PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ryan Rassle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dean Walsh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dean Walsh will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Rassle
vs
Walsh

165 cm
25
140 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

180 cm
18
156 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ryan Rassle!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Dean Walsh!
The judges for this bout are Damien Edna, Bruno Hogan and Winston Howard.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Rassle shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Rassle showed some decent athleticism there.
Walsh is trying to maintain the position but Rassle is very close to passing his half guard.
Walsh tries to roll over but Rassle keeps him under control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Walsh avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Rassle.
Walsh is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Rassle's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Rassle's back!
Rassle has the hand control, trying to stop the rear naked choke.
Rassle turns into Walsh and is now in his guard.
Walsh preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Rassle wants to control from the top but Walsh keeps moving.
Rassle sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Rassle has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rassle postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Rassle trying to control the position from guard on top but Walsh is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Rassle looking to sit in guard and control but Walsh gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Walsh trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Rassle on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Rassle tries to get out of the position.
Walsh is fighting to break Rassle's control of his arms but Rassle is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

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

Walsh scores a takedown into full mount!

Walsh wants to finish this one by submission but Rassle is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Walsh.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Walsh looking to control but Rassle is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Rassle is in all sorts of trouble here.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rassle is squirming around, avoiding Walsh's attempts to control the action.
Rassle wants to control but Walsh is having none of it.

Rassle defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Walsh.
Rassle wants to hold on but Walsh pushes him away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Walsh is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Rassle is surviving well by controlling Walsh's body position as best he can.
Rassle tries to hold on but Walsh pushes him away.
Rassle might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Rassle manages to control the position for a moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Walsh wants to control the pace but Rassle is squirming around nicely.
Rassle is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Walsh throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Rassle is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Rassle defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Walsh.
Rassle wants to control but Walsh is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rassle slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Rassle is not content to let Walsh control the position.
Rassle keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Walsh is pressing down on Rassle's thigh, looking to free his foot. Rassle is holding on for now.
Rassle manages to get to full guard.
Rassle knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Walsh on the ground.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rassle keeping full guard, as Walsh tries to pass.
Rassle managing to control the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Walsh wants to control from the top but Rassle keeps moving.
Rassle trying to control the position here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ryan Rassle will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Rassle throws a poor cross that misses
and Walsh counters with a one-two to the body.
Rassle throws a half hearted mid kick.

Rassle shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Rassle lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Rassle looking to ground and pound but Walsh is blocking nicely.
Rassle landing strikes from the mount and Walsh is in trouble!
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Rassle sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Walsh keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Walsh slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Walsh slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rassle controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Rassle looking to pass the guard.
Rassle is looking to advance position but Walsh has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!
Rassle slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Rassle works his way to full guard. Good work.
Rassle keeping full guard, as Walsh tries to pass.
Rassle looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Rassle is working hard here to advance position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Walsh advances position into side control!
Walsh creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Rassle sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.

Walsh is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Rassle knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Walsh sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Rassle is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Rassle is trying to improve his position.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Walsh trying to control the position but Rassle is working away.
Walsh tries to advance to mount but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rassle holds on to Walsh's head and controls the position momentarily.
Rassle is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Rassle is trying to control Walsh's posture but Walsh avoids it.
Walsh working the ground and pound but Rassle is defending the strikes.
Rassle tries to bench press Walsh off him but Walsh keeps the position.

Walsh tries for a kimura but Rassle is defending well.
Rassle tries to improve position but can't.
Walsh tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rassle is looking for a sweep.
The ground and pound from Walsh seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.

Walsh thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Rassle is trying to improve his position.
Walsh tries to move into full mount but can't pass Rassle's legs.

Walsh tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Walsh has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Rassle is trying to get back to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rassle prevents Walsh from moving into mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Ryan Rassle will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Rassle closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Rassle is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Walsh!
Rassle lands with some strikes.
Rassle landing strikes, looking to finish!
Rassle is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Walsh can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Rassle here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Rassle breaks from Walsh's wrist control and lands an elbow.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rassle controlling from the full mount.
Rassle lands with some strikes.
Rassle punishing his opponent with strikes.

Rassle goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Walsh turns into him and now he's in Rassle's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walsh forces his way into half guard.

Walsh looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Rassle is trying to get back to full guard.
Rassle trying to control from the bottom.
Rassle manages to get to full guard.
Walsh preventing the sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Walsh trying to control the position from guard on top but Rassle is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Rassle has Walsh pulled in close to control his posture.

Walsh drops back looking for a leg! Rassle is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Rassle manages to kick Walsh off! Walsh jumps back into Rassle's guard.
Walsh wants to pass the guard but Rassle is keeping the position.
Walsh trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Rassle pulls Walsh in close to his closed guard and prevents Walsh from doing any damage or advancing position.
Walsh throwing strikes but missing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walsh stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Rassle swivels though and keeps the full guard.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Rassle controlling the position.
Ryan Rassle overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Ryan Rassle wasn't doing enough on the ground.

Rassle scores a takedown into full mount!
Dean Walsh has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rassle putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Rassle is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Walsh can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
BOOM! Rassle connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Rassle punishing his opponent with strikes.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rassle postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Walsh looks a forlorn figure.

It looks like Dean Walsh has been cut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rassle wants to control the pace but Walsh is squirming around nicely.
Rassle dominating with strikes here.
Rassle raining down hammerfists from mount.
Rassle landing strikes, looking to finish!
Rassle with the ground and pound from mount.
Walsh wants to hold on but Rassle pushes him away.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Walsh takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Rassle unloading with bombs!
Ryan Rassle is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Rassle controlling from mount.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ryan Rassle showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Rassle, 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 Damien Edna scores the fight 30:27
Judge Bruno Hogan scores the fight 30:27
Judge Winston Howard scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ryan Rassle!