PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ricardo Oliveira (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ephraim Graham (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ephraim Graham has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Oliveira
vs
Graham

186 cm
24
195 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

200 cm
25
187 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Decent elbows
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

Affordable Quality

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 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ricardo Oliveira!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ephraim Graham!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Graham clinches with his opponent.
Oliveira using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Graham has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Oliveira pushes off an throws an elbow but Graham leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Oliveira stalling against the cage.
Graham is trying to maintain a safe position but Oliveira gets an underhook and turns Graham into the cage.
Graham misses with the head strike.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Graham stalls.
Oliveira blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Graham managing to block the knees to the body from Oliveira.
Oliveira taking a breather.
Oliveira lands a good knee to the midsection. Graham won't want to take too many of those.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Oliveira keeps control of Graham as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Graham tries to break the clinch but Oliveira is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham avoiding damage as Oliveira throws knees to the body.
Graham stalling in the clinch but Oliveira improves position.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Oliveira lands a knee to the body.
Graham looks winded!
Nice elbow from Oliveira.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Oliveira missing with knees to the body.
Graham looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
Oliveira stalling.
Oliveira lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
Oliveira lands an elbow that stopped Graham in his tracks for a moment.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Graham is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Oliveira crunches a lovely knee into Graham's ribcage.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Oliveira just misses with a elbow thrown towards Graham's brow.
Oliveira tries a knee to the head but Graham blocks it.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Oliveira.
Oliveira using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Oliveira obliges.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Graham tries to throw a body punch but Oliveira avoids it by throwing Graham back against the cage.
Oliveira lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Graham lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Oliveira missing with knees to the body.
Oliveira unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Oliveira lands an elbow that stopped Graham in his tracks for a moment.
Oliveira is pushing Graham up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Graham is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Oliveira tries to land knees in the clinch but Graham avoids the damage to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Graham.
Oliveira looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
Graham avoids a wild elbow strike from Oliveira.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside that Graham shrugs off.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Graham.
Graham wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Graham.
Graham has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Oliveira misses with an elbow strike.
Oliveira is stalling here.
Oliveira throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Graham missing with knees to the body.
Oliveira throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Oliveira creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Graham misses with a knee strike.
Graham tries to land a knee to the head but Oliveira blocks with his arms.
Oliveira throws an elbow but it misses.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira lands an elbow that stopped Graham in his tracks for a moment.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Oliveira connects with a nasty looking knee right to Graham's face.
Oliveira prevents a body shot from Graham.
Graham throws an elbow but it's blocked.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Graham managing to block the knees to the body from Oliveira.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Oliveira.
Oliveira throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Graham pushes Oliveira back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Oliveira trying to land knees to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ricardo Oliveira dominated that round.
That's time! Oliveira's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Graham misses with the combination.

Graham darts in and clinches Oliveira up against the cage.
Oliveira blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Oliveira as Graham tries to tie him up.
Graham takes an elbow to the forehead.
Oliveira trying to land knees to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Oliveira just misses with a elbow thrown towards Graham's brow.
Graham avoids the elbow strike from Oliveira, against the cage.
Graham is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Oliveira is keeping busy.
Graham tries to land knees in the clinch but Oliveira avoids the damage to the body.

Graham escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Oliveira tries to keep at a distance but Graham has taken the fight into the clinch.
Graham is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Oliveira is defending well for now.
Graham misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Oliveira.
Graham is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Graham misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Oliveira.
Graham is looking to break free of the clinch but Oliveira has double underhooks.
Graham blocks an elbow strike.
Oliveira unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Oliveira stalls.
Oliveira creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Oliveira stalls.
Oliveira comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
Oliveira comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ricardo Oliveira has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Oliveira lands a damaging elbow.
Oliveira tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Graham avoids it.
Graham misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Oliveira is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Graham is defending well for now.
Graham tries to land knees in the clinch but Oliveira avoids the damage to the body.
Graham with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Graham is looking to control Oliveira's arms but Oliveira gets an underhook and turns him. Now Graham has his back to the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Oliveira throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Graham tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Oliveira avoids it.
Oliveira pushes off an throws an elbow but Graham leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Graham wants to stall.
Graham wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Oliveira lands a damaging elbow.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira landing knees to the head.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Graham just misses with a elbow thrown towards Oliveira's brow.
Oliveira lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Graham wants to get back to striking at distance but Oliveira won't allow it.
Graham misses with a body punch.
Graham avoids the elbow strike from Oliveira, against the cage.
Oliveira prevents Graham from breaking the clinch.
Graham takes an elbow to the forehead.
Oliveira tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Oliveira using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Graham has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Oliveira lands a damaging elbow.
Oliveira misses with an elbow over the top.
Graham has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Stalling in the clinch from Graham.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Oliveira creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Oliveira throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Oliveira misses with an elbow strike.
Oliveira on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside that Graham shrugs off.
Oliveira unloads a knee to the mid-section.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Oliveira connects with a knee to the head.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Graham on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Oliveira landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Oliveira.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside that Graham shrugs off.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Knees in the clinch landing for Oliveira.
Oliveira lands a knee to the head.
Oliveira tries to land a knee to the head but Graham blocks with his arms.
Oliveira lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ricardo Oliveira dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Oliveira moves into range and clinches up with Graham.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Oliveira tries to land knees in the clinch but Graham avoids the damage to the body.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira lands an elbow just above Graham 's eye.
Oliveira throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Oliveira.
Oliveira with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Graham fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Oliveira missing with knees to the body.
Oliveira misses with a knee strike.
Oliveira tries a knee to the head but Graham blocks it.
Graham tries to work over Oliveira's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Oliveira on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Oliveira landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Graham misses with a hook from the clinch.
Oliveira with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nice elbow from Oliveira.
Graham misses with a body punch.
Graham avoiding damage as Oliveira throws knees to the body.
Oliveira unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow.
Oliveira tries to land knees in the clinch but Graham avoids the damage to the body.
Oliveira is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Graham can do to turn this around?
Oliveira lands an elbow just above Graham 's eye.
Oliveira throws an elbow that misses.
Graham avoids the elbow strike from Oliveira, against the cage.
Graham takes an elbow to the temple.
Graham wants to stall.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Graham has had enough of the clinch but Oliveira keeps him there for the moment.
Graham misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Oliveira.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Graham works on Oliveira's body with a couple of short punches.
Oliveira pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Oliveira.
Graham tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Graham takes an elbow to the forehead.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Oliveira on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Graham is trying to maintain a safe position but Oliveira gets an underhook and turns Graham into the cage.
Nice elbow from Oliveira.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside that Graham shrugs off.
Graham is trying to stall.
Graham wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira blocks an elbow strike from Graham.
Oliveira lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Graham misses with a punch on the inside.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
The referee is keeping an eye on Oliveira - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Oliveira gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Oliveira lands an elbow just above Graham 's eye.
Graham working aggressively here.
Oliveira lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ricardo Oliveira is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Oliveira managing to block the knees to the body from Graham.
Oliveira has Graham pressed against the cage, preventing Graham from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Oliveira pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Oliveira blocks a body shot from Graham.
Graham misses with the head strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside.
Oliveira comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Graham misses with a punch on the inside.
Ephraim Graham has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Oliveira avoiding damage as Graham throws knees to the body.
Oliveira lands an elbow inside that Graham shrugs off.
Graham can't find room to land a body shot as Oliveira controls the action.
Graham tries to throw a body punch but Oliveira avoids it by throwing Graham back against the cage.
Oliveira creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Graham's defenses.
Oliveira tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nice elbow from Oliveira.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Graham taking a breather.
Graham using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Oliveira has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ricardo Oliveira showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Oliveira, 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 Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ricardo Oliveira!