PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Del Hickman (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alexander Byron (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Hickman
vs
Byron

183 cm
24
166 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

181 cm
25
165 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Intelligent

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Del Hickman!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Alexander Byron!
The judges for this bout are Stewart Dunkirk, Wesley Smith and Cecil Peabody.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Byron misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Byron dives in and grabs Hickman's left leg, looking for a takedown. Hickman pushes down on Byron's head and hops out.
Hickman lands a nice leg kick that just misses Byron's sensitive parts.
Byron tries to clinch up but Hickman circles away and keeps his distance.
Hickman tries to clinch but Byron moves out of range.

Hickman pushes Byron up against the cage in a clinch.
Hickman has Byron pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Byron manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Hickman connects with a knee to the head.

Hickman escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Byron gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Hickman is pressed up against the cage. Byron has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Hickman down to the mat. Hickman avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Byron moves out of range of the strikes.
Hickman doesn't manage to clinch there - Byron circles away.
Hickman misses with a takedown

and Byron counters by moving into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hickman wants to get back to striking at distance but Byron won't allow it.
Byron has Hickman pressed against the cage, preventing Hickman from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Stalling in the clinch from Byron.
Hickman is trying to pull guard but Byron turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Del Hickman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hickman keeps control of Byron as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Hickman fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Hickman jumps guard but Byron turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Byron tries for a takedown. No joy.

Hickman breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Byron is looking to clinch.
Hickman pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Hickman with a poor takedown
and Byron counters with a left to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hickman keeps the fight on the outside.
Hickman shoots in but Byron avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Del Hickman seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Byron tries to clinch up but Hickman circles away and keeps his distance.
Hickman slaps away a takedown attempt from Byron, before circling back to the center of the mat.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Byron.
Byron is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Hickman fails with an attempt to clinch.
Byron is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Byron has managed to clinch.
Byron is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Hickman is defending well.
Byron tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Hickman just stands there and leans against the cage.

Byron pulls guard effortlessly.
Hickman missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Byron wants to stand up but Hickman is controlling him.
Hickman not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Byron keeping full guard, as Hickman tries to pass.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Byron trying to control the position.
Byron is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Alexander Byron was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Byron fails in his attempt to clinch.
Byron goes for a double leg but Hickman avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Hickman continues to drive forward.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Hickman is looking for a takedown.
Hickman wants to break free but Byron has control.

Byron decides to pull guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Alexander Byron will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hickman shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Byron pinned against the cage. Byron gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Hickman circles away from the clinch attempt
and Hickman counters with a head kick.
Decent striking displayed by Byron there.
Byron on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Hickman avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Hickman moves into range and clinches up with Byron.
Byron tries to throw a body punch but Hickman avoids it by throwing Byron back against the cage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Byron fails to pull guard.
Byron is trying to drag Hickman to the mat but Hickman just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Hickman wants a takedown but no success here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hickman gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Byron.
Del Hickman has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Alexander Byron.
Hickman jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Byron walks away with a smile on his face. Hickman gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Hickman misses with a looping left.
Hickman goes for a double leg but Byron avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Byron continues to drive forward.
Byron jumps guard but Hickman turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Byron is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Byron tries to pull guard but Hickman won't allow it.
Byron has Hickman pressed against the cage, preventing Hickman from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Hickman gets a trip takedown into half guard.

Byron is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Hickman pulls his head out easily.
Byron throws a strike from the bottom that misses.

Hickman is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Byron is trying to stand up here but Hickman is controlling him well.
Hickman trying to advance position but Byron counters by regaining guard.
Byron wants to stand and escape but Hickman is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hickman showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Byron lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Hickman!
Byron punching from mount but Hickman doing a good job of avoiding damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hickman is trying desperately to improve position.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Byron cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Hickman is trying to escape the mount.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Byron throws some wild stikes that Hickman manages to avoid easily.
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 Del Hickman will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Hickman looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Byron is fending him off so far but Hickman persists. Nope, Byron circles away and we're back to standing.
A punch combination from Byron misses.

Hickman drives through with a takedown into guard.
Byron keeping moving, preventing Hickman from controlling successfully.
Byron is pulling down on Hickman's head. It's preventing any offense from Hickman, at least for the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Byron throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Byron wants to get back to his feet but Hickman is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Hickman won't allow Byron to sweep him here.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Del Hickman just wasn't active enough.
Hickman shoots for a double leg takedown but Byron sprawls well. He's pushed Hickman's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Hickman keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Byron tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Byron wants to clinch.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Hickman.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Del Hickman. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hickman displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Byron.
Nice sprawl there from Byron as Hickman shoots in.
Hickman swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Byron tries to clinch there but Hickman circles away.
Byron shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Hickman defends it nicely.
Hickman has a takedown stuffed.

Hickman decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Byron is refusing to be controlled, as Hickman sits in half guard.

Byron looking for submissions off his back.

Byron has one foot on Hickman's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
Hickman tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Byron throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Byron throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Byron darts in looking for a takedown but Hickman gets double underhooks and turns Byron into the cage.
Hickman misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Byron.
Hickman gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Byron.
Hickman can't get the takedown.
Byron tries to pull guard but Hickman forces him back to his feet, against the cage.

Byron breaks from the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sloppy strikes from Byron. Those never looked like landing.
Byron swats away the attempt to clinch by Hickman.

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 Del Hickman.
I think Hickman has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 27:30
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Del Hickman!