PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Drake Melfred (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and T Dawg (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Drake Melfred has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Melfred
vs
Dawg

175 cm
21
153 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

179 cm
27
153 lbs
6 - 9 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Drake Melfred!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 9 - 0, fighting out of London, T Dawg!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, James Glass and Chris Edwards.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Melfred takes a swing at Dawg's ribcage but misses.
Jab by Dawg.

It looks like Drake Melfred has been cut.
Good shot there by Dawg.
Nice sprawl there from Dawg as Melfred shoots in.
Melfred tries for a takedown but Dawg sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Dawg lands with an overhand left.
Dawg throws a series of punches but Melfred moves out of range.
Melfred fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Drake Melfred. That's going to take a lot out of him.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Melfred.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Dawg throws a right hand that Melfred ducks under and follows up with a left that Melfred also avoids with ease.

Melfred moves into range and clinches up with Dawg.
Melfred stalling the fight.
Melfred jumps guard but Dawg stands there with Melfred around his waist. Melfred gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Melfred prevents Dawg from breaking the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dawg tries to break free but Melfred pushes him back against the cage.
Melfred doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Melfred pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Dawg looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Melfred showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Dawg.
Dawg defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Melfred.
Melfred fakes the leg kick and cracks Dawg in the body.

Melfred looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Dawg!
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Melfred thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Melfred wants to control the pace but Dawg is squirming around nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Melfred is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Dawg is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Melfred landing strikes from the mount and Dawg is in trouble!
Melfred controlling the position easily from mount.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Melfred misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melfred working Dawg over with strikes here.
Melfred landing shots from mount.
Melfred trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Dawg has given up his back, trying to stand up. Not clever.
Melfred controlling from the back.
Melfred missing with punches from the back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Dawg is displaying good submission defense - not really looking in danger of submitting to the rear naked choke at the moment. That could change in an instant of course if Melfred gets his way!
Melfred tries to get the hooks in deep but Dawg pushed the leg off.
Melfred lands punches and elbows.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Dawg preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Melfred.
Melfred trying to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Drake Melfred dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Drake Melfred's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Dawg misses with a jab, cross combination.
Dawg fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Some wild striking there from Dawg.
Dawg lands with a right hand.

Melfred rushes Dawg and presses him up against the cage.
Melfred jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Dawg walks away with a smile on his face. Melfred gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
T Dawg seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Dawg lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Melfred circles away quickly and effectively.

Melfred moves into range and clinches up with Dawg.
Melfred is working Dawg over against the cage.
Melfred is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Melfred tries to pull guard but Dawg holds him up against the cage and eventually Melfred drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Drake Melfred. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Melfred has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Dawg avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Melfred tries to score a body lock takedown but Dawg shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Melfred wants the takedown. Dawg is fighting it off but Melfred persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Dawg's guard against the cage.

Melfred gets to his feet - Dawg follows without any prompting.
Dawg throws a right hand that Melfred ducks under and follows up with a left that Melfred also avoids with ease.
Dawg is breathing heavily.

Melfred takes the fight into the clinch.
Melfred tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Melfred obliges.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Melfred keeps control of Dawg as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Melfred breaks the clinch.

Melfred closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Melfred is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dawg is trying to break the clinch but Melfred is controlling him.

Melfred pulls guard effortlessly.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Melfred is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

Melfred is looking for a triangle but Dawg pushes his legs off easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Melfred trying to control the position.
Dawg tries to stand but Melfred is controlling from the bottom.

Dawg got a little sloppy there for a moment and Melfred has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Dawg has managed to get both his arms back between Melfred's legs - danger averted.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Melfred is on top in guard.
Melfred wants to control from the top but Dawg keeps moving.
Melfred 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.
Melfred is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Melfred loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Melfred working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Melfred stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Dawg swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Melfred controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Drake Melfred has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.

Melfred has Dawg up against the cage in a clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Drake Melfred dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Drake Melfred's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Melfred gets a clinch.
Dawg has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Melfred wants a takedown but no success here.
Melfred goes for a takedown attempt but Dawg pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Drake Melfred is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Melfred closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Melfred has clasped his hands together around Dawg's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
Dawg is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Melfred is controlling him well.
Melfred postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Dawg is trying to escape the position but Melfred is controlling the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dawg is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Melfred asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Dawg stops Melfred from passing to mount.
Dawg is not content to let Melfred control the position.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

We're going to have a standup here because Drake Melfred wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.

Melfred forces Dawg back against the cage and clinches.
Dawg gets underhooks to prevent Melfred's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Drake Melfred. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Melfred pulls guard successfully.
Dawg wants to get up but he can't break Melfred's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Melfred looking for a sweep. Not yet Melfred, not yet.
Dawg has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Melfred is proving hard to escape from.
Dawg takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Melfred looking to control.
Melfred wants to sweep but no luck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dawg wants to stand but Melfred is controlling his posture from full guard.
Melfred looking to hit a scissor sweep but Dawg is one step ahead there.
Dawg wants to get up but he can't break Melfred's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Melfred throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Dawg was covering up waiting for the punch and Melfred finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Melfred trying to control but Dawg is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Melfred not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

Dawg is working an open guard so Melfred takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Melfred shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Dawg as he avoids it easily.

Melfred is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Dawg's half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Melfred seems to be looking for submissions.
T Dawg has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Drake Melfred is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Melfred works his foot free and advances to mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Drake Melfred showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Melfred, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight for Drake Melfred!
Judge James Glass scores the fight for Drake Melfred!
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight for Drake Melfred!

Drake Melfred wins by unanimous decision!