PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Lenard Rivera (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Benjamin Anton (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Lenard Rivera has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Rivera
vs
Anton

207 cm
24
178 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

179 cm
25
170 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Prefers standup

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Lenard Rivera!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Benjamin Anton!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Damien Edna and Darius Henderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sloppy strikes from Anton. Those never looked like landing.
Anton looks to land a combination. Rivera sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Anton 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.
Anton throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rivera half committed to a counter leg kick.
Anton throws a series of punches but Rivera moves out of range.
Anton throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Rivera pushes Anton up against the cage in a clinch.
Rivera blocking some punches.
Anton tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Rivera pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Anton swinging wildly here.
Anton swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Anton fails to land with a series of punches.
Rivera appears to be looking for a big counter.
Anton throws a one two combo.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Anton looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Anton looks winded!
Anton throws a series of punches but Rivera moves out of range.
A quick step to the side and Rivera tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

Rivera clinches up with Anton and pushes him back against the cage.
Rivera misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Anton.
Anton misses with the head strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivera misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Anton.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Anton.

Rivera manages to break the clinch.

Rivera has taken the fight to the clinch.
Rivera slowing the pace effectively.

Rivera breaks the clinch.

Rivera has taken the fight to the clinch.
Anton pushes Rivera back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Rivera tries to break the clinch but Anton is controlling the position.

Rivera breaks from the clinch.
Rivera avoids a punch combination nicely.
Rivera takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Rivera blocks a head kick by Anton.
Anton swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Anton throws a nice looking combination but Rivera bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rivera fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
No joy there for Anton, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Benjamin Anton seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Anton throws a head kick that misses
and Rivera counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Anton thinking.

Rivera clinches with his opponent.
Rivera blocking some punches.
Rivera landing knees to the body.
Rivera tries to break free but Anton pushes him back against the cage.

Rivera pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Rivera takes the fight into the clinch.

Rivera breaks from the clinch.
Rivera avoids the head kick by Anton.

Rivera rushes Anton and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Anton blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Rivera manages to break the clinch.

Rivera moves into the clinch successfully.

Rivera breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Anton fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Anton throws a right and a left that both miss.
Rivera wants to clinch.
Rivera is looking to clinch but Anton is avoiding it.
Anton throws a series of punches but Rivera moves out of range.
As Anton looks to move away, Rivera throws a big counter combo but Anton just gets out of the way.
Anton throws a right hand that Rivera ducks under and follows up with a left that Rivera also avoids with ease.
Rivera swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Rivera shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Anton as he avoids it easily.
Rivera dives in and grabs Anton's left leg, looking for a takedown. Anton pushes down on Rivera's head and hops out.
Rivera fails with an attempt to clinch.
Anton lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

Rivera closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Anton's guard.
Rivera keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Anton's head.

Anton looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Rivera passes into half guard.
Rivera 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.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rivera working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rivera is nestled in close to Anton, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Rivera landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

Anton is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Rivera pulls his head out easily.
Anton wants to get back to full guard but Rivera has passed into side control.
Anton tries to improve position but can't.
Rivera working the head with strikes.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Rivera working the ground and pound from side control.
Anton is looking for a sweep.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rivera working the body and head with strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Benjamin Anton will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Anton rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Rivera moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Anton misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Anton throws a nice looking combination but Rivera bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Rivera wants to clinch.
Anton lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Anton.
Anton circles away from the clinch attempt.
Anton throws a counter combo.
Rivera tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Anton throws a head kick that misses
and Rivera counters with a two punch combo.
Rivera really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Anton fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A quick step to the side and Rivera tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Rivera tries to clinch up but Anton circles away and keeps his distance.
Anton is breathing heavily.
Rivera is looking to clinch.
Horrible takedown attempt by Rivera or perhaps it was just good defense by Anton, which made it look bad.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Anton falls off balance throwing a combination
and Rivera counters with a good low kick that Anton was not able to check.
Anton misses with a head kick.
Rivera tries to clinch there but Anton circles away.
Rivera tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Anton manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Anton misses with a wild combination.
Rivera showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Anton.
Rivera tries to close the distance and clinch up but Anton swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Rivera tries to close the distance and clinch up but Anton swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Lenard Rivera is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Rivera tries to close the distance and clinch up but Anton swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Benjamin Anton seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Rivera looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Anton!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivera lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Anton down.
Rivera cracks Anton with a big right hand but Anton just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Rivera lands a nice forearm strike.
Rivera gets to mount! Anton was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Anton tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Anton is still trying to improve position.
Rivera with shots to the head and body - Anton looks very uncomfortable down there.
Rivera with shots to the head and body - Anton looks very uncomfortable down there.
Anton regains half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Anton looking to force a kimura from the bottom here. He's concentrating on that move too much though and Rivera pushes past his half guard into mount!
Rivera looking to finish Anton with some ground and pound. This is bad for Anton!
Anton is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rivera in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Anton working to try and regain half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Rivera cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Rivera lands a big shot there that rocks Anton but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Rivera unloading with bombs!
Lenard Rivera overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rivera lands a big elbow.

Anton is rocked!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Anton sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Anton is still in real trouble! Can Rivera finish him?
Anton has hold of Rivera's hands but Rivera slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Anton seems to have recovered his senses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Rivera connects with a nice short shot to Anton's temple.
Anton has hold of Rivera's hands but Rivera slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

Anton looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

Anton looking for a kimura from the bottom but Rivera passes into side control!
Rivera lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Anton down.
Anton is looking for a sweep.
Rivera is working Anton over with some ground and pound from side control.
Anton looking for a sweep but Rivera has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Anton really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lenard Rivera dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Anton misses with a double jab.
Anton scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Anton fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Anton circles away from the clinch attempt.
Anton throws a nice looking combination but Rivera bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Rivera tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Anton paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Rivera tries to close the distance and clinch but Anton swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Anton keeps the fight on the outside.
Anton misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Rivera gets a clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rivera is looking to break free of the clinch but Anton has double underhooks.
Anton has a couple of punches blocked by Rivera.
A head punch on the inside from Anton fails to land.
Anton takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Rivera breaks the clinch.
Rivera shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Anton unleashes a big counter combination but Rivera bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Anton throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivera tries to clinch there but Anton circles away.
Anton throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

Rivera moves into range and clinches up with Anton.

Rivera pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Rivera tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Anton manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Rivera moves into range and clinches up with Anton.
Rivera lands a shoulder strike.

Rivera's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rivera fails with an attempt to clinch.
Anton tries a head kick but it misses.
Anton throws a right and a left that both miss.
Rivera is looking to clinch.
Anton lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Benjamin Anton is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rivera moves in looking to clinch but Anton pushes him off.
Anton throws a right hand that Rivera ducks under and follows up with a left that Rivera also avoids with ease.

Rivera is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Anton's half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Rivera moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Anton.
Anton takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Rivera scores with punches from side control.
Anton looks to move to half guard but instead Rivera has passed into mount! Damn!
Rivera landing punches.
Anton working to try and regain half guard.
Rivera working the ground and pound effectively.
Anton is in a horrible position here. Rivera smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Rivera has hold of Anton's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Anton manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Anton is trying desperately to improve position.
Rivera lands a nice shot to the head.
Anton really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Rivera connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Anton is working to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rivera postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Anton looks a forlorn figure.
Anton tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Rivera landing strikes, looking to finish!
Anton is trying desperately to improve position.
Rivera dominating with strikes here.
Rivera will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Anton is looking to improve his position but Rivera isn't that keen on the idea.
Anton taking shots to the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lenard Rivera showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Rivera has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 John Mangel scores the fight 29:28
Judge Damien Edna scores the fight 29:28
Judge Darius Henderson scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lenard Rivera!