PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Lester John Mate (ranked 25394 p4p, 25442 weight class) and Kyler Rivera (ranked 463 p4p, 446 weight class). Rivera has chosen Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) as his entrance music. Kyler Rivera struggled to make weight for this fight. He only made it down to 157.2lbs at the first attempt and had to take the additional two hours to make the official bout weight. Let's see how much it's taken out of him. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Mate
vs
Rivera

170 cm
19
155
0 - 4 - 0

180 cm
19
164
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Self confident

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Tends to cut

BANZAI NUTRITION

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 0 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Lester John Mate!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Kyler Rivera!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Jonathan Paton and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mate throws a left and a right that both miss

and Rivera counters with a nice double leg into side control. Mate won't be happy with that.
Mate bucks up and tries to throw Rivera off but instead Rivera has got his back!
Mate looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Rivera is hanging on to Mate's back as he tries to escape.
Mate is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.
Rivera has good solid back control here.
It looks like Rivera might be adopting somewhat of a lay and pray gameplan here, which I'm sure won't go down too well with the paying fans in attendance... Or the ring announcers come to think of it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mate is defending well here and trying to improve his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Mate is trying to stand back up.
Rivera just keeping the dominant position. He can't wait too long though, otherwise the referee will stand them back up.
Rivera is hanging on to Mate's back as he tries to escape.
Mate is very frustrated here, being controlled quite effectively by Rivera.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mate tries to roll but Rivera sticks to his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Rivera keeps control of the position easily here as Mate tries to buck him off.
Mate looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Kyler Rivera dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Rivera moves away from the strike by Mate.
Mate misses with a left hand

and Rivera counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Mate!
Rivera looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Mate looks to move to half guard but instead Rivera has passed into mount! Damn!
Rivera controlling from mount.
Rivera takes Mate's back.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rivera is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivera's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Rivera has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two 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.
Mate wants to get back to his feet.
Mate is in bad spot here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivera is not going to allow Mate to sit and survive in this position.
So, who will make the next big move? In this position it could be crucial.
More stalling from Rivera.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Mate is in bad spot here.
Mate trying to get back to his feet but Rivera is in full control for now.
Rivera just keeping the dominant position. He can't wait too long though, otherwise the referee will stand them back up.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Rivera is continuing to stall.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Kyler Rivera showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Rivera moves out of range of the leg kick from Mate.
Rivera is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Mate throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Mate instigates a clinch.
Rivera drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Mate gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Rivera turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Rivera manages to end up in side control.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rivera slips into full mount, dodging the strikes by Mate.
Rivera controlling the position easily from mount.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Let's hope that Rivera has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Mate wants to improve position but instead he's given up his back.
Mate tries to break free.
A bit of a pause in the action here. Rivera controlling the positon.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
We're seeing a lot of stalling here from Rivera.
Mate is in bad spot here.
Rivera has good solid back control here.
Mate can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivera is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.
Mate trying to get back to his feet but Rivera is in full 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.
Rivera slows the pace down here. Having a little breather whilst he's in a dominant position, looking to rest and regain some energy, ready to go for the finish.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
The adventures of Rivera the control monster continue. Boring.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kyler Rivera comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Rivera 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 John Roberts scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kyler Rivera!