PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Tyler Alvarez (ranked 2851 p4p, 714 weight class) and Greg Fitzgerald (ranked 357 p4p, 97 weight class). Fitzgerald is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: It's Bedtime by Ninja Sex Party. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Alvarez
vs
Fitzgerald

183 cm
25
168
9 - 6 - 0

225 cm
31
169
13 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tyler Alvarez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Greg Fitzgerald!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Roosa Järviläinen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Fitzgerald lands a slapping body shot.
Alvarez misses with a wild body shot.
Fitzgerald works Alvarez's body with a nice hook.
Fitzgerald cracks Alvarez with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A looping hook to the body misses from Fitzgerald. Alvarez does a little dance to reset his feet.
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Fitzgerald paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Fitzgerald misses with a wild combination.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fitzgerald throws an overhand right that lands on Alvarez's shoulder, as Alvarez tries to avoid the shot.

Alvarez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Fitzgerald, pushing him back against the cage.
Alvarez is struggling to control the position.
Alvarez's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fitzgerald lands a hook that snaps the head of Alvarez backwards.
Fitzgerald is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Fitzgerald swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Alvarez keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Fitzgerald's efforts to push away.
Alvarez holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Fitzgerald misses with some punches.
Alvarez holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Alvarez keeps control of Fitzgerald as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Alvarez's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Alvarez holding his opponent close, against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Tyler Alvarez.
Alvarez tries to clinch
letting Fitzgerald counter with a right hand.
Alvarez avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Fitzgerald takes a swing at Alvarez's ribcage but misses.
Fitzgerald feints a jab promting Alvarez to slip. Fitzgerald then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Alvarez slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.

It looks like Tyler Alvarez has been cut.
Alvarez moves away from the strike by Fitzgerald.
Alvarez cracks Fitzgerald with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Fitzgerald misses the shot to the body.
Fitzgerald swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Alvarez clinches up against the cage.
Alvarez dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Fitzgerald misses with a shot to the kidneys.

Fitzgerald escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Fitzgerald swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Alvarez misses with a wild body shot.
Fitzgerald throws a series of strikes that have Alvarez backpedaling.
Alvarez misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Fitzgerald.
A jab from Fitzgerald misses.
Alvarez is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Fitzgerald.

Alvarez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Fitzgerald, pushing him back against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fitzgerald misses with a punch on the inside.
Fitzgerald tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Alvarez prevents Fitzgerald from breaking the clinch.

Fitzgerald pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Fitzgerald slips a jab and a cross from Alvarez.
Fitzgerald throws a body punch but Alvarez moves out of range.
Fitzgerald throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Alvarez.
Alvarez seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Fitzgerald throws a leg kick but Alvarez sees it coming and checks it nicely.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A jab from Fitzgerald misses.
Alvarez seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Alvarez comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Greg Fitzgerald dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Tyler Alvarez's cut.
That's time! Alvarez's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Fitzgerald misses with a looping right.
As Fitzgerald tries to get set, Alvarez tries to push him back and clinch up but Fitzgerald manages to avoid the attempt.
Fitzgerald has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Alvarez just misses with a punch to the body.
Fitzgerald throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Fitzgerald is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Alvarez.

Alvarez rushes Fitzgerald and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Alvarez blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Fitzgerald tries to work over Alvarez's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Fitzgerald tries a body shot but Alvarez blocks it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fitzgerald letting Alvarez take a breather here.
Fitzgerald swings wildly with an uppercut but Alvarez uses good head movement to avoid it.
Alvarez stalling in the clinch.
Fitzgerald working aggressively here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Alvarez is stalling here.
Stalling in the clinch from Alvarez.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Tyler Alvarez.
Fitzgerald throws a right hand that Alvarez ducks under and follows up with a left that Alvarez also avoids with ease.
Greg Fitzgerald seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Fitzgerald wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
A combination from Fitzgerald does no damage.
Fitzgerald lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Alvarez circles away quickly and effectively.
As Fitzgerald tries to get set, Alvarez tries to push him back and clinch up but Fitzgerald manages to avoid the attempt.
Alvarez has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.

Alvarez clinches up against the cage.
Fitzgerald is working Alvarez over against the cage.
Fitzgerald scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Alvarez effectively controlling the action here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fitzgerald is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Fitzgerald.
Alvarez slowing the pace effectively.
Fitzgerald lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Tyler Alvarez has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Alvarez just leaning against Fitzgerald, taking a breather.
Fitzgerald tries to throw a body punch but Alvarez avoids it by throwing Fitzgerald back against the cage.
Fitzgerald scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Fitzgerald escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Alvarez takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Fitzgerald keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sloppy strikes from Fitzgerald. Those never looked like landing.
Alvarez is looking to clinch but Fitzgerald is avoiding it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez avoids the body shot from Fitzgerald.
A looping hook to the body misses from Alvarez. Fitzgerald does a little dance to reset his feet.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Fitzgerald! But no joy.
Alvarez uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Alvarez looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Greg Fitzgerald seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A jab from Fitzgerald misses.
Alvarez keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Fitzgerald.
Alvarez tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Fitzgerald manages to circle out of the way.
Alvarez is looking to wear down Fitzgerald with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Fitzgerald misses the shot to the body.
Alvarez is looking to counter the offense by Fitzgerald and move into the clinch.

Alvarez closes the distance and clinches.
Fitzgerald is trying to break the clinch but Alvarez is controlling him.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Alvarez displaying some good clinch control by pressing Fitzgerald up against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Alvarez leaning against his opponent.

Fitzgerald breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Fitzgerald throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Alvarez.
Alvarez tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Fitzgerald manages to circle out of the way.
Alvarez gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Alvarez moves away from the strike by Fitzgerald.
Alvarez lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Alvarez avoids a punch combination nicely.
Alvarez tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Fitzgerald manages to circle out of the way.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Greg Fitzgerald showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Tyler Alvarez's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Fitzgerald fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
A right-left combo lands from Alvarez.
Fitzgerald throws a nice looking combination but Alvarez bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Fitzgerald looks to throw the jab but Alvarez is out of range.
Alvarez throws a predictable looking body shot
and Fitzgerald counters with a straight right hand.
Fitzgerald connects with a single shot there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Alvarez fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Fitzgerald, pushing him back against the cage.
Alvarez pressing his opponent against the cage.
Alvarez pressing his opponent against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fitzgerald wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Alvarez has him pressed against the cage.
Fitzgerald cracks Alvarez with a nice body shot.
Fitzgerald wants to get back to striking at distance but Alvarez won't allow it.
Fitzgerald tries a body shot but Alvarez blocks it.
Alvarez holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Alvarez controlling the action here for a moment.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Alvarez stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Fitzgerald.
Alvarez slowing the pace effectively.
Tyler Alvarez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two 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.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Tyler Alvarez.
Fitzgerald throws a jab but it's blocked by Alvarez.
A left lands for Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald throws a hook but Alvarez blocks it.
Fitzgerald throws a hook but Alvarez avoids it easily.
Fitzgerald misses with the combination.
Fitzgerald fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Alvarez slips under a jab.
Fitzgerald keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Alvarez there as he acknowledges the shot.
Fitzgerald scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Fitzgerald throws out a loose jab but Alvarez uses good head movement to avoid it.
Alvarez misses the shot to the body.
Fitzgerald uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Alvarez.
Fitzgerald lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Alvarez misses with a shot to the body
and Fitzgerald counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Fitzgerald looks to throw the jab but Alvarez is out of range.
Alvarez doesn't manage to clinch there - Fitzgerald circles away.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Fitzgerald! But no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Fitzgerald was well out of range. Poor timing from Alvarez.
Fitzgerald lands a slapping body shot.
Fitzgerald swinging wildly here.
Fitzgerald throws a right hand that Alvarez ducks under and follows up with a left that Alvarez also avoids with ease.
Alvarez tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Fitzgerald manages to circle out of the way.
Fitzgerald swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Alvarez.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Fitzgerald takes a swing at Alvarez's ribcage but misses.
Fitzgerald rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Alvarez moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Fitzgerald moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

And that's the end of the fight!
Greg Fitzgerald comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Fitzgerald winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Greg Fitzgerald!
As Greg Fitzgerald got his breath back, he grabbed the microphone and managed to blurt out the following: We're on a fookin' roll! This is me year! I want that hardware! Right here, right around me waist!'.