PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ben Pierre (ranked 5060 p4p, 0 weight class) and David Graham (ranked 4072 p4p, 0 weight class). Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Pierre
vs
Graham

178 cm
24
165 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

178 cm
25
173 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Ben Pierre!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, David Graham!
The judges for this bout are Ian Loll, Steve Smith and Gregory Folan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Graham misses with a double jab

so Pierre counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Graham looking to control.
Pierre preventing the sweep.
Graham working a defensive guard here.
Pierre knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Graham on the ground.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Pierre controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham throws out a powerful jab.

It looks like Ben Pierre has been cut.
A nice combination there by Graham.
Graham throws a series of punches but Pierre avoids them all with ease.
Graham doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Pierre counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Graham wants to control the action here but instead Pierre manages to pass to full mount!
Pierre with shots to the head and body - Graham looks very uncomfortable down there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Pierre controlling from mount.
Graham is in all sorts of trouble here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pierre tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Graham tries to hold on but Pierre postures up.
Pierre punishing his opponent with strikes.
Pierre content just to control the position here.
Pierre postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Graham looks a forlorn figure.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pierre is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Graham can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Pierre content just to control the position here.
Graham is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Pierre controlling the position easily from mount.
Graham told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pierre's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Graham tries to reverse the position but Pierre maintains control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pierre controlling the position easily from mount.
Graham is looking to improve his position but Pierre isn't that keen on the idea.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Pierre dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ben Pierre's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Graham fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Pierre half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Pierre shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Graham dives in and grabs Pierre's left leg, looking for a takedown. Pierre pushes down on Graham's head and hops out.
Graham lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Graham tries for a takedown but Pierre circles away easily

and Pierre counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Pierre.
Ben Pierre has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of David Graham.
Pierre passes into half guard.
Pierre wants to free his trapped foot but Graham is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Pierre slows the pace down in half guard.
Graham is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pierre lands strikes from half guard.
Pierre performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Graham punching from the bottom.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Graham throws a series of strikes that have Pierre backpedaling.
Graham throws a combination that misses

so Pierre counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Graham is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Pierre dives into side control.

You can see the frustration on Graham's face as Pierre controls the position.
Pierre seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Graham for as long as he can get away with.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Graham is trying to control Pierre's posture but Pierre avoids it.
Pierre landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Pierre is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Graham can do to turn this around?
Graham tries to bench press Pierre off him but Pierre keeps the position.
Ben Pierre overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Pierre working the head and body with strikes.
Pierre moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Graham tries to buck Pierre off but Pierre is having none of it.
Pierre slows the pace down.
Further stalling from Pierre.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Graham can't do much from the bottom here.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ben Pierre dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ben Pierre's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Graham closes this distance looking for a takedown but Pierre circles away.
Pierre tries to counter with a takedown but Graham is quick to defend against it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Graham looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Pierre appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Graham wants to clinch but Pierre slips to the side

and Pierre counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Graham!
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Graham wants to control but Pierre postures up.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Graham is pushing Pierre's head away, looking to escape. Pierre manages to hold on to the position though.
You can see the frustration on Graham's face as Pierre controls the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham is looking to regain half guard here but Pierre keeps moving and retains side control.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Graham takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Pierre leaves Graham with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Pierre with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Graham to score with a decent uppercut.
Graham falls off balance throwing a combination

so Pierre counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Pierre won't allow Graham to sweep him here.
Pierre controls from within his opponent's guard.
Pierre tries to free his leg and advance position but Graham is retaining full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Graham tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Graham keeping full guard, as Pierre tries to pass.
Pierre controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
David Graham has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Graham throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Pierre counters with a shoot takedown. Graham fights it but they end up in guard.
Graham being controlled here, momentarily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Graham trying to strike off his back.
Pierre not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

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.
Graham not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Pierre slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Ben Pierre is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Graham shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Ben Pierre has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of David Graham.
Graham tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Pierre counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Pierre looking to pass the guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pierre seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ben Pierre showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Pierre, 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 Ian Loll scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ben Pierre!
After the fight, Ben Pierre was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.