PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Alex Mercer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ieuan Thomas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Thomas is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Momma said Knock you Out. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Mercer
vs
Thomas

185 cm
20
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

180 cm
21
185 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Intelligent

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Alex Mercer!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ieuan Thomas!
The judges for this bout are Cecil Peabody, Robert Twigg and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Thomas tries to keep at a distance but Mercer has taken the fight into the clinch.
Mercer trying to land knees to the body.

Mercer is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Thomas can't fight it off and eventually Mercer manages to take the fight to the floor. Thomas looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Mercer trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Mercer looking to sit in guard and control but Thomas gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Mercer can't keep his opponent in guard - Thomas advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Thomas is keen to just control but Mercer is a slippery customer.
Mercer trying to control from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Mercer is looking to sinch up a gullotine here but Thomas pulls his head out easily.
Mercer pushes Thomas off looking to stand but Thomas dives back in and keeps control.
Mercer trying to control but Thomas postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer is trying to stand up here but Thomas is controlling him well.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Mercer shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Thomas pinned against the cage. Thomas gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Thomas clobbers Mercer with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Mercer is breathing heavily.

Thomas shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Thomas was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Thomas putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Mercer in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Thomas lands a heavy elbow.
Thomas looking to control but Mercer is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Thomas prevents Mercer from getting the reversal.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer wants to control but Thomas is having none of it.
Thomas content just to control the position here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Thomas can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Mercer is looking to escape.
Mercer is trying to escape the mount.
BOOM! Thomas connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Thomas looking to control and managing it successfully.

Thomas looking for a guillotine from mount but Mercer is having none of it.
Thomas has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Mercer's face.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Thomas avoids the attempt from Mercer to control.
Mercer is trying to reverse the position but instead Thomas has taken his back - oops!
A lull in the action here.
Mercer looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
Mercer tries to break free.
Thomas scores with punches from the back.
Thomas connects with a big shot to the side of Mercer's head.

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.
Mercer breaks Thomas's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Thomas keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.

Thomas looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Thomas keeping full guard, as Mercer tries to pass.
Thomas wants to sweep here but Mercer controlling him for the moment.
Mercer looking to sit in guard and control but Thomas gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Mercer looking to control but Thomas passes into half guard.
Mercer is looking to control Thomas's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Mercer avoid being mounted?
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ieuan Thomas dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Thomas cracks Mercer with an open hand slap.
Mercer has his takedown stuffed

and Thomas counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Thomas.
Thomas slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.

Mercer escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Thomas gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Thomas scoring with punches to the head and body.
Mercer can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Thomas controls the pace.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Mercer controls Thomas momentarily but Thomas frees himself.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Thomas is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Mercer is on top in guard.
Thomas keeping busy, throwing shots from the bottom.
Thomas controls Mercer momentarily but Mercer frees himself.
Mercer trying to control the position from guard on top but Thomas is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Thomas manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Mercer throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Thomas controlling the position easily from mount.
Thomas lands a big elbow.
Thomas looking to control but Mercer is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Mercer tries to hold on but Thomas pushes him away.
Thomas controlling from the full mount.
Mercer is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Thomas is standing up out of mount! Strange tactic there - he must really want this one on the feet!
Thomas swings for the body but Mercer moves out of range.

Thomas decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Mercer is controlling Thomas's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Ieuan Thomas has got the better of the ground game so far.
Thomas is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.

Mercer looking for submissions off his back.
Thomas prevents Mercer from improving his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mercer trying to control here.
Mercer wants to get back to full guard but Thomas has passed into side control.
Thomas trying to control but Mercer is having none of it.
Thomas prevents Mercer from getting the reversal.
Mercer squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Mercer is just holding on here. Thomas manages to take his back.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ieuan Thomas showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Thomas pivots, looking for a leg kick but Mercer is out of range and Thomas settles back down.
Alex Mercer is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Thomas misses with a takedown attempt

and Mercer counters with a single leg into guard. Thomas didn't expect that.
Mercer pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Thomas is keeping the position for now.
Mercer trying to control the position from guard on top but Thomas is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Mercer would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Mercer sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Thomas 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.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer wants to pass the guard but Thomas is keeping the position.
Mercer wants to control from the top but Thomas keeps moving.
Mercer wants to stand and escape but instead Thomas has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Mercer looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Thomas misses with a takedown attempt

so Mercer counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Thomas working a defensive guard here.
Mercer postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Thomas wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer trying to control but Thomas is working from the bottom.

Mercer decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Mercer throws a right and a left that Thomas avoids nicely.

Thomas has taken the fight to the clinch.
Mercer tries for a takedown but Thomas manages to get underhooks.

Thomas manages to break the clinch.
Thomas cracks a nice hook into Mercer's ribs.
Thomas has a takedown stuffed.
Alex Mercer has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ieuan Thomas.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mercer scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Thomas dodges the ground and pound from Mercer.
Mercer controls the position.
Mercer has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

Mercer swings around for an armbar but Thomas sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Mercer's guard.
Mercer wants to get back to his feet but Thomas is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

Mercer is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Mercer wants to get back to his feet but Thomas is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Mercer looking to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Thomas trying to control but Mercer is working from the bottom.

Mercer is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Mercer has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Thomas prevents Mercer from getting back to his feet.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Thomas closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Well, if Thomas is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Mercer is holding on to half guard well.

And that's the end of the fight!
Alex Mercer showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Thomas 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 Cecil Peabody scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ieuan Thomas!