PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Malachi Lawrence (ranked 2493 p4p, 2345 weight class) and Jay Steve (ranked 311 p4p, 299 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Lawrence
vs
Steve

180 cm
32
174
18 - 18 - 0

185 cm
41
177
32 - 26 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Knockaround Guys Fight Gear

Pound Town INC

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 18 - 18 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Malachi Lawrence!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 32 - 26 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jay Steve!
The judges for this bout are Seu Braga, Leandro Rodrigues and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Steve drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Steve walks into a stiff left hand from Lawrence.
Steve ducks under a wild hook from Lawrence.
We've been informed that Steve has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Steve takes a swing at Lawrence's ribcage but misses.
Lawrence moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Nice body punch from Lawrence.
Steve throws a hook but Lawrence blocks it.
Lawrence appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Lawrence lands the left hand.
A punch combination from Lawrence misses.
Lawrence swings widly with a right hand
and Steve counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Lawrence scores with a nice strike.
Steve throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Steve moves away from the strike by Lawrence.
Lawrence avoids the body shot from Steve.
Steve missing with a left hand there. Lawrence was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence connects with a right hand. Steve shakes it off.
Lawrence throws a big shot that misses.
Lawrence misses with a looping left.
Steve let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Jay Steve is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lawrence avoids the body shot from Steve.
Lawrence throws a right hand that misses
and Steve counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Lawrence looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Lawrence missing with a left hand there. Steve was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Lawrence throws a hook but Steve blocks it.
Lawrence throws a lazy right hand but Steve sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Steve throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Lawrence.
Lawrence connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Steve avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Steve uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lawrence.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Steve! But no joy.
Nice uppercut there from Steve.

It looks like Malachi Lawrence has been cut.
Lawrence throws a combination that misses
and Steve counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lawrence misses with an uppercut
and Steve counters with a nice uppercut.
Steve throws a lazy right hand but Lawrence sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Steve blocks a jab.
Lawrence throws a right and a left that Steve avoids nicely.
Steve avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Steve rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Lawrence moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Lawrence takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Steve buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Lawrence throws a looping overhand right but Steve ducks down to avoid it.
Steve misses with a hook.
Lawrence appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Steve misses with an uppercut. Lawrence saw that one coming.
Steve avoids the body shot from Lawrence.
Lawrence misses with a hook
and Steve connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Steve loads up on a big right hand but Lawrence slips the punch.
Steve bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Steve throws a right hand that Lawrence ducks under and follows up with a left that Lawrence also avoids with ease.

Lawrence closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Lawrence lands in his opponent's guard.
Lawrence trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Lawrence connects with a couple of short punches.
Lawrence wants to control from the top but Steve keeps moving.
Lawrence stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Steve swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Steve working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lawrence.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Steve is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Steve avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Lawrence postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Lawrence chips away with some ground and pound.
Steve wants to stand up but Lawrence is controlling him.
Lawrence is looking to work some ground and pound but Steve has wrist control.
Lawrence won't allow Steve to get back to his feet.
Lawrence content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Lawrence keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Steve's head.
Lawrence trying to control the position from guard on top but Steve is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Malachi Lawrence dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action.

Lawrence loads up on a big right hand but Steve slips the punch.
A shot to the body from Steve misses
and Lawrence counters with a nice uppercut.
Steve misses with a double jab.
Steve scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Lawrence throws a body shot but no joy.
Steve misses with a wild body shot.
Lawrence takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Lawrence misses with a looping left.
Lawrence looks to throw the jab but Steve is out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lawrence digs a good hook to Steve's body.
Steve looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Steve cracks Lawrence with a right hand to the side of the head.
Steve misses with a body shot.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A jab from Lawrence does it's job there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big left from Lawrence misses.
Steve takes one to the chin there.
Lawrence lands a jab to the nose.
Lawrence digs a good hook to Steve's body.
Decent striking displayed by Steve there.
Lawrence scores with a nice head shot.
Lawrence swinging wildly here.
Steve defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Lawrence.
Steve looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Steve throws a body shot but no joy.
Lawrence misses with a takedown
and Steve counters with a stiff right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence misses with an uppercut
and Steve counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Steve avoids the body shot from Lawrence.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Lawrence takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Steve scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Steve throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A head kick misses from Steve.
Lawrence shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Steve pinned against the cage. Steve gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
A nice side step and Steve releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Malachi Lawrence. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Lawrence throws a right hand that Steve ducks under and follows up with a left that Steve also avoids with ease.
Lawrence swings widly with a right hand
and Steve counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Malachi Lawrence seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Steve throws a body shot but no joy.
Lawrence keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Steve fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Lawrence on the side of the head.
Lawrence misses with a takedown attempt
and Steve counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Steve lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Lawrence circles away quickly and effectively.
Steve takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Steve dodges the punch combination from Lawrence.
Steve throws a big shot that misses.
Lawrence half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Steve ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Steve lands with a hook. Lawrence tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Lawrence thows a left - swing and a miss!
Lawrence moves out of range of the strikes.
Lawrence misses with a wild body shot.
A little jabbing left from Steve on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Steve throws out a powerful jab.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Lawrence misses with a right hand
and Steve counters with a nice body shot.
Lawrence cracks Steve with a right hand to the side of the head.
Lawrence cracks Steve with a good jab.
Steve throws a head kick but Lawrence moves out of range.
Jay Steve seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nice straight punches there by Lawrence. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Lawrence.
Lawrence throws a combination that misses
and Steve counters with a left to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Steve. Lawrence does a little dance to reset his feet.
Lawrence moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Steve misses with the combination.
Lawrence jabs Steve right on the nose. Steve blinks but takes it well.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Jay Steve will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Steve lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Steve connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Lawrence's hands.
Lawrence moves out of range as Steve throws a body kick.
Lawrence closes the distance and clinches up with Steve, looking for a takedown. Lawrence pushes Steve against the cage but Steve circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Steve swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Lawrence misses with a hook.
A little jabbing left from Steve on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Lawrence lands with a good body shot.
Steve uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Lawrence.
Lawrence is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Lawrence looks to land a right hand but Steve moved out of range.
Steve fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lawrence misses with a looping right.
Lawrence connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Lawrence fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Steve doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence misses the body punch
and Steve counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

Malachi Lawrence's cut is getting worse.
A slow jab from Lawrence misses its intended target.
Lawrence shoots and misses
and Steve connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Malachi Lawrence. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Lawrence swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Lawrence throws a lazy uppercut
and Steve counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Steve lands a nice looking body shot.
Steve misses with a right hand

and Lawrence counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Steve is trying to stand back up but Lawrence is controlling him
Lawrence sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Steve defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence throws a strike but Steve avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Steve preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lawrence pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Steve is keeping the position for now.
Steve is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Lawrence throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Steve works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Steve has momentary wrist control but Lawrence slips an elbow through the middle.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Lawrence accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Lawrence is working Steve over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Steve manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.
Steve has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence misses with a looping right.
Steve takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Lawrence misses with a two punch combination.
A low kick lands for Steve.
Steve scores with a punch to the head.
Steve keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Lawrence takes a swing at Steve's ribcage but misses.
Lawrence is trying hard to land a takedown here. Steve sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Steve loads up on a big right hand but Lawrence slips the punch.
Lawrence misses with an uppercut.
Lawrence uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Steve.
Lawrence scores with a nice strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Steve throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Steve is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Lawrence misses with a left hand
and Steve cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lawrence misses with a combination
and Steve counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Lawrence throws a series of punches but Steve avoids them all with ease.
Steve is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Lawrence with a body shot.
The fighters circle momentarily. Steve darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Lawrence takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Steve uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lawrence.
Steve ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Lawrence moves away.
Lawrence tries for a takedown but Steve circles away easily
and Lawrence takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jay Steve comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Steve has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Seu Braga scores the fight 28:29
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jay Steve!
Jay Steve decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.