PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Brandon Grant (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Matrix (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Well, the cameraman is lingering on a pretty young lady for a bit too long there. Keep your eyes on the fighters buddy or you'll miss the fighter intros!

Grant
vs
Matrix

184 cm
30
195 lbs
10 - 2 - 0

180 cm
26
195 lbs
7 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Powerful

Go 2 Sleep Fight Gear

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 10 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Brandon Grant!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, John Matrix!
The judges for this bout are Arvi Lind, Johanna Lukiainen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Matrix thows a left - swing and a miss!
Matrix misses with a hook

and Grant counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Grant.
Grant postures up.
Matrix looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Grant missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Grant 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.
Grant looking to pass the guard.
Matrix looking to control.

John Matrix has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Matrix throws a hook but Grant blocks it.
Grant tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Matrix swivels and escapes.
Matrix misses with a low kick.
Matrix with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Matrix misses with a low kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Grant changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Matrix tries to avoid it but Grant manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Matrix to the ground. Matrix escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matrix tried to score with a low kick but Grant checks it.
Grant takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Grant takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Grant defending well as Matrix loads up on a big left hand.
Matrix digs a good body shot into Grant's ribs.
Grant checks a leg kick nicely.
Matrix fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Matrix misses the shot to the body.
Matrix misses with an uppercut. Grant saw that one coming.
Grant checks a low kick from Matrix.
Grant shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Matrix defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Grant. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Grant fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice sprawl there from Matrix as Grant shoots in.
Grant shoots in and drives through. Matrix sprawls well.
Matrix swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A cross from Grant lands.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Matrix throws an overhand right that lands on Grant's shoulder, as Grant tries to avoid the shot.
Matrix attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Grant shoots in for a takedown but Matrix shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
A combination from Grant does no damage.
Matrix jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Matrix listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
John Matrix is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Nice takedown defense from Matrix. No joy for Grant on that attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matrix misses with a wild body shot.
Matrix connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Grant fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Matrix avoids it really well and circles away.
Matrix connects with a solid leg kick.
An inside leg kick from Matrix misses.
Grant checks a leg kick.
Grant uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Matrix.
Matrix tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Grant was well out of range. Poor timing from Matrix.
Grant avoids the body shot from Matrix.
Matrix looks to land a left hand but Grant moved out of range nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grant connects with a nice looking jab.
Matrix tests Grant's chin there with a solid looking shot.

It looks like Brandon Grant has been cut.
Grant displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Matrix throws out the jab.
Matrix misses with a hook

so Grant counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Matrix trying to control the position here.
Matrix looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Grant 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.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Grant sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Matrix's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Matrix dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Brandon Grant's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Grant looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Matrix takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Matrix defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Grant.

Grant shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Grant chips away with some ground and pound.
Matrix trying to control the position here.
Grant postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Grant throwing strikes from guard but Matrix blocks nicely.
Matrix looking to control.
Grant wants to control from the top but Matrix keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matrix looking to hit a scissor sweep but Grant is one step ahead there.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Matrix wants to stand up but Grant is controlling him.

Grant drops back, looking for a kneebar! Matrix looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Matrix looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Matrix!
Grant is looking to regain half guard here but Matrix keeps moving and retains side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Matrix trying to control the position but Grant is working away.
Grant is looking to regain half guard here but Matrix keeps moving and retains side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Grant's face as Matrix controls the position.
Grant is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Matrix off and has taken his back!
Grant is trying to stick to Matrix's back but Matrix is turning into Grant. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Grant's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Matrix.
Grant tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Matrix engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Matrix wants to control from the top but Grant keeps moving.
Matrix throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Grant is looking for a triangle but Matrix pushes his legs off easily.
Brandon Grant overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Grant working for a triangle but Matrix defends it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matrix is looking to advance position but Grant has hit a scissor sweep - now he's on top in mount!

Matrix bucks up and throws Grant to the side - he's got back to his feet. Great escape!
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Matrix lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Grant has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Grant and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Grant avoids the body shot from Matrix.
Grant uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Matrix.
John Matrix seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Grant bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Grant tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Grant gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Matrix makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Grant. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matrix lands a body shot.
Nice straight punches there by Matrix. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Matrix.
John Matrix seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Grant shoots and misses
and Matrix counters with a nice body shot.
Grant throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Matrix makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nice uppercut there from Matrix.
Matrix misses with a low kick.
Good shot there by Matrix.
Grant shoots and misses
and Grant takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A jab from Matrix misses.
Matrix shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Matrix tried to score with a low kick but Grant checks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Matrix showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Brandon Grant's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Matrix is looking to slow Grant down with leg kicks.
Matrix throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Grant counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Grant.

Grant is holding a leg here, probably looking for an ankle lock - he drops back and goes for it! Matrix is in trouble! Is it all over??? No! Matrix has escaped and now he's on top!
Matrix working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Matrix postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Grant keeping moving, preventing Matrix from controlling successfully.
Matrix is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Grant keeping moving, preventing Matrix from controlling successfully.
Matrix wants to pass the guard but Grant is keeping the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. John Matrix was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Matrix throws a big shot that misses.
Matrix throws a solid leg kick but Grant takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Matrix.
Grant shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Matrix pinned against the cage. Matrix gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Matrix keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Grant misses with a takedown attempt - Matrix sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Brandon Grant. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Matrix wants to slow Grant down by chopping away at his legs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Grant looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Matrix is fending him off so far but Grant persists. Nope, Matrix circles away and we're back to standing.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Grant.
Brandon Grant is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Matrix does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Matrix tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Grant tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Matrix swivels and escapes.
Matrix dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Matrix misses with a low kick.
Grant fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Matrix ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Grant moves away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grant with a poor takedown
and Matrix makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Matrix misses with a body punch

and Grant counters with a nice double leg into side control. Matrix won't be happy with that.
Grant trying to control the action but Matrix is working from the bottom.
Matrix tries to improve position but can't.
Grant wants to control but Matrix is keeping him busy.
John Matrix is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Matrix manages to get back to half guard.
Grant is stalling here. Matrix is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Grant seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Matrix has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Matrix lands a decent elbow from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Grant is looking to reverse the position.
Grant can't do much from the bottom here.
Grant tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Brandon Grant has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Matrix wants to lay and pray for a moment but Grant keeps working.
Grant struggling a bit here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Grant tries to buck Matrix off but Matrix is having none of it.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to John Matrix.
I've got Matrix winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Arvi Lind scores the fight 28:30
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 28:30
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Matrix!
John Matrix thanked the fans post fight for their support.