PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Para Lyzes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Neal Erickson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Lyzes
vs
Erickson

189 cm
26
238 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

225 cm
20
270 lbs
1 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Spartan Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Para Lyzes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Neal Erickson!
The judges for this bout are Skip Squint, Francis DeMontford and Chris Dean.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Erickson scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lyzes doesn't seem bothered though.
Lyzes on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Lyzes takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Erickson lands a slapping body shot.
Lyzes looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Erickson scores with a nice strike.

Erickson closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Lyzes quickly recovers to half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Lyzes is trying to maintain the position but Erickson is very close to passing his half guard.
Ground and pound from Erickson.
Lyzes is refusing to be controlled, as Erickson sits in half guard.
Lyzes slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lyzes preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lyzes looking to control.
Lyzes is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Erickson is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Erickson wants to control from the top but Lyzes keeps moving.
Lyzes is controlling Erickson's posture.
Lyzes keeping moving, preventing Erickson from controlling successfully.
Erickson with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Lyzes is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Erickson trying to control but Lyzes is working from the bottom.
Lyzes controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Erickson pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Lyzes is keeping the position for now.
Lyzes looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Lyzes is pulling down on Erickson's head. It's preventing any offense from Erickson, at least for the moment.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
A low kick from Erickson misses

and Lyzes counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Lyzes could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Lyzes is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Erickson is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Erickson keeping moving, preventing Lyzes from controlling successfully.

Erickson throws his legs up looking for a submission but Lyzes uses it to pass to side control.
Erickson tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
Lyzes controlling the position easily from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Erickson is trying desperately to improve position.
Erickson keeps trying to improve his position.
Lyzes can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Erickson is looking to escape.
Erickson tries to hold on but Lyzes pushes him away.

Lyzes looking for a guillotine from mount but Erickson is having none of it.
Lyzes wants to control the pace but Erickson is squirming around nicely.
Lyzes unloads with some shots from mount but Erickson bucks and avoids them well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lyzes fails to advance to Erickson's back.
Erickson is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Lyzes breaks from Erickson's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Erickson is trying to escape the mount.
Lyzes putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!

Lyzes working for a submission but Erickson is keeping him at bay.
Erickson wants to hold on but Lyzes pushes him away.
A nice elbow there by Lyzes.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lyzes prevents Erickson from getting the reversal.
Lyzes looking to control but Erickson is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
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 Para Lyzes will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Erickson lands with a nice body punch.
Lyzes takes one on the button.
Erickson lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Lyzes attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Erickson is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Lyzes rather than just go for the knockout.
Lyzes shoots in but Erickson avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Erickson looks like he wants to counter punch here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lyzes has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Erickson.
Erickson misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Erickson checks a low kick from Lyzes.

Erickson manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Lyzes on his heels. He'll look to pass Lyzes's guard now, I'm sure.
Lyzes working a defensive guard here.
Erickson landing some decent shots from guard.
Lyzes is trying to keep Erickson in close.
Lyzes looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Erickson is looking to work some ground and pound but Lyzes has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Lyzes is trying to control the position but Erickson postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Erickson is in close to Lyzes's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Erickson trying to control the position from guard on top but Lyzes is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lyzes is adopting a defensive guard.
Lyzes working a defensive guard here.
Lyzes tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Lyzes preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lyzes utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Lyzes is trying to control the position but Erickson postures up.
Para Lyzes overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Erickson working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Lyzes is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Erickson postures up and lands a big shot to Lyzes's brow.
Lyzes controls Erickson momentarily but Erickson frees himself.
Erickson must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Erickson landing with the ground and pound.
Lyzes avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Erickson stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Lyzes swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Lyzes looking to control.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Lyzes keeping moving, preventing Erickson from controlling successfully.
Erickson has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

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.
Lyzes is trying to keep Erickson in close.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
A jab from Erickson does it's job there.
Neal Erickson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Erickson jabs Lyzes to the body, keeping him at a distance.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Erickson has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Lyzes clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lyzes is in bad spot here.
Erickson landing with strikes.
Lyzes looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Neal Erickson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Lyzes tries to score with a low kick but Erickson moves his leg out of the way.
Erickson throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Lyzes is looking to counter the offense by Erickson and move into the clinch.
Good standup being displayed there by Erickson as he connects with a hook.
Lyzes pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Erickson uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Lyzes has time to react.
Erickson fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Lyzes takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Erickson has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Neal Erickson seems to be getting the better of the standup.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lyzes takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Lyzes takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Erickson tests Lyzes's chin there with a solid looking shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Erickson checks the leg kick nicely there.
Both fighters circling a little - Erickson finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Erickson works Lyzes's body with a nice hook.
Erickson getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Erickson ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Lyzes moves away.
Lyzes changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Lyzes shoots for a double leg takedown but Erickson sprawls well. He's pushed Lyzes's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Erickson cracks Lyzes with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Lyzes fails with an attempt to clinch.
Erickson fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Lyzes has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Erickson will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Erickson stuns Lyzes with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Lyzes checks the leg kick nicely there.
Erickson looks to score with a jab to the body but Lyzes is just out of range.
Erickson has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Erickson scores with a nice right hand.
Erickson scores with a jab to the jaw.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Erickson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lyzes.
Lyzes tries to clinch but Erickson is having none of it.
Lyzes fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Erickson connects with a single shot there.
Erickson throws a one two combo.
Lyzes tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Lyzes closes the distance and clinches.

Lyzes gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.

Lyzes is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Erickson defends it well.
Erickson pushes Lyzes off but Lyzes dives into side control.
Lyzes has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Erickson!
Erickson is wriggling around trying to escape.
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!

Lyzes has control of Erickson's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Erickson regains control of the situation pretty easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Erickson tries to lock up and control but Lyzes gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Erickson is looking to get to half guard.
Erickson wants to hold on but Lyzes pushes him away.
Erickson is trying to escape but when you're mounted that's not too easy.
Lyzes content just to control the position here.
Erickson is desperately trying to improve his position but Lyzes has a good base and remains in mount.
Erickson is just holding on here. Lyzes manages to take his back.
Lyzes is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.

And that's the end of the fight!
Neal Erickson comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Erickson 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 Skip Squint scores the fight 28:29
Judge Francis DeMontford scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Dean scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Neal Erickson!
A very excited looking Neal Erickson made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.
In defeat, Para Lyzes stepped up to the mic, saying 'Phluck yall... I may lose my house over this'.