PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Alessio Meridio (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Rodgers (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Meridio's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, All That Reamins - The Air I Breathe. Alessio Meridio looks tired to me. Hopefully he has got enough gas left in the tank to put in a good performance.

Meridio
vs
Rodgers

187 cm
22
183 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

200 cm
20
177 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Alessio Meridio!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Paul Rodgers!
The judges for this bout are , and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Meridio slaps away a takedown attempt from Rodgers, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Meridio is looking to clinch.

Rodgers moves into the clinch.

Meridio drags the fight down to the ground.
Rodgers's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Rodgers decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Meridio clinches but Rodgers breaks the clinch

and Rodgers counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Rodgers is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

Meridio escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Rodgers gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Rodgers wants to control from the top but Meridio keeps moving.
Meridio is striking off his back. Rodgers thinks nothing of it though and passes easily into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rodgers decides to return to a standing position.
Meridio is breathing heavily.

Rodgers looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Rodgers trying to control but Meridio is working from the bottom.
Rodgers tries to stand but Meridio is controlling from the bottom.
Rodgers looking to pass the guard.
Rodgers is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodgers missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Rodgers 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.
Meridio is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rodgers stands and throws Meridio's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Meridio might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Meridio looking for a sweep but Rodgers has passed into full mount! Oh no!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meridio can't escape the position.
Meridio tries to lock up and control but Rodgers gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

Rodgers working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Meridio working to try and regain half guard.
Rodgers sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Rodgers pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.

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.
Rodgers controlling the pace for now.
Meridio is squirming around, avoiding Rodgers's attempts to control the action.

Rodgers is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Meridio can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Rodgers controlling from the full mount.

Rodgers working for a submission but Meridio is keeping him at bay.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Rodgers 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.

Meridio shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Rodgers defends it nicely.
Meridio shoots and misses
and Rodgers counters with a series of strikes. Meridio will be more careful next time no doubt.
Rodgers shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Meridio as he avoids it easily.
Alessio Meridio seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Danga de danga de dang - Rodgers scores with a four punch combination!

Meridio gets caught flat footed, as Rodgers shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

Rodgers drops back looking for a leg! Meridio is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Meridio manages to kick Rodgers off! Rodgers jumps back into Meridio's guard.
Meridio keeping moving, preventing Rodgers from controlling successfully.

Rodgers gets to his feet - Meridio follows without any prompting.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Meridio is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Rodgers.
Rodgers circles away from the clinch attempt

and Rodgers moves into the clinch.

Rodgers has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Meridio uses from the top position.
Rodgers manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Rodgers trying to control but Meridio is having none of it.
Meridio is bucking up trying to escape but Rodgers cracks him with another couple of good strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodgers trying to control but Meridio is having none of it.
Rodgers sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

Rodgers working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Rodgers working Meridio over with strikes here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodgers tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Meridio is wriggling around trying to escape.
Rodgers is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Rodgers sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.

Despite being in the dominant position, Paul Rodgers just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Meridio tries to keep at a distance but Rodgers has taken the fight into the clinch.

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.
Rodgers wants a takedown.
Meridio prevents the takedown attempt.
Alessio Meridio has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Paul Rodgers.
Meridio tries for a takedown but Rodgers manages to get underhooks.
Meridio wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Rodgers lands a left hand.
Rodgers fails to pull guard.
Meridio misses with a body punch.
Rodgers is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Meridio can't break the clinch.

Rodgers's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rodgers tries to close the distance and clinch but Meridio swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Meridio keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Rodgers showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Rodgers changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Meridio tries to avoid it but Rodgers manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Meridio to the ground. Meridio escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Rodgers gets a clinch.
Meridio has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Rodgers is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Rodgers displaying some good clinch control by pressing Meridio up against the cage.
Rodgers continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.

Meridio has picked Rodgers up - he's going for a ride! Meridio dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
Meridio is thwarting Rodgers's attempts to control the position.
Rodgers is holding on to half guard well.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Meridio is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rodgers works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Meridio wants to control from the top but Rodgers keeps moving.
Rodgers trying to strike off his back.
Rodgers pulls Meridio in to control the position.
Meridio postures up in Rodgers's guard and throws a big left but Rodgers blocks it.
Rodgers throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Rodgers manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Rodgers is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Rodgers wants to control the pace but Meridio is squirming around nicely.
Rodgers landing strikes from the mount.
Meridio is squirming around, avoiding Rodgers's attempts to control the action.
Meridio is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Rodgers working for a submission but Meridio is keeping him at bay.
Meridio is squirming around, avoiding Rodgers's attempts to control the action.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meridio wants to hold on but Rodgers pushes him away.
Meridio is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.
Meridio reaches up to try and control the position but Rodgers seems to have an arm triangle now! Uh oh! Meridio rolls and tries to escape and now Rodgers has his back!

Rodgers is working for the choke. He's slipped one arm under the chin. Meridio has to defend the other arm for all he's worth... but Rodgers has managed to get that arm free too and he's tightening the choke! Meridio taps out and looks absolutely disgusted with himself. Rodgers doesn't care though - he's delighted!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:48 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (RNC). Paul Rodgers!