PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Cole Phelps (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Avan Strash (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Phelps
vs
Strash

207 cm
25
205 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

175 cm
21
205 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Cole Phelps!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Avan Strash!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Wesley Smith and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Strash moves out of range as Phelps strikes.
Strash throws a nice looking combination but Phelps bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Strash misses with a hook. Phelps ducked under it nicely.
Strash misses with a hook. Phelps ducked under it nicely.
Phelps misses with a straight right.
Phelps circles away from the clinch attempt.
Strash cracks Phelps with a right hand to the side of the head.
Phelps really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Nice defenses there by Phelps.
Strash takes one on the button.
Strash steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Phelps.
Strash ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Phelps moves away.
The fighters circling - Phelps throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

Strash drives through and clinches with Phelps against the cage.
Phelps wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Strash breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nice straight punches there by Phelps. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Phelps.
Phelps thows a body shot but no joy.
Phelps lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Strash circles away quickly and effectively.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strash takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

Strash clinches with his opponent.
Strash digs a right hand underneath Phelps's ribcage. Phelps let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Phelps has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Strash keeps control of Phelps as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Phelps tries to break free but Strash pushes him back against the cage.

Strash breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Strash throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Phelps throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Strash uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Phelps.
The fighters circle momentarily. Phelps darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Strash digs a good hook to Phelps's body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Strash takes the fight into the clinch.
Phelps is trying to force a seperation but Strash has the dominant position.
Strash keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Phelps's efforts to push away.
Phelps keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Strash's efforts to push away.
Strash is trying to push Phelps away but Phelps has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Strash escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Strash throws a combination. Phelps tries to block but a couple of punches get through.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Phelps moves away from the strike by Strash.
Strash blocks a jab.
No joy there for Strash, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Phelps circles away from the clinch attempt.
Phelps swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Phelps throws a right and a left that Strash avoids nicely.
Phelps is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Phelps lands with a right hand.
Phelps misses with a looping left.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Phelps.
Phelps takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Phelps misses with a looping left.
Strash throws the left hand but Phelps avoids the punch easily.
Strash's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Phelps connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Strash scrambles back to his feet.
Phelps throws the left hand but Strash avoids the punch easily.
Phelps dodges the punch combination from Strash.
Strash misses with a wild body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Phelps feints a jab promting Strash to slip. Phelps then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Strash slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A swing and a miss from Phelps.
Phelps throws a lazy uppercut
and Strash makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.

Strash fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Phelps, pushing him back against the cage.

Strash's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Phelps slips a straight right by Strash.
Phelps misses with a lunging right hand
and Strash connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Strash throws a shot from downtown. Phelps moves away and avoids it.

Strash fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Phelps, pushing him back against the cage.
Phelps is trying to break the clinch but Strash has him pressed against the cage.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Strash lands with a right to the head.
Strash has had enough of the clinch but Phelps keeps him there for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Avan Strash 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.

Phelps cracks Strash with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.

Strash darts in and clinches Phelps up against the cage.
Strash is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

Strash pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Strash wants to clinch up but Phelps keeps it at a distance.
Strash is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Phelps uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Strash.
Phelps wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Strash ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Phelps misses with a hook. Strash ducked under it nicely.
Strash fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Phelps is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
A left lands for Phelps.
Phelps dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Phelps lands an overhand right.
A swing and a miss from Strash.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Phelps, as that shot connected.
Strash moves in looking to clinch but Phelps pushes him off.
Strash takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Strash lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Phelps throws a hook but Strash avoids it easily.
Phelps scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Strash doesn't seem bothered though.
Phelps scores with a punch to the head.
Strash tries to clinch but Phelps moves out of range.
Cole Phelps is winning the standup battle so far.
Phelps misses with an uppercut. Strash saw that one coming.
Phelps closes the distance and lands a one-two.
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!
Strash looks to score with a jab to the body but Phelps is just out of range.
Strash walks into a straight right hand from Phelps.
Phelps throws an overhand right that lands on Strash's shoulder, as Strash tries to avoid the shot.
Strash has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Good exchange - Phelps coming out on top.
Strash takes a body punch but keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Phelps looks to land a left hand but Strash moved out of range nicely.
Phelps lands with a hook. Strash tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Jab from Strash.
Strash looks to land a left hand but Phelps moved out of range nicely.
Phelps misses with a straight right.
Decent striking displayed by Phelps there.
Phelps scores with a jab to the head.
Strash scores with a jab to the head.
Strash tries to close the distance and clinch up but Phelps swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Phelps throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Phelps cracks a nice hook into Strash's ribs.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Strash in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Strash tries to bum rush Phelps with a series of wild strikes but Phelps uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Strash forces Phelps back against the cage and clinches.
Strash prevents Phelps from breaking the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Phelps's face as he tries to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Strash is trying to break the clinch but Phelps has him pressed against the cage.
Phelps has had enough of the clinch but Strash keeps him there for the moment.
Phelps wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Strash breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Phelps fails to land with a series of punches.
Strash keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Phelps.

Phelps gets tackled into the cage by Strash. Strash maintains the clinch.
Phelps is trying to break free.
Phelps has Strash pressed against the cage, preventing Strash from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Strash wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Phelps has him pressed against the cage.

Strash breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Phelps throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Strash darts in and clinches Phelps up against the cage.
Phelps wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Strash manages to break the clinch.
A nice combination there by Phelps.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Phelps misses with a series of wild punches.
Phelps misses with a right hand
letting Strash counter with a right hand.
Phelps jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A big right from Phelps misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cole Phelps dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Phelps throws a series of punches but Strash moves out of range.
Strash takes a jab right on the kisser.
Strash misses with a wild body shot.
Some wild striking there from Strash.
Phelps ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Donk. Phelps catches Strash right on the button with a cross.
Strash misses with a straight right.
Strash ducks under a wild hook from Phelps.
Phelps lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Strash needs to keep his hands up - Phelps had a free shot at his head there.
Phelps on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Phelps lands with a cross.
A big left from Phelps misses.
Strash misses with a hook.
Strash takes one on the button.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Strash throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Phelps misses with a body shot.
Phelps lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Strash circles away quickly and effectively.
Phelps waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Strash.
Strash has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.

Strash has managed to clinch.
Strash wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Phelps has him pressed against the cage.

Strash escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Strash throws a good cross that connects.
Phelps bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Strash's head backwards.
Phelps fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Phelps avoids the body shot from Strash.
Strash on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Phelps connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Phelps keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Phelps throws a hook but Strash avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Phelps takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Sloppy strikes from Phelps. Those never looked like landing.

Strash has closed the distance and engaged Phelps in a clinch.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Phelps wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Strash breaks the clinch.

Strash pushes Phelps up against the cage in a clinch.
Phelps has had enough of the clinch but Strash keeps him there for the moment.
Avan Strash seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Phelps tries to break free but Strash pushes him back against the cage.
Phelps can't break the clinch.
Strash digs a right hand into Phelps's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Phelps's gas tank.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Phelps tries to circle away but Strash has him pinned against the cage.

Strash breaks from the clinch.
Phelps cracks a nice hook into Strash's ribs.
Phelps jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Strash tries to clinch up but Phelps circles away and keeps his distance.
Strash tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Phelps manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Strash tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Strash misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Phelps.
Phelps throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Strash cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Strash takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Phelps bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Strash's head.
Nice jab there from Strash.
Nice defenses there by Phelps.
Phelps swats away the attempt to clinch by Strash.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Phelps swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Jab from Strash.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
No joy there for Strash, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Strash ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Strash tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Phelps manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Sloppy strikes from Phelps. Those never looked like landing.
A big right from Strash misses.

Strash has managed to clinch.

Strash breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Strash takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Strash takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Strash pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Phelps swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

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 Cole Phelps.
I think Phelps 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 George Francis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:29
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a majority draw!