PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Eric Hogan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Maximo Meridio (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hogan comes to the cage accompanied by Real American. Meridio comes into a darkened arena with his song building. O Fortuna - Carl Orff kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! This should be fireworks!

Hogan
vs
Meridio

183 cm
24
166 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

174 cm
25
163 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Tends to cut

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Eric Hogan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Maximo Meridio!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Johanna Lukiainen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hogan throws a body punch but Meridio moves out of range.
Meridio misses with a body shot
and Hogan counters with a nice body shot.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Hogan.
Hogan throws a low kick, looking for Meridio's leg but Meridio calmly moves out of range.
Hogan scores with a leg kick.
Hogan throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Meridio uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Hogan.
Hogan throws a leg kick but Meridio moved away.
Hogan connects with a crisp jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hogan connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Hogan goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Hogan cracks Meridio with an open hand slap.
Hogan scores with the left hand. Meridio knows he should have avoided that one.
Hogan lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Meridio circles away quickly and effectively.
Hogan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Meridio.
Meridio throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hogan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Meridio moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Meridio throws out a loose jab but Hogan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hogan misses with a wild body shot.
Meridio slips a jab and a cross from Hogan.
Meridio misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Meridio misses with a hook.
Meridio takes one to the chin there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meridio keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Hogan cracks Meridio with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Hogan steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Meridio.
Hogan with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Hogan is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Meridio throws and low kick but Hogan moves out of range easily.
A right-left combo lands from Hogan.
Hogan throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hogan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Meridio misses with a looping left.
Eric Hogan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Meridio throws a leg kick
and Hogan makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Hogan lands an overhand right.
Hogan checks a low kick from Meridio.
Meridio darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Hogan avoids the head kick by Meridio.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eric Hogan dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Meridio shoots in but no luck this time.
Hogan turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Hogan lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Meridio at a distance.
Hogan tests Meridio's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Meridio doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Hogan!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hogan lands a two punch combo.
Meridio throws a right and a left that Hogan avoids nicely.
Meridio throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Hogan just misses with a punch to the body.
Hogan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Meridio moves away.
Hogan misses with a wild combination.
Hogan scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Eric Hogan is winning the standup battle so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hogan tries to bum rush Meridio with a series of wild strikes but Meridio uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Meridio takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Hogan just misses with a punch to the body.
Hogan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Meridio manages to avoid it.
Meridio closes this distance looking for a takedown but Hogan circles away.
Hogan uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Meridio.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meridio takes a swing at Hogan's ribcage but misses.
Hogan lands a lovely overhand right.
Meridio takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Meridio throws a hook but Hogan avoids it easily.
Meridio doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Meridio throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hogan thuds his right hand into Meridio's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Meridio walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Meridio is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Hogan scoring well with a low kick there.
Hogan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Meridio.
Hogan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Meridio moves away.
Hogan is looking to slow Meridio down with leg kicks.
Meridio keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eric Hogan dominated that second round.
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!

Hogan misses with a body shot.
Hogan misses the shot to the body.
Meridio throws a leg kick
and Hogan counters with a stiff right hand.
Meridio changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Hogan tries to avoid it but Meridio manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Hogan to the ground. Hogan escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Meridio takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

It looks like Maximo Meridio has been cut.
Meridio on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Meridio takes a shot to the body in his stride.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A shot to de liver by Hogan. Beautiful body shot.
Meridio tried to score with a low kick but Hogan checks it.
Meridio misses with the body kick
and Hogan counters with a nice body shot.
Jab from Hogan.
Hogan is looking to wear down Meridio with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Hogan throws a good cross that connects.
Hogan will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Hogan throws a jab but it's blocked by Meridio.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hogan throws a body punch but Meridio moves out of range.
Meridio ducks right into an uppercut from Hogan.
An inside leg kick from Hogan misses.
Hogan scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Hogan is looking to score with low kicks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hogan swings for the body but Meridio moves out of range.
Meridio blocks the body kick.
Hogan jabs at Meridio's body.
The fighters circling - Hogan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hogan tries to bum rush Meridio with a series of wild strikes but Meridio uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A head kick by Meridio misses
and Hogan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hogan lands with a nice combination. Meridio backs away looking to recover.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Meridio throws a hook but Hogan blocks it.
Maximo Meridio has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Meridio lands with a nice body punch.
Eric Hogan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Meridio misses the jab.
Eric Hogan is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hogan misses with a double jab.
Hogan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Hogan slips a jab from Meridio.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eric Hogan showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Hogan has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 30:26
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 30:26
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eric Hogan!