PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Mason Graham (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yong Wright (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Wright has chosen Tep No - Pacing as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Yong Wright is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Graham
vs
Wright

177 cm
22
166 lbs
9 - 3 - 0

165 cm
30
165 lbs
11 - 4 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Fast

KAISER Nutrition - Q160/$250

Spartan Nutrition
Arcticus University: London

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Mason Graham!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Yong Wright!
The judges for this bout are Jeff Smith, Micheangelo Fripello and Josh West.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Graham looks to land a combination but Wright avoids it well.
Graham misses with a double jab
and Wright counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Graham throws an overhand right that lands on Wright's shoulder, as Wright tries to avoid the shot.
It seemed like Wright was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Donk. Graham catches Wright right on the button with a cross.
Graham with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Wright ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Graham takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Wright misses with a hook
and Graham counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Wright cracks Graham with a good jab.
Graham with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Wright to score with a decent uppercut.
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!
A big right from Wright misses.
Nice cross by Wright.
Graham swings for the body but Wright moves out of range.
Graham throws a one two combo.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham moves out of range of the strikes.
Wright tries for a takedown but Graham sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Graham appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Wright waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Graham.
Wright ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Graham swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Wright needs to keep his hands up - Graham had a free shot at his head there.
Wright pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
It looked like Graham was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Wright.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Wright has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Nice body punch from Graham.
Wright shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Graham as he jumps to the side.
Wright throws a big shot that misses.
It looked like Graham wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
We've been told by Graham's head coaches at Madz **21 Elite coaches** that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Wright will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Mason Graham has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yong Wright.
Nice uppercut there from Graham.
Graham throws a shot from downtown. Wright moves away and avoids it.
And Wright tries to counter it with a takedown but Graham pushes his down on his head and steps out.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wright moves away from the strike by Graham.
Wright bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Wright keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Yong Wright seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Wright darts in looking for a takedown but Graham gets double underhooks and turns Wright into the cage.
Wright shoots in looking for a takedown but Graham manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Wright's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Wright throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A big right from Wright misses.
A little feinted left hand from Graham on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Wright fails to land the takedown.
It looked like Graham wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Graham misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Wright.
Graham swings for the body but Wright moves out of range.
Wright looks to land a left hand but Graham moved out of range nicely.
Left hook, right uppercut from Graham.
Graham with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Wright to score with a decent uppercut.
Mason Graham is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Wright throws an overhand right that lands on Graham's shoulder, as Graham tries to avoid the shot.
Wright throws a hook to the side of Graham's head but Graham sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Graham takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Graham fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Wright manages to avoid it.
Wright takes a jab right on the kisser.
Wright misses with a hook. Graham ducked under it nicely.
Wright misses with a straight right.
Graham throws a hook to the side of Wright's head but Wright sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Wright looks to land a left hand but Graham moved out of range nicely.
A big left from Wright misses.
Wright misses with a takedown
and Graham counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Wright steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Graham.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wright misses with an uppercut
and Graham counters with a stiff right hand.
Wright closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.

Wright is rocked!
Wright shoots in and drives through. Graham sprawls well.
Wright is still on wobbly legs! Can Graham finish him?
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Graham loads up on a big right hand but Wright slips the punch.
Wright stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
A punch lands to the side of Wright 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Graham moves out of range of the strikes.
Graham misses with a body punch
and Wright connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A big right from Wright misses.
Wright throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Graham counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Wright scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

Graham drops Wright with a beautiful combination! Wright stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Graham is looking for the KO!
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Wright swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Wright staying out of range there.

Wright shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Graham manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Wright looks to land a left hand but Graham moved out of range nicely.
Wright seems to have recovered his senses.
A swing and a miss from Wright.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with eachother but Wright might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Graham has got the better of the exchanges.
Wright has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Wright there as he acknowledges the shot.
Wright might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Graham swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Wright counters with a straight right hand.
Wright has a takedown stuffed.
Wright tries for a takedown but Graham circles away easily
and Graham counters with a stiff right hand.

Graham lands a left and a right that send Wright crashing to the mat, dazed. Graham thinks about following him to the mat but decides to wave him back up to his feet!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Wright avoids the body shot from Graham.
A little jabbing left from Wright on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Wright looks for a takedown but Graham sprawls well.
A little feinted left hand from Graham on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Mason Graham has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yong Wright.

Wright closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Graham's guard.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Graham manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Wright jumps guard but Graham stands there with Wright around his waist. Wright gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Wright is working for takedown but Graham is calmly controlling the position for now.
Graham lands a body punch in the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Graham.
Wright blocks an uppercut.
Wright gets through Graham's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Graham goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Graham is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Wright has a couple of punches blocked by Graham.

Graham pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Wright moves out of range of the strikes.
Wright swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.

Wright closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Graham is not content to let Wright control the position.
Graham is looking for a sweep.
Yong Wright has got the better of the ground game so far.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Wright wants to control but Graham is keeping him busy.

Wright tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Wright has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Wright wants to lay and pray for a moment but Graham keeps working.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Graham can't do much from the bottom here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Graham is looking for a sweep.
Graham regains half guard.
Wright not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Wright is keen to just control but Graham is a slippery customer.
Graham is looking to control Wright's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Graham avoid being mounted?

Wright is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Graham sees it coming and defends easily.

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.
Graham is not content to let Wright control the position.

Wright is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Graham moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Graham tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Graham is working hard here to advance position.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Wright fails with the takedown.
Graham was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mason Graham dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Wright fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Graham to the ground. Wright is now in Graham's guard.
Wright advances to half guard.

Wright seems to be looking for submissions.
Wright frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Wright tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Graham wants to control but Wright is having none of it.
Wright throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Graham because Wright loaded up on that one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Wright working Graham over with strikes here.
Wright looking to control but Graham is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Wright jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Graham is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Graham and Wright has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
You can see the frustration on Graham's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Graham gets back to half guard.
Graham is looking to control Wright's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Graham avoid being mounted?

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.
Wright prevents Graham from improving his position.
Wright is pressing down on Graham's thigh, looking to free his foot. Graham is holding on for now.
Graham is controlling Wright's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Wright looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Wright is keen to just control but Graham is a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Graham avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Wright.
Wright is keen to just control but Graham is a slippery customer.
Wright wants to pass the guard but Graham is defending well.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Wright with a poor takedown
and Graham counters with a nice uppercut.
Graham looks to score with a jab to the body but Wright is just out of range.
Graham jabs at Wright's body.
Wright with a lazy takedown attempt
and Graham makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Wright takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Graham lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
A punch lands to the side of Wright 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Graham fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Wright manages to avoid it.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Wright! But no joy.
Wright has his takedown stuffed
and Wright takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Mason Graham has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yong Wright.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wright moves out of range of the strikes.
Wright gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Graham counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Wright displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Graham throws out the jab.
Wright shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Graham defends it nicely.
A telegraphed right hand from Wright misses the target.
Graham fails to land with a series of punches.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Graham stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Graham wants it to stay on the feet.
Wright takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Yong Wright has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mason Graham is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Wright.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mason Graham showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Graham, 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 Jeff Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 30:27
Judge Josh West scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mason Graham!
During a confident post fight interview, Mason Graham thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.