PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Axl Rose (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pops Maellard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rose comes into the arena with You Could Be Mine blaring out of the sound system. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Rose
vs
Maellard

183 cm
22
187 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

183 cm
24
188 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

GREEN!160

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 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Axl Rose!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Pops Maellard!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Fujiwara, Yuuki Gou and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A swing and a miss from Rose.
Maellard looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Rose has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Beast Cartel in the buildup to the fight.
Maellard misses with a low kick.
Rose wants to clinch.
A thudding body kick lands there by Rose!
Rose cracks a nice hook into Maellard's ribs.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Maellard feints and then cracks Rose's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Rose down.
Maellard keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Rose.
Maellard ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Rose moves away.
Maellard ducks under a wild hook from Rose.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rose throws a lazy uppercut
and Rose takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Maellard ducks under a wild hook from Rose.
Maellard steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Rose.
Rose throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Rose misses the body punch
and Maellard cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Rose lands a nice leg kick that just misses Maellard's sensitive parts.
Rose bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
A jab from Maellard misses.
Rose takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Rose pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Rose misses with a body punch
and Maellard counters with a stiff right hand.
No joy there for Rose, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rose misses with a looping right.
Maellard follows through with a counter body kick but it doesn't land.
Axl Rose seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Maellard takes a swing at Rose's ribcage but misses.
Rose buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Rose misses with a body shot.
Rose throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Maellard walks into a stiff left hand from Rose.
Maellard defending well as Rose loads up on a big left hand.
Maellard throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Rose is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Maellard throws an overhand right that lands on Rose's shoulder, as Rose tries to avoid the shot.
Rose throws a leg kick but Maellard checks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maellard ducks under a wild hook from Rose.
Maellard tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
A low kick from Rose misses
and Maellard counters with a stiff right hand.
A swing and a miss from Maellard.
It looked like Rose wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Maellard blocks a jab.
The crowd cheers as Maellard lands an impressive looking overhand right. Rose doesn't seem phased though.
Rose misses with a right hand
and Maellard counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rose misses with an uppercut.
Maellard tries a quick counter leg kick but Rose is wise to it.
Rose tries to clinch but Maellard is having none of it.

Maellard moves into the clinch successfully.
Rose trying to land knees to the body.
Rose misses with a body punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maellard is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Rose lands a right hand.
Maellard dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.
Maellard is trying to maintain a safe position but Rose gets an underhook and turns Maellard into the ropes.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Rose as Maellard tries to tie him up.
Maellard is trying to slow the pace down but that's a couple of times in a row that he's tried to get underhooks and Rose has denied him.
Nice body punch from Rose - that landed with a thud.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Pops Maellard.
Rose connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Maellard tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rose was well out of range. Poor timing from Maellard.
Rose throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

Rose closes the distance and clinches.
Maellard blocks an elbow strike from Rose.
Rose lands a left hand that snaps the head of Maellard backwards.
Maellard is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Rose is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Axl Rose dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A lazy body kick from Rose
letting Maellard counter with a right hand.
Rose looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Maellard thinks about the counter body kick.
Maellard ducks under a wild hook from Rose.
Maellard pulls out of a head kick attempt.
As Maellard tries to get set, Rose tries to push him back and clinch up but Maellard manages to avoid the attempt.
Rose misses with a lunging right hand
and Maellard counters with a one-two to the body.
Maellard connects with a high kick.
Crunch! Rose slams his shin into Maellard's torso.
Maellard scores with a jab. Rose acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Pops Maellard seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Rose closes the distance and clinches.
Maellard tries to stall but Rose uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Rose misses with a punch to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rose being controlled against the ropes.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Rose.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rose has Maellard pressed against the ropes, preventing Maellard from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Maellard stalling in the clinch but Rose improves position.
Rose lands with a light punch inside.
Rose misses with a body punch.
A short right from Rose on the inside.
Maellard misses with a hook to the ribs.
Maellard is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Rose is keeping busy.
Maellard can't break the clinch.
Rose tries to throw a body punch but Maellard avoids it by throwing Rose back against the ropes.
Maellard is trying to maintain a safe position but Rose gets an underhook and turns Maellard into the ropes.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Rose gets through Maellard's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Rose stalling in the clinch but Maellard improves position.
Rose blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Rose lands a hook that snaps the head of Maellard backwards.
Maellard blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Maellard takes a shot to the head.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maellard trying to control the position but instead, Rose has worked for underhooks and has pushed Maellard into the ropes.
Maellard looking to slow down the pace here.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Pops Maellard.
Rose misses with a body shot
and Maellard counters with a stiff right hand.
Rose misses with a looping right.
Rose takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Maellard takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A low kick from Rose is predictable there
and Maellard counters with a slapping leg kick.

Maellard moves into the clinch successfully.
Maellard is trying to stall.
Rose misses with a punch to the body.
Rose softening up his opponent with strikes, against the ropes.
Maellard is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Rose has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Maellard is looking to control Rose's arms but Rose gets an underhook and turns him. Now Maellard has his back to the ropes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rose missing with knees to the body.
Maellard is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Maellard looking to stall.
Axl Rose has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Rose is trying to maintain a safe position but Maellard gets an underhook and turns Rose into the ropes.
Maellard pressing his opponent against the ropes.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Pops Maellard.
Rose connects with a looping right hand.
A leg kick checked by Maellard.
Maellard appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Maellard throws a push kick but Rose slaps the foot to one side.
Rose throws a lazy uppercut
and Maellard counters with a three punch combo that has Rose backing up. Rose nods at Maellard to acknowledge the strikes.
Rose misses with a hook. Maellard ducked under it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maellard moves out of range of the strikes.
Rose throws a hook but Maellard avoids it easily.
Rose is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Maellard.
Maellard uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Rose.
An inside leg kick lands from Rose.
Maellard moves out of range of the strikes.
Maellard uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Rose.
As Rose backs off Maellard throws a huge counter combo but Rose manages to avoid it all.
Maellard ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Rose fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Maellard has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rose stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Maellard.
Rose misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Maellard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Axl Rose will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Rose throws a body shot but no joy.
Rose drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Maellard gets cracked there but stands up to it.

Maellard takes the fight into the clinch.
Rose is leaning against Maellard and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Rose using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Maellard has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Maellard blocks an elbow strike.
Rose trying to stall but Maellard improves his position.
Rose tries a knee to the head but Maellard blocks it.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Maellard stalling against the ropes.
Rose works on Maellard's body with a couple of short punches.
Maellard taking a breather.
Rose lands a nice shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A right hand to the body from Rose.
Maellard trying to stall but Rose improves his position.
Maellard takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Maellard is trying to maintain a safe position but Rose gets an underhook and turns Maellard into the ropes.
Rose prevents Maellard from breaking the clinch.
Rose lands an elbow inside that Maellard shrugs off.
Rose lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Maellard on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rose misses with a knee strike.
Maellard goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Maellard tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Rose.
Rose is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Maellard can do to turn this around?

Maellard manages to break the clinch.
Maellard with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Rose to score with a decent uppercut.
A right-left combo lands from Rose.
Rose scores with a nice right hand.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rose's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Rose duly obliges.
Rose throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Axl Rose is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rose throws a body kick that misses.
Good exchange - Rose coming out on top.
Maellard steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Rose.
Rose takes a swing at Maellard's ribcage but misses.
Rose tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Maellard counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Rose thinking.
Rose connects with a looping right hand.
Rose thows a leg kick but Maellard checks it
and Maellard counters with a body kick.
Rose thows a leg kick but Maellard checks it
and Maellard counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Maellard stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Rose shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maellard uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Rose.
Rose throws out a loose jab but Maellard uses good head movement to avoid it.
Maellard throws a fast counter high kick but Rose manages to duck under it in time.
Pops Maellard has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rose jabs at Maellard's body.
Rose misses with a hook. Maellard ducked under it nicely.
Rose jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Maellard swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Maellard uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Rose.
Rose throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Maellard was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Maellard scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Rose lands with a thumping leg kick.
Rose cracks Maellard with a right hand to the side of the head.
Rose scores with a nice right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rose swings widly with a right hand
and Maellard counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Maellard shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.

Rose darts in and clinches Maellard up against the ropes.
A right handed body shot lands from Rose.
Maellard blocks a punch to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A body shot lands from Maellard.
Rose blocking some punches.
A short uppercut from Rose.
A nice left hand lands by Rose.
Maellard misses with a punch on the inside.
Maellard swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Maellard working aggressively here.
Maellard blocks a body shot from Rose.
Maellard tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rose's elbow.
Maellard lands a body shot in the clinch.
Rose lands a shot to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Axl Rose showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rose 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 Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight for Axl Rose!
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight for Axl Rose!
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight for Axl Rose!

Axl Rose wins by unanimous decision!