PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Neil deGrasse Tyson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mo Tali (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tali has chosen If ya smelllllllllllll what the rock is cookin as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

deGrasse Tyson
vs
Tali

175 cm
22
178 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

177 cm
30
165 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Good kicks
Insanely flexible

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Solid chin

Brute
Stonewall

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Neil deGrasse Tyson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Mo Tali!
The judges for this bout are Roger Salmon, Jeff Smith and Josh West.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
deGrasse Tyson lands with a thumping leg kick.

Tali shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches deGrasse Tyson napping and manages to drive through into side control!
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
deGrasse Tyson avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Tali.
deGrasse Tyson sneaks back into half guard.
deGrasse Tyson is controlling Tali's trapped leg to prevent Tali from advancing to side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
deGrasse Tyson manages to get to full guard.
Tali slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
deGrasse Tyson tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tali is looking to take a break and control but deGrasse Tyson is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
deGrasse Tyson is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
Tali tries to pass the half guard into mount. deGrasse Tyson knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
deGrasse Tyson knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Tali on the ground.
deGrasse Tyson wants to get back to full guard.
Tali throwing shots but deGrasse Tyson is blocking nicely.
Nice strikes from Tali there.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Tali throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
deGrasse Tyson makes his way to full guard. A much better position for deGrasse Tyson.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
deGrasse Tyson controls Tali momentarily but Tali frees himself.
deGrasse Tyson wants to sweep here but Tali controlling him for the moment.
deGrasse Tyson on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if deGrasse Tyson tries to get out of the position.

Tali drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Tali jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Tali trying to control but deGrasse Tyson is working from the bottom.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
deGrasse Tyson is pulling down on Tali's head to control his posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Tali has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Tali wants to control from the top but deGrasse Tyson keeps moving.
deGrasse Tyson wants to sweep here but Tali controlling him for the moment.

Mo Tali has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Tali fails with a takedown attempt.
A clash of legs there as Tali blocks the low kick.
Tali has a takedown stuffed.
deGrasse Tyson looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson lands with a slapping head kick.
deGrasse Tyson jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Tali closes this distance looking for a takedown but deGrasse Tyson circles away.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mo Tali.
deGrasse Tyson throws a shot from downtown. Tali moves away and avoids it.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
deGrasse Tyson throws a sloppy head kick and Tali moves out of range easily.
Tali takes a kick to the side of the head.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
deGrasse Tyson wants to land a leg kick but Tali is out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
deGrasse Tyson throws a sloppy head kick and Tali moves out of range easily.
deGrasse Tyson throws a head kick that misses.
deGrasse Tyson lets loose with a powerful body kick. Tali will feel that in the morning.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Neil deGrasse Tyson dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

deGrasse Tyson throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Tali counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Tali is looking to clinch but deGrasse Tyson is avoiding it.
Tali takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
deGrasse Tyson lets loose with a powerful body kick. Tali will feel that in the morning.
deGrasse Tyson throws a nice outside leg kick.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a head kick.
deGrasse Tyson scores with a head kick. Tali tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
deGrasse Tyson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is winning the standup battle so far.
deGrasse Tyson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
deGrasse Tyson displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Tali.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a looping right.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tali moves out of range as deGrasse Tyson strikes.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Tali.
deGrasse Tyson throws a front kick aimed at Tali's knee but Tali avoids it well.
Tali throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around deGrasse Tyson's waist but deGrasse Tyson gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Tali off to one side.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mo Tali.
Tali moves out of range of the leg kick from deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson thumps Tali with a low kick.
deGrasse Tyson connects with a high kick.
deGrasse Tyson feints and then cracks Tali's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Tali down.
deGrasse Tyson scores with a head kick. Tali tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tali fails with a takedown attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Crunch! deGrasse Tyson slams his shin into Tali's torso.
Tali is breathing heavily.

deGrasse Tyson drives through and clinches with Tali against the cage.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, deGrasse Tyson just misses with a elbow thrown towards Tali's brow.
Tali is trying to pull guard but deGrasse Tyson turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson looking to throw knees to the head but Tali is blocking nicely.
deGrasse Tyson landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
deGrasse Tyson lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

deGrasse Tyson's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
A jab from deGrasse Tyson does it's job there.
A good leg kick by deGrasse Tyson.
Tali avoids the head kick by deGrasse Tyson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tali avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Tali wants to clinch.
deGrasse Tyson scoring well with a low kick there.
deGrasse Tyson throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

deGrasse Tyson rushes Tali and presses him up against the cage.
Tali avoiding damage as deGrasse Tyson throws knees to the body.
deGrasse Tyson throws a knee to the head but misses.
deGrasse Tyson stalling.
deGrasse Tyson throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Tali tries to pull guard but deGrasse Tyson won't allow it.

deGrasse Tyson pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Mo Tali is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

deGrasse Tyson tries to keep at a distance but Tali has taken the fight into the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson working Tali over with knees to the body.

deGrasse Tyson manages to break the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson lands with a nice body kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
deGrasse Tyson is looking to land body kicks.
deGrasse Tyson avoids a punch combination nicely.
deGrasse Tyson connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
deGrasse Tyson lands with a slapping head kick.

It looks like Mo Tali has been cut.
deGrasse Tyson leaves Tali with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Neil deGrasse Tyson dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Mo Tali's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Tali fails with a takedown attempt.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a head kick.
deGrasse Tyson throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
deGrasse Tyson looks to land a body kick but Tali moved away.
Nice sprawl there from deGrasse Tyson as Tali shoots in.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from deGrasse Tyson - that will leave a mark!
Tali takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
A jab from deGrasse Tyson misses.
A head kick misses from deGrasse Tyson.

That's one minute gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson instigates a clinch.
deGrasse Tyson lands a nice elbow.
deGrasse Tyson is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Tali can do to turn this around?
deGrasse Tyson throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Tali blocks it with crossed arms.
Knees to the body from deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson missing with knees to the body.

deGrasse Tyson escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Tali avoids the head kick by deGrasse Tyson.
A slapping leg kick lands for deGrasse Tyson.
Tali's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Tali blocks a head kick by deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson thumps Tali with a low kick.
deGrasse Tyson lands a nice looking body kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice takedown defense from deGrasse Tyson. No joy for Tali on that attempt.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mo Tali.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tali moves out of range as deGrasse Tyson throws a body kick.

deGrasse Tyson rushes Tali and presses him up against the cage.
deGrasse Tyson lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. deGrasse Tyson obliges.
deGrasse Tyson lands a damaging elbow.
deGrasse Tyson lands a nice elbow.
deGrasse Tyson tries to land a knee to the head but Tali blocks with his arms.
Tali takes a knee to the side of the body.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
A nice glancing elbow lands by deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Tali tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. deGrasse Tyson just stands there and leans against the cage.
deGrasse Tyson comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Tali has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Tali is defending well for now.
deGrasse Tyson comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson misses with a knee to the head.
deGrasse Tyson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Tali has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
deGrasse Tyson lands an elbow that stopped Tali in his tracks for a moment.
Tali blocks an elbow strike.
deGrasse Tyson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Tali's face.
deGrasse Tyson tries to land a knee to the head but Tali blocks with his arms.
Tali takes an elbow to the forehead.
deGrasse Tyson is pressed up against the cage. Tali has hold of a leg and is looking to drag deGrasse Tyson down to the mat. deGrasse Tyson avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
deGrasse Tyson throws a jab but it's blocked by Tali.
deGrasse Tyson throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Tali fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
deGrasse Tyson thows a body kick. Tali tries to catch it but that hurt him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tali on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by deGrasse Tyson. deGrasse Tyson obviously looking to wear him down.
Tali moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
deGrasse Tyson cracks the inside of Tali's front leg.
Tali blocks a head kick by deGrasse Tyson.
Tali avoids the head kick by deGrasse Tyson.
Mo Tali has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Neil deGrasse Tyson is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Nice body kick from deGrasse Tyson.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tali fails in his attempt to clinch.

deGrasse Tyson clinches up against the cage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Tali has deGrasse Tyson pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. deGrasse Tyson manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Nice elbow from deGrasse Tyson.

And that's the end of the fight!
Neil deGrasse Tyson showed his dominance in that final round.
Well deGrasse Tyson 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 Roger Salmon scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jeff Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Josh West scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Neil deGrasse Tyson!
During a confident post fight interview, Neil deGrasse Tyson thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.