PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Paul Harvey (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Stilgar ben Fifrawi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). ben Fifrawi is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Lamb of God - Omerta. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Harvey
vs
ben Fifrawi

188 cm
22
212 lbs
6 - 0 - 0

190 cm
22
221 lbs
7 - 3 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Powerful

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 6 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Paul Harvey!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Stilgar ben Fifrawi!
The judges for this bout are Alyssa Summers, David Schapiro and Reed Andrews.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Harvey throws a jab but it's blocked by ben Fifrawi.
Harvey thuds his right hand into ben Fifrawi's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
ben Fifrawi moves out of range as Harvey strikes.
ben Fifrawi misses with a takedown
and Harvey counters with a slapping leg kick.
ben Fifrawi displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Harvey throws out the jab.
ben Fifrawi takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Harvey misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Harvey lands a jab.
Harvey throws a head kick that ben Fifrawi semi-blocks.

It looks like Stilgar ben Fifrawi has been cut.
Harvey stuffs the takedown.
ben Fifrawi lands a nice shot to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
ben Fifrawi moves in looking to clinch but Harvey pushes him off.
ben Fifrawi uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Harvey.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Harvey as he avoids it easily.
Paul Harvey has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Stilgar ben Fifrawi.
ben Fifrawi misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Harvey swings widly with a right hand

and ben Fifrawi counters by clinching up.
ben Fifrawi throws a head punch that misses.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Harvey takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
ben Fifrawi taking a breather.

Harvey escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Harvey keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Harvey lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Harvey connects with a jab.
Harvey lands a head shot.
Harvey dodges the punch combination from ben Fifrawi.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

ben Fifrawi darts in and clinches Harvey up against the cage.
ben Fifrawi throws a head punch that misses.
ben Fifrawi tries for a takedown but Harvey manages to get underhooks.
ben Fifrawi wants a takedown.
ben Fifrawi goes for a takedown attempt but Harvey pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
ben Fifrawi looks gassed!
ben Fifrawi shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Harvey defends it nicely.
Harvey scores with a punch to the head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
ben Fifrawi fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Harvey avoids it really well and circles away.
Harvey fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harvey throws out a loose jab but ben Fifrawi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Harvey moves out of range of the strikes.
Stilgar ben Fifrawi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
ben Fifrawi is trying hard to land a takedown here. Harvey sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Harvey lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Harvey misses with an uppercut.
Harvey lands a right hook to the body.
Harvey misses with an uppercut. ben Fifrawi saw that one coming.
ben Fifrawi is trying desperately to land a takedown but Harvey is having absolutely none of it. This is turning into a bit of a nightmare for ben Fifrawi.
Harvey lands with a cross.
Harvey connects with a good right hand that stumbles ben Fifrawi. ben Fifrawi circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
ben Fifrawi moves out of range of the strikes.
ben Fifrawi takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Harvey works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Harvey misses with a hook.
Harvey scores with a jab to the body.
Good shot there by Harvey.
Harvey lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
A good leg kick by Harvey.
Harvey fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
ben Fifrawi takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

That has opened up Stilgar ben Fifrawi's cut even more.
Harvey is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Harvey lands a really nice looking cross but ben Fifrawi seems unphased.
Harvey uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
ben Fifrawi drops his hands momentarily and Harvey takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Harvey dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Stilgar ben Fifrawi's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Harvey lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Harvey throws the left hand but ben Fifrawi avoids the punch easily.
ben Fifrawi throws a hook but Harvey avoids it easily.
Harvey cracks ben Fifrawi with an open hand slap.
Harvey misses with a left hand

and ben Fifrawi counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Harvey is looking to stand up but ben Fifrawi isn't so interested in that idea.
ben Fifrawi slips nicely into half guard.
ben Fifrawi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harvey keeps working.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
ben Fifrawi scoring with strikes to the body and head.
ben Fifrawi missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
ben Fifrawi wants to control but Harvey is keeping him busy.
ben Fifrawi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Harvey is refusing to be controlled, as ben Fifrawi sits in half guard.
ben Fifrawi sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Harvey defending well though.
Harvey on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Harvey tries to get out of the position.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Harvey has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. ben Fifrawi is working away from the top position though.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
ben Fifrawi not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Harvey is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that ben Fifrawi can do to turn this around?
ben Fifrawi sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Harvey defending well though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
ben Fifrawi is looking to take a break and control but Harvey is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
ben Fifrawi throwing shots but Harvey is blocking nicely.
ben Fifrawi passes the guard and advances to mount!
ben Fifrawi scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Harvey avoids a series of strikes thrown by ben Fifrawi.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi lands a big elbow.
ben Fifrawi wants to control the pace but Harvey is squirming around nicely.
Harvey wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
A nice elbow there by ben Fifrawi.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
ben Fifrawi is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Harvey can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
ben Fifrawi lands a big elbow.
Harvey 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.

Stilgar ben Fifrawi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Stilgar ben Fifrawi'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.

ben Fifrawi fails to land the takedown.

ben Fifrawi looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Harvey!
ben Fifrawi punishing his opponent with strikes.
ben Fifrawi thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
ben Fifrawi throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
ben Fifrawi can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Harvey is looking to escape.
ben Fifrawi thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!

That's one minute gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Harvey's face.
Poor strikes thrown by ben Fifrawi there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
ben Fifrawi has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
ben Fifrawi throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.

ben Fifrawi working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
ben Fifrawi wants to control the pace but Harvey is squirming around nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
ben Fifrawi throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Harvey knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for ben Fifrawi on the ground.
ben Fifrawi thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
ben Fifrawi looking to control but Harvey is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
ben Fifrawi scores with a couple of good head shots there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
ben Fifrawi sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Harvey is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

ben Fifrawi swings around for an armbar but it's a sloppy attempt and Harvey is now in ben Fifrawi's guard. A big mistake from ben Fifrawi there, giving up the dominant position!
ben Fifrawi looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

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.
Harvey trying to control but ben Fifrawi is working from the bottom.
ben Fifrawi looking to hit a scissor sweep but Harvey is one step ahead there.
Stilgar ben Fifrawi has got the better of the ground game so far.
ben Fifrawi controls Harvey momentarily but Harvey frees himself.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stilgar ben Fifrawi really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Stilgar ben Fifrawi'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.

ben Fifrawi shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Harvey eats them both and turns towards ben Fifrawi to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Harvey misses with an uppercut. ben Fifrawi saw that one coming.
Paul Harvey is winning the standup battle so far.
ben Fifrawi uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Harvey.
ben Fifrawi rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Harvey counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

ben Fifrawi scores a takedown into full mount!
Harvey tries to hold on but ben Fifrawi pushes him away.
ben Fifrawi throwing strikes here but Harvey is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
ben Fifrawi dominating with strikes here.
Harvey avoids a series of strikes thrown by ben Fifrawi.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi scoring with strikes but Harvey is staying in there.
ben Fifrawi throws some wild stikes that Harvey manages to avoid easily.
Harvey wants to control but ben Fifrawi is having none of it.
ben Fifrawi controlling from the full mount.
ben Fifrawi is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Harvey because ben Fifrawi loaded up on that one.
ben Fifrawi raining down hammerfists from mount.
Harvey wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by ben Fifrawi.
ben Fifrawi in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Harvey is working to get back to half guard.
ben Fifrawi trying to control but Harvey is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harvey is in a horrible position here. ben Fifrawi smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Harvey takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
ben Fifrawi looking to ground and pound but Harvey is blocking nicely.
Harvey is squirming around, avoiding ben Fifrawi's attempts to control the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi throws some wild stikes that Harvey manages to avoid easily.
ben Fifrawi looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
ben Fifrawi lands a nice shot to the head.
ben Fifrawi thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Harvey wants to hold on but ben Fifrawi pushes him away.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Harvey wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by ben Fifrawi.
ben Fifrawi throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Harvey because ben Fifrawi loaded up on that one.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Stilgar ben Fifrawi dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Stilgar ben Fifrawi's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

ben Fifrawi shoots and misses
and Harvey counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Harvey moves out of range of the strikes.
ben Fifrawi rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Harvey counters with a lovely straight right hand!
ben Fifrawi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Harvey was well out of range. Poor timing from ben Fifrawi.
The fighters circle momentarily. Harvey darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
ben Fifrawi misses with an uppercut.
Harvey throws an off balance right hand

and ben Fifrawi decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Harvey's guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as ben Fifrawi accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Harvey wants to sweep here but ben Fifrawi controlling him for the moment.
Harvey keeping full guard, as ben Fifrawi tries to pass.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ben Fifrawi throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
ben Fifrawi tries to free his leg and advance position but Harvey is retaining full guard.
ben Fifrawi throwing strikes but missing.
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.
ben Fifrawi with a flurry of punches that miss.
ben Fifrawi is looking to work some ground and pound but Harvey has wrist control.
ben Fifrawi is looking to work some ground and pound but Harvey has wrist control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Harvey avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
ben Fifrawi in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
ben Fifrawi is stalling in the full guard.
ben Fifrawi pushes down on Harvey's leg and manages to get into half guard.
ben Fifrawi takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

ben Fifrawi seems to be looking for submissions.
ben Fifrawi controlling the pace.
Harvey tries to get to full guard but ben Fifrawi has control of the leg.
ben Fifrawi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
ben Fifrawi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harvey keeps working.

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.
ben Fifrawi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
ben Fifrawi takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
ben Fifrawi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Harvey keeps working.
ben Fifrawi is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Harvey reverses the position - he's now on top in ben Fifrawi's guard.

ben Fifrawi throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

And that's the end of the fight!
Stilgar ben Fifrawi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think ben Fifrawi 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Alyssa Summers scores the fight 45:48
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight 45:48
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 45:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Stilgar ben Fifrawi!
Stilgar ben Fifrawi is the new light heavyweight champion!