PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Jason Grayson (ranked 1476 p4p, 1485 weight class) and Malachi Lawrence (ranked 196 p4p, 199 weight class). Lawrence comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Many Men kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Grayson
vs
Lawrence

178 cm
39
175
14 - 5 - 0

180 cm
37
174
27 - 23 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Very quick

Olympic wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

BRAZEN - Fight Gear
Conviction

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 14 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Jason Grayson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 27 - 23 - 0, fighting out of New York, Malachi Lawrence!
The judges for this bout are Ben Watson, Donatello Bradman and Ron Honeybunn.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Grayson throws a quick inside leg kick.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Lawrence 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.
Jason Grayson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A nice leg kick from Grayson, right into the meat of the thigh.
Lawrence misses with a series of wild punches.
Grayson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Lawrence takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Grayson tries to work over Lawrence's front leg with a kick but Lawrence checks it.
Grayson with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Lawrence to score with a decent uppercut.
Lawrence throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Grayson lands a two punch combo.
Grayson wants to land a leg kick but Lawrence is out of range.
Lawrence circles away from the clinch attempt.
Lawrence cracks Grayson with a right hand to the side of the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lawrence throws a series of strikes that have Grayson backpedaling.
Lawrence throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Lawrence lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Grayson circles away quickly and effectively.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A jab from Grayson finds it's way through Lawrence's defenses.

It looks like Malachi Lawrence has been cut.

Lawrence throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Grayson tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Lawrence is in Grayson's guard.
Lawrence working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Grayson's head.
Lawrence throws a big right hand that misses.
Lawrence controls from within his opponent's guard.
Lawrence throws a big elbow that misses.
Lawrence trying to control the position from guard on top but Grayson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lawrence throws a strike but Grayson rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Lawrence can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Grayson controls the pace.
Lawrence is controlling Grayson's posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Grayson won't allow Lawrence to sweep him here.
Lawrence controlling Grayson's posture.

Grayson decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Lawrence, up you get!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Grayson throws a solid leg kick but Lawrence takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Grayson.
Grayson moves in looking to clinch but Lawrence pushes him off.
Grayson tries to clinch but Lawrence moves out of range.
Lawrence now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Grayson buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Lawrence throws a right and a left that Grayson avoids nicely.
As Lawrence backs away, Grayson returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
A jab from Grayson finds it's way through Lawrence's defenses.
Grayson bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Lawrence's head.
Grayson misses with a low kick.
A nice inside leg kick there by Grayson. That's going to slow Lawrence down.
Grayson chopping away at his opponent's legs.
That kick from Grayson tenderised Lawrence's leg. Lawrence is trying to keep his angry face on.
Lawrence swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Grayson shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Lawrence is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Lawrence showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Grayson.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence keeps the fight on the outside.
Lawrence avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Grayson tries to clinch but Lawrence moves away
and Lawrence counters with a big head kick but Grayson shrugs it off.
Lawrence scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Sloppy strikes from Lawrence. Those never looked like landing.
Lawrence's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Grayson throws a right and a left that Lawrence avoids nicely.
Grayson will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Grayson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Lawrence.
Grayson tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Lawrence unleashes a big counter combination but Grayson bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Lawrence throws a leg kick which misses Grayson's front leg but catches the back leg as Grayson tries to avoid it.
Lawrence shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Grayson pinned against the cage. Grayson gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Jason Grayson will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A low kick from Grayson is predictable there
and Lawrence counters with a nice body kick.

Lawrence closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Grayson to the mat! Grayson manages to get full guard.
Lawrence distracts Grayson with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Grayson is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Lawrence keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Grayson's head.
Lawrence scoring with some ground and pound.
Lawrence loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Lawrence preventing the sweep.
Lawrence makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Grayson not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Grayson keeping moving, preventing Lawrence from controlling successfully.
Lawrence throwing strikes from guard but Grayson blocks nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence throws a big right hand that misses.
Lawrence wants to control from the top but Grayson keeps moving.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Lawrence lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Grayson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.
A swing and a miss from Grayson.
Despite the aggression on Lawrence's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Jason Grayson is winning the standup battle so far.
Grayson doesn't manage to clinch there - Lawrence circles away.
Lawrence tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Grayson throws a right hand that Lawrence ducks under and follows up with a left that Lawrence also avoids with ease.
Lawrence throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Lawrence moves out of range of the body kick from Grayson.
Lawrence avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Grayson pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Grayson digs a good hook to Lawrence's body.
Jason Grayson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A bone on bone clash there as Lawrence blocks the leg kick.
Grayson throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Grayson connects with an inside leg kick.
Grayson buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Lawrence slips under a jab.
Grayson throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Grayson misses with a two punch combination.
Lawrence throws a head kick that misses.

Lawrence tries to keep at a distance but Grayson has taken the fight into the clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Grayson slows down the pace here.
Grayson working aggressively here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence avoids the elbow strike from Grayson, against the cage.
Lawrence tries for a takedown. No joy.
Grayson just leaning against Lawrence, taking a breather.
The referee is keeping an eye on Grayson - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Grayson is pressed up against the cage. Lawrence has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Grayson down to the mat. Grayson avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Lawrence circles away from the clinch attempt.
Lawrence unleashes a big counter combination but Grayson bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Grayson is looking to score with low kicks.
We've been told by Grayson's head coaches at Sol União Elite Alliance of Fighters that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.

Lawrence drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Lawrence is in close to Grayson's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Lawrence trying to control the position from guard on top but Grayson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lawrence controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Grayson is keeping the position for now.
Grayson wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Lawrence showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Lawrence is continuing to stall.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lawrence throws a big elbow that misses.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Grayson fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Lawrence.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Jason Grayson will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Lawrence looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Grayson tries to clinch but Lawrence moves out of range.
Lawrence flicks out a counter leg kick but Grayson steps away.

Lawrence dives in and scores a takedown into Grayson's guard.
Lawrence working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Lawrence trying to control the position from guard on top but Grayson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lawrence throwing strikes from guard but Grayson blocks nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lawrence throws a big right hand that misses.
Grayson working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lawrence.
Lawrence throws a big elbow that misses.
Grayson is trying to control the position from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Grayson swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Grayson misses with a low kick.
Lawrence darts in looking for a takedown but Grayson gets double underhooks and turns Lawrence into the cage.
Grayson throws a big counter combination but Lawrence scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Lawrence ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Grayson fails in his attempt to clinch.
Grayson throws a leg kick
and Lawrence counters with a stiff right hand.
Grayson misses with a head kick.
Grayson moves in looking to clinch but Lawrence pushes him off.
Nice shot lands for Lawrence.
Grayson blocks a low kick nicely.
Grayson throws out a leg kick but Lawrence moves out of range and Grayson only half commits.
Lawrence shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
As Lawrence backs away, Grayson returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
Lawrence throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Grayson counters with a series of strikes. Lawrence will be more careful next time no doubt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grayson throws out a leg kick but Lawrence moves out of range and Grayson only half commits.
Lawrence avoids a kick to the body.
Grayson throws a leg kick
and Lawrence counters with a three punch combo that has Grayson backing up. Grayson nods at Lawrence to acknowledge the strikes.
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!
A head kick by Grayson misses
and Lawrence connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Grayson finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Grayson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
A low kick from Grayson misses

and Lawrence counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Grayson!
Lawrence misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Grayson prevents Lawrence from improving position.
Grayson is working to avoid the ground and pound but Lawrence connects with a decent elbow.
Lawrence throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Lawrence throwing strikes but Grayson manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence is trying to control Grayson's posture but Grayson avoids it.
Lawrence tries to buck Grayson off but Grayson is having none of it.
Lawrence can't do much from the bottom here.
Lawrence gets back to half guard.
Lawrence is pressing down on Grayson's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Lawrence seems keen to control Grayson's posture.
Lawrence is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Lawrence throwing shots but Grayson is blocking nicely.
Jason Grayson is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grayson wants to improve his position but Lawrence is controlling well.
Lawrence looks to land a strike but Grayson avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Grayson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lawrence trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Lawrence has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lawrence wants to control from the top but Grayson keeps moving.
Malachi Lawrence has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Lawrence might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Grayson haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Lawrence is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Lawrence is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

And that's the end of the fight!
Malachi Lawrence comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Grayson 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 Ben Watson scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ron Honeybunn scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jason Grayson!
In his post fight interview, Jason Grayson started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.
Malachi Lawrence spoke after the fight, saying 'The Hood Hit Harder Than You'.