PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Bryan Sherk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Thom Le Bou (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Le Bou has chosen in the Night Garden Theme Tune as his entrance music. Bryan Sherk could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Thom Le Bou's chin.

Sherk
vs
Le Bou

180 cm
21
179 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

184 cm
20
177 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Good gas tank

Crippler's Corner

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Bryan Sherk!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Thom Le Bou!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Chris Edwards and Colin Fotheringham.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
No luck for Sherk with that takedown attempt.
Le Bou misses the shot to the body.
Le Bou misses the shot to the body.

Sherk shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Le Bou manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Le Bou trying to strike off his back.
Sherk stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Le Bou swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Le Bou pulls Sherk in to control the position.

Sherk is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Le Bou wants to sweep but no luck.
Le Bou is pulling down on Sherk's head to control his posture.
Sherk pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Le Bou is keeping the position for now.
Le Bou is trying to control the position but Sherk postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Le Bou gets the takedown into side control.
Sherk is being controlled here.
Sherk is trying to improve his position.
Le Bou controls the position.
Let's hope that Le Bou has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Sherk manages to work his way to half guard, despite Le Bou's best efforts.
Le Bou landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

Sherk is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Le Bou pulls his head out easily.
Sherk is not content to let Le Bou control the position.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Sherk is looking for a sweep. Le Bou is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou slows the pace down in half guard.
Le Bou drops an elbow to the side of Sherk's head.
Le Bou throwing shots but Sherk is blocking nicely.
Le Bou thows a huge punch but Sherk dodges it nicely.
Le Bou stalling.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sherk is refusing to be controlled, as Le Bou sits in half guard.
Sherk trying to hold on to Le Bou's head to control him but Le Bou postures up.
Le Bou wants to pass to mount but Sherk is defending the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou trying to control from half guard but Sherk is working away.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Sherk misses with a takedown
and Le Bou counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Sherk gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Le Bou counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Bryan Sherk. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Le Bou is nestled in close to Sherk, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Le Bou trying to control from half guard but Sherk is working away.
Le Bou wants to pass the guard but Sherk is defending well.
Le Bou has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Le Bou is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Sherk is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Le Bou's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Le Bou's back!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Le Bou moves into full guard.
Le Bou controls Sherk momentarily but Sherk frees himself.

Sherk drops back looking for a leg! Le Bou is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Le Bou manages to kick Sherk off! Sherk jumps back into Le Bou's guard.
Sherk postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thom Le Bou 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.

Le Bou misses with a hook.
Sherk misses with a takedown

and Le Bou counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Sherk wants to improve his position but Le Bou is controlling well.
Le Bou is keen to just control but Sherk is a slippery customer.
Sherk keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Le Bou is trying to control. Sherk wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Le Bou lands strikes from half guard.
Sherk is trying to get back to full guard.
Sherk is working hard here to advance position.
Sherk trying to get back to full guard but Le Bou takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
BOOM! Le Bou connects with a massive shot to the dome!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Le Bou looking to control but Sherk is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Le Bou is landing with some decent strikes but Sherk is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Sherk is in all sorts of trouble here.
Le Bou with the ground and pound from mount.
Sherk is wriggling around trying to escape.
Le Bou landing punches.
Le Bou trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Sherk tries to reverse the position but Le Bou maintains control.
Le Bou can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Sherk is looking to escape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

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

Le Bou looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Le Bou works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Le Bou is nestled in close to Sherk, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Le Bou trying to control the action but Sherk is working from the bottom.
Sherk is trying to stand.
Le Bou wants to pass the guard but Sherk is defending well.
Le Bou trying to control from half guard but Sherk is working away.

Sherk looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Sherk is looking to control Le Bou's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Sherk avoid being mounted?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Sherk uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Le Bou.
Sherk has his takedown stuffed

and Le Bou counters with a single leg into guard. Sherk didn't expect that.
Le Bou slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.

Le Bou tries for a kimura but Sherk is defending well.
Sherk on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The strikes coming from Le Bou are missing the target in this wave of attacks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou wants to control but Sherk is keeping him busy.
Le Bou is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Sherk can't do much from the bottom here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Sherk shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Le Bou napping and manages to drive through into side control!

Sherk is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Le Bou knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Le Bou manages to work his way to half guard, despite Sherk's best efforts.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Thom Le Bou 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! This is the final round!

Le Bou darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Le Bou is trying to control. Sherk wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

Sherk is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Le Bou pulls his head out easily.
Le Bou lands with a punch from half guard.
Sherk is controlling Le Bou's trapped leg to prevent Le Bou from advancing to side control.
Le Bou trying to control the action but Sherk is working from the bottom.
Le Bou thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Le Bou is keen to just control but Sherk is a slippery customer.
Sherk is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Le Bou's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Le Bou's back!
Le Bou rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Sherk thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Le Bou's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Le Bou keeping control of the position.
Le Bou wants to get back to full guard but Sherk has mounted him!

Sherk swings around for an armbar but it's a sloppy attempt and Le Bou is now in Sherk's guard. A big mistake from Sherk there, giving up the dominant position!
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sherk working a defensive guard here.

Sherk is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Le Bou defends well.
Sherk wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Le Bou is now in half guard.
Sherk keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou is trying to control the action in half guard but Sherk is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Le Bou not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sherk manages to get to full guard.
Le Bou missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sherk wants to control but Le Bou passes easily into half guard.

Sherk looking for submissions off his back.

Le Bou is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Le Bou trying to control from half guard but Sherk is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Le Bou not doing much here.
Sherk blocking the ground and pound attempt from Le Bou.
Le Bou seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Sherk does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Le Bou ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sherk moves away.

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

Sherk is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Le Bou wants to control but Sherk is keeping busy and won't allow it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bryan Sherk has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Sherk thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Le Bou is trying to control but can't.
Le Bou avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sherk.
Le Bou is trying to maintain the position but Sherk is very close to passing his half guard.
Le Bou is controlling Sherk's trapped leg to prevent Sherk from advancing to side control.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Le Bou steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sherk.
Le Bou cracks Sherk with a right hand to the side of the head.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Le Bou scores with a jab to the body.
Le Bou is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Sherk rather than just go for the knockout.
Sherk takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Bryan Sherk is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sherk connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

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 Bryan Sherk.
I think Le Bou 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 William Gold scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 28:29
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Thom Le Bou!