PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Mata Helu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Benjamin Nickoson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighter's entrance songs getting the crowd jumping here.

Helu
vs
Nickoson

175 cm
22
195 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

185 cm
25
195 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Dangerous knees
Determined

Ace of Spades Clothing

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Mata Helu!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Benjamin Nickoson!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
No luck with that takedown attempt from Nickoson.
Helu tries to clinch but Nickoson is having none of it.
Helu wants to clinch.
Nickoson fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Nickoson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Helu takes a swing at Nickoson's ribcage but misses.
Nickoson shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Helu defends it nicely.
Mata Helu has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Benjamin Nickoson.
Helu stuns Nickoson with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Helu wants to clinch
and Nickoson counters with a head kick. That will keep Helu thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Helu tries to clinch up but Nickoson circles away and keeps his distance.

Nickoson clinches up with Helu and pushes him back against the cage.
Nickoson prevents a body shot from Helu.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nickoson tries for a takedown. No joy.
Helu effectively controlling the action here.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with Helu for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
Helu is leaning against Nickoson and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.

Nickoson manages to pull guard.
Helu not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Helu trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Helu is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Nickoson is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Helu not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Mata Helu just wasn't active enough.
Helu tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nickoson paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nickoson lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Helu circles away quickly and effectively.
Helu throws a chopping leg kick but Nickoson manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Helu is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Helu moves into the clinch successfully.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Helu creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Nickoson jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Helu walks away with a smile on his face. Nickoson gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Helu tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Nickoson counters by moving into the clinch.
Nickoson avoids the elbow strike from Helu, against the cage.
Nickoson letting Helu take a breather here.
Helu throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Nickoson blocks an elbow strike from Helu.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Helu lands an elbow that stopped Nickoson in his tracks for a moment.
Nickoson tries to break free but Helu pushes him back against the cage.
Helu lands an elbow that stopped Nickoson in his tracks for a moment.
Helu doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Helu looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

Nickoson manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Helu keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Nickoson's head.
Helu sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Nickoson working a defensive guard here.
Helu would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Helu content to stall in guard here.
Helu pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Nickoson is keeping the position for now.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Nickoson not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Mata Helu just wasn't active enough.
Helu is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Helu clinches with his opponent.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nickoson has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Helu avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Helu throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Nickoson is trying to maintain a safe position but Helu gets an underhook and turns Nickoson into the cage.
Nice elbow from Helu.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mata Helu dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Helu leaves Nickoson with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Helu tries to clinch
and Nickoson counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Nickoson misses with a looping left.
Helu tries to clinch but Nickoson moves away
and Nickoson finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Nickoson throws a shot from downtown. Helu moves away and avoids it.

Nickoson closes the distance and clinches.
The referee calls for Helu to work.
Nickoson drops down looking for an ankle pick but Helu pulls his leg out and moves away.
Helu fails with an attempt to clinch.
Helu is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Helu gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Nickoson dodges an elbow strike from Helu.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Helu goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Helu lands an elbow inside.
Helu misses with an elbow over the top.
Nickoson jumps guard but Helu stands there with Nickoson around his waist. Nickoson gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Mata Helu has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Benjamin Nickoson.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Helu.

It looks like Benjamin Nickoson has been cut.

Nickoson pulls guard effortlessly.
Helu sitting in guard here, content to control.
Helu preventing the sweep.
Helu knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Nickoson on the ground.
Nickoson is trying to keep Helu in close.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Mata Helu wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Nickoson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Helu tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Nickoson manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Helu throws a body punch but Nickoson moves out of range.
Helu jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Nickoson looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Helu is fending him off so far but Nickoson persists. Nope, Helu circles away and we're back to standing.
Helu tries to clinch but Nickoson moves out of range.
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!

Helu clinches up against the cage.
Helu lands an elbow just above Nickoson 's eye.
Nickoson blocks an elbow strike.
A body shot lands from Helu.
I was talking to Helu's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Nickoson is breathing heavily.
Helu putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Nickoson in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Helu stalls.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Helu misses with an elbow over the top.
Helu misses with a hook to the ribs.
Helu throws an elbow that misses.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Nickoson manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Helu comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Helu lands an elbow just above Nickoson 's eye.
Helu lands an elbow inside.
Helu lands a body shot.
Helu pushes off an throws an elbow but Nickoson leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Nickoson can't break the clinch.
Nickoson avoiding damage as Helu throws knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Nickoson drags the fight down to the ground.
Helu has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Helu passes easily into side control. Nice work.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Helu slows the pace down.
Nickoson tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Helu tries to advance to mount but can't.
Helu tries to get to his feet but he's trapped momentarily.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Helu looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mata Helu dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Benjamin Nickoson's cut.
That's time! Helu's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Nickoson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Helu tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Nickoson was well out of range. Poor timing from Helu.
Helu moves in looking to clinch but Nickoson pushes him off.
Nickoson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Nickoson closes the distance and pushes Helu back into the cage.
Helu tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Nickoson's elbow.
Nickoson jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Helu walks away with a smile on his face. Nickoson gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Nickoson is defended easily by Helu.

Nickoson clinches up against the cage.
Helu comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Nickoson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Helu lands a damaging elbow.
Helu controlling the action here for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nickoson is trying to push Helu away but Helu has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Helu lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Nickoson fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Mata Helu has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Benjamin Nickoson.
Helu lands a damaging elbow.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Helu.
Nickoson tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Nickoson takes an elbow to the temple.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Helu misses with an elbow over the top.
Helu tries to work over Nickoson's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Nice elbow from Helu.
Good body shot from Helu.
Helu tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Nickoson blocks an elbow strike.
Helu lands an elbow inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Helu throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Helu trying to land knees to the body.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Nickoson blocks the elbow strike.
Nickoson avoids the elbow strike from Helu, against the cage.
Helu lands an elbow inside that Nickoson shrugs off.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Helu just misses with a elbow thrown towards Nickoson's brow.
Helu lands an elbow just above Nickoson 's eye.
Helu gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Helu lands an elbow inside.
Helu is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Helu lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Nickoson or not.
Helu goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Helu comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That has opened up Benjamin Nickoson's cut even more.
Nickoson wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nickoson blocks a body shot from Helu.
Helu misses with an elbow strike.
Helu is struggling to control the position.
Helu lands an elbow just above Nickoson 's eye.
Helu gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Helu lands a damaging elbow.
Helu is struggling to control the position.
Helu lands an elbow that stopped Nickoson in his tracks for a moment.
Helu gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Helu avoiding damage.
Helu lands a nice elbow.

Nickoson is rocked!
Helu is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Nickoson can do to turn this around?
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Helu as Nickoson tries to tie him up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knees in the clinch landing for Helu.
Mata Helu has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Nickoson takes an elbow to the forehead.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nickoson takes an elbow to the temple.
Nickoson is still on wobbly legs! Can Helu finish him?
Helu misses with a punch to the body.
Nickoson seems to have recovered his senses.
Helu goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Helu misses with a body punch.
Helu slowing the pace effectively.
Helu lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Helu creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Helu misses with a hook to the ribs.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Helu lands a nice elbow.
Nickoson is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Helu is defending well.
Helu comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Benjamin Nickoson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mata Helu is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Nickoson avoiding damage as Helu throws knees to the body.
Helu crunches a lovely knee into Nickoson's ribcage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mata Helu showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Helu has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mata Helu!
After the big win, Mata Helu made sure to do all the important stuff like thanking his sponsors Ace of Spades Clothing and telling the interviewer how much he loves him.