PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Nikolo Halike (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matthew McPain (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). McPain has chosen Killing in the Name as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Halike
vs
McPain

180 cm
28
165 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

175 cm
29
166 lbs
17 - 10 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Hell's Balls Recovery
Hell's Balls Recovery

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 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Nikolo Halike!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Matthew McPain!
The judges for this bout are Hirohito Nitta, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
McPain misses with a head kick.
Halike keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from McPain.
Halike throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
McPain takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
McPain misses with a hook.
Halike jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A slapping leg kick lands for Halike.
Halike connects with a solid leg kick.
Halike scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. McPain doesn't seem bothered though.
Halike throws a body punch but McPain moves out of range.
Halike throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
McPain walks into a jab.
Halike shoots in for a double leg but McPain sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
McPain avoids the body shot from Halike.
A chopping leg kick lands by McPain.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McPain pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Halike is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in McPain's half guard.
Halike not landing any meaningful shots this time.

Halike is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
McPain is staying active underneath Halike, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Halike missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

Halike is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so McPain is just riding it out for now. Halike eventually gives up the hold.
Halike works his foot free and advances to mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Halike has hold of McPain's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and McPain manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Halike wants to finish this one by submission but McPain is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Halike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halike tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
McPain sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.

Halike looking for a submission but McPain manages to get full guard, putting an end to that submission attempt.
McPain keeping full guard, as Halike tries to pass.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halike trying to control the position from guard on top but McPain is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Halike advances to half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Halike is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and McPain defends it well.
Halike throwing shots but McPain is blocking nicely.
McPain punching from the bottom.
McPain tries to get to full guard but Halike has control of the leg.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolo Halike dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Danga de danga de dang - Halike scores with a four punch combination!
Halike slips a straight right by McPain.
Halike throws a hook to the side of McPain's head but McPain sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Halike looks to land a right hand but McPain moved out of range.
Halike lands a slapping body shot.
McPain uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Halike.
McPain keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
McPain tries to bum rush Halike with a series of wild strikes but Halike uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Halike swings for the body but McPain moves out of range.
Halike ducks under a wild hook from McPain.
Halike ducks down and throws a hook to the body but McPain moves away.
McPain slips a jab from Halike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jab from McPain.
McPain needs to keep his hands up - Halike had a free shot at his head there.
Halike loads up on a big right hand but McPain slips the punch.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Halike.
Halike missing with a left hand there. McPain was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
McPain on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Halike fakes high and swings low for a body shot but McPain manages to avoid it.
Halike takes a swing at McPain's ribcage but misses.
Sloppy strikes from Halike. Those never looked like landing.
Halike feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to McPain's calf.
Halike connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
McPain dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Halike. That did some damage!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halike takes a swing at McPain's ribcage but misses.
Halike throws a nice looking combination but McPain bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Halike's hands are dropping dangerously low here and McPain connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Halike scrambles back to his feet.
Matthew McPain is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Halike closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. McPain did well to prevent Halike getting side control.

Halike is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

Halike is working for a submission of some sort.
Halike tries to pass to full mount but McPain defends it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McPain wants to improve his position but Halike is controlling well.
McPain is concentrating on defense, preventing Halike from advancing position.

Halike is working for an americana but McPain has been sneaky and has managed to get back to half guard, whilst Halike was thinking about the submission.
McPain trying to keep a closed guard but Halike is proving a slippery customer.

That's four 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.

Halike drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and McPain dives on top into guard.
McPain stands up over Halike, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
McPain missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
McPain keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Halike's head.
Halike utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Halike looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
McPain with a flurry of punches that miss.
McPain wanted to stand there but Halike had control of the position.
Halike bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in McPain's guard.
McPain looking to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nikolo Halike dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Halike throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and McPain counters with a nice low kick that buckles Halike's knee momentarily.
Halike fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
McPain shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Halike fails with the takedown.
A punch combination from Halike misses.
McPain tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Halike lands a jab to McPain's midsection.
McPain takes a swing at Halike's ribcage but misses.
A nice combination there by Halike.
Halike is looking to wear down McPain with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
McPain closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Halike misses with a hook to the body
and McPain counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halike swings away with a body shot that misses
and McPain counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
McPain uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Halike.
Halike doesn't succeed with the takedown
and McPain counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Halike bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Halike thows a left - swing and a miss!
Halike thows a leg kick but McPain checks it
enabling McPain to counter with a crisp jab.
McPain ducks under a wild hook from Halike.
Halike misses with a hook. McPain ducked under it nicely.
Halike fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Nikolo Halike. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Halike throws a body punch but McPain moves out of range.
Matthew McPain has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halike takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Halike fakes high and swings low for a body shot but McPain manages to avoid it.
Halike throws the left hand but McPain avoids the punch easily.
Halike misses with a hook to the body
and McPain counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A looping hook to the body misses from McPain. Halike does a little dance to reset his feet.
Halike ducks down and throws a hook to the body but McPain moves away.

Halike decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Halike throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
McPain tries to get to full guard but Halike has control of the leg.
McPain is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halike seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but McPain does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Halike is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. McPain doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Halike.
McPain looks like he's trying to stand up.
McPain is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Halike's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Halike's back!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
McPain doesn't have the hooks in and Halike manages to turn into his guard.
Halike sitting in guard here, content to control.
Halike postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Halike engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Halike trying to control the position from guard on top but McPain is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Matthew McPain.
Well Halike has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 29:28
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nikolo Halike!