PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Levi Koppel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Devin Ward (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Koppel
vs
Ward

200 cm
22
155 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

175 cm
20
155 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
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 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Levi Koppel!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Devin Ward!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Steve Smith and Elvis Blanc.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Koppel drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Ward is trying to control Koppel's posture but Koppel avoids it.
Ward tries to buck Koppel off but Koppel is having none of it.
Ward has one of Koppel's arms on lockdown, trying to prevent him from doing any damage.
Ward manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Ward blocking the ground and pound attempt from Koppel.
Ward is looking for a sweep. Koppel is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Koppel stops Ward from getting back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Koppel lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Koppel throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Koppel lands a nice short elbow.
Koppel thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ward's head.
Koppel will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Koppel thows a huge punch but Ward dodges it nicely.
Koppel working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward is looking to control Koppel's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Ward avoid being mounted?
Ward avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Koppel.
Koppel not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Koppel working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Ward has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Koppel is working away from the top position though.
Koppel really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Koppel missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Koppel throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Koppel thows a huge punch but Ward dodges it nicely.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Ward doesn't manage to clinch there - Koppel circles away.
Ward tries a head kick but it misses.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Ward misses with the combination.

Koppel shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Ward is trying to defend but Koppel finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Koppel takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward gets back to full guard.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Ward has momentary wrist control but Koppel slips an elbow through the middle.
Ward is trying to keep Koppel in close.
Ward looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Ward looks gassed!
Koppel throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Ward has momentary wrist control but Koppel slips an elbow through the middle.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Koppel accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Koppel in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Koppel is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ward preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Koppel with a flurry of punches that miss.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Koppel accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Koppel throws a big right hand that misses.
Ward working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Koppel.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Ward tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Ward gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Koppel to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Koppel trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Koppel postures up.
Ward is pulling down on Koppel's head to control his posture.
Koppel stopping the sweep attempt from Ward.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ward trying to keep a closed guard but Koppel is proving a slippery customer.
Koppel throwing strikes from guard but Ward blocks nicely.
Koppel trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Koppel throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Ward works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Ward leaves Koppel with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Ward thows a body shot but no joy.
Koppel has a takedown stuffed.
Koppel fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Levi Koppel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Koppel lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Ward at a distance.
Ward stuffs the takedown attempt from Koppel. Koppel gets slowly back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Levi Koppel dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Ward stuffs the takedown attempt from Koppel. Koppel gets slowly back to his feet.
Koppel moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Ward throws a head kick that misses.
Ward throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ward swings for the body but Koppel moves out of range.
Ward swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ward lands with a thumping leg kick.
Jab, jab by Koppel - just one landing.
Koppel uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ward.
Ward thows a body shot but no joy.
Nice takedown defense from Ward. No joy for Koppel on that attempt.
Koppel stuns Ward with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.

Koppel shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Koppel throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Koppel scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Koppel thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward trying to control but Koppel postures up.
Koppel seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Ward wants to improve his position but Koppel is controlling well.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Koppel lands a nice short elbow.
Ward wants to get back to his feet.
Koppel thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ward's head.
Ward avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Koppel.
Ward is trying to stand.
Koppel thows a huge punch but Ward dodges it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Koppel scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Koppel looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Koppel scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Koppel is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Koppel throwing shots but Ward is blocking nicely.
Koppel missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Koppel lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Koppel not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Ward trying to hold on to Koppel's head to control him but Koppel postures up.
Ward taking some punishment here, with Koppel in his half guard.
Koppel thows a huge punch but Ward dodges it nicely.
Koppel not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Ward takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Koppel tests Ward's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Koppel misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Levi Koppel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ward takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.

Ward moves into the clinch.

Ward jumps guard and drags Koppel to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Ward preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Koppel landing with the ground and pound.

Ward pushes Koppel off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
No luck for Koppel with that takedown attempt.
Koppel fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Ward tries a head kick but it misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Koppel lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Koppel shoots for a double leg takedown but Ward sprawls well. He's pushed Koppel's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Koppel lands with a shot to the body.
Koppel misses with a takedown attempt - Ward sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Ward leaves Koppel with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Koppel circles away from the clinch attempt.
Ward tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Koppel paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Koppel shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Ward tries to hold on but Koppel pushes him away.
Koppel sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Ward is working to get back to half guard.
Koppel is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Ward can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Ward takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Levi Koppel 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. This is the final round!

Ward misses with a head kick.
Koppel shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Ward as he avoids it easily.
Ward on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
A head kick misses from Ward.
Horrible takedown by Koppel or perhaps it was just good defense by Ward which made him look bad.
Koppel shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Levi Koppel. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Koppel fails to land the takedown.
Ward pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Koppel avoids the head kick by Ward.
Ward is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Koppel rather than just go for the knockout.

Koppel shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Ward is trying to defend but Koppel finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Ward is trying is best to control the position here.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Koppel thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Ward's head.
Koppel missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Koppel throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward trying to control but Koppel postures up.
Koppel throwing shots but Ward is blocking nicely.
Koppel throwing shots but Ward is blocking nicely.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Koppel avoids the head kick by Ward.

Koppel shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Ward wants to improve his position but Koppel is controlling well.
Ward avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Koppel.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Koppel throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Ward avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Koppel.
Koppel thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Koppel not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Koppel looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Ward with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Ward moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Koppel won't allow Ward to sweep him here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Koppel misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Ward misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Koppel fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Ward throws a solid leg kick but Koppel takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Ward.

Koppel shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Ward napping and manages to drive through into side control!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Koppel throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Koppel working the strikes but Ward uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Koppel thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Ward flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Koppel is thwarting Ward's attempts to control the position.
Ward taking some punishment here, with Koppel in his half guard.
Ward trying to hold on to Koppel's head to control him but Koppel postures up.
Ward wants to get back to full guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Koppel fails with the takedown.
Ward swings for the body but Koppel moves out of range.
Koppel blocks a leg kick.
Koppel scores with a decent looking hook.

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.
Ward with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Koppel to score with a decent uppercut.

Koppel shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Koppel was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Ward working to try and regain half guard.
Koppel lands a heavy elbow.
Ward avoids a series of strikes thrown by Koppel.
Koppel throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Koppel looking to ground and pound but Ward is blocking nicely.
Koppel looking to finish with strikes here!
Ward is desperately trying to improve his position but Koppel has a good base and remains in mount.
Devin Ward has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Levi Koppel is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ward is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Levi Koppel showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Koppel, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Dillan Fox scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Levi Koppel!