PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Patrick Willis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mantis Pierce (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Willis
vs
Pierce

190 cm
21
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

183 cm
23
216 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Patrick Willis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Mantis Pierce!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Willis throws a left and a right that both miss
and Pierce counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Willis with a hook.
Pierce throws a head kick that misses.

Pierce tries to keep at a distance but Willis has taken the fight into the clinch.
Pierce keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Willis's efforts to push away.

Pierce manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Willis sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Pierce's guard.
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!
Pierce is controlling Willis's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Willis not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Willis wants to lay and pray for a moment but Pierce keeps working.
Pierce is trying to maintain the position but Willis is very close to passing his half guard.
Pierce wants to get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters are battling for position here. Pierce manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Willis showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

Willis gets to his feet - Pierce follows without any prompting.
Pierce tries to score with a low kick but Willis moves his leg out of the way.

Willis scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Pierce sneaks back into half guard.
Willis content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Pierce wants to control but Willis is keeping busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Willis controlling the pace.
Pierce is trying to get back to full guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Willis wants to control but Pierce is keeping him busy.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Patrick Willis wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Pierce looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Pierce tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Willis paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Patrick Willis seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Willis fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Pierce takes a swing at Willis's ribcage but misses.
Willis lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Willis.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pierce stuffs the takedown attempt from Willis. Willis gets slowly back to his feet.
Willis misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Willis tests Pierce's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Willis avoids the head kick by Pierce.
Pierce looks gassed!
Some wild striking there from Willis.
Willis scores with a one two! Pierce had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Willis swinging wildly here.
Willis shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Pierce eats them both and turns towards Willis to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pierce shoots for a double leg takedown but Willis sprawls well. He's pushed Pierce's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Pierce showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Willis.
Pierce shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Willis as he avoids it easily.
Willis moves in looking to clinch but Pierce pushes him off.
Willis fails with the takedown.
Willis throws a right and a left that both miss.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Willis!
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!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Willis scores a takedown into full mount!
Pierce is desperately trying to improve his position but Willis has a good base and remains in mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Patrick Willis dominated that round.
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.

Willis closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Pierce quickly recovers to half guard.
Willis looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Willis stops Pierce from getting back to his feet.
Willis is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Pierce should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Willis is looking to take a break and control but Pierce is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Patrick Willis has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Willis is looking to clinch.
Patrick Willis is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Willis avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Willis lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Willis.
Willis scores with a nice head shot.
Willis lands a nice hook to Pierce's body. Pierce takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Willis throws a series of punches but Pierce moves out of range.
Pierce takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Pierce leaves Willis with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

Willis feints and as Pierce raises his hands in defense, Willis changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Pierce trying to keep a closed guard but Willis is proving a slippery customer.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Pierce bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Willis's guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pierce's corner is telling him to maintain position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Pierce stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Willis swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Willis trying to keep a closed guard but Pierce is proving a slippery customer.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Pierce leaves Willis with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Pierce fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Pierce throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Willis's waist but Willis gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Pierce off to one side.

Pierce has taken the fight to the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Willis is looking for a takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Patrick Willis. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Willis wants to break the clinch but can't.
Pierce prevents a takedown attempt there.

Pierce pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Willis with a lazy takedown attempt
and Pierce counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Willis is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Pierce tries to close the distance and clinch up but Willis swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Pierce throws a head kick but Willis moves out of range.
Pierce misses with a body kick.
Willis tries to bum rush Pierce with a series of wild strikes but Pierce uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Willis shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Pierce but Pierce pushes him off and we're back to square one.

Pierce gets a clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pierce lands a shot to the body.
Willis wants a takedown.
Pierce taking a break, stalling in the clinch.

Pierce pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pierce keeps the fight on the outside.
Willis shoots in but no luck this time.
Willis fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
The fight stays on the outside here - Pierce looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Pierce closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
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 Patrick Willis will probably get the nod.
That's time! Willis's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Pierce looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Pierce prevents Willis from standing back up.
Pierce slows the pace down in half guard.
Pierce trying to control from half guard but Willis is working away.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pierce wants to pass to mount but Willis is defending the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Mantis Pierce.
Willis scores with a jab to the jaw.
Willis throws a right hand that Pierce ducks under and follows up with a left that Pierce also avoids with ease.
Pierce moves in looking to clinch but Willis pushes him off.
Willis throws a jab but it's blocked by Pierce.

Willis shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Willis showed some decent athleticism there.
Willis wants to control but Pierce is keeping him busy.
Pierce moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Willis's corner is telling him to maintain position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Pierce manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Willis shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Pierce as he avoids it easily.

Pierce drives through with a takedown into Willis's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Pierce passes into half guard.

Pierce escapes and gets back to his feet.
Pierce misses with a head kick.
Pierce tries to clinch but Willis is having none of it.
Patrick Willis is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A right-left combo lands from Willis.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Willis scoring well with a low kick there.
Sloppy strikes from Willis. Those never looked like landing.
Pierce throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Willis avoids the head kick by Pierce.
Willis scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Willis tries to bum rush Pierce with a series of wild strikes but Pierce uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Pierce misses with a head kick.
Willis closes the distance and clinches up with Pierce, looking for a takedown. Willis pushes Pierce against the cage but Pierce circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Willis misses with a few strikes there.
Pierce closes this distance looking for a takedown but Willis circles away.
Willis lands a lovely overhand right.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Willis shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Willis waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Pierce.

Pierce gets a takedown into half guard.
Willis regains full guard. Nicely done.
Patrick Willis is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Pierce trying to control but Willis is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mantis Pierce comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Willis 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:29
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Patrick Willis!