PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Tom Cooper (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Riley Freeman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Riley Freeman acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Cooper
vs
Freeman

180 cm
25
183 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

177 cm
25
158 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter fighter
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Determined

Bad Man Clothing (Nothing Over $40)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tom Cooper!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Riley Freeman!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Frank Dennis and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Freeman throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Cooper counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

Cooper wants to work for an arm triangle but Freeman is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Freeman is not content to let Cooper control the position.
Cooper missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Cooper has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

Cooper is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Cooper landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Freeman on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Freeman is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Cooper is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Freeman has managed to free his arm - good work.
Cooper working Freeman over with strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Freeman trying to hold on to Cooper's head to control him but Cooper postures up.

Cooper is looking for a kimura here.
Cooper tries to pass to full mount but Freeman defends it.
Cooper seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Freeman does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Cooper is looking for a kimura but Freeman is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Cooper to get the leverage.
Cooper trying to pass the guard but Freeman defending well.
Freeman wants to get back to full guard.

Cooper is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Freeman doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Cooper.

Cooper is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Freeman has managed to free his arm - good work.

That's two 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.

Cooper is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Cooper wants to take a breather but Freeman is having none of it.

Cooper seems to be working for a kimura but Freeman defends the submission attempt.
Freeman is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Cooper wants to control but Freeman is keeping him busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Freeman trying to control but Cooper postures up.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Cooper throwing shots but Freeman is blocking nicely.
Cooper is looking to take a break and control but Freeman is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Cooper is thwarting Freeman's attempts to control the position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Cooper scores with a takedown into Freeman's guard.
Cooper wants to control from the top but Freeman keeps moving.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Cooper's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cooper wants to pass the guard but Freeman is keeping the position.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cooper passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Freeman is trying to get back to half guard.
Freeman defending against the ground and pound.
Freeman is trying to control Cooper's posture but Cooper avoids it.
Cooper tries to move to mount but Freeman blocks the move with his legs.
Cooper throws an elbow but Freeman slips to the side and avoids it well.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman is looking to reverse the position.
Cooper working away.
Cooper trying to control the action but Freeman is working from the bottom.
Freeman prevents Cooper from improving position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tom Cooper dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Freeman throws a leg kick that is checked

so Cooper counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Tom Cooper overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Freeman utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Cooper loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Cooper's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Cooper tries to free his leg and advance position but Freeman is retaining full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.

Cooper drops back looking for a leg! Freeman is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Freeman manages to kick Cooper off! Cooper jumps back into Freeman's guard.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Freeman is trying to control the position from the bottom.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Cooper walks into a stiff left hand from Freeman.
Cooper is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Freeman can do to turn this around?
Freeman connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Tom Cooper is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Cooper shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Freeman controls Cooper momentarily but Cooper frees himself.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Freeman utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.
Cooper is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Cooper preventing the sweep.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.
Freeman tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Freeman avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.
Cooper trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Cooper throwing strikes from guard but Freeman blocks nicely.
Cooper trying to control the position from guard on top but Freeman is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cooper stopping the sweep attempt from Freeman.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Freeman attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.

Cooper gets a takedown into half guard.
Cooper not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Cooper slips a nice elbow through Freeman's hands, connecting with Freeman's forehead.
Cooper looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Freeman with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Cooper moves nicely into side control.
Cooper is looking to take a break and control but Freeman is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Freeman is trying to control Cooper's posture but Cooper avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Cooper tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Cooper wants to control but Freeman is keeping him busy.
Cooper is working Freeman over with some ground and pound from side control.
Cooper working away.
Freeman takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Cooper thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Freeman wants to control but Cooper postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Cooper looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Freeman!
Freeman is looking to regain half guard here but Cooper keeps moving and retains side control.
Freeman dodges the ground and pound from Cooper.
Freeman is working to avoid the ground and pound but Cooper connects with a decent elbow.
Cooper scoring with punches and elbows.
Cooper working the ground and pound.
Freeman is trying to improve his position.
Cooper wants to lay and pray for a moment but Freeman keeps working.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman can't do much from the bottom here.
Freeman tries to bench press Cooper off him but Cooper keeps the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cooper working away.
Cooper wants to control but Freeman is keeping him busy.

Cooper is trying to get an arm triangle but Freeman is defending well.
Cooper working the head with strikes.
Freeman tries to buck Cooper off but Cooper is having none of it.
Cooper is looking to take a break and control but Freeman is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Freeman wants to control but Cooper postures up.

Cooper tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Cooper trying to control the action but Freeman is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Freeman is trying to control Cooper's posture but Cooper avoids it.
Freeman is looking to reverse the position.
Freeman is working to avoid the ground and pound but Cooper connects with a decent elbow.

Cooper tries for a kimura but Freeman is defending well.
Freeman is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Cooper is looking for a kimura here.
Freeman wants to control but Cooper is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Freeman manages to get to full guard.
Freeman is trying to keep Cooper in close.
Cooper with a nice head shot there.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.
Cooper with a nice head shot there.

That's four 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.
Freeman looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Cooper pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Freeman is keeping the position for now.
Cooper postures up.
Cooper loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

Cooper drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Cooper jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Cooper is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Freeman is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Cooper drives through with a takedown into Freeman's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman has momentary wrist control but Cooper slips an elbow through the middle.
Freeman not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tom Cooper clearly takes that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

A low kick from Freeman misses

and Cooper counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Freeman keeping moving, preventing Cooper from controlling successfully.
Cooper pushes down on Freeman's leg and manages to get into half guard.

Cooper is working for a kimura but Freeman is defending it quite comfortably.
Freeman is looking to control Cooper's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Freeman avoid being mounted?
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman is not content to let Cooper control the position.
Cooper is thwarting Freeman's attempts to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cooper working the head and body with strikes.
Freeman is trying to get back to full guard.
Cooper trying to control the action but Freeman is working from the bottom.
Cooper thows a huge punch but Freeman dodges it nicely.

Cooper is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Cooper wants to take a breather but Freeman is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Freeman wants to control but Cooper is keeping busy.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Freeman scores with a body shot.
Freeman misses with a low kick.
Freeman ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Cooper throws a leg kick but Freeman moved away.
Freeman is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Cooper with a body shot.

Cooper fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Freeman to the ground. Cooper is now in Freeman's guard.
Freeman is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Cooper won't allow Freeman to sweep him here.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Freeman wants to sweep but no luck.
Cooper with a nice head shot there.
Cooper trying to control but Freeman is working from the bottom.
Cooper lands a couple of elbows.
Cooper in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Freeman working a defensive guard but Cooper manages to pass into side control anyway.

Cooper looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Freeman taking punishment in the form of punches.
Freeman tries to buck Cooper off but Cooper is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Freeman's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Freeman might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Cooper haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Cooper is putting a hurting on Freeman here, landing some big shots from side control.
Freeman manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Freeman is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Cooper is trying to maintain the position but Freeman is very close to passing his half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Freeman prevents Cooper from improving his position.
Cooper is trying to control but can't.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tom Cooper had his way with Riley Freeman in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

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

Cooper is trying to get an arm triangle but Freeman is defending well.
Freeman struggling a bit here.
Cooper wants to lay and pray for a moment but Freeman keeps working.
Freeman is trying to get back to half guard.
Cooper cracks Freeman with an elbow. That is naaassty.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Freeman is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Cooper's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Cooper is trying to control the action in half guard but Freeman is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cooper missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Cooper wants to free his trapped foot but Freeman is holding on for dear life with his legs.

Cooper is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Freeman sees it coming and defends easily.
Freeman trying to control from the bottom.

Cooper seems to be looking for submissions.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Cooper wants to control but Freeman is keeping him busy.

Cooper is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Freeman wants to control but Cooper is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Freeman is staying active underneath Cooper, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Cooper lands a nice short elbow.
Cooper missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Cooper winds up and cracks Freeman with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Cooper missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Cooper is thwarting Freeman's attempts to control the position.
Cooper tries to pass to full mount but Freeman defends it.
Cooper is looking to take a break and control but Freeman is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Freeman slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

Cooper fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Freeman sprawls well initially but Cooper persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Cooper landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cooper thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Cooper winds up and cracks Freeman with a swinging punch to the side of the head.

Freeman is defending against the submission attempts here by Cooper.
Cooper is thwarting Freeman's attempts to control the position.
Freeman manages to get to full guard.
Cooper stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Freeman swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Freeman trying to keep a closed guard but Cooper is proving a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Cooper throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Riley Freeman has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Cooper wants to pass the guard but Freeman is keeping the position.
Freeman trying to keep a closed guard but Cooper is proving a slippery customer.
Freeman tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Freeman preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Freeman lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Cooper at a distance.
Riley Freeman is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Cooper avoids the body shot from Freeman.
Tom Cooper is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
A shot to the body from Freeman misses

and Cooper counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tom Cooper showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Cooper, 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 50:44
Judge Frank Dennis scores the fight 50:44
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 50:44

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tom Cooper!
Tom Cooper is the new welterweight champion!