux back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

Inhanamoto's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Thibodeaux misses the shot to the body.
A jab from Thibodeaux does it's job there.
Inhanamoto has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Inhanamoto blocks a jab.
Inhanamoto wants to counter the offense by Thibodeaux and move into the clinch position.
Inhanamoto rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Thibodeaux moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Thibodeaux throws a combination that misses

and Inhanamoto holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thibodeaux has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Inhanamoto creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
A short left from Inhanamoto.

Inhanamoto pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Thibodeaux misses with a combination
and Inhanamoto counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Thibodeaux uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Inhanamoto.
Thibodeaux uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Inhanamoto.
An attempted straight right counter from Thibodeaux misses the target.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Inhanamoto lands on the inside with an uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Thibodeaux takes a shot to the head.

Inhanamoto manages to break the clinch.
Inhanamoto throws a shot to the body.
Thibodeaux throws a nice head kick!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Thibodeaux drops his hands momentarily and Inhanamoto takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Thibodeaux ducks right into an uppercut from Inhanamoto.
Inhanamoto drops his hands momentarily and Thibodeaux takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Thibodeaux takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Thibodeaux tries to bum rush Inhanamoto with a series of wild strikes but Inhanamoto uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Inhanamoto misses with a double jab.
Thibodeaux thuds a left hand into Inhanamoto's body.
Thibodeaux misses with the combination.

Inhanamoto gets a clinch.
Thibodeaux blocking some punches.
Thibodeaux wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Inhanamoto has him pressed against the cage.

Inhanamoto breaks the clinch.
Nice cross by Thibodeaux.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Inhanamoto blocks a head kick by Thibodeaux.
Thibodeaux misses with a low kick.
Thibodeaux misses with a shot to the body
and Inhanamoto counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Thibodeaux uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Inhanamoto.
It looked like Thibodeaux was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Inhanamoto.
Thibodeaux misses with a body shot.
Inhanamoto fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
It looked like Thibodeaux wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Inhanamoto takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Inhanamoto takes the fight into the clinch.
Inhanamoto lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Aiko Inhanamoto comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Inhanamoto 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 James Atkins scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 28:29
Judge William Gold scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Aiko Inhanamoto!
Aiko Inhanamoto decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.