PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mohamed El Shaarawy (ranked 4154 p4p, 25400 weight class) and Tai Tuivasa (ranked 149 p4p, 141 weight class). The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

El Shaarawy
vs
Tuivasa

212 cm
24
265
1 - 1 - 0

188 cm
20
263
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Prefers standup

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Mohamed El Shaarawy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Tai Tuivasa!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Shigeki Sano and Ren Mimura.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

El Shaarawy clinches up with Tuivasa and pushes him back against the cage.
El Shaarawy tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Tuivasa smiles and moves away.

El Shaarawy feints and as Tuivasa raises his hands in defense, El Shaarawy changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
El Shaarawy looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Tuivasa wants to stand but El Shaarawy is controlling the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
El Shaarawy throwing strikes but missing.
Tuivasa utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
El Shaarawy controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
El Shaarawy wants to control from the top but Tuivasa keeps moving.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Tuivasa throws an overhand right that lands on El Shaarawy's shoulder, as El Shaarawy tries to avoid the shot.
El Shaarawy needs to keep his hands up - Tuivasa had a free shot at his head there.
Tuivasa throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Tuivasa keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Tuivasa's jab looks to have found its range, popping El Shaarawy under the eye.
El Shaarawy dives in and grabs Tuivasa's left leg, looking for a takedown. Tuivasa pushes down on El Shaarawy's head and hops out.
Tuivasa steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from El Shaarawy.
Tuivasa throws a shot from downtown. El Shaarawy moves away and avoids it.
Tuivasa swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by El Shaarawy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
El Shaarawy fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Tuivasa manages to avoid it.
El Shaarawy fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mohamed El Shaarawy. That's going to take a lot out of him.
El Shaarawy is breathing heavily.
Tuivasa thuds his right hand into El Shaarawy's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Tuivasa throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A looping hook to the body misses from Tuivasa. El Shaarawy does a little dance to reset his feet.
Tuivasa looks to land a left hand but El Shaarawy moved out of range nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
El Shaarawy scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Good exchange - Tuivasa coming out on top.
Tuivasa misses with an uppercut.
Tuivasa displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Tuivasa should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Tuivasa cracks El Shaarawy with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
El Shaarawy throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
El Shaarawy fails with an attempt to clinch.
As El Shaarawy backs off Tuivasa throws a huge counter combo but El Shaarawy manages to avoid it all.
Tuivasa throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

El Shaarawy closes the distance and clinches.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
El Shaarawy looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Tuivasa throws a left and a right that both miss

so El Shaarawy counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Tuivasa utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Tuivasa is working an open guard so El Shaarawy takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
A big left from Tuivasa misses.
A lazy left from Tuivasa finds it's target.
A jab from Tuivasa misses.
Tai Tuivasa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
El Shaarawy takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
El Shaarawy moves out of range as Tuivasa strikes.
It looked like El Shaarawy was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Tuivasa scores with a crisp jab that stopped El Shaarawy in his tracks.
The fighters circle momentarily. Tuivasa darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A big left from Tuivasa misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
El Shaarawy takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Decent striking displayed by Tuivasa there.
Tuivasa has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Tuivasa swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
El Shaarawy is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Tuivasa.
Tuivasa throws a looping overhand right but El Shaarawy ducks down to avoid it.
El Shaarawy lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Tuivasa scores with a hook.
Tai Tuivasa is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Tuivasa darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
El Shaarawy tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Tuivasa is able to avoid easily.
El Shaarawy closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
El Shaarawy tries to clinch but Tuivasa moves out of range.
Tuivasa takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Tuivasa displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Tuivasa scores with a hook.
Tuivasa is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! El Shaarawy had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
Tuivasa does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tai Tuivasa dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Tuivasa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but El Shaarawy manages to avoid it.
Tuivasa misses with a telegraphed body shot
and El Shaarawy counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
El Shaarawy slips under a jab.
El Shaarawy wants to clinch.
Tuivasa looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
As Tuivasa looks to move away, El Shaarawy throws a big counter combo but Tuivasa just gets out of the way.
El Shaarawy doesn't manage to clinch there - Tuivasa circles away.
El Shaarawy avoids a punch combination nicely.
El Shaarawy appears to be looking for a big counter.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
El Shaarawy scores with a nice head shot.
Tuivasa is breathing heavily.

El Shaarawy looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

Tuivasa kicks El Shaarawy off and gets back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.

El Shaarawy bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
El Shaarawy tries to score with some ground and pound. Tuivasa controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
A lull in the action here as El Shaarawy stalls from top position.
Tuivasa is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
El Shaarawy has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
El Shaarawy advances to mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
El Shaarawy throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.

El Shaarawy is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Tuivasa is surviving well by controlling El Shaarawy's body position as best he can.
Tuivasa wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
El Shaarawy controlling his opponent.
Tuivasa has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

El Shaarawy is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Tuivasa has managed to escape the submission attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
El Shaarawy looking to finish with strikes here!
El Shaarawy lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Tuivasa hang on?
El Shaarawy will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
El Shaarawy controlling from the full mount.
El Shaarawy lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tuivasa is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
El Shaarawy content just to control the position here.
El Shaarawy sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
El Shaarawy working away from the top, dropping strikes.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
El Shaarawy content just to control the position here.

Tuivasa defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from El Shaarawy.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Mohamed El Shaarawy dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

El Shaarawy fails with an attempt to clinch.
El Shaarawy with a lazy takedown attempt
and Tuivasa counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
El Shaarawy defending well as Tuivasa loads up on a big left hand.
Tuivasa lands a body shot.
Tai Tuivasa seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Tuivasa sizes up El Shaarawy with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
El Shaarawy fails in his attempt to clinch.
Tuivasa is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
The crowd cheers as Tuivasa lands an impressive looking overhand right. El Shaarawy doesn't seem phased though.
Tuivasa might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Tuivasa lands a jab.
Tuivasa displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
El Shaarawy takes a shot right to the bread basket.
El Shaarawy on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tuivasa connects with a crisp jab.

El Shaarawy shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Tuivasa napping and manages to drive through into side control!

Tuivasa throws El Shaarawy to one side and escapes!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tuivasa throws a big shot that misses.
El Shaarawy half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
A swing and a miss from Tuivasa.
Tuivasa scores with a nice right hand.
Tuivasa lands a straight punch to the body, keeping El Shaarawy at a distance.
Tuivasa thows a left - swing and a miss!
Tuivasa lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Tuivasa jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Nice cross by Tuivasa.
El Shaarawy uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tuivasa.
El Shaarawy seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Tuivasa swats away the attempt to clinch by El Shaarawy.
El Shaarawy walks into a straight right hand from Tuivasa.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tuivasa bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps El Shaarawy's head backwards.
El Shaarawy misses with a body kick.
El Shaarawy's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Tuivasa connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! El Shaarawy scrambles back to his feet.
Tuivasa keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Mohamed El Shaarawy is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Tuivasa lands a lovely overhand right.
Tuivasa throws a leg kick that misses.
Tuivasa connects with a right hand. El Shaarawy shakes it off.
El Shaarawy takes one on the button.
Tuivasa scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
A punch combination from Tuivasa misses.
El Shaarawy shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Tuivasa pinned against the cage. Tuivasa gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mohamed El Shaarawy. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tuivasa cracks El Shaarawy with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
El Shaarawy dives in for a single leg takedown but Tuivasa sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Tuivasa is trying to force a seperation but El Shaarawy has the dominant position.
El Shaarawy misses with a body punch.
El Shaarawy tries to pull guard but Tuivasa forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Tuivasa is trying to break free.
Tuivasa is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

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.
El Shaarawy wants to stall.
El Shaarawy prevents Tuivasa from breaking the clinch.
El Shaarawy swings away with an uppercut that misses.
El Shaarawy tries to pull guard but Tuivasa forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
El Shaarawy tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Tuivasa just stands there and leans against the cage.
Tuivasa wants to break the clinch but can't.
Tuivasa is trying to break free.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tai Tuivasa comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tuivasa 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 Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 27:29
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 27:29
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 27:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tai Tuivasa!
Tai Tuivasa bigged himself up after the win. The crowd seemed to love it.