PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between tyson griffin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and shinya aoki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). shinya aoki has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

griffin
vs
aoki

170 cm
23
163 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

174 cm
23
164 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Experienced

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Solid chin

Das Labor

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, tyson griffin!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, shinya aoki!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
griffin throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around aoki's waist but aoki gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing griffin off to one side.
aoki lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but griffin circles away quickly and effectively.
griffin misses with a body shot.
aoki throws a leg kick but griffin moved away.
aoki throws a sloppy head kick and griffin moves out of range easily.
griffin shoots in but no luck this time.
Nice sprawl there from griffin as aoki shoots in.
Danga de danga de dang - griffin scores with a four punch combination!
aoki misses with the combination.
griffin looks to score with a jab to the body but aoki is just out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
griffin fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for tyson griffin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
griffin blocks a head kick by aoki.

griffin shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.

That's one minute gone in the round.

griffin with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
aoki really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
BOOM! griffin connects with a massive shot to the dome!

griffin looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
aoki wants to hold on but griffin pushes him away.

griffin working for a submission but aoki is keeping him at bay.
aoki tries to reverse the position but griffin maintains control.
aoki sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

aoki looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
griffin drops an elbow to the side of aoki's head.
griffin sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. aoki defending well though.
aoki gets back to full guard.
aoki is trying to keep griffin in close.
griffin works a leg free and moves into half guard.
aoki keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

griffin decides to stand up.
aoki throws a head kick that misses.
griffin misses with a looping left.
griffin misses with a double jab
and aoki counters with a one-two to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
griffin tries for a takedown but aoki circles away easily

and aoki counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
griffin moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
griffin 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.
griffin is breathing heavily.
aoki tries to free his leg and advance position but griffin is retaining full guard.
aoki preventing the sweep.
griffin keeping full guard, as aoki tries to pass.

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

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
griffin doesn't succeed with the takedown
and aoki counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
aoki falls off balance throwing a combination

and griffin counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
griffin wants to free his trapped foot but aoki is holding on for dear life with his legs.
aoki is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
griffin throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
aoki wants to control but griffin is keeping busy.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
griffin prevents aoki from improving his position.

griffin is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and aoki defends it well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

tyson griffin 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.

Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from aoki.
griffin scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
griffin with a lazy takedown attempt
and aoki counters with a two punch combo.

griffin shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches aoki napping and manages to drive through into side control!
griffin wants to lay and pray for a moment but aoki keeps working.
aoki tries to improve position but can't.
griffin 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.

griffin is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, aoki has escaped the position, nice work there.
aoki tries to bench press griffin off him but griffin keeps the position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

aoki sneaks out the side door and pushes griffin away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.

That's one minute gone in the round.
aoki fails to land with a series of punches.
aoki throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
griffin with a lazy takedown attempt
and aoki connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

griffin scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
griffin wants to control but aoki is keeping him busy.

griffin is looking for a kimura here.
aoki is trying to control but griffin passes into side control!
aoki is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on griffin's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
aoki tries to get to full guard but griffin has control of the leg.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

aoki looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
griffin is trying to control. aoki wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
aoki gets back to full guard.
aoki looking for a sweep. Not yet aoki, not yet.
griffin landing some decent shots from guard.
griffin sitting in guard, not really doing much.

griffin got a little sloppy there for a moment and aoki has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, griffin has managed to get both his arms back between aoki's legs - danger averted.
griffin wants to control from the top but aoki keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
griffin passes into half guard.
aoki is refusing to be controlled, as griffin sits in half guard.

griffin decides to stand up.
griffin doesn't succeed with the takedown
and aoki connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for tyson griffin. That's going to take a lot out of him.
griffin misses with a two punch combination.

griffin scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
griffin working the ground and pound from side control.
aoki struggling a bit here.

griffin tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no griffin has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
aoki sneaks back into half guard.
griffin missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
aoki regains full guard. Nicely done.
aoki is trying to keep griffin in close.

aoki is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
griffin advances to half guard.
aoki is trying to get back to full guard.
griffin working over aoki with some ground and pound. aoki looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

tyson griffin dominated that second 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.

griffin doesn't succeed with the takedown
and aoki counters with a left and a right that stings griffin.
aoki throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

aoki gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
griffin is pushing down on aoki's leg trying to pass to half guard. aoki is fighting to maintain full guard but griffin has managed to sneak the leg through.

griffin wants to work for an arm triangle but aoki is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
aoki trying to hold on to griffin's head to control him but griffin postures up.
aoki is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
griffin not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

aoki has one foot on griffin's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
The crowd cheers as griffin lands an impressive looking overhand right. aoki doesn't seem phased though.
aoki closes the distance and clinches up with griffin, looking for a takedown. aoki pushes griffin against the cage but griffin circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

griffin closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - griffin lands in his opponent's guard.

griffin thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
griffin throwing strikes from guard but aoki blocks nicely.
aoki thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
griffin looking to pass the guard.
aoki controls griffin momentarily but griffin frees himself.

griffin gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
aoki lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
griffin thuds his right hand into aoki's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
griffin comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
griffin bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
griffin tries to bum rush aoki with a series of wild strikes but aoki uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A combination from griffin does no damage.
griffin slips under a jab.
griffin has his takedown stuffed

and aoki counters with a shoot takedown. griffin fights it but they end up in guard.
aoki passes into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
griffin has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. aoki is working away from the top position though.
aoki lands strikes from half guard.
tyson griffin overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
aoki looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
aoki missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

aoki is sneakily working for an arm triangle but griffin sees it coming and defends easily.
griffin throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
aoki is pressing down on griffin's thigh, looking to free his foot. griffin is holding on for now.
griffin slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
griffin keeping moving, preventing aoki from controlling successfully.

That's four 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.
griffin manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. aoki manages to get himself to full guard.
griffin showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
aoki is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
aoki is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
aoki looking to hit a scissor sweep but griffin is one step ahead there.
griffin is pushing down on aoki's leg trying to pass to half guard. aoki is fighting to maintain full guard but griffin has managed to sneak the leg through.
griffin prevents aoki from improving his position.
griffin is keen to just control but aoki is a slippery customer.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but tyson griffin did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

griffin closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
aoki tries to get to full guard but griffin has control of the leg.
griffin trying to control the action but aoki is working from the bottom.
aoki tries to get to full guard but griffin has control of the leg.
aoki is staying active underneath griffin, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
griffin perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
aoki is looking to improve his position.

aoki is defending against the submission attempts here by griffin.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
aoki is looking for a sweep. griffin is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
griffin misses with a takedown attempt

and aoki counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in griffin's guard now.
griffin tries to land a sweep but no joy.
aoki working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
aoki trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
aoki advances position into side control!
aoki trying to control the action but griffin is working from the bottom.
aoki landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
griffin is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on aoki's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
aoki tries to stand but his arm is trapped.

aoki is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so griffin is just riding it out for now. aoki eventually gives up the hold.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
griffin has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. aoki is working away from the top position though.
aoki seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but griffin does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
griffin is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

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

and aoki counters with a shoot takedown. griffin fights it but they end up in guard.
griffin can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as aoki controls the pace.
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!

aoki has gone for a leg lock! griffin slips out almost immediately though and dives into aoki's guard.
griffin won't allow aoki to sweep him here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

aoki working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. griffin doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. griffin manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
aoki wants to sweep here but griffin controlling him for the moment.
aoki is looking to sweep but instead, griffin has passed into half guard.
griffin is pressing down on aoki's thigh, looking to free his foot. aoki is holding on for now.
aoki is looking to improve his position.

griffin stands up out of the half guard.
aoki misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

griffin decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
aoki is pressing down on griffin's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
aoki is trying to keep griffin in close.
griffin is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

aoki is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and griffin defends well.
aoki tries to land a sweep but no joy.
griffin postures up in aoki's guard and throws a big left but aoki blocks it.

griffin thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
aoki is pulling down on griffin's head. It's preventing any offense from griffin, at least for the moment.

aoki is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

shinya aoki dominated that fourth round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

griffin misses with a few strikes there.
griffin lands a jab to the nose.
griffin keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
griffin misses with a takedown
and aoki counters with a series of strikes. griffin will be more careful next time no doubt.
griffin scores with a jab to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
aoki on the wrong end of a nice hook.
griffin with a poor takedown
and aoki counters with a series of strikes. griffin will be more careful next time no doubt.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
griffin gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and aoki counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for tyson griffin. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
aoki clobbers griffin with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
aoki finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
aoki misses with a shot to the body
and griffin counters with a three punch combo that has aoki backing up. aoki nods at griffin to acknowledge the strikes.
tyson griffin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
aoki fails to land with a series of punches.
griffin fails with the takedown
and aoki counters with a left and a right that stings griffin.
aoki swinging wilding here.
aoki lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
griffin misses with a body punch
and aoki counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
griffin has his takedown stuffed
and aoki counters with a two punch combo.
Nice uppercut there from aoki.
Left hook, right uppercut from aoki.
griffin throws a right and a left that both miss.
aoki takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
aoki throws a sloppy head kick and griffin moves out of range easily.
griffin is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by aoki.
griffin misses with an uppercut. aoki saw that one coming.
griffin ducks under a wild hook from aoki.
griffin gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
enabling aoki to counter with a crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
griffin gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and aoki counters with a stiff right hand.
A head kick misses from aoki.
aoki swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and aoki takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
aoki lands a head shot.
aoki rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but griffin moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
griffin throws a head kick but aoki moves out of range.
griffin misses with a series of wild punches.
griffin misses with a takedown attempt

and aoki counters with a nice double leg into guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
aoki slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
aoki staying calm.

aoki wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by griffin, who protects the arm well.
aoki working away.
griffin gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
aoki tries to stand but can't do so whilst griffin controls his leg.
griffin is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of aoki's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take aoki's back!
aoki tries to break free.

And that's the end of the fight!
shinya aoki comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think griffin has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Andi Peters scores the fight as a draw!
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight as a draw!
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight for tyson griffin!

The fight ends as a draw!
Oh dear, what a disastrous situation! The belt remains unclaimed and both fighters go home unhappy!