PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rodrigo Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Helm (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Helm comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Spazzin - Gary Podunk kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! James Helm has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Gracie
vs
Helm

177 cm
28
215 lbs
15 - 7 - 1

190 cm
28
215 lbs
13 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
KO power

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Underworld Clothing
REAR NAKED CHOKE NUTRITION

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 7 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rodrigo Gracie !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, James Helm!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Bishop, James Ackerman and Chris Edwards.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A big right from Helm misses.
Gracie appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Sloppy strikes from Helm. Those never looked like landing.
Helm jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A big left from Helm misses.
Gracie takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Helm connects with a jab.
Helm keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Gracie misses with a jab to the body
and Helm connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Nice jab there from Helm.
Helm ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gracie moves away.
Helm fails to land with a series of punches.
Helm scores with a hook to the body. Gracie takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Gracie has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Helm loads up on a big right hand but Gracie slips the punch.
Helm moves out of range of the strikes.
Helm swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Helm lands a jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gracie slips under a jab.
Gracie attempts a counter takedown but Helm avoids it well and moves away.
Gracie connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
A left lands for Helm.
Helm throws a jab but it's blocked by Gracie .
Good shot there by Helm.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie throws a solid leg kick but Helm takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Gracie .
A punch combination from Helm misses.
Gracie with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Helm to score with a decent uppercut.
Gracie uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Helm.
Helm misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gracie .
Gracie appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Gracie throws a hook to the side of Helm's head but Helm sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Gracie shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Helm cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Gracie ducks under a wild hook from Helm.
Helm jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Gracie connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Gracie takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Helm loads up on a big right hand but Gracie slips the punch.
Gracie changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Gracie misses with a low kick.
A little jabbing left from Helm on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Helm throws a hook to the side of Gracie 's head but Gracie sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Gracie looks for a takedown but Helm sprawls well.
Helm slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Helm uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Gracie .
Gracie misses with a leg kick.
Nice defenses there by Helm.
Helm with a nice cross.
Helm tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Gracie was well out of range. Poor timing from Helm.
Gracie gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Helm tests Gracie 's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Gracie throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Helm was covering up waiting for the punch and Gracie finishes the takedown easily into guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Helm can do anything to dispel that myth.
Helm is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gracie is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Helm really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Gracie . If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Gracie trying to control but Helm is working from the bottom.
Gracie is pushing down on Helm's leg trying to pass to half guard. Helm is fighting to maintain full guard but Gracie has managed to sneak the leg through.
Gracie is pressing down on Helm's thigh, looking to free his foot. Helm is holding on for now.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Helm is in trouble now - Gracie has advanced to mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Helm is squirming around, avoiding Gracie 's attempts to control the action.
Gracie is really struggling to control Helm but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Gracie content just to control the position here.
Gracie can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Helm is looking to escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Helm dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Helm slips under a jab.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Helm!
Gracie throws a leg kick that misses.
Helm has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Nice uppercut there from Helm.
Gracie fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Helm swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Gracie wants to land a leg kick but Helm is out of range.
Gracie ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Helm uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Gracie .
Gracie swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Gracie takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Gracie throws a good cross that connects.
Helm checks the leg kick nicely there.
A jab from Helm misses.
Helm slips a straight right by Gracie .
A jab from Gracie misses.
Helm throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gracie waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Helm.
Helm moves away from the strike by Gracie .

That's one minute gone in the round.
Helm throws a nice looking combination but Gracie bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Gracie is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Helm.

Gracie looking to score a takedown here. Helm is defending well but Gracie drives through and ends up in Helm's guard.
Helm wants to stand and escape but Gracie is having none of it.
Gracie stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Helm swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Gracie trying to control but Helm is working from the bottom.
Gracie controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Helm keeping moving, preventing Gracie from controlling successfully.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Gracie stands and throws Helm's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Gracie trying to control the position but Helm is working away.
The referee asks Gracie politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Gracie prefers to stall for the moment though.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie looks to throw the jab but Helm is out of range.
A nice combination there by Helm.
Gracie rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
letting Helm counter with a right hand.
Gracie is looking to slow Helm down with leg kicks.
Gracie looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Helm misses with a body shot.
Gracie half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Helm lands with a nice combination. Gracie backs away looking to recover.
Gracie misses with a takedown attempt - Helm sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rodrigo Gracie . That's going to take a lot out of him.
Helm throws a hook but Gracie avoids it easily.
Gracie attempts a counter takedown but Helm avoids it well and moves away.

Gracie shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Still in half guard, Gracie seems content to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Helm won't allow Gracie to pass to mount.
Gracie keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Gracie works his way into side control.
Helm felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Gracie trying to control the action but Helm is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but James Helm will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Helm lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Helm.
Gracie tries to move into range but Helm moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Helm is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Jab by Helm.
A big left from Helm misses.
Helm lands a jab.
Nice jab there from Helm.

Gracie is rocked!
Helm pounces like a tiger and cracks Gracie with a vicious hook! Gracie is down but not out! Helm follows up with more strikes forcing the ref to jump in and stop it!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:32 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Punches). James Helm!