PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Niko Diaz (ranked 3178 p4p, 395 weight class) and Nick Tessier (ranked 4187 p4p, 480 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Diaz
vs
Tessier

182 cm
24
190 lbs
9 - 8 - 0

184 cm
23
193 lbs
5 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Freebok (85% Laundry)

Voodoo Nutrition

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 9 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Niko Diaz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nick Tessier!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tessier throws a sloppy body shot
and Diaz counters with a straight right hand.
The fighters circling - Diaz throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Tessier with the counter takedown but Diaz avoids it easily.
A left lands for Diaz.
Tessier pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Diaz was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Tessier tries to land a front kick but Diaz steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Tessier dives in and grabs Diaz's left leg, looking for a takedown. Diaz pushes down on Tessier's head and hops out.
A counter left hand to the body from Diaz misses its target.
Tessier throws a leg kick
and Diaz counters with a three punch combo that has Tessier backing up. Tessier nods at Diaz to acknowledge the strikes.
Diaz defending well as Tessier loads up on a big left hand.
Tessier wants to clinch.
Tessier throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Diaz counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Tessier lands a right hook to the body.
Tessier moves out of range as Diaz strikes.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tessier has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Diaz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Diaz walks into a straight right hand from Tessier.
Tessier shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Diaz counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Diaz with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Tessier connects with a solid leg kick.
Tessier throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Diaz throwing a counter right hand but Tessier manages to avoid it.
Diaz fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Tessier on the side of the head.
Diaz swats away the attempt to clinch by Tessier.
An attempted straight right counter from Diaz misses the target.
Tessier misses with a body kick.
Tessier lands a nice leg kick that just misses Diaz's sensitive parts.
Tessier takes a swing at Diaz's ribcage but misses.
Tessier fails with the takedown
and Diaz counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Niko Diaz has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nick Tessier.
Tessier shoots in and drives through. Diaz sprawls well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Diaz misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Tessier.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tessier lands with a nice combination. Diaz backs away looking to recover.
Tessier takes one to the side of the head.
Tessier swings for the body but Diaz moves out of range.
Diaz lands a jab to Tessier's midsection.
A low kick from Tessier misses
and Diaz counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Tessier rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Diaz counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Tessier pivots, looking for a leg kick but Diaz is out of range and Tessier settles back down.
An attempted straight right counter from Diaz misses the target.
Niko Diaz is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Tessier checks a low kick from Diaz.
Tessier tries to close the distance and clinch up but Diaz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Tessier throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Diaz.
Tessier has tried to improve his agility in the runup to this fight.

Diaz cracks Tessier with a big right hand and Tessier goes down!

Tessier is rocked!
Diaz slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Tessier is still in real trouble! Can Diaz finish him?
Tessier is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Tessier can't do much from the bottom here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Diaz scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Tessier to see if he's OK.
Diaz working the head and body with strikes.
Diaz works to advance to full mount. Tessier defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Diaz controlling his opponent.
Tessier tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Diaz has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tessier's face.
Diaz looking to control and managing it successfully.
Tessier tries to hold on but Diaz postures up.
Tessier tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Diaz moves to the back.
Tessier seems to have recovered his senses.
Tessier tries to escape but Diaz has the hooks in and won't let him break free.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diaz has good solid back control here.

Diaz has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Diaz doesn't have the hooks in and Tessier manages to turn into his guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Diaz managing to control the position.
Diaz seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
Diaz wants to stand up but Tessier is controlling him.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Tessier avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Diaz is adopting a defensive guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Niko Diaz dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Diaz uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Diaz is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Tessier can do to turn this around?
Tessier tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Diaz manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Tessier takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Tessier slips a jab and a cross from Diaz.
Diaz scores with a body shot.
A swing and a miss from Diaz.
Tessier pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Diaz rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Tessier moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Diaz scores with a shot to the body.
Diaz looks to score with a jab to the body but Tessier is just out of range.
Tessier feints and then cracks Diaz's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Diaz down.
Good shot there by Diaz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tessier shoots and misses
and Diaz counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Tessier throws a push kick but Diaz slaps the foot to one side.
Diaz fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tessier manages to avoid it.
Diaz throws a right hand that misses
and Tessier counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Tessier throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Tessier misses with a body kick.
Diaz throws a head kick but Tessier moves out of range.
Diaz waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Tessier.
Diaz jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Tessier lands a jab to Diaz's midsection.
Tessier shoots in but no luck this time.
An attempted straight right counter from Diaz misses the target.
Tessier throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Niko Diaz is winning the standup battle so far.
Diaz scores with a three punch combo!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Tessier takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Diaz throws a left and a right that both miss

and Tessier counters by clinching up.

Tessier manages to break the clinch.

Diaz tries to sprawl but Tessier drives through with a takedown into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Diaz tries to roll over but Tessier keeps him under control.
Tessier thows a huge punch but Diaz dodges it nicely.
Tessier throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Diaz won't allow Tessier to pass to mount.

Diaz is defending against the submission attempts here by Tessier.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tessier is looking to advance position but Diaz won't allow it.
Ground and pound from Tessier.
Diaz looks like he's trying to stand up.
Diaz trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Diaz wants to control but Tessier is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Niko Diaz overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Tessier is looking for a kimura but Diaz is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Tessier to get the leverage.
Tessier throwing shots but Diaz is blocking nicely.

Diaz looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Diaz is not content to let Tessier control the position.
Diaz wants to control but Tessier is keeping busy and won't allow it.

Tessier is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Tessier wants to pass the guard but Diaz is defending well.

Tessier is looking for a kimura here.
Diaz trying to control but Tessier postures up.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
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 Niko Diaz will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Tessier scoring well with a low kick there.
Diaz shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Tessier eats them both and turns towards Diaz to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Tessier ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Tessier feints a counter leg kick.
Tessier attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Diaz appears to be looking for a big counter.
Tessier is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Diaz rather than just go for the knockout.

Tessier rushes Diaz and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Diaz struggles to land a body shot inside as Tessier controls his hands.
Tessier lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Tessier blocking some punches.
Diaz gets underhooks to prevent Tessier's takedown attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Diaz tries to land a knee to the head but Tessier blocks with his arms.
Diaz misses with a short punch on the inside.
Tessier blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Tessier misses with the head strike.
Tessier fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Tessier has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Diaz after a bit of a struggle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tessier misses with a hook from the clinch.
Diaz throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tessiers head.
Diaz tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Tessier avoids it.
Diaz swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A hook to the body from Tessier.
Tessier misses with the head strike.
Tessier tries to land knees in the clinch but Diaz avoids the damage to the body.
Tessier wants to take the fight to the mat but Diaz manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Niko Diaz has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nick Tessier.
A head punch on the inside from Tessier fails to land.
Diaz misses with a knee to the head.
Tessier fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Diaz blocking some punches.
Tessier throws an elbow that misses.
Tessier wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Diaz has him pressed against the cage.
Diaz managing to block the knees to the body from Tessier.
Tessier drops down looking for an ankle pick but Diaz pulls his leg out and moves away.
Diaz swings widly with a right hand
and Tessier counters with a thumping low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Diaz.
Tessier tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Diaz counters with a stiff right hand.
Diaz lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Diaz throws a lazy right hand but Tessier sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Diaz lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Tessier doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
A jab from Tessier misses.
Diaz uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Diaz throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Tessier looking to score a takedown here. Diaz is defending well but Tessier drives through and ends up in Diaz's guard.
Tessier takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Diaz keeping moving, preventing Tessier from controlling successfully.

Diaz has his foot on Tessier's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Tessier works his way back into a safe position though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tessier throwing strikes from guard but Diaz blocks nicely.
Tessier throws a strike but Diaz rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Tessier looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Diaz wants to control from the top but Tessier keeps moving.
Diaz passes Tessier's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Tessier trying to hold on to Diaz's head to control him but Diaz postures up.
Tessier on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Nick Tessier has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Diaz wants to free his trapped foot but Tessier is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Tessier is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Tessier is trying to control but can't.
Tessier tries to get to full guard but Diaz has control of the leg.

Tessier looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Diaz slows the pace down in half guard.
Niko Diaz is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Diaz wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tessier keeps working.

And that's the end of the fight!
Niko Diaz showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Diaz, 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 Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Niko Diaz!
Niko Diaz gave a mention to Freebok (85% Laundry) in his post fight interview. That will please them (and hopefully generate some sales).