PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Phil Halls (ranked 5673 p4p, 498 weight class) and Alex Oliver (ranked 3774 p4p, 383 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Halls
vs
Oliver

183 cm
18
185 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

178 cm
25
177 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Solid 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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Phil Halls!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alex Oliver!
The judges for this bout are Ivan Kurochkin, Sergei Dronov and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Oliver stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Oliver wants it to stay on the feet.

Oliver has Halls up against the cage in a clinch.

Halls decides to pull guard.
Halls keeping moving, preventing Oliver from controlling successfully.
Halls on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Halls tries to get out of the position.
Halls is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

Oliver stands up from Halls's guard - Oliver perhaps looking for a knockout.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Halls goes for a double leg but Oliver avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Oliver continues to drive forward.
Oliver dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Oliver moves into range and connects with a jab.

It looks like Phil Halls has been cut.
Halls with a lazy takedown attempt
and Oliver counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Phil Halls. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halls misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
The fight stays on the outside here - Oliver looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A punch lands to the side of Halls 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Halls has been working on his balance at Pugilists and Grapplers Gym, so perhaps that has help him stuff some of the takedown attempts by Oliver.
Oliver tries to clinch but Halls moves out of range.
Oliver wants to clinch.

Oliver rushes Halls and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halls misses with a short punch on the inside.
Oliver tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Oliver is looking to take this one to the mat.
Oliver tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Halls drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Oliver tries to pull guard but Halls won't allow it.
Oliver lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Oliver looking for a takedown.
Oliver connects with a knee to the head.
Halls wants to get back to striking at distance but Oliver won't allow it.
Halls working hard to break the clinch.
Oliver is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Oliver lands an elbow inside that Halls shrugs off.

Oliver jumps into guard, dragging Halls to the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halls controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Oliver looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Halls pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Oliver is keeping the position for now.

Oliver is looking for a triangle but Halls pushes his legs off easily.
Halls looking to pass the guard.
Halls wants to control from the top but Oliver keeps moving.

Oliver working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Halls doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Halls manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Halls throws a big right hand that misses.
Halls has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

Oliver is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Oliver looking for a guillotine here but Halls defends easily.
Oliver looks winded!

Oliver looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Halls passes into half guard.
Halls is pressing down on Oliver's thigh, looking to free his foot. Oliver is holding on for now.
Oliver looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Oliver actively working from the bottom here.
Oliver trying to control from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alex Oliver dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Phil Halls's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Oliver keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Halls's efforts to push away.
A shot in the inside from Oliver.
Oliver fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Halls throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Oliver connects with a nasty looking knee right to Halls's face.
Halls jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Oliver walks away with a smile on his face. Halls gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Oliver fails with an attempt to clinch.
Decent striking displayed by Oliver there.
Phil Halls seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Oliver tries to close the distance and clinch but Halls swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Oliver doesn't manage to clinch there - Halls circles away.
Oliver jabs at Halls's body.
Oliver connects with a nice looking jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halls shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Oliver counters with a low kick, right behind Halls 's knee.
Oliver tries to close the distance and clinch but Halls swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Halls closes the distance and pushes Oliver back into the cage.
Oliver scores with a shot to the side of Halls's head.
Halls is trying to break the clinch but Oliver is controlling him.
Oliver throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Halls blocks it with crossed arms.
Halls is trying to pull guard but Oliver turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Phil Halls. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Halls wants to take the fight to the mat but Oliver manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Oliver misses with a knee strike.
Halls is pushing Oliver up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Oliver looking to slow down the pace here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Oliver just misses with a elbow thrown towards Halls's brow.

Oliver breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Halls looks for a takedown but Oliver sprawls well.
Halls swats away the attempt to clinch by Oliver.
Halls avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Halls misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Halls tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Oliver defends well and Halls ends up having to push Oliver into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Halls fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Oliver is out of range.
Halls tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Oliver stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Oliver wants it to stay on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Halls moves into the clinch.
Halls stops a takedown attempt from Oliver.
Oliver scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Oliver misses with a knee to the head.
Halls struggles to land a body shot inside as Oliver controls his hands.
Oliver misses with a knee to the head.
Oliver fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A short right from Oliver on the inside.
Halls drops down looking for an ankle pick but Oliver pulls his leg out and moves away.
Alex Oliver seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Oliver leaves Halls with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

Halls gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Halls wants to break free but Oliver has control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halls tries to pull guard but Oliver holds him up against the cage and eventually Halls drops back down to his feet.
Halls takes a shot to the head.

Oliver drops Halls with a big knee straight up the middle! Halls is covering up against the cage but manages to escape and gets back to his feet!

Halls is rocked!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Halls shoots and misses
and Oliver counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Halls thinking.
Oh Halls is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

Oliver instigates a clinch.
Halls misses with the head strike.
Halls seems to have got his legs back now.

Oliver breaks from the clinch.

Halls has taken the fight to the clinch.
Halls tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Oliver working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Halls takes an elbow to the forehead.

Phil Halls's cut is getting worse.
Halls stalling.
Halls misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Oliver.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alex Oliver showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Phil Halls'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. This is the final round!

Halls misses with a double jab
and Oliver counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Oliver avoids a punch combination nicely.

Oliver has closed the distance and engaged Halls in a clinch.
Oliver misses with a knee to the head.

Halls gets control of Oliver's arms and successfully pulls guard. Halls will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Halls tries to land a sweep but no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Oliver makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

Oliver drops back looking for a leg! Halls is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Halls manages to kick Oliver off! Oliver jumps back into Halls's guard.

Halls looking for subs off his back but Oliver has passed one foot through into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Oliver is trying for a kimura here. Halls looks like he's in a lot of pain... and he's tapping out! Oliver wins by kimura!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:31 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Alex Oliver!