PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Zeus Zorrander (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rico Icon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Icon has chosen Metallica - Of wolf and man as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Zorrander
vs
Icon

194 cm
30
237 lbs
14 - 6 - 0

193 cm
22
259 lbs
5 - 3 - 1

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Fast

KAISER Nutrition (160!/220$)
Worldwide Nutrition (160q)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Zeus Zorrander!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Rico Icon!
The judges for this bout are Yves DeLean, Dillan Fox and Gregory Folan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Zorrander drops his hands momentarily and Icon takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Icon walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Zorrander with a nice cross.

It looks like Rico Icon has been cut.
Zorrander throws a head kick but Icon moves out of range.
Zorrander looks for a takedown but Icon sprawls well.
Zorrander looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Icon throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Icon throws a head kick that misses
letting Zorrander counter with a right hand.
Icon scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Icon looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Icon looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
The fight stays on the outside here - Icon looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Icon wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Zorrander throws a chopping leg kick but Icon manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Zorrander misses with a hook. Icon ducked under it nicely.
Zorrander feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Icon's calf.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Icon throws a combination that misses
and Zorrander counters with a nice body kick.
Icon slips under a jab from Zorrander.
Icon cracks Zorrander with a good jab.
Zorrander scores with a kick to the body.
Icon looks winded!
Zorrander tries a head kick but it misses.
Zorrander looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Icon is fending him off so far but Zorrander persists. Nope, Icon circles away and we're back to standing.
Icon tries to close the distance and clinch up but Zorrander swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Zorrander throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Rico Icon is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Zorrander throws a wild body kick that Icon sees coming a mile off.
Zorrander tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Icon swivels and escapes.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zeus Zorrander. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Icon scores with a sloppy right hand. Zorrander should have avoided that one.
A big right from Icon misses.
A counter left hand to the body from Zorrander misses its target.
Zorrander throws a nice outside leg kick.
Zorrander misses with a looping left.
Icon is looking for the big counter here.
Zorrander misses with a looping right.
Icon fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Icon moves out of range of the body kick.
Icon wants to counter with a clinch but Zorrander pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A low kick from Zorrander is predictable there
and Icon counters with a nice body shot.
Icon misses with an uppercut
and Icon takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Zorrander chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Zorrander fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Icon is out of range.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Zorrander.
Icon fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Zorrander on the side of the head.
Zorrander throws an overhand right that lands on Icon's shoulder, as Icon tries to avoid the shot.
Icon looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Zorrander tries to land a front kick but Icon steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Icon throws a hook but Zorrander avoids it easily.
Icon moves into range and lands a nice body kick.

Icon has closed the distance and engaged Zorrander in a clinch.
Zorrander changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Icon fights it off and pushes away nicely.

Icon rushes Zorrander and presses him up against the cage.
Zorrander wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zorrander prevents a body shot from Icon.
Zorrander blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Zorrander is trying to trip Icon. He has hold of a leg but Icon is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Zorrander persists though and gets the takedown into guard.

Zorrander got a little sloppy there for a moment and Icon has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Zorrander has managed to get both his arms back between Icon's legs - danger averted.
Icon is trying to keep Zorrander in close.
Zorrander tries to free his leg and advance position but Icon is retaining full guard.
Icon controls Zorrander momentarily but Zorrander frees himself.
Zorrander looking to pass the guard.
Icon has his hands on Zorrander's head, controlling the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Zorrander drops back, looking for a kneebar! Icon looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Icon looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Icon!

Zorrander is not content to let Icon control the position.
Zorrander is trying to improve his position.
Zorrander stuck in half guard on the bottom here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Zeus Zorrander will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Rico Icon's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Zorrander drops Icon with a left and a right! Oh, Icon is hurt - Zorrander dives into side control looking to finish!

Icon is rocked!

Zorrander is trying to get an arm triangle but Icon is defending well.
Icon is still in real trouble! Can Zorrander finish him?
You can see the frustration on Icon's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Icon is not content to let Zorrander control the position.
Icon seems to have recovered his senses.
Zorrander remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Icon prevents Zorrander from moving into mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zorrander is trying to get an arm triangle but Icon is defending well.

Zorrander is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Icon has escaped the position, nice work there.

Zorrander is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Icon has escaped the position, nice work there.
Zorrander trying to control the action but Icon is working from the bottom.

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.

Zorrander looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Icon is letting Zorrander control him for a moment.

Zorrander tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Zorrander has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Zorrander is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Icon can do to turn this around?

Zorrander tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Zorrander has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Icon is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Zorrander wants to control for a moment but Icon uses the opportunity to move back to half guard.
Zorrander wants to control but Icon is keeping him busy.
Zeus Zorrander overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Zorrander is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Icon is just riding it out for now. Zorrander eventually gives up the hold.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

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.
Icon throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Zorrander stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Icon lands a slapping body shot.
Icon scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Icon takes a swing at Zorrander's ribcage but misses.
Zorrander goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Zorrander misses with a head kick.
Zorrander shoots in looking for a takedown but Icon manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Zorrander's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Zorrander is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
A punch combination from Icon misses.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Zorrander tries to work over Icon's front leg with a kick but Icon checks it.
Icon lands a body shot.
Zorrander takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Icon throws a body punch but Zorrander moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Zeus Zorrander dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Rico Icon's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! 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.

Icon closes the distance and clinches.
Zorrander goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Zorrander tries for a takedown but Icon manages to get underhooks.
Icon swings wildly with an uppercut but Zorrander uses good head movement to avoid it.
Icon cracks Zorrander with a nice body shot.
Zorrander has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Icon after a bit of a struggle.
Zorrander throws a head punch that misses.

Zorrander breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Zorrander lands a leg kick that knocks Icon off balance momentarily.
Icon wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Zorrander throws a push kick but Icon slaps the foot to one side.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Zorrander tries to bum rush Icon with a series of wild strikes but Icon uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Icon clinches up with Zorrander and pushes him back against the cage.

Zorrander breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Icon dips to his left and cracks Zorrander with an uppercut!
Icon throws a leg kick which misses Zorrander's front leg but catches the back leg as Zorrander tries to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Icon stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Zorrander misses with a low kick.
Icon tries to counter by closing the distance.
Icon misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Icon fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Zorrander on the side of the head.
Icon takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Icon takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Zorrander throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
The fighters circle momentarily. Zorrander darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Icon throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Icon thuds his right hand into Zorrander's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

Zorrander shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Zorrander showed some decent athleticism there.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Icon is trying to control but can't.
Zorrander wants to control but Icon is keeping him busy.
Rico Icon has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Zorrander is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Icon is just riding it out for now. Zorrander eventually gives up the hold.

Zorrander is looking for a kimura here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Icon wants to improve his position but Zorrander is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zorrander takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

Zorrander wants to work for an arm triangle but Icon is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Zorrander is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Icon defends it well.
Icon holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Zorrander scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Icon is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Zorrander.

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.
Zorrander lunges at Icon with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Icon's hand.
Zorrander throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Icon.
Zorrander avoids the head kick by Icon.
A slapping leg kick lands for Zorrander.
Icon attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Icon lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Icon looks to score with a jab to the body but Zorrander is just out of range.
Zorrander lands a high kick!
Zorrander feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Icon's calf.
Icon misses with a wild body shot.
Icon getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Zeus Zorrander is winning the standup battle so far.
Icon misses the shot to the body.
Icon throws a low kick but Zorrander moves out of range easily.
Zorrander slips under a jab.
Zorrander lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Zorrander pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Icon unleashes a big counter combination but Zorrander bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Zeus Zorrander.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Zorrander, 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 Yves DeLean scores the fight 30:27
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Zeus Zorrander!
An out of breath and clearly excited Zeus Zorrander thanked Worldwide Nutrition (160q) for their help and support (and free stuff they sent him).