PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dan Liddell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Rowles (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Liddell comes to the cage accompanied by George Straits- The Fireman. Dan Liddell had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Liddell
vs
Rowles

190 cm
22
215 lbs
13 - 2 - 0

184 cm
25
216 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Good low kicks
Powerful

[MMABR] SOLID Nutritional - Tokyo's Best!!
Syndicate Drugs

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dan Liddell!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Paul Rowles!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, Frank Dennis and Cecil Peabody.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice body punch from Liddell.
Liddell swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Liddell.
Rowles will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Liddell stuns Rowles with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Liddell waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Rowles.
Liddell looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Liddell misses with a body shot.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Rowles, as that shot connected.
Rowles loads up on a big right hand but Liddell slips the punch.
Liddell misses with a hook.
Rowles moves out of range as Liddell strikes.
Rowles showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Liddell.

Liddell lands a jab followed by a vicious hook that sends Rowles sprawling to the canvas. Liddell follows him down, looking for the kill. Can Rowles hang on?

It looks like Paul Rowles has been cut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liddell tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
Liddell with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Rowles trying to control from the bottom.
Liddell trying to control the pace.
Liddell tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
Rowles gets full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Rowles is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Liddell trying to control but Rowles postures up.
Liddell is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Liddell is working hard here to advance position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liddell is looking to control Rowles's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Liddell avoid being mounted?
Liddell is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rowles wants to control but Liddell is keeping him busy.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Liddell lands a glancing blow to the side of Rowles's head.
Rowles avoids the head kick by Liddell.
Liddell throws a leg kick but Rowles sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Dan Liddell seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Liddell tries to land a front kick but Rowles steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Liddell misses with a body kick.
Liddell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rowles connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Rowles ducks under a wild hook from Liddell.
Liddell misses with a body shot.
Rowles checks a low kick from Liddell.
Liddell throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Rowles.
Liddell tries a head kick but it misses.
Rowles thuds a left hand into Liddell's body.
Rowles bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Liddell misses with a hook to the body
and Rowles counters with an inside leg kick.
Liddell thows a leg kick but Rowles checks it
and Rowles cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Rowles connects with a solid leg kick.
Liddell throws a sloppy head kick
and Rowles counters with a stiff right hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dan Liddell dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Rowles's cut.
That's time! Liddell's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Nice defenses there by Rowles.
Liddell throws a looping overhand right but Rowles ducks down to avoid it.
Liddell fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Rowles looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Liddell throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Rowles counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Rowles.
Rowles slips nicely into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Liddell is trying to get back to full guard.
Liddell controlling the position well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Liddell moves into full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Liddell holds on and takes a little breather.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Liddell is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rowles won't allow Liddell to sweep him here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Rowles sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Liddell has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Rowles has passed into side control.
Liddell wants to control but Rowles postures up.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Liddell throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liddell swings away with a body shot that misses
and Rowles counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Liddell thinking.
Liddell throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Rowles sees it coming and avoids it easily.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Rowles is defended easily by Liddell.
Liddell looks to land a body kick but Rowles moved away.
Liddell closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Liddell checks a leg kick.
Liddell misses with a leg kick
and Rowles makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Liddell misses with a straight left.
Rowles checks the leg kick nicely there.
Rowles keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Liddell misses with a double jab
and Rowles makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Liddell misses with a leg kick
and Rowles counters with a stiff right hand.
Liddell throws out a loose jab but Rowles uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rowles slips under a jab from Liddell.
A low kick from Liddell misses
and Rowles counters with a slapping leg kick.
Liddell misses with a leg kick
and Rowles counters with a left to the body.
Dan Liddell is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Liddell takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Liddell throws a leg kick that is checked

and Rowles counters with a shoot takedown. Liddell fights it but they end up in guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rowles controls from within his opponent's guard.
Rowles stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Liddell swivels though and keeps the full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Rowles showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Paul Rowles's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

A low kick from Liddell is predictable there
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Rowles uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Liddell.
Liddell misses with a leg kick
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Liddell gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Rowles counters with a good low kick that Liddell was not able to check.
Liddell misses with a body punch

and Rowles counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Rowles keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Liddell is trying to get back to full guard.
Rowles is keen to just control but Liddell is a slippery customer.
Rowles controlling the pace.
Liddell is trying to maintain the position but Rowles is very close to passing his half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liddell wants to get back to full guard.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Liddell takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Liddell avoids the head kick by Rowles.
A low kick from Liddell is predictable there
and Rowles counters with a straight right hand.
Liddell chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Rowles can pounce on him.
Liddell misses with the body kick
and Rowles counters with a nice body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Liddell connects with a jab.
Rowles throws a head kick but Liddell moves out of range.
Dan Liddell is winning the standup battle so far.
Liddell misses with a two punch combination.
Rowles throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Liddell throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rowles tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Liddell throws a jab but it's blocked by Rowles.
Rowles uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Liddell.
Good exchange - Liddell coming out on top.
Liddell throws a head kick that misses

and Rowles counters with a takedown into side control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Liddell tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Rowles wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Paul Rowles has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liddell wants to control but Rowles postures up.
A lull in the action here.
Liddell manages to work his way to half guard, despite Rowles's best efforts.
Rowles prevents Liddell from improving his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Rowles trying to control the action but Liddell is working from the bottom.
Liddell trying to get back to full guard but Rowles takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
Liddell tries to reverse the position but Rowles maintains control.
Rowles sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Liddell is working to get back to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Rowles really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Rowles's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Liddell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Liddell throws a leg kick that is checked
and Rowles counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Liddell misses with a looping right.
Liddell thows a left - swing and a miss!
Liddell throws a body kick the misses
and Liddell takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Liddell rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Rowles moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Rowles missing with a left hand there. Liddell was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Liddell lands a right hook to the body.
Liddell throws the left hand but Rowles avoids the punch easily.
Liddell connects with a body shot.
No luck for Rowles with that takedown attempt.
Rowles throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Liddell sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Liddell takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
A combination from Liddell does no damage.
The fighters circling - Liddell throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Liddell throws a sloppy body shot
enabling Rowles to counter with a crisp jab.
Liddell thows a leg kick but Rowles checks it
and Rowles counters with a stiff right hand.
Rowles fails to land the takedown.
Liddell scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Liddell throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A low kick from Liddell misses
and Rowles counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rowles takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Rowles is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Liddell throws a leg kick that is checked
and Rowles counters with a thumping low kick.
A punch combination from Liddell misses.
Liddell misses the shot to the body.
Liddell misses with a looping right.
Liddell connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Liddell scores with a hook.
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!
Liddell misses with a low kick.
Liddell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Rowles moves away.
Rowles lands an overhand right.
Rowles punishes Liddell's body with a nice straight punch.
Liddell rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Rowles moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Liddell lands a slapping body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liddell connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Rowles momentarily.
Liddell scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
A cross from Liddell lands.

That has opened up Paul Rowles's cut even more.
Liddell tries a head kick but it misses.
Rowles blocks a head kick by Liddell.
Liddell throws a jab when Rowles was well out of range.
Liddell thows a leg kick but Rowles checks it
and Rowles counters with a nice body kick.
Liddell misses with a straight left.
Liddell swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Rowles counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Liddell thinking.
Liddell looks to land a left hand but Rowles moved out of range nicely.
Rowles throws and low kick but Liddell moves out of range easily.
Liddell throws a leg kick
and Liddell takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Liddell throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Rowles counters with a nice body shot.
Rowles uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Liddell.
Liddell throws a leg kick
and Rowles counters with a left to the body.
Liddell misses the jab.
Liddell misses with a hook. Rowles ducked under it nicely.
Rowles thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Liddell if he has to take too many more of those.
Liddell takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Liddell looks to land a right hand but Rowles moved out of range.
Liddell throws a body kick the misses
and Rowles counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Liddell misses with a shot to the body
and Rowles counters with a stiff right hand.
A chopping leg kick lands by Liddell.
Liddell misses with the body kick
and Rowles counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dan Liddell had his way with Paul Rowles in that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Rowles's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Liddell swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Rowles counters with a nice body shot.
Liddell throws a combination that misses
letting Rowles counter with a right hand.
Liddell thows a body shot but no joy.
Liddell throws a jab but it's blocked by Rowles.

Rowles looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Liddell looking to control.
Liddell 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 of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rowles slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Rowles's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Liddell trying to keep a closed guard but Rowles is proving a slippery customer.
Rowles trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

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.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Donk. Liddell catches Rowles right on the button with a cross.
Liddell swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A chopping leg kick lands by Rowles.
Liddell throws a hook but Rowles blocks it.
Rowles takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
A solid leg kick lands there for Liddell.
Liddell throws a sloppy body shot
letting Rowles counter with a right hand.
Rowles throws a hook to the side of Liddell's head but Liddell sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Liddell pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Liddell misses with a body shot.
Liddell will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Liddell is looking to score with low kicks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Liddell misses with a jab to the body
and Rowles counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Liddell throws a leg kick that is checked
enabling Rowles to counter with a crisp jab.
Liddell connects with a body shot.
Liddell throws a leg kick
and Rowles counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Liddell moves forwards but Rowles connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Rowles bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Liddell throws a left and a right that both miss
and Rowles connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Rowles throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Rowles connects with a solid leg kick.
A jab from Liddell misses.
Rowles shoots in for a takedown but Liddell shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Liddell misses with a kick to the body
and Rowles counters with a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rowles has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Liddell finds it's way round the side to connect with Rowles's head.
Liddell misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Liddell throws a chopping leg kick but Rowles manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Rowles thows a body shot but no joy.
Liddell connects with a body shot.
Liddell attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Liddell moves into range and connects with a jab.
A bone on bone clash there as Rowles blocks the leg kick.
Liddell throws a leg kick that is checked
and Rowles counters with an inside leg kick.
Liddell misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Rowles counters with a two punch combo.
Liddell keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Dan Liddell.
I think Liddell 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 48:47
Judge Frank Dennis scores the fight 48:47
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 48:47

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dan Liddell!
Dan Liddell retains his light heavyweight title!