PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Lyman Shaw (ranked 6164 p4p, 0 weight class) and Lester John Mate Jr (ranked 25439 p4p, 0 weight class). Lester John Mate Jr told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Shaw
vs
John Mate Jr

197 cm
18
150 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

174 cm
18
142 lbs
0 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Counter fighter
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Lyman Shaw!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Lester John Mate Jr!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Bishop, Paul Tew and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shaw shoots in looking for a takedown but Mate Jr manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Shaw's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Shaw dives in for a single leg takedown but Mate Jr sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.

Mate Jr moves into the clinch.

Mate Jr's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Mate Jr throws a right and a left that both miss.

Shaw darts in and clinches Mate Jr up against the cage.
Shaw is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Mate Jr to keep the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lyman Shaw. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Mate Jr is working for takedown but Shaw is calmly controlling the position for now.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Shaw is trying to pull guard but Mate Jr has him pressed against the cage.
Mate Jr is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Mate Jr has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shaw tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Shaw jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Mate Jr walks away with a smile on his face. Shaw gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Mate Jr gets a double leg takedown into Shaw's guard.
Mate Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Shaw is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Shaw looking to control.
Shaw is breathing heavily.
Mate Jr pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Shaw is keeping the position for now.
Shaw is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Mate Jr stands up over Shaw, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.

Shaw is working an open guard so Mate Jr takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
A nice inside leg kick there by Mate Jr. That's going to slow Shaw down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mate Jr throws a one two combo.
Shaw with a lazy takedown attempt

and Mate Jr counters with a shoot takedown. Shaw fights it but they end up in guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Shaw working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Mate Jr doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Mate Jr manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Mate Jr works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Shaw trying to control but Mate Jr postures up.
Shaw wants to get back to his feet.
Mate Jr moves nicely into side control.

Mate Jr stands up and beckons Shaw to his feet.

Mate Jr moves into range and clinches up with Shaw.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mate Jr gets control of Shaw's arms and successfully pulls guard. Mate Jr will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Shaw drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Mate Jr dives on top into guard.

The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mate Jr controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Mate Jr is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Mate Jr stopping the sweep attempt from Shaw.

Mate Jr decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Shaw, up you get!

Mate Jr feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Shaw trying to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shaw can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Mate Jr controls the pace.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Mate Jr stands up and waves to Shaw to follow him.
Shaw really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Shaw tries a head kick but it misses.
Mate Jr tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Shaw defends well and Mate Jr ends up having to push Shaw into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Mate Jr throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Mate Jr shoots in looking for a takedown. Shaw tries to sprawl out of it but Mate Jr keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Shaw manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lester John Mate Jr dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Shaw shoots in for a takedown but Mate Jr shows good takedown defense.
Mate Jr lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Shaw avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Mate Jr tries a head kick but it misses.
Shaw misses with a jab, cross combination.
Mate Jr lands a high kick!
Lyman Shaw is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Shaw lands a jab to Mate Jr's midsection.
Mate Jr tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Shaw manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mate Jr rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Shaw moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Shaw fails with an attempt to clinch.
Mate Jr is breathing heavily.
Mate Jr keeps the fight on the outside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mate Jr fails with a takedown attempt.

Shaw fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Mate Jr, pushing him back against the cage.
Mate Jr misses with a body punch.
Mate Jr misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Shaw.
Shaw jumps guard but Mate Jr stands there with Shaw around his waist. Shaw gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Mate Jr manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shaw controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Mate Jr keeping moving, preventing Shaw from controlling successfully.

Shaw got a little sloppy there for a moment and Mate Jr has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Shaw has managed to get both his arms back between Mate Jr's legs - danger averted.
Shaw showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Shaw seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Mate Jr for as long as he can get away with.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Shaw accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Shaw stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Mate Jr misses with a head kick.
Shaw seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.

Shaw moves into the clinch.

Mate Jr pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Shaw doesn't manage to clinch there - Mate Jr circles away.

Mate Jr tries to keep at a distance but Shaw has taken the fight into the clinch.
Mate Jr tries to break free but Shaw pushes him back against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shaw tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Mate Jr smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lyman Shaw. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shaw tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Mate Jr manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Mate Jr is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Shaw tries to close the distance and clinch up but Mate Jr swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Shaw misses with a double jab.
Shaw tries to bum rush Mate Jr with a series of wild strikes but Mate Jr uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Mate Jr buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Shaw throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A combination from Mate Jr does no damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Lester John Mate Jr will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Shaw closes the distance and clinches.
Shaw doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Mate Jr fails to pull guard.
Mate Jr tries a body shot but Shaw blocks it.

Mate Jr breaks from the clinch.
Shaw shoots in for a double leg but Mate Jr sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Shaw avoids the head kick by Mate Jr.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mate Jr doesn't manage to clinch there - Shaw circles away.
Mate Jr takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Shaw shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Mate Jr as he avoids it easily.
Mate Jr throws a series of punches but Shaw avoids them all with ease.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shaw tries to close the distance and clinch up but Mate Jr swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Shaw throws a push kick but Mate Jr slaps the foot to one side.
Shaw tries to clinch there but Mate Jr circles away.
Mate Jr's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Mate Jr duly obliges.
Shaw tries to clinch but Mate Jr moves out of range.
Shaw connects with a high kick.
Mate Jr tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Mate Jr shoots for a takedown but Shaw saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Shaw throws a big counter combination but Mate Jr scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Mate Jr swats away the attempt to clinch by Shaw.
Despite the aggression on Mate Jr's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shaw is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
A low kick from Mate Jr is predictable there
and Shaw counters with a right hand to the body.

Shaw bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Shaw tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

Shaw is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Mate Jr has escaped the position, nice work there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shaw is trying to ground and pound but Mate Jr uses the momentary lack of control by Shaw to regain half guard.
Mate Jr is looking to improve his position.

Shaw is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Shaw throwing shots but Mate Jr is blocking nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Shaw trying to control from half guard but Mate Jr is working away.
Mate Jr tries to roll over but Shaw keeps him under control.
Shaw slows the pace down in half guard.
Mate Jr has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

Shaw is looking for a kimura but Mate Jr is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Shaw to get the leverage.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Mate Jr makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Mate Jr.

Mate Jr has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Shaw off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lester John Mate Jr comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Mate Jr winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Daniel Bishop scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 27:30
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lester John Mate Jr!