PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Reeves Lawal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dag Luther (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dag Luther acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Lawal
vs
Luther

181 cm
20
193 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

190 cm
22
200 lbs
10 - 4 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Blitzkrieg Formula 5000
Blitzkrieg Formula 5000

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 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Reeves Lawal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dag Luther!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lawal tries to clinch up.

Luther shoots in and bounces Lawal off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Luther tries to free his leg and advance position but Lawal is retaining full guard.
Lawal is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Luther is controlling him.
Luther is looking to work some ground and pound but Lawal has wrist control.
Luther trying to control the position from guard on top but Lawal is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lawal can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Luther controls the pace.
Lawal keeping moving, preventing Luther from controlling successfully.
Luther throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Lawal works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luther throws a big right hand that misses.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Lawal wants to clinch up but Luther keeps it at a distance.
Lawal tries to clinch but Luther is having none of it.
Lawal is looking to clinch.
Lawal tries to clinch up but Luther circles away and keeps his distance.
A leg kick checked by Luther.
Luther keeps the fight on the outside.
Lawal tries to clinch up.
Lawal throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Lawal tries to clinch there but Luther circles away.
Lawal doesn't manage to clinch there - Luther circles away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Lawal dodges an elbow strike from Luther.
Luther has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Lawal is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Luther works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Luther advances position into side control!
Lawal manages to get back to half guard.
Lawal is trying to stand.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Luther is looking to take a break and control but Lawal is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Lawal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Lawal tries to kick Luther off but Luther keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Luther lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawal is staying active underneath Luther, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Luther thows a huge punch but Lawal dodges it nicely.
Lawal avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Luther.
Luther sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Lawal defending well though.
Still in half guard, Luther seems content to control.
Luther looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Luther is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Lawal wants to improve his position but Luther is controlling well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Luther tries to clinch there but Lawal circles away.
Lawal misses with a body shot.
Lawal clinches but Luther breaks the clinch

and Luther counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Lawal 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.
Luther tries to free his leg and advance position but Lawal is retaining full guard.
Lawal is pulling down on Luther's head. It's preventing any offense from Luther, at least for the moment.
Luther is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dag Luther dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Luther has taken the fight to the clinch.
Luther pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Lawal lands a hook that snaps the head of Luther backwards.
Luther misses with an elbow strike.
Luther trying to stall but Lawal improves his position.
Lawal stalling in the clinch.
Luther comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Luther lands an elbow inside that Lawal shrugs off.
Lawal stalling in the clinch but Luther improves position.
Lawal blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Lawal lands a right hand that snaps the head of Luther backwards.
Lawal swings wildly with an uppercut but Luther uses good head movement to avoid it.
A right handed body shot lands from Lawal.
Luther stalling against the cage.
Luther misses with an elbow over the top.
Luther misses with a hook from the clinch.
Lawal swings wildly with an uppercut but Luther uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lawal lands a left hand.
Luther tries to land knees in the clinch but Lawal avoids the damage to the body.
Luther lands an elbow inside that Lawal shrugs off.

It looks like Reeves Lawal has been cut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawal looking to slow down the pace here.
Luther drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Lawal gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Luther is breathing heavily.
Luther tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Lawal just stands there and leans against the cage.
Luther pushes off an throws an elbow but Lawal leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Luther tries a knee to the head but Lawal blocks it.
Lawal scores with a shoulder strike.
Luther using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Lawal has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Lawal works on Luther's body with a couple of short punches.
With the fighters up against the cage, Luther throws an elbow but misses.
A short left from Lawal.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Lawal.
Lawal scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Luther lands a takedown into guard.
Lawal is pulling down on Luther's head. It's preventing any offense from Luther, at least for the moment.
Lawal manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Luther manages to get himself to full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Lawal decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Luther, up you get!
Lawal wants to clinch
and Luther counters with a series of strikes. Lawal will be more careful next time no doubt.
Lawal tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Luther counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Lawal tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Luther counters with a takedown into side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Luther is putting a hurting on Lawal here, landing some big shots from side control.
Luther creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Lawal sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Lawal tries to bench press Luther off him but Luther keeps the position.
You can see the frustration on Lawal's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Luther throwing strikes but Lawal manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Lawal working away.
Luther tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Lawal presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Luther wants to hold on but Lawal pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Luther is in all sorts of trouble here.
Lawal looking to control and managing it successfully.
Luther is desperately trying to improve his position but Lawal has a good base and remains in mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dag Luther showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Reeves Lawal's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Luther fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Lawal avoids it really well and circles away.
Lawal clinches but Luther breaks the clinch

and Luther counters by moving into the clinch.
Lawal displaying some good clinch control by pressing Luther up against the cage.
Lawal lands a body punch.
Lawal is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Luther.
Lawal gets through Luther's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Luther tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Lawal avoids it.
Luther missing with knees to the body.
Luther trying to land knees to the body.
Lawal working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Luther takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
A right handed body shot lands from Lawal.
Lawal dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Luther goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Luther is trying to maintain a safe position but Lawal gets an underhook and turns Luther into the cage.
Luther is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Lawal is defending well for now.
Lawal avoiding damage as Luther throws knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawal lands a body punch in the clinch.
Lawal is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Luther is keeping busy.
Luther is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Lawal is keeping busy.
A right hook to the body lands for Lawal.
A body shot lands from Lawal.
Lawal misses with a hook from the clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for Lawal.
Lawal throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Luthers head.
Lawal softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Lawal scores with a nice hook to the head.
Lawal has Luther pressed against the cage.
Lawal gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Luther misses with the head strike.
Lawal lands a body punch in the clinch.
Lawal lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Luther trying to land knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luther drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Lawal gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Lawal's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Lawal lands with a light punch inside.
Lawal stalling the fight.
Luther is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Lawal gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Reeves Lawal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dag Luther.
Stalling in the clinch from Lawal.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Reeves Lawal.
Luther stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Lawal.

Lawal clinches up with Luther and pushes him back against the cage.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Luther goes for a takedown attempt but Lawal pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Lawal has closed the distance and engaged Luther in a clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawal blocks an elbow strike from Luther.
Lawal is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Lawal is stalling here.
With the fighters up against the cage, Luther throws an elbow but misses.
Lawal scores with a hook to the body.
The referee calls for Lawal to work.
Lawal blocks the elbow strike.
Dag Luther is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Lawal is stalling here.
Luther misses with a punch to the body.
Lawal throws a punch but it's blocked by Luther.
Lawal wants to stall.
Reeves Lawal has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Luther throws a knee to the head but misses.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Lawal.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Reeves Lawal.
Luther tries to clinch up

and Lawal counters by moving into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Lawal lands a left hand that snaps the head of Luther backwards.
Lawal blocks the elbow strike.
Lawal lands with a light punch inside.
Luther looking to throw knees to the head but Lawal is blocking nicely.
Lawal throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Luthers head.
Nice body punch from Lawal - that landed with a thud.
A short body shot lands from Lawal as the two fighters clinch.
Lawal lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Luther or not.
Lawal is pushing Luther up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
A right hook to the body lands for Lawal.
Lawal controlling the action here for a moment.
Lawal lands a body punch in the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Reeves Lawal showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Luther has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 28:29
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 28:29
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 28:28

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Dag Luther!