PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Tiaoali Lvavatai (ranked 840 p4p, 1465 weight class) and Tico Tico (ranked 61 p4p, 108 weight class). Lvavatai comes to the cage accompanied by You Can Get It If You Really Want. Tico has chosen Paco De Lucia - Tico Tico as his entrance music. Tiaoali Lvavatai has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Lvavatai
vs
Tico

171 cm
30
144
15 - 13 - 1

163 cm
28
139
18 - 11 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Northern Zombie

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tiaoali Lvavatai !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tico Tico!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, James Ackerman and Paul Tew.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lvavatai throws a jab when Tico was well out of range.
Lvavatai throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Tico loads up on a big right hand but Lvavatai slips the punch.
Tico throws a body shot but no joy.
Tico lands a nice looking body shot.
Tico digs a good body shot into Lvavatai 's ribs.
Tico throws a jab when Lvavatai was well out of range.
Lvavatai throwing a counter right hand but Tico manages to avoid it.
Tico Tico seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Lvavatai takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
We've been hearing reports that Lvavatai has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Lvavatai swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Lvavatai fails to land with a series of punches.
Lvavatai avoids the body shot from Tico.
Tico throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Lvavatai moves out of range as Tico throws a body kick.
Tico is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Lvavatai rather than just go for the knockout.
Nice defenses there by Tico.
Lvavatai missing with a left hand there. Tico was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Tico looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Tico smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lvavatai will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Lvavatai blocks a head kick by Tico.
Lvavatai throws a jab when Tico was well out of range.
Lvavatai scores with a one two! Tico had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

It looks like Tico Tico has been cut.
Lvavatai throws a jab when Tico was well out of range.
Lvavatai cracks Tico with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Tico checks a leg kick.
Lvavatai throws a left and a right that both miss
enabling Tico to counter with a crisp jab.
A slapping body kick lands there for Tico.
Tico lands a slapping body shot.
Lvavatai rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Tico counters with a lovely shot to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tico uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lvavatai .
Tico misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lvavatai .
Tico lands a glancing blow to the side of Lvavatai 's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tico wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Lvavatai throws a big shot that misses.
Lvavatai slips under a jab.
Tico slips a straight right by Lvavatai .
Tico throws a lazy uppercut
and Lvavatai counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Tico rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Lvavatai counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tico connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Lvavatai 's hands.
Lvavatai steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Tico.
Tico looks to land a right hand but Lvavatai moved out of range.
Tico thuds a left hand into Lvavatai 's body.
Tico throws a leg kick
and Lvavatai counters with a slapping leg kick.
Lvavatai scores with a nice head shot.
Tico moves away from the strike by Lvavatai .
A nice combination there by Lvavatai .
Lvavatai throws a hook but Tico blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tico looks to land a right hand but Lvavatai moved out of range.
Tico throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Lvavatai appears to be looking for a big counter.
Lvavatai dodges the punch combination from Tico.
Tico displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lvavatai throws out the jab.
Tico ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Tico misses with a left hand
and Lvavatai counters with a nice uppercut.
Tico lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Lvavatai throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Tico avoids a punch combination nicely.
A little jabbing left from Tico on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Lvavatai takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Lvavatai scores with a jab.
Lvavatai misses with a low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lvavatai throws a lazy uppercut
and Tico counters with a series of strikes. Lvavatai will be more careful next time no doubt.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The crowd cheers as Tico lands an impressive looking overhand right. Lvavatai doesn't seem phased though.
Tico throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.

It looks like Tiaoali Lvavatai has been cut.
Tico misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tico scores with the left hand. Lvavatai knows he should have avoided that one.
Lvavatai scores with a hook.
Tico throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Lvavatai .
The fighters circle momentarily. Tico darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Tico is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Lvavatai .
Lvavatai takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Tico on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Lvavatai throws a right hand that misses
and Tico counters with a straight right hand.
Tico lands a nice shot that snaps Lvavatai 's head back.
Tico scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tico Tico dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
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.

Tico moves out of range of the strikes.
Tico scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lvavatai doesn't seem bothered though.
Lvavatai keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tico.
Lvavatai was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Tico throws the left hand but Lvavatai avoids the punch easily.
Lvavatai swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A jab from Tico finds it's way through Lvavatai 's defenses.
Tico misses with a right hand
letting Lvavatai counter with a right hand.
Lvavatai has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Tico.
Tico lands a nice looking body shot.
Lvavatai misses with an uppercut.
Tico walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Tico jabs at Lvavatai 's body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tico lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Tico moves away from the strike by Lvavatai .
A little jabbing left from Tico on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Tico misses with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tico misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Tico throws a jab but it's blocked by Lvavatai .
Tico scores with a nice right hand.
Good exchange - Tico coming out on top.
A jab lands there for Lvavatai .
Tico ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Lvavatai moves away.
A little feinted left hand from Lvavatai on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Tico connects with a single shot there.
Tico looks for the body kick but Lvavatai saw that one coming.
Lvavatai throwing a counter right hand but Tico manages to avoid it.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Lvavatai , as that shot connected.
Tico connects with a right hand. Lvavatai shakes it off.
Lvavatai takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Lvavatai throws an overhand right that lands on Tico's shoulder, as Tico tries to avoid the shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Lvavatai moves out of range of the body kick.
Lvavatai went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Lvavatai takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lvavatai throws a head kick that misses.
Tico appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Lvavatai checks a leg kick nicely.
Tico throws a low kick, looking for Lvavatai 's leg but Lvavatai calmly moves out of range.
Tico misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Lvavatai .
Tico ducks under a wild hook from Lvavatai .
Lvavatai throws an off balance right hand
and Tico counters with a right hand to the body.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Lvavatai might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.
Tico throws a hook but Lvavatai avoids it easily.
Lvavatai misses the jab.
Tico scores with a spinning back kick!
A good leg kick by Tico.
Tico swings for the body but Lvavatai moves out of range.
Lvavatai looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
A low kick lands for Tico.
Lvavatai walks forward, straight into a front kick from Tico.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lvavatai misses with an uppercut. Tico saw that one coming.
Tico now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Lvavatai moves out of range of the body kick.
Tico scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Decent striking displayed by Tico there.
Tico throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A punch lands to the side of Lvavatai 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Tico misses with a combination
and Lvavatai counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Tico throws a good cross that connects.
Tico looks to land a right hand but Lvavatai moved out of range.
Tico swings for the body but Lvavatai moves out of range.
Lvavatai is looking to counter punch.
Tico walks into a jab.
Lvavatai looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Tico works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Lvavatai cracks Tico with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A jab lands there for Tico.
Tico thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Lvavatai if he has to take too many more of those.
Tico feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Lvavatai s jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Tiaoali Lvavatai is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Tico goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Tico throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Lvavatai throws a right hand that Tico ducks under and follows up with a left that Tico also avoids with ease.
Tico throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Lvavatai is looking to counter punch.
Tico swings for the body but Lvavatai moves out of range.
Lvavatai avoids a kick to the body.
Lvavatai slips a jab from Tico.
Tico moves out of range as Lvavatai strikes.
Lvavatai swinging wildly here.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Tico misses with an uppercut
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
letting Lvavatai counter with a right hand.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tico Tico showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's time! Lvavatai 's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Lvavatai misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tico throws a head kick that misses
and Lvavatai counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tico has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Lvavatai has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Tico.
Tico tries a head kick but it misses.
Tico uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Lvavatai .
Tico uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Lvavatai has time to react.
A big right from Lvavatai misses.
Tico throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Lvavatai sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Tico misses with a kick to the body.
Lvavatai takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Lvavatai moves away from the strike by Tico.
Lvavatai went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Lvavatai connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Tico misses with a hook to the body
and Lvavatai counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A jab from Tico misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lvavatai misses the jab.
Tico takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Lvavatai uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Tico.
Tico defending well as Lvavatai loads up on a big left hand.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Lvavatai .
Lvavatai throws a wild body kick that Tico sees coming a mile off.
Tico scores with a body shot.
Tico ducks right into an uppercut from Lvavatai .
Lvavatai lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Lvavatai checks a leg kick.
It looked like Lvavatai wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Tico cracks Lvavatai with a good jab.
Tico displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Lvavatai throws out the jab.
Lvavatai takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice shot by Tico.
Tico Tico seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tico scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Tico takes one to the side of the head.
Lvavatai throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Tico makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Tico looks for the body kick but Lvavatai saw that one coming.
Tico misses with an attempted mid kick.
Lvavatai is looking for a counter combo.
Tico changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
A big left from Lvavatai misses.
Nice cross by Tico.
Tico throws a lazy right hand but Lvavatai sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Lvavatai throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Tico.
Lvavatai moves away from the strike by Tico.
Tico takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
A punch combination from Tico misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tico uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Lvavatai .
Tico steps in looking to counter with the mid kick but it doesn't connect.
Lvavatai takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Tico throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Lvavatai counters with a straight right hand.
Tico misses with a shot to the body
and Lvavatai connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Tico rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Lvavatai connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Tico is rocked!
Lvavatai misses with a head kick.
Tico scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Lvavatai will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Tico scores with a jab.
Tico tries a low kick but Lvavatai avoids it.
Tico throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Tico throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Lvavatai falls off balance throwing a combination
and Tico makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tico connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice defenses there by Tico.
Lvavatai moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Donk. Tico catches Lvavatai right on the button with a cross.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Tico.
Good leg kick by Lvavatai .
Tico pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Tico blocks a head kick by Lvavatai .
Tico defending well as Lvavatai loads up on a big left hand.
A left lands for Tico.
Both fighters circling a little - Tico finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Lvavatai throws the left hand but Tico avoids the punch easily.
Tiaoali Lvavatai has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Tico Tico is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Lvavatai looks to land a left hand but Tico moved out of range nicely.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Tico Tico.
Well Tico has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Fotheringham scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tico Tico!
After the fight, Tico Tico was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.