PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Balink Tarlah (ranked 2013 p4p, 3571 weight class) and Jack Lawson (ranked 278 p4p, 447 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Tarlah
vs
Lawson

179 cm
44
180
33 - 26 - 0

180 cm
35
185
8 - 16 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Powerful takedowns
Counter fighter
Powerful

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 33 - 26 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Balink Tarlah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 16 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jack Lawson!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Robert Douchet and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tarlah throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

Tarlah gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Lawson missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Tarlah is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Lawson throws a big elbow that misses.
Tarlah has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Lawson has passed into side control.
Lawson misses with the ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lawson misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Tarlah struggling a bit here.
Tarlah is trying to improve his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
An elbow from Lawson crashes against the mat.
Tarlah tries to bench press Lawson off him but Lawson keeps the position.

Lawson tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Lawson has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Tarlah is looking to regain half guard here but Lawson keeps moving and retains side control.
Tarlah holding on.

Lawson is trying to get an arm triangle but Tarlah is defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Tarlah tries to buck Lawson off but Lawson is having none of it.

Lawson thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Tarlah is looking for a sweep.
Lawson trying to control the position but Tarlah is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Tarlah lands a nice shot to the body.
Tarlah throws a leg kick which misses Lawson's front leg but catches the back leg as Lawson tries to avoid it.
Tarlah misses with a wild body shot.
Tarlah ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Balink Tarlah is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lawson avoids the body shot from Tarlah.
Tarlah throws a body punch but Lawson moves out of range.
A combination from Tarlah does no damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A low kick from Tarlah is predictable there

and Lawson counters with a single leg into guard. Tarlah didn't expect that.
Lawson loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Lawson has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lawson working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Lawson won't allow Tarlah to sweep him here.
Lawson trying to control but Tarlah is working from the bottom.
Lawson throws a strike but Tarlah rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tarlah looking to pass the guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lawson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Tarlah controls the pace.
Tarlah has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Jack Lawson will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Lawson fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Tarlah sprawls well initially but Lawson persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Tarlah is pressing down on Lawson's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Tarlah looking for a sweep. Not yet Tarlah, not yet.
Tarlah lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Tarlah trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tarlah is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's one minute gone in the round.

That's two 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.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Tarlah has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

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

Nice combo by Tarlah! Oh, that's hurt him - Lawson falls to the canvas and Tarlah follows him into side control.

It looks like Jack Lawson has been cut.
Jack Lawson has got the better of the ground game so far.
Tarlah creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tarlah remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Tarlah cracks Lawson with a big right hand but Lawson just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Lawson is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Lawson trying to remain calm as Tarlah controls from the top position.
Lawson regains half guard there - taking advantage of Tarlah's attempt to lay and pray for a moment.

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.
Lawson is refusing to be controlled, as Tarlah sits in half guard.
Still in half guard, Tarlah seems content to control.
Lawson is holding on to half guard well.
Tarlah performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
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.

Balink Tarlah dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Jack Lawson's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

A low kick from Tarlah misses

and Lawson counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Lawson is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Tarlah reverses the position - he's now on top in Lawson's guard.
Lawson is pulling down on Tarlah's head. It's preventing any offense from Tarlah, at least for the moment.
Tarlah keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Lawson's head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Tarlah postures up.
Tarlah working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Lawson's head.
Tarlah is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Lawson can do to turn this around?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawson looking to hit a scissor sweep but Tarlah is one step ahead there.
Lawson wants to get back to his feet but Tarlah is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Our spies down at at Kalashnikov ELITE MMA Gym inform us that Lawson has really been working on his submissions in the buildup to this fight. Will it pay off?
Tarlah not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Tarlah chips away with some ground and pound.

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.
Lawson working a defensive guard but Tarlah manages to pass into side control anyway.
A lull in the action here as Tarlah stalls from top position.
Lawson struggling a bit here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawson is not content to let Tarlah control the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Lawson tries to buck Tarlah off but Tarlah is having none of it.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.
Lawson is trying to escape the position but Tarlah is controlling the position.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Tarlah throws a body punch but Lawson moves out of range.
Tarlah displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Lawson.
As Lawson backs away, Tarlah returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
Tarlah throws a leg kick

and Lawson counters with a single leg into guard. Tarlah didn't expect that.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Tarlah pulls Lawson in close to prevent any damage.
Lawson looking to sit in guard and control but Tarlah gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tarlah is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Tarlah cracks Lawson with a solid left hand.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Tarlah trying to control the position from guard on top but Lawson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Balink Tarlah.
I think Tarlah 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 Dillan Fox scores the fight 29:28
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 29:29
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Balink Tarlah!
Balink Tarlah thanked the fans post fight for their support.