PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between James Bija (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Big Thunder (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bija has a slight injury, which hopefully won't affect the fight too much. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Bija
vs
Thunder

188 cm
21
250 lbs
4 - 10 - 0

198 cm
21
230 lbs
2 - 5 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, James Bija!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Big Thunder!
The judges for this bout are Alexandre Firmino, Luis Engracia and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bija misses with a looping right.
Thunder looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Bija keeps the fight on the outside.
Bija swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Bija thinking.
Bija rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thunder counters with a two punch combo.
Bija misses with a right hand
and Thunder counters with an inside leg kick.
A thudding body kick lands there by Thunder!
Thunder connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Bija's hands.
Thunder tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Thunder!
A left lands for Thunder.
Bija throws an off balance right hand
and Thunder counters with a left to the body.
James Bija seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bija throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thunder counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Bija tries to clinch

and Thunder counters by clinching up.

Thunder manages to break the clinch.
Bija throws a poor cross that misses
and Thunder counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Some wild striking there from Thunder.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bija falls off balance throwing a combination

and Thunder holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Bija wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Bija has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Bija has had enough of the clinch but Thunder keeps him there for the moment.
Bija tries to break the clinch but Thunder is controlling the position.
Thunder is trying to force a seperation but Bija has the dominant position.

Thunder escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bija throws out a loose jab but Thunder uses good head movement to avoid it.
Thunder will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a three punch combo that has Bija backing up. Bija nods at Thunder to acknowledge the strikes.
Bija misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Thunder counters with a stiff right hand.
Thunder throws a series of punches but Bija moves out of range.
Bija lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Thunder is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Thunder fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bija is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Thunder's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Thunder is looking to clinch.
Thunder uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Bija.
Bija throws a nice looking combination but Thunder bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Thunder comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.

Thunder fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Bija, pushing him back against the cage.
Bija prevents Thunder from breaking the clinch.
Bija is trying to break the clinch but Thunder has him pressed against the cage.
Thunder keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Bija's efforts to push away.
Bija blocks the elbow strike.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Thunder tries to clinch but Bija moves out of range.
A jab from Thunder finds it's way through Bija's defenses.
Thunder is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bija misses with a right hand
and Bija takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Thunder misses with a head kick.
Thunder misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Bija misses with a lunging right hand
and Thunder counters with a stiff right hand.
A swing and a miss from Bija.
Bija throws a poor cross that misses
and Thunder connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A telegraphed right hand from Bija misses the target.
Thunder plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a nice body shot.
Bija misses the shot to the body.
Bija rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Thunder counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Bija is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Bija feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Thunders jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Thunder is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Bija had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Bija looks to score with a jab to the body but Thunder is just out of range.
Thunder tries to move into range but Bija moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a good, hard body kick but Bija shrugs it off.
Bija scores with a jab. Thunder acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Bija throws a combination that misses
and Thunder counters with an outside leg kick.
Bija misses with a looping left.
Bija misses with a looping right.

Thunder gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Bija tries to break the clinch but Thunder is controlling the position.
A frustrated look appears on Bija's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Thunder obliges.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Bija tries to close the distance and clinch up but Thunder swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bija throws a hook to the side of Thunder's head but Thunder sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Thunder misses with a two punch combination.
Bija connects with a crisp jab.
Nice uppercut lands for Bija. That snapped Thunder's head back.
Thunder misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Some wild striking there from Thunder.
Bija avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Big Thunder dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

A punch combination from Bija misses.
Thunder throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Bija throws a jab when Thunder was well out of range.
Bija is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Thunder keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A swing and a miss from Bija.
Thunder moves out of range of the strikes.
Bija throws a lazy uppercut
and Thunder counters with a series of strikes. Bija will be more careful next time no doubt.
Bija misses with a hook.
Thunder is looking to clinch but Bija is avoiding it.
Thunder tries to clinch up but Bija circles away and keeps his distance.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bija fails to land with a series of punches.

Thunder takes the fight into the clinch.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Bija is trying to break free.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Thunder.

Thunder pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Bija lands with a right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bija throws an off balance right hand
and Thunder counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Thunder slips under a jab from Bija.
Bija throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Thunder makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Bija really felt that one!
Thunder keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bija.
A punch combination from Thunder misses.
Bija throws a big shot that misses.
Bija scores with a hook.
Big Thunder is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bija misses with a hook.
Thunder uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Bija.
Thunder cracks Bija with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Bija lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Thunder tries to clinch there but Bija circles away.
Bija throws a right hand that misses
and Thunder counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Thunder works the jab nicely.
Bija cracks Thunder with a good jab.
Thunder has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a head kick.
Bija showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Thunder.
Bija throws a lazy right hand but Thunder sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Bija misses with a body punch

and Thunder moves into the clinch.
Bija is trying to break the clinch but Thunder has him pressed against the cage.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Thunder ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Thunder moves away from the strike by Bija.
Thunder ducks under a wild hook from Bija.
Thunder misses with a double jab.
Bija misses the shot to the body.
Thunder ducks under a wild hook from Bija.
Bija misses with a hook
and Thunder counters with a nice low kick that buckles Bija's knee momentarily.
Bija throws out a loose jab but Thunder uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bija throws a right hand that misses
and Thunder counters with a straight right hand.
Bija misses with a series of wild punches.
Thunder tries to close the distance and clinch up but Bija swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bija misses with a lunging right hand
and Thunder counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Thunder looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Thunder tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Bija paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Thunder uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Bija.
Bija takes a swing at Thunder's ribcage but misses.
Thunder slips under a jab from Bija.
Thunder avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Bija misses with a left hand
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Bija looks to land a right hand but Thunder moved out of range.
Thunder lands a jab-cross combination.
Bija dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Thunder takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

Thunder pushes Bija up against the cage in a clinch.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Thunder catches Bija with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Bija connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Bija throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Bija throws a right hand that misses

and Thunder counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Thunder.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bija tries to bum rush Thunder with a series of wild strikes but Thunder uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Bija lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Thunder fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Thunder tries to bum rush Bija with a series of wild strikes but Bija uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Thunder has Bija up against the cage in a clinch.
Bija is trying to break the clinch but Thunder has him pressed against the cage.
Bija has Thunder pressed against the cage, preventing Thunder from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Thunder breaks the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Big Thunder showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Bija gets tackled into the cage by Thunder. Thunder maintains the clinch.
Bija tries to circle away but Thunder has him pinned against the cage.
Thunder is trying to push Bija away but Bija has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Thunder prevents Bija from breaking the clinch.
Bija is trying to break free.
Bija wants to get back to striking at distance but Thunder won't allow it.

Thunder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bija defending well as Thunder loads up on a big left hand.
Thunder lands with a nice combination. Bija backs away looking to recover.
Bija throws a right and a left that Thunder avoids nicely.
Bija throws a series of strikes that have Thunder backpedaling.
Bija throws a poor cross that misses
and Thunder counters with a solid body kick.
Bija fails with an attempt to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Nice shot by Bija.
Thunder takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bija keeps the fight on the outside.

Thunder gets a clinch.

Thunder manages to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thunder wants to clinch up but Bija keeps it at a distance.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Thunder keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Bija's efforts to push away.

Thunder pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Thunder moves out of range as Bija strikes.
Bija throws a combination that misses
and Thunder counters with a leg kick.
Thunder swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Bija misses with a hook
and Thunder counters with a nice low kick that buckles Bija's knee momentarily.
Thunder scores with a head kick. Bija tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Bija pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Bija connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Thunder slips under a jab.
Thunder uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Bija.
Bija throws a hook but Thunder blocks it.
James Bija has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Bija slips a jab and a cross from Thunder.
Bija throws a shot from downtown. Thunder moves away and avoids it.
Bija looks to land a right hand but Thunder moved out of range.
Thunder defending well as Bija loads up on a big left hand.
A swing and a miss from Bija.
Bija misses with an uppercut
and Thunder connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Bija jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Bija misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Thunder counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Thunder slips under a jab.
Thunder wants to clinch up but Bija keeps it at a distance.
Thunder dodges the punch combination from Bija.
Bija misses with a left hand

and Thunder counters by clinching up.
Bija wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Thunder has him pressed against the cage.
Thunder keeps control of Bija as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Thunder has Bija pressed against the cage.
Thunder with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bija working hard to break the clinch.
Bija avoids the elbow strike from Thunder, against the cage.

Thunder's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Thunder keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Thunder scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Thunder throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
The fighters circling - Bija throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Thunder tries to clinch up.
Bija moves out of range as Thunder strikes.
Bija lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Bija moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Bija misses the shot to the body.
Bija lands with a right hand.
Bija tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Thunder manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Thunder tries to clinch up but Bija circles away and keeps his distance.
Bija swings widly with a right hand
and Thunder counters with a stiff right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Bija misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
The fight stays on the outside here - Thunder looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Bija misses with a hook
and Thunder finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Bija keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Bija throws out a loose jab but Thunder uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bija just misses with a punch to the body.
Bija misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Thunder.

Bija has Thunder up against the cage in a clinch.

Thunder pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Thunder looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Thunder clinches.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Bija misses with a short punch on the inside.
Thunder is trying to force a seperation but Bija has the dominant position.
Big Thunder is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Bija is trying to break the clinch but Thunder has him pressed against the cage.
Bija throws a punch but it's blocked by Thunder.

And that's the end of the fight!
Big Thunder comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Thunder has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 27:30
Judge Luis Engracia scores the fight 27:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Big Thunder!