PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Pit Lord (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matthieu Benoit (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Lord
vs
Benoit

185 cm
19
203 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

185 cm
20
193 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Powerful takedowns
Decent boxing
Powerful

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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Pit Lord!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Matthieu Benoit!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Benoit throws a series of punches but Lord moves out of range.
Benoit fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Lord looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
A big right from Lord misses.
Decent striking displayed by Lord there.

It looks like Matthieu Benoit has been cut.
Benoit tries to score with a low kick but Lord moves his leg out of the way.
Lord misses with a hook. Benoit ducked under it nicely.
Benoit scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Lord doesn't seem bothered though.
Lord is breathing heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Lord gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Benoit trying to control but Lord is working from the bottom.
Benoit wants to pass the guard but Lord is keeping the position.
Benoit is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Benoit stands up over Lord, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit wants to control from the top but Lord keeps moving.
Benoit has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Benoit slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Lord avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Benoit.
Benoit trying to control the action but Lord is working from the bottom.
Benoit with the ground and pound but Lord regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Benoit wants to control but Lord is keeping him busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Benoit controlling the pace.
I looks like Benoit might be adopting somewhat of a lay and pray gameplan here, which I'm sure won't go down too well with the paying fans in attendance... Or the ring announcers come to think of it.
Benoit throws a strike but Lord avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Benoit throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Lord works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Lord utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Benoit missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Lord knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Benoit on the ground.
Lord avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benoit trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Lord is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Benoit uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Lord.
Lord misses with a jab to the body
and Benoit connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

It looks like Pit Lord has been cut.
Pit Lord is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Lord moves out of range of the leg kick from Benoit.
Benoit slips a jab from Lord.
Benoit misses the shot to the body.
Lord throws a big shot that misses.
Benoit throws a right and a left that both miss.
Lord swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Benoit counters with a single leg into guard. Lord didn't expect that.
Benoit passes easily into side control. Nice work.

Benoit working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit wants to lay and pray for a moment but Lord keeps working.
Benoit working the body and head with strikes.
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!
Benoit happy to just control the position for now.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Benoit working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matthieu Benoit 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.

Benoit bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Lord gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Benoit.

Benoit closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
The strikes coming from Benoit are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Benoit trying to control the action but Lord is working from the bottom.

Benoit tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Benoit has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Benoit scores with punches from side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit misses with the ground and pound.
Benoit wants to lay and pray for a moment but Lord keeps working.
Benoit taking a breather here.
Benoit trying to control the action but Lord is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Benoit throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Benoit tries to advance to mount but Lord denies him.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Lord is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Benoit.
Pit Lord seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Benoit slips a straight right by Lord.
Lord misses with a hook. Benoit ducked under it nicely.

Benoit takes the fight into the clinch.

Benoit breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Benoit throws a right hand that Lord ducks under and follows up with a left that Lord also avoids with ease.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benoit swings for the body but Lord moves out of range.
Benoit takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Benoit fails to land with a series of punches.
Lord is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Benoit.
Lord is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Lord misses with an uppercut. Benoit saw that one coming.
Benoit will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Lord lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Lord waving his hands out infront of him, looking to distract Benoit.
Lord throws a looping overhand right but Benoit ducks down to avoid it.
Lord misses with a hook to the body
and Benoit counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Pit Lord's cut is getting worse.
Benoit rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Lord moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Lord slips a jab and a cross from Benoit.
Lord looks to score with a jab to the body but Benoit is just out of range.
Matthieu Benoit seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Benoit displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Lord throws out a loose jab but Benoit uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit moves out of range as Lord strikes.
Benoit takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Benoit ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Lord moves away.
Benoit throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Benoit misses the jab.
Benoit moves into range and connects with a jab.
Some wild striking there from Benoit.
Benoit throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Benoit takes a swing at Lord's ribcage but misses.

Benoit rushes Lord and presses him up against the cage.

Benoit breaks the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Lord misses the shot to the body.
Lord looks to land a left hand but Benoit moved out of range nicely.
Lord avoids a punch combination nicely.
A left and a right from Benoit both land. Nice combination.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matthieu Benoit 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.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Benoit gets a takedown into half guard.
Benoit slows the pace down in half guard.
Lord is in trouble now - Benoit has advanced to mount!
Benoit takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Benoit can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Lord is looking to escape.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Lord because Benoit loaded up on that one.
Lord holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Benoit tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Benoit throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.

Benoit goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Lord turns into him and now he's in Benoit's guard.
Benoit is trying to keep Lord in close.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Lord won't allow Benoit to sweep him here.
Benoit trying to keep a closed guard but Lord is proving a slippery customer.
Lord wants to stand but Benoit is controlling his posture from full guard.
Benoit looking to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Benoit wants to sweep here but Lord controlling him for the moment.
Benoit pulls Lord in close to prevent any damage.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Benoit misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Matthieu Benoit is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Lord shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Lord misses with a straight left.
Benoit scoring well with a low kick there.
Benoit lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Benoit misses with a jab, cross combination.
Benoit throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Lord on the side of the head.
Benoit thumps Lord with a low kick.
Some wild striking there from Benoit.
Matthieu Benoit is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Benoit lands a glancing blow to the side of Lord's head.
Lord misses with an uppercut. Benoit saw that one coming.
Benoit turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Pit Lord has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Benoit goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

Pit Lord's cut is bleeding quite badly. He's got to try and protect it.

Benoit shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Lord manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Benoit is stalling in the full guard.
Benoit has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Let's hope that Benoit has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matthieu Benoit comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Benoit 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matthieu Benoit!