PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Victor Sharp (ranked 815 p4p, 129 weight class) and Ludvig Ericsson (ranked 484 p4p, 77 weight class). Sharp's entrance music is Immortal Technique-Cause Of Death. A fine choice. This should be fireworks!

Sharp
vs
Ericsson

225 cm
34
224 lbs
24 - 10 - 2

186 cm
33
212 lbs
23 - 13 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Freebok (85% Laundry)

THE END 32

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 24 - 10 - 2, fighting out of London, Victor Sharp!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 23 - 13 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ludvig Ericsson!
The judges for this bout are Donald Grub, James Glass and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sharp thuds his right hand into Ericsson's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Ericsson misses with a body shot.
Sharp appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Sharp throws a body shot but no joy.
Ericsson swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Sharp counters with a nice uppercut.

Ericsson closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Sharp quickly recovers to half guard.
Ericsson missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ericsson content to control rather than advance.
Sharp wants to get back to full guard.
Ericsson working Sharp over with strikes.
Ericsson missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Ericsson wants to take a breather but Sharp is having none of it.
Sharp's coaches at have been working on his defensive grappling in preparation for this fight so let's see if he can get out of this tricky position.
Ericsson not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sharp is controlling Ericsson's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Ericsson thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Sharp's head.
Ericsson is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Sharp is trying to get back to full guard.
Ericsson looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Ericsson is keen to just control but Sharp is a slippery customer.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Sharp blocking the ground and pound attempt from Ericsson.
Sharp on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Ericsson takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Ericsson working over Sharp with some ground and pound. Sharp looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Ericsson stalling.
Sharp wants to get back to his feet.
Ericsson throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Sharp won't allow Ericsson to pass to mount.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Sharp throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A left lands for Ericsson.

It looks like Victor Sharp has been cut.
Sharp bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A quick step to the side and Sharp tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Ericsson throws a lazy uppercut
and Sharp counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Sharp defending well as Ericsson loads up on a big left hand.
Victor Sharp seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ericsson uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Sharp.
Sharp misses with an attempted mid kick.
Ericsson misses with a low kick.
Ericsson misses with a leg kick.
Sharp is looking to counter punch.
Ericsson connects with a leg kick. Sharp looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Ericsson throws a right hand that misses
and Sharp counters with a right hand to the body.
Ericsson throws a push kick but Sharp slaps the foot to one side.
Sharp works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Sharp cracks Ericsson with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Sharp fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.

That's four 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!
Sharp connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Ericsson throws a big shot that misses.
Sharp lands a jab to the nose.
Ericsson checks a low kick from Sharp.
Ericsson misses with a hook.
Sharp throws a big shot that misses.

Ericsson dives in and scores a takedown into Sharp's guard.
Ericsson chips away with some ground and pound.
Ericsson working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Sharp keeping moving, preventing Ericsson from controlling successfully.
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 Victor Sharp will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Victor Sharp's cut.
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.

Ericsson shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Ericsson was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Sharp really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Ericsson throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Sharp works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.
Ludvig Ericsson has got the better of the ground game so far.
Ericsson is keen to just control but Sharp is a slippery customer.
Ericsson is nestled in close to Sharp, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sharp avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Ericsson.
Ericsson stalling away here and it's allowed Sharp to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Ericsson trying to control the position from guard on top but Sharp is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ericsson tries to free his leg and advance position but Sharp is retaining full guard.
Ericsson stands up over Sharp, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Ericsson looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Ericsson wants to control from the top but Sharp keeps moving.
Ericsson might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Sharp haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Ericsson is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Ericsson scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sharp preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Ericsson working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Ericsson lands with a shot to the body.
Sharp looks to land a right hand but Ericsson moved out of range.
Ericsson waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Sharp.
Sharp scores with a punch to the head.
Victor Sharp is winning the standup battle so far.
Ericsson takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

Ericsson looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sharp regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Ericsson.
Ericsson is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Ericsson wants to control from the top but Sharp keeps moving.
Ericsson landing some decent shots from guard.
Ericsson postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Ericsson is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Ericsson seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Sharp will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Ericsson throws a strike but Sharp rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Ericsson wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Ericsson is trying to keep Sharp in close.
Ericsson wants to improve his position but instead Sharp has moved into half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ericsson wants to control the action here but instead Sharp manages to pass to full 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 Victor Sharp will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Victor Sharp's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Sharp takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Sharp tried to score with a low kick but Ericsson checks it.
Ericsson feints the counter takedown.
Sharp is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Ericsson gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Sharp.
Ericsson throws a leg kick that is checked
enabling Sharp to counter with a crisp jab.
Ericsson lands with a kick to the ribs.
Ericsson is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Ericsson throws a push kick but Sharp slaps the foot to one side.
Ericsson steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sharp.
Sharp throws a leg kick but Ericsson sees it coming and moves out of range.
Sharp takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Sharp fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ericsson manages to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ericsson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Sharp fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Ericsson has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Sharp is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
The fighters circling - Sharp throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Sharp slips a straight right by Ericsson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Ericsson misses the target.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Sharp 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 Ericsson has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Ericsson and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Sharp misses with a few strikes there.
Sharp throws an off balance right hand
and Ericsson counters with a nice low kick that buckles Sharp's knee momentarily.
Ericsson with a hook.
Ericsson connects with a solid leg kick.
Sharp rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Ericsson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A big left from Ericsson misses.
Sharp takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Ericsson ducks under a wild hook from Sharp.
Ericsson throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Ericsson chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Sharp looks to land a left hand but Ericsson moved out of range nicely.
Ericsson slips under a jab.
Ludvig Ericsson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ericsson takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Sharp displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Ericsson throws out the jab.
Sharp uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Ericsson.
Ericsson misses with a low kick.
Ericsson with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Ericsson shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sharp but Sharp pushes him off and we're back to square one.
A jab from Sharp misses.
Sharp steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Ericsson.
Sharp looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Nice sprawl there from Sharp as Ericsson shoots in.
Ericsson keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sharp jabs at Ericsson's body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sharp throws a head kick that misses.
Ericsson gets cracked there but stands up to it.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sharp. That's going to slow Ericsson down.
Sharp looks to land a right hand but Ericsson moved out of range.
Sharp avoids the head kick by Ericsson.
Sharp fires out a quick counter leg kick but Ericsson just manages to avoid it.
Sharp tries to land a leg kick but Ericsson saw it coming and moves away.
Ericsson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Sharp.
Sharp throws a low kick, looking for Ericsson's leg but Ericsson calmly moves out of range.
An inside leg kick lands from Sharp.
Sharp keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Sharp misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ericsson.
Ericsson changes levels for a counter takedown but doesn't follow through with his attempt.
Ericsson scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sharp keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Ericsson just misses with a punch to the body.
Sharp keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Sharp throws a wild body kick that Ericsson sees coming a mile off.
Sharp moves away from the strike by Ericsson.
Sharp uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sharp avoids the body shot from Ericsson.
Ericsson with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Sharp throws a leg kick

and Ericsson counters with a nice double leg into side control. Sharp won't be happy with that.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sharp is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Ericsson asserts his dominance and retains side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sharp trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Ludvig Ericsson.
I think Sharp 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 Donald Grub scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 29:28
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Victor Sharp!
An out of breath Victor Sharp thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.