PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Reggie Walker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nick Rizzo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Walker
vs
Rizzo

200 cm
18
190 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

178 cm
20
180 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Reggie Walker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nick Rizzo!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Wesley Smith and Chris Downing.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rizzo tries to clinch up.
Rizzo looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!

Walker has Rizzo up against the cage in a clinch.
Walker changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Rizzo fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Walker shoots in but Rizzo avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Walker lands an overhand right.

Walker drives through with a takedown into guard.
Rizzo pulls Walker in to control the position.
Walker advances position into side control!
Walker wants to control but Rizzo is keeping him busy.
Sloppy strikes there by Walker.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Walker decides to stand back up. Walker steps back and let's Rizzo get back to his feet.
Walker fails with an attempt to clinch.
Walker tries to close the distance and clinch up but Rizzo swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Walker doesn't manage to clinch there - Rizzo circles away.
Walker tries to clinch up

and Rizzo decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Walker's guard.
Walker not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Walker looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

Walker has his feet on Rizzo's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Walker.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rizzo is trying to improve his position.
Rizzo is trying to escape the position but Walker is controlling the position.
Rizzo is looking for a sweep.
Walker tries to advance to mount but can't.
You can see the frustration on Rizzo's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Walker stands up.

Walker closes the distance and clinches.
Walker wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Reggie Walker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Walker fails to pull guard.

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

Rizzo feints and as Walker raises his hands in defense, Rizzo changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Walker trying to keep a closed guard but Rizzo is proving a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo throwing strikes from guard but Walker blocks nicely.
Rizzo won't allow Walker to get back to his feet.
Rizzo wants to control from the top but Walker keeps moving.
Rizzo not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Walker throws his legs up looking for a submission but Rizzo uses it to pass to side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Reggie Walker will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Rizzo shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Walker napping and manages to drive through into side control!
You can see the frustration on Walker's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

Walker explodes and escapes back to his feet! Nice escape there!
Walker really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Walker gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Rizzo counters with a takedown into side control.
Walker managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Rizzo.
Walker is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Rizzo asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Walker struggling a bit here.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walker is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Rizzo is staying tight to Walker's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Walker tries to improve position but can't.
Rizzo is looking to take a break and control but Walker is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Walker is trying to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Walker shoots in but Rizzo avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Walker blocks a head kick by Rizzo.
Walker closes the distance and clinches up with Rizzo, looking for a takedown. Walker pushes Rizzo against the cage but Rizzo circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Reggie Walker. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Walker gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Rizzo to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Walker is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walker looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Walker controls Rizzo momentarily but Rizzo frees himself.
Nick Rizzo has got the better of the ground game so far.

Walker is working an open guard so Rizzo takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Walker shoots and misses

and Rizzo counters by clinching up.
Walker tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Walker wants a takedown.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Rizzo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Rizzo jumps guard but Walker stands there with Rizzo around his waist. Rizzo gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Rizzo lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Walker is trying to control but Rizzo passes into side control!
Walker is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Rizzo has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Rizzo lands a few punches from side control.
Walker tries to buck Rizzo off but Rizzo is having none of it.
Walker striking from the bottom but nothing landed.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nick Rizzo showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Walker tries for a takedown but Rizzo circles away easily

and Rizzo decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Walker's guard.
Walker 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.
Walker keeping full guard, as Rizzo tries to pass.
Walker looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Rizzo puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.

Rizzo is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Walker has managed to free his arm - good work.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Rizzo not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rizzo trying to control the action but Walker is working from the bottom.
Walker gets back to full guard.
Walker can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Rizzo controls the pace.
Rizzo trying to control but Walker is working from the bottom.

Rizzo gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Walker with a poor takedown

and Rizzo counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Walker's guard now.
Rizzo advances position into side control!

Rizzo stands up and we're back to a striking position.

Rizzo has closed the distance and engaged Walker in a clinch.
Rizzo'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.
Rizzo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Rizzo has picked Walker up - he's going for a ride! Rizzo dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Rizzo decides to stand up.
Walker lands a head kick. Rizzo smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Rizzo throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Walker with a poor takedown

and Rizzo counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Walker!
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Reggie Walker. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rizzo looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Rizzo looking to control but Walker is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Rizzo is landing with some decent strikes but Walker is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Rizzo controlling from the full mount.
Rizzo has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Walker's face.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Walker holds on to Rizzo around his waist, trying desperately to prevent any attacks.
Walker tries to hold on but Rizzo pushes him away.
Walker is trying desperately to improve position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rizzo controlling the position easily from mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nick Rizzo comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Rizzo 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nick Rizzo!