PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Adam Palek (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Raven (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Palek's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Notorious B.I.G - Ready to die. Raven comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Bleed it Out by Linkin Park kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Palek
vs
Raven

181 cm
22
203 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

191 cm
20
212 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

Decent wrestler
Basic striking
Good in bed

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

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 Sydney, Adam Palek!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, James Raven!
The judges for this bout are Steve Erwin, Summer Carpenter and Winston Howard.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Palek keeps the fight on the outside.

Palek has taken the fight to the clinch.
Raven stops a takedown attempt from Palek.
Raven taking a breather.
Palek has Raven pressed against the cage, preventing Raven from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Raven breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Raven fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Palek, pushing him back against the cage.
A right hook to the body lands for Raven.
Raven prevents the takedown attempt.
Raven stalling in the clinch but Palek improves position.

Palek tightens his grip and picks Raven up, before dumping him to the ground. Raven manages to land in guard.
Raven lands a decent shot there.
Palek throws and elbow that misses. Raven uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Palek's guard. Nice move by Raven!
Raven is fighting to break Palek's control of his arms but Palek is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Raven throws a big right hand that misses.
Raven working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raven trying to control but Palek is working from the bottom.
Palek utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Raven closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

Raven tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Raven has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

Raven thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raven in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Raven throwing strikes but Palek manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Palek in side control lands a decent elbow.
Palek fails to land a wild elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Palek creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Raven sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Raven sneaks back into half guard.
Palek thows a huge punch but Raven dodges it nicely.
Raven works his way to full guard. Good work.
Raven not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Palek wants to control from the top but Raven keeps moving.
Palek throwing strikes from guard but Raven blocks nicely.
Palek has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Palek postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Palek is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

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.
Raven wants to stand but Palek is controlling the position.
Palek trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

Raven has his foot on Palek's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Palek works his way back into a safe position though.

Palek stands up from Raven's guard - Palek perhaps looking for a knockout.
Palek misses with a takedown

and Raven counters with a shoot takedown. Palek fights it but they end up in guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Adam Palek. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Palek is breathing heavily.
Palek keeping moving, preventing Raven from controlling successfully.
Raven throwing strikes but missing.
Palek trying to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Raven dominated that 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.

Raven is looking to clinch.
Raven tries to clinch but Palek moves away

and Palek counters with a shoot takedown. Raven fights it but they end up in guard.
Raven is trying to keep Palek in close.
Palek wants to control from the top but Raven keeps moving.
Palek throws a strike but Raven rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Palek keeping moving, preventing Raven from controlling successfully.
Palek knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Raven on the ground.
Palek managing to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raven pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Palek is keeping the position for now.
Raven lands a couple of digs.
Raven wants to control from the top but Palek keeps moving.
Raven looking to sit in guard and control but Palek gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

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.

Raven escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Palek gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Palek trying to control the position from guard on top but Raven is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Palek working some strikes from top position.
Palek lands a couple of decent looking shots.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Palek looking to sit in guard and control but Raven gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Palek keeping moving, preventing Raven from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raven working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Palek utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Raven wants to control from the top but Palek keeps moving.
Raven in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

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.

Raven has gone for a leg lock! Palek slips out almost immediately though and dives into Raven's guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Palek accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Raven is looking for a triangle but Palek pushes his legs off easily.
Palek stands up over Raven, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Raven had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Palek defends it easily.
Raven is breathing heavily.
Palek works over Raven with some ground and pound from guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Adam Palek dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Palek shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Raven's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Palek missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Raven doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Palek throws a big right hand that misses.
Palek postures up.
Palek trying to control but Raven is working from the bottom.
Palek throwing strikes but missing.
Palek has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Raven is proving hard to escape from.
Palek throwing strikes but missing.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Raven throws an overhand right that lands on Palek's shoulder, as Palek tries to avoid the shot.
Nice takedown defense from Raven. No joy for Palek on that attempt.

Raven rushes Palek and presses him up against the cage.
Raven gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Palek.
Raven lands with a short shot to the head.
Palek is working for takedown but Raven is calmly controlling the position for now.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Adam Palek. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Raven has Palek pressed against the cage.
Palek is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Raven gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Raven slows down the pace here.
Palek has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Raven avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Raven is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Palek is defending well for now.
Palek managing to block the knees to the body from Raven.
Raven prevents Palek from breaking the clinch.
Raven stalls.

Raven breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raven tries to close the distance and clinch but Palek swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Palek misses with a takedown

and Raven counters into the clinch. Nicely done.

Raven's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Raven closes the distance but Palek moves to the side

and Palek counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Palek thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Raven's head.
Raven moves into full guard.
Raven is looking to stand up but Palek isn't so interested in that idea.

Raven is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Raven had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Palek defends it easily.
Raven is trying to keep Palek in close.
Palek working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Raven's head.
Raven working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Palek.
Palek throws and elbow that misses. Raven uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Palek's guard. Nice move by Raven!
Raven postures up in Palek's guard and throws a big left but Palek blocks it.

That's four 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.
Palek is pulling down on Raven's head. It's preventing any offense from Raven, at least for the moment.
Raven is looking to work some ground and pound but Palek has wrist control.
Raven throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Palek works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Raven trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Palek on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Palek tries to get out of the position.

Raven drops back, looking for a kneebar! Palek looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Palek looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Palek!

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 Adam Palek.
I think Palek 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 Steve Erwin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Summer Carpenter scores the fight 29:28
Judge Winston Howard scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Adam Palek!