PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Evil Dead (ranked 1395 p4p, 181 weight class) and Tom Harper (ranked 1155 p4p, 147 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Dead
vs
Harper

185 cm
21
175 lbs
7 - 0 - 0

181 cm
21
175 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Solid Muay Thai
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 7 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Evil Dead!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Tom Harper!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fray, Jeff Smith and Roger Salmon.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Harper throws out a loose jab but Dead uses good head movement to avoid it.
An attempted straight right counter from Dead misses the target.
Dead throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Dead misses with a wild body shot.
Dead on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Tom Harper seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Dead misses with an uppercut. Harper saw that one coming.
Dead steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Harper.
Dead loads up on a big right hand but Harper slips the punch.
Dead misses with a looping right.
Harper cracks a nice hook into Dead's ribs.
Harper swings and misses with a hook to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harper on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Harper is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Dead blocks a jab.
Harper moves out of range as Dead strikes.
Dead uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Harper.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dead throws a series of strikes that have Harper backpedaling.
Harper staying out of range there.
Harper misses with a takedown attempt - Dead sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Dead.
Harper lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
A jab from Dead misses.
Harper throws a shot from downtown. Dead moves away and avoids it.
Harper rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Dead counters with a left to the body.
Harper uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Dead.
Dead with a nice cross.
Harper fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Harper misses the target.
Dead looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Dead uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Harper has time to react.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Harper misses with a right hand
and Dead counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Dead connects with an inside leg kick.
Jab by Dead.
Dead throws a combination that misses

and Harper counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Dead has control of Harper's left arm, preventing Harper from doing any damage.
Dead keeping moving, preventing Harper from controlling successfully.
Harper is working Dead over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Harper being controlled here momentarily.
Dead is trying to control the position but Harper postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dead working a defensive guard but Harper manages to pass into side control anyway.
Harper has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Dead is trying to get back to half guard.
Harper tries to move to mount but Dead blocks the move with his legs.
Harper grinds an elbow into Dead's temple.
Dead tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Harper wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Harper grinds an elbow into Dead's temple.
Dead is trying to improve his position.
Harper scores with punches from side control.
Harper looks up at the clock and then as Dead takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Harper smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Harper wants to control but Dead is keeping him busy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Harper working the ground and pound.

Harper tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Harper has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Dead tries to buck Harper off but Harper is having none of it.
Harper scores with punches from side control.
Harper cracks Dead with a big right hand but Dead just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Check out the look on Harper's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Harper trying to control the action but Dead is working from the bottom.
Dead wants to control but Harper postures up.
Dead on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Dead tries to get out of the position.
Dead is trying to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Tom Harper will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

The fight stays on the outside here - Harper looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Harper looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Dead moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
A big left from Harper misses.
Harper misses with a wild body shot.
Evil Dead is winning the standup battle so far.
Harper scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harper throws a jab but it's blocked by Dead.
Dead throws out a loose jab but Harper uses good head movement to avoid it.
Some bone on bone action there as Harper checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Dead misses with the combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dead on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Harper throws a lazy right hand but Dead sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Dead tried to score with a low kick but Harper checks it.
Harper lands with an overhand left.
Harper looks to land a left hand but Dead moved out of range nicely.
Harper looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Harper swings widly with a right hand
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Harper throws an off balance right hand
and Dead makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Harper closes the distance looking to clinch
and Dead cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dead works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Nice cross by Dead.
Harper fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Dead manages to avoid it.
Harper throws a hook to the side of Dead's head but Dead sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Harper tries to clinch up
and Dead counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Harper sizes up Dead with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Harper will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Evil Dead has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tom Harper.
Harper fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Dead avoids it really well and circles away.
Harper has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Dead finds it's way round the side to connect with Harper's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dead punishes Harper's body with a nice straight punch.
An inside leg kick from Dead misses.
Harper closes the distance but Dead moves to the side
letting Dead counter with a right hand.
Harper fails with the takedown
and Dead counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Harper tries for a takedown but Dead sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Harper scores with a jab to the jaw.
Dead circles away from the clinch attempt.
Harper throws out a loose jab but Dead uses good head movement to avoid it.
Harper throws an off balance right hand
and Dead counters with a right hand to the body.
Evil Dead is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
An inside leg kick from Dead misses.
Dead throws a lazy right hand but Harper sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Dead ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Harper throws a hook but Dead avoids it easily.
Dead throwing a counter right hand but Harper manages to avoid it.
Harper misses with a hook
and Dead cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Dead connects with a good right hand that stumbles Harper. Harper circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Harper tries to clinch but Dead moves out of range.
Harper throws an off balance right hand
and Dead counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Harper looks to land a left hand but Dead moved out of range nicely.
Harper tries to clinch but Dead moves out of range.
Harper shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Dead defends it nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Evil Dead dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Harper misses with a left hand
and Dead counters with a straight right hand.
Dead lands with a hook. Harper tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Harper blocks a jab.
Harper tries to close the distance and clinch up but Dead swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Harper takes one to the chin there.
Harper throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A little feinted left hand from Dead on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Dead slips a jab from Harper.
Dead uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Harper.
Harper connects with a right hand. Dead shakes it off.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Harper shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Harper might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Dead darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Harper takes one on the button.
Harper bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Dead's head backwards.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harper shoots in but no luck this time.
Harper rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Dead counters with a right hand to the body.
Dead throws a combination. Harper tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Harper throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Dead on the side of the head.
Harper shoots and misses
and Dead makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Evil Dead has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Tom Harper.
Harper takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Dead lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Dead avoids the body shot from Harper.
Dead is looking to counter punch.
Harper walks into a left hand.
Dead throws a big shot that misses.
Harper shoots and misses
and Dead counters with a straight right hand.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Dead connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Harper connects with a single shot there.
Dead uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dead lunges at Harper with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Harper's hand.
Harper loads up on a big right hand but Dead slips the punch.
Harper shoots in for a double leg but Dead sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Dead connects with the punch.
Dead avoids the body shot from Harper.
Dead is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Harper.
Dead circles away from the clinch attempt.
Dead ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Harper takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Harper uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Dead.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Harper is defended easily by Dead.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harper wants to clinch.
Dead works Harper's body with a nice hook.
Dead lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Harper backs up against the cage.
Harper takes a swing at Dead's ribcage but misses.
Dead is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Harper can do to turn this around?
Dead cracks Harper with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
A jab from Dead does it's job there.
Harper ducks under a wild hook from Dead.
Dead connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Dead.
Dead misses with a looping right.
Harper misses with a body shot.
Harper fails with the takedown
and Dead cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Harper shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Dead counters with a stiff right hand.
Harper has his takedown stuffed
and Dead counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Nice shot by Dead.
Dead scores with a punch to the head.
Harper throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Dead appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Evil Dead showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Dead 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 Colin Fray scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jeff Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Roger Salmon scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Evil Dead!
A very excited looking Evil Dead rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.