PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between MC Hall (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sonny Bishop Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bishop Jr has chosen The Desolation of Smaug as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Hall
vs
Bishop Jr

190 cm
23
200 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

195 cm
22
200 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

Decent wrestler
Counter fighter
Determined

Bad Man Clothing (Nothing Over $40)

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, MC Hall!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Sonny Bishop Jr!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Richard Clark and James Ackerman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bishop Jr closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Hall did well to prevent Bishop Jr getting side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hall throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bishop Jr throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Hall trying to control here.
Hall wants to get back to full guard.
Bishop Jr is controlling the pace.
Hall 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.
Bishop Jr thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hall's head.
Bishop Jr sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Hall tries to roll over but Bishop Jr keeps him under control.
Bishop Jr sitting and controlling from the half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Hall misses with a kick to the body.
Hall misses with a takedown

and Bishop Jr counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Hall's guard now.
Bishop Jr slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Hall is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Bishop Jr moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Hall's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Bishop Jr looks up at the clock and then as Hall takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Bishop Jr smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hall is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Hall is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Hall is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Bishop Jr has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Hall taking a bit of punishment here - Bishop Jr scoring with strikes.
Bishop Jr working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Bishop Jr taking a breather here.
Bishop Jr is putting a hurting on Hall here, landing some big shots from side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bishop Jr lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Bishop Jr cracks Hall with a big elbow.
Hall tries to buck Bishop Jr off but Bishop Jr is having none of it.
Bishop Jr in side control, just content to control the action for now.
Bishop Jr's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Bishop Jr scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Hall to see if he's OK.
Hall is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Bishop Jr off and has taken his back!

Hall looking for the choke from the back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bishop Jr is trying to get back to his feet but Hall has full control of the position and if anything, Bishop Jr has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Hall seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Bishop Jr looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
Bishop Jr is trying to get back to his feet but Hall has full control of the position and if anything, Bishop Jr has just worked his way into a worse spot.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bishop Jr looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sonny Bishop Jr dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Hall shoots in for a takedown but Bishop Jr shows good takedown defense.
Hall shoots in and drives through. Bishop Jr sprawls well.

Bishop Jr shoots in and gets a takedown into Hall's guard.

Hall is looking for a triangle but Bishop Jr pushes his legs off easily.
Hall looking for a sweep. Not yet Hall, not yet.
Bishop Jr slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Hall throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Bishop Jr must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bishop Jr lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Bishop Jr controls from within his opponent's guard.

Hall has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Bishop Jr can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Hall looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Bishop Jr sitting in guard here, content to control.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Sonny Bishop Jr was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Bishop Jr tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Hall swivels and escapes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Hall gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Hall swings wildly with an uppercut but Bishop Jr uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hall trying to control the position but instead, Bishop Jr has worked for underhooks and has pushed Hall into the cage.

Hall is fighting off a takedown attempt but Bishop Jr is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Hall to the mat. Hall regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Bishop Jr is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Bishop Jr accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bishop Jr sitting in guard here, content to control.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Bishop Jr working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Hall being controlled here, momentarily.

Sonny Bishop Jr has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Hall tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Bishop Jr swivels and escapes.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for MC Hall. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hall shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Bishop Jr counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Hall!
Hall taking a bit of punishment here - Bishop Jr scoring with strikes.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bishop Jr cracks Hall with a big elbow.
Sonny Bishop Jr has got the better of the ground game so far.
Hall manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Hall wants to pass to mount but Bishop Jr is defending the position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hall missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bishop Jr tries to kick Hall off but Hall keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sonny Bishop Jr showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Bishop Jr shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Hall is trying to defend but Bishop Jr finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Bishop Jr seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Bishop Jr lands a nice short elbow.
Bishop Jr takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Hall is looking for a sweep. Bishop Jr is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bishop Jr is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Bishop Jr is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Hall trying to hold on to Bishop Jr's head to control him but Bishop Jr postures up.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Bishop Jr lands a nice short elbow.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Bishop Jr in particular looking to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Sonny Bishop Jr has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Bishop Jr shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Hall defends it nicely.
Hall dives in and grabs Bishop Jr's left leg, looking for a takedown. Bishop Jr pushes down on Hall's head and hops out.
Hall showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Bishop Jr.
Hall is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bishop Jr tries to score a power double leg takedown but Hall sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Bishop Jr somewhat.
Horrible takedown attempt by Hall or perhaps it was just good defense by Bishop Jr, which made it look bad.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Hall enables Bishop Jr to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Hall manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Bishop Jr sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Bishop Jr lands a couple of digs.
Bishop Jr engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Let's hope that Bishop Jr has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Sonny Bishop Jr 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.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Sonny Bishop Jr hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Hall misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for MC Hall. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hall closes the distance and clinches up with Bishop Jr, looking for a takedown. Hall pushes Bishop Jr against the cage but Bishop Jr circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Hall misses with a head kick.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Hall defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Bishop Jr.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Bishop Jr closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Hall quickly recovers to half guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Hall looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
MC Hall has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bishop Jr takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sonny Bishop Jr comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Bishop Jr 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sonny Bishop Jr!
Sonny Bishop Jr was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.