PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between St Petersburg Strangler (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Elias Lyon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). St Petersburg Strangler has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Petersburg Strangler
vs
Lyon

174 cm
26
144 lbs
16 - 7 - 0

163 cm
24
142 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, St Petersburg Strangler!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Elias Lyon!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Yves DeLean and Ian Loll.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Lyon looking to score a takedown here. Strangler is defending well but Lyon drives through and ends up in Strangler's guard.
Strangler wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Strangler tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Strangler is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Lyon looking to pass the guard.
Lyon stays in close to Strangler's body and controls the position.
Lyon trying to control the position from guard on top but Strangler is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Strangler looking for a sweep. Not yet Strangler, not yet.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Strangler clinches.
Strangler is leaning against Lyon and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A shot in the inside from Strangler.
Strangler lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Lyon or not.
Strangler works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.

Lyon works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Strangler looking to hit a scissor sweep but Lyon is one step ahead there.
Strangler is trying to control the position but Lyon postures up.
Lyon postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lyon postures up.
Strangler controlling the position.
Lyon throws a big right hand that misses.
Strangler has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
Lyon with a flurry of punches that miss.
Lyon has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Lyon postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Strangler looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Lyon passes into half guard.
Lyon content to control rather than advance.
Lyon sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Strangler defending well though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lyon trying to control from Strangler's half guard. Strangler has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Strangler controls Lyon momentarily but Lyon frees himself.
Lyon trying to control but Strangler is working from the bottom.
Lyon scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Strangler wants to stand up but Lyon is controlling him.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Lyon accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Lyon trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Strangler keeping moving, preventing Lyon from controlling successfully.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Lyon closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Strangler taking some punishment here, with Lyon in his half guard.
Lyon prevents Strangler from standing back up.

Lyon is working for a kimura but Strangler is defending it quite comfortably.
Strangler wants to improve his position but Lyon is controlling well.
Strangler keeping control of the leg, stopping his opponent passing to mount.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Lyon throwing shots but Strangler is blocking nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elias Lyon dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Lyon has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Strangler.

Lyon shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Lyon showed some decent athleticism there.
Nice strikes from Lyon there.
Strangler is trying to get back to full guard.
Lyon looks to land a strike but Strangler avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Lyon loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Strangler working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lyon.
Lyon wants to control from the top but Strangler keeps moving.
Lyon content to stall in guard here.
Lyon lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strangler utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Strangler preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Strangler is trying to keep Lyon in close.
Lyon landing with the ground and pound.
Lyon lands a couple of digs.
Lyon preventing the sweep.
Strangler keeping full guard, as Lyon tries to pass.
Lyon working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

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.
Strangler utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Lyon postures up and lands a big shot to Strangler's brow.
Lyon has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Lyon lands a couple of digs.
Lyon throws a big elbow that misses.
Lyon throws a big elbow that misses.
Lyon postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Lyon works over Strangler with some ground and pound from guard.
Strangler looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Lyon is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lyon is in close to Strangler's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Strangler looking to hit a scissor sweep but Lyon is one step ahead there.
Lyon advances position into side control!
Lyon working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Strangler stops Lyon from passing to mount.
Lyon cracks Strangler with a big elbow.
Strangler managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Lyon.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Strangler regains half guard.
Lyon is trying to control. Strangler wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Lyon takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Lyon thows a huge punch but Strangler dodges it nicely.
Lyon working the head and body with strikes.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Strangler has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Lyon is working away from the top position though.
Lyon trying to control the pace.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elias Lyon showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Lyon scores with a takedown into Strangler's guard.
Lyon being controlled here momentarily.
Lyon scoring with punches to the head and body.
Strangler will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Lyon throws a strike but Strangler rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lyon looking for a sweep. Not yet Lyon, not yet.
Lyon bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Strangler's guard.

Lyon with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Elias Lyon has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lyon is looking to work some ground and pound but Strangler has wrist control.
Lyon controlling from the top position.
Lyon trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Strangler looking to hit a scissor sweep but Lyon is one step ahead there.
Lyon wants to control from the top but Strangler keeps moving.
Lyon keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Strangler's head.
Lyon seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's two 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.
Strangler keeping moving, preventing Lyon from controlling successfully.
Lyon is standing up over Strangler. Strangler looks to escape but Lyon dives into side control.
Strangler wants to control but Lyon postures up.
An elbow from Lyon crashes against the mat.
Lyon trying to control the action but Strangler is working from the bottom.
Strangler struggling a bit here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Strangler on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Lyon working the ground and pound from side control.
Strangler is looking for a sweep.
An elbow from Lyon crashes against the mat.
Lyon scoring with punches from side control.
Lyon throws an elbow but Strangler slips to the side and avoids it well.
Lyon lands a few punches from side control.
Lyon lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Strangler down.

Strangler is rocked!
Strangler can't do much from the bottom here.
Oh Strangler is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Strangler is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Lyon is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lyon is working Strangler over with some ground and pound from side control.

Lyon working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Lyon misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Strangler avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Lyon.
Strangler seems to have got his legs back now.
Lyon throws a strike aimed at the side of Strangler's head but Strangler avoids it well.
Strangler taking punishment in the form of punches.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Lyon tries to score with some ground and pound. Strangler controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Lyon trying to control the position but Strangler is working away.
Strangler is working to avoid the ground and pound but Lyon connects with a decent elbow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elias Lyon really dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Lyon scores with a takedown into Strangler's guard.

Strangler pushes Lyon off and gets back to his feet.
Strangler scores with a punch to the head.

Strangler gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Lyon to score an easy takedown into full guard.
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!
Lyon stands up over Strangler, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Lyon is working Strangler over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Lyon trying to control the position from guard on top but Strangler is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Lyon postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lyon is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Lyon trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Strangler utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Lyon with a nice head shot there.
Lyon throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Strangler avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Lyon landing some decent shots from guard.
Lyon looking to pass the guard.
Lyon trying to control but Strangler is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lyon stays in close to Strangler's body and controls the position.
Lyon is looking to work some ground and pound but Strangler has wrist control.
Strangler keeping moving, preventing Lyon from controlling successfully.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Nice shot by Strangler.
Strangler throws a head kick that misses.
Strangler misses with a head kick.
Lyon scores with a sloppy right hand. Strangler should have avoided that one.
St Petersburg Strangler is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Lyon fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Strangler to the ground. Lyon is now in Strangler's guard.

Strangler pushes Lyon off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Strangler cracks Lyon with an open hand slap.
Strangler throws a leg kick that misses.
St Petersburg Strangler seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Strangler gets caught napping as Lyon dives in and scores a takedown. Strangler manages to retain guard.
Lyon postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Lyon throws a big elbow that misses.
Lyon scoring with punches to the head and body.
Strangler preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Lyon content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Lyon looking to pass the guard.
Lyon sitting in guard, not really doing much.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Strangler working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Lyon.
Lyon wants to control from the top but Strangler keeps moving.
Strangler controls Lyon momentarily but Lyon frees himself.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Lyon slips nicely into half guard.
Lyon seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Strangler does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Elias Lyon will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Strangler misses with a hook to the body
and Lyon counters with a nice uppercut.

Lyon gets a takedown into half guard.
Lyon not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Lyon wants to pass the guard but Strangler is defending well.
Lyon throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Lyon not landing any meaningful shots this time.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lyon throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Lyon thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Strangler's head.
Strangler is staying active underneath Lyon, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Lyon lands a nice short elbow.
Lyon throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Lyon lands strikes from half guard.

Strangler is defending against the submission attempts here by Lyon.
Lyon wants to lay and pray for a moment but Strangler keeps working.
Strangler wants to get back to his feet.
Lyon throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

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.
Strangler blocking the ground and pound attempt from Lyon.
Lyon trying to control from half guard but Strangler is working away.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Strangler misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Lyon fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Strangler to the ground. Lyon is now in Strangler's guard.
Lyon trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Lyon is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Strangler wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Strangler looking to hit a scissor sweep but Lyon is one step ahead there.
Lyon cracks Strangler with a solid left hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lyon loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Lyon wants to control from the top but Strangler keeps moving.
Lyon throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Lyon pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Strangler is keeping the position for now.
Strangler tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Lyon chips away with some ground and pound.
Strangler trying to control the position here.
Lyon wants to control from the top but Strangler keeps moving.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's four 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.

Lyon closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Strangler quickly recovers to half guard.
Lyon is nestled in close to Strangler, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Lyon landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Strangler is looking for a sweep. Lyon is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Lyon scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Strangler is looking to improve his position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Strangler has hold of Lyon's hands but Lyon slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
St Petersburg Strangler has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Lyon slips a nice elbow through Strangler's hands, connecting with Strangler's forehead.

And that's the end of the fight!
Elias Lyon comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Lyon winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 45:50
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 45:50
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Elias Lyon!
Elias Lyon is the new featherweight champion!
Elias Lyon seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.