PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Neil deGrasse Tyson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Fredrick Felino (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Fredrick Felino enters the cage!

deGrasse Tyson
vs
Felino

175 cm
25
178 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

174 cm
31
180 lbs
11 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

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 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Neil deGrasse Tyson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 6 - 0, fighting out of London, Fredrick Felino!
The judges for this bout are Aafke Stam, Wagner Zegers and Saam Ante.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
deGrasse Tyson pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Felino moves into range and clinches up with deGrasse Tyson.

Felino ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Felino no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
deGrasse Tyson trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
deGrasse Tyson has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Felino is proving hard to escape from.

deGrasse Tyson drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Felino dives on top into guard.

deGrasse Tyson looking for subs off his back but Felino has passed one foot through into half guard.
Felino stops deGrasse Tyson from getting back to his feet.
Felino throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
deGrasse Tyson wants to get back to full guard.
Felino missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Felino is nestled in close to deGrasse Tyson, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Felino missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Felino working the head and body with strikes.
Felino looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks deGrasse Tyson with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions off his back.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to stand.
Felino scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Felino landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to escape.
Felino sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. deGrasse Tyson defending well though.

Felino seems to be looking for submissions.

deGrasse Tyson is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Felino pulls his head out easily.
deGrasse Tyson wants to improve his position but Felino is controlling well.
Felino is keen to just control but deGrasse Tyson is a slippery customer.
deGrasse Tyson looks like he's trying to stand up.

deGrasse Tyson looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Felino trying to control the action but deGrasse Tyson is working from the bottom.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Felino scoring with strikes to the body and head.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Felino seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to stand back up but Felino is controlling him
Felino lands with a punch from half guard.
Felino working the head and body with strikes.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Felino lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to escape.
Felino looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
deGrasse Tyson wants to get back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
deGrasse Tyson tries to get to full guard but Felino has control of the leg.
Felino has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Felino is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Ground and pound from Felino.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
Felino looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks deGrasse Tyson with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

deGrasse Tyson looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Felino is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, deGrasse Tyson has managed to free his arm - good work.
Felino lands with a punch from half guard.
deGrasse Tyson tries to get to full guard but Felino has control of the leg.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Felino is nestled in close to deGrasse Tyson, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

deGrasse Tyson is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Felino pulls his head out easily.
This has been an exciting period of action!

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
Felino lands strikes from half guard.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Felino lands a nice short elbow.
Felino lands with a punch from half guard.
Felino prevents deGrasse Tyson from standing back up.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
deGrasse Tyson is breathing heavily.
deGrasse Tyson taking some punishment here, with Felino in his half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Felino is working for a kimura but deGrasse Tyson is defending it quite comfortably.
deGrasse Tyson is looking for a sweep. Felino is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fredrick Felino dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Felino misses with a head kick.

deGrasse Tyson closes the distance and clinches.
Felino misses with a punch to the body.
Felino tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Felino wants to get back to striking at distance but deGrasse Tyson won't allow it.
deGrasse Tyson landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

deGrasse Tyson manages to break the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Felino swats him away and circles back towards the center.
deGrasse Tyson doesn't manage to clinch there - Felino circles away.
deGrasse Tyson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Felino manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
deGrasse Tyson will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
deGrasse Tyson tries to score a power double leg takedown but Felino sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten deGrasse Tyson somewhat.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
deGrasse Tyson tries to clinch but Felino moves out of range.
Felino circles away from the clinch attempt.
Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Felino tries to land a front kick but deGrasse Tyson steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Felino keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Neil deGrasse Tyson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
deGrasse Tyson is looking to clinch but Felino is avoiding it.
Fredrick Felino is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
deGrasse Tyson tries to close the distance and clinch but Felino swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Felino misses with a few strikes there.
Felino throws a head kick that deGrasse Tyson semi-blocks.

It looks like Neil deGrasse Tyson has been cut.
Felino works deGrasse Tyson's body with a nice hook.

Felino shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches deGrasse Tyson napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Felino working the head and body with strikes.
Felino cracks deGrasse Tyson with a big right hand but deGrasse Tyson just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Felino in side control lands a decent elbow.
deGrasse Tyson is looking for a sweep.
deGrasse Tyson sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Felino looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks deGrasse Tyson with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Felino slips a nice elbow through deGrasse Tyson's hands, connecting with deGrasse Tyson's forehead.
deGrasse Tyson tries to kick Felino off but Felino keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Felino trying to control the action but deGrasse Tyson is working from the bottom.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions off his back.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Felino scores with a couple of nice shots.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions off his back.
Felino working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Felino winds up and cracks deGrasse Tyson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Felino thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed deGrasse Tyson's head.
deGrasse Tyson wants to get back to full guard.
deGrasse Tyson looks like he's trying to stand up.
Felino working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Felino lands a nice short elbow.

Felino moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from deGrasse Tyson.
deGrasse Tyson gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

deGrasse Tyson is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Felino pulls his head out easily.
deGrasse Tyson wants to improve his position but Felino is controlling well.

Felino is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

deGrasse Tyson actively working from the bottom here.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to get back to full guard.

Felino is looking for a kimura here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Felino slips a nice elbow through deGrasse Tyson's hands, connecting with deGrasse Tyson's forehead.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions off his back.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Felino connects with a nice short shot to deGrasse Tyson's temple.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
deGrasse Tyson on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Nice strikes from Felino there.
Ground and pound from Felino.
Felino trying to mount his opponent but deGrasse Tyson defends it.

deGrasse Tyson looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
deGrasse Tyson is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Felino scores with a couple of nice shots.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Fredrick Felino showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Neil deGrasse Tyson's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Felino shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says deGrasse Tyson as he avoids it easily.
Felino fails with a takedown attempt.
Felino slaps away a takedown attempt from deGrasse Tyson, before circling back to the center of the mat.

deGrasse Tyson closes the distance and pushes Felino back into the cage.
deGrasse Tyson with a knee to the head.
deGrasse Tyson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Felino has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
deGrasse Tyson blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Felino trying to land knees to the body.
deGrasse Tyson missing with knees to the body.

Felino pulls guard effortlessly.
deGrasse Tyson passes Felino's right leg, so he's now in half guard.

deGrasse Tyson is looking for a kimura but Felino is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for deGrasse Tyson to get the leverage.
It looks like deGrasse Tyson is going to stand back up.
Felino works his way to full guard. Good work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Felino wants to get back to his feet but deGrasse Tyson is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Fredrick Felino has got the better of the ground game so far.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

deGrasse Tyson thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Felino looking for a sweep. Not yet Felino, not yet.
deGrasse Tyson is pushing down on Felino's leg trying to pass to half guard. Felino is fighting to maintain full guard but deGrasse Tyson has managed to sneak the leg through.
Felino is looking for a sweep. deGrasse Tyson is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

deGrasse Tyson seems to be working for a kimura but Felino defends the submission attempt.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Felino is looking for a sweep. deGrasse Tyson is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

deGrasse Tyson is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
deGrasse Tyson prevents Felino from standing back up.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Felino wants to control but deGrasse Tyson is keeping busy.

deGrasse Tyson is working for a kimura but Felino is defending it quite comfortably.

deGrasse Tyson is looking for a kimura here.
deGrasse Tyson prevents Felino from standing back up.

Felino looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Felino is trying to get back to full guard.

deGrasse Tyson is looking for a kimura but Felino is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for deGrasse Tyson to get the leverage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Felino looks like he's trying to stand up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

deGrasse Tyson is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Felino looks like he's trying to stand up.

deGrasse Tyson wants to work for an arm triangle but Felino is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Felino is defending against the submission attempts here by deGrasse Tyson.
Felino regains full guard. Nicely done.
deGrasse Tyson wants to get up but he can't break Felino's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
deGrasse Tyson trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
deGrasse Tyson loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Felino manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. deGrasse Tyson manages to get himself to full guard.
Felino is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Felino distracts deGrasse Tyson with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

deGrasse Tyson has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Felino can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

deGrasse Tyson had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Felino defends it easily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Felino working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Felino trying to control the position from guard on top but deGrasse Tyson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

deGrasse Tyson looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Fredrick Felino is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Felino is stalling in the full guard.

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 Neil deGrasse Tyson.
I think Felino 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 Aafke Stam scores the fight 28:29
Judge Wagner Zegers scores the fight 28:29
Judge Saam Ante scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Fredrick Felino!
After the fight, Fredrick Felino was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.