IVT Friday 2 PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Manny Quirez (ranked 24427 p4p, 471 weight class) and Teller McCraw (ranked 6010 p4p, 420 weight class). Manny Quirez has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Quirez
vs
McCraw

150 cm
19
140 lbs
2 - 7 - 0

156 cm
26
156 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Experienced

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

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 2 - 7 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Manny Quirez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Teller McCraw!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Peter Branson and Santiago Holmes.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
McCraw punishes Quirez's body with a nice straight punch.
McCraw's corner calls for a 1-2. McCraw obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
McCraw ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Quirez takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Quirez takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Quirez could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
McCraw keeps the fight on the outside.
Quirez tries to clinch but McCraw moves out of range.
Quirez moves forwards but McCraw connects with a nice, crisp jab.
McCraw catches Quirez with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!

Quirez closes the distance and clinches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Quirez's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
McCraw lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Quirez misses with a hook from the clinch.
Still in the clinch, McCraw scores with a nice short uppercut.
Still in the clinch, McCraw scores with a nice short uppercut.
A short right hand to the side of the head by McCraw.
Nice body punch from McCraw - that landed with a thud.
A nice left hand lands by McCraw.
A short right from McCraw on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McCraw stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Quirez goes for a takedown in the clinch but McCraw prevents it.
McCraw working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Quirez tries to pull guard but McCraw forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Quirez is breathing heavily.
McCraw scores with a nice hook to the head.
McCraw lands with a left to the head.
McCraw lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Quirez's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A short left from McCraw.
Quirez's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A body shot lands from McCraw.
McCraw makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
McCraw lands a left hand.

Quirez is rocked!
McCraw lands with a right to the head.
Oh Quirez is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

McCraw drops Quirez onto one knee with a big uppercut from the clinch! Quirez is propped up by the cage and works his way back to his feet!
A short uppercut from McCraw.
McCraw lands a body punch in the clinch.
McCraw lands with a short shot to the head.
Quirez wants to take the fight to the mat but McCraw manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Manny Quirez. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
McCraw throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Quirezs head.
McCraw gets through Quirez's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
McCraw lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
McCraw dips a shoulder and cracks Quirez with a mighty uppercut! Quirez falls back against the cage and McCraw unloads with a barrage of strikes! Quirez is completely out with his eyes open, only supported by the cage! Save him ref! Eventually the ref decides to do his job and jumps in - McCraw screams abuse at the incompetent official before going over to celebrate with his corner. Brutal stuff!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:18 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Teller McCraw!
During a confident post fight interview, Teller McCraw thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
92%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Matt Curtis (ranked 7591 p4p, 604 weight class) and Tazawa Matsu (ranked 5817 p4p, 537 weight class). Both fighters look pumped up here. Let's hope this is a good fight!

Curtis
vs
Matsu

166 cm
26
158 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

172 cm
18
182 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Determined

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Matt Curtis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Tazawa Matsu!
The judges for this bout are Peter Branson, Bart Greer and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Matsu ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Curtis definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Curtis takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Matsu ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Curtis walks into a stiff left hand from Matsu.
Nice shot lands for Matsu.
Jab from Matsu.
Matsu ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Matsu smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Matsu connects with a nice looking jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Matsu cracks Curtis with a good jab.
Matsu scores with the left hand. Curtis knows he should have avoided that one.
Matsu digs a good body shot into Curtis's ribs.
Nice shot lands for Matsu.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matsu jabs at Curtis's body.
Matsu lands an overhand right.
Matsu scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Matsu fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Matsu sizes up Curtis with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Jab by Matsu.
Matsu lands a nice shot to the body.
Curtis on the wrong end of a nice jab.

Curtis is rocked!
Matsu cracks a nice hook into Curtis's ribs.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A punch lands to the side of Curtis 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Oh Curtis is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Curtis circles to his right, straight into a beautiful hook by Matsu. Curtis falls face first into the canvas - great knockout victory for Matsu!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:56 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Tazawa Matsu!
A victorious Tazawa Matsu thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
68%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Saza Shimazu (ranked 5704 p4p, 577 weight class) and Mario Gallo (ranked 4621 p4p, 517 weight class). Saza Shimazu could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Mario Gallo's chin.

Shimazu
vs
Gallo

186 cm
25
207 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

180 cm
25
202 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Lethal high kicks
KO power

Good wrestler
Decent boxing
Heavy handed

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 The Island, Saza Shimazu!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Mario Gallo!
The judges for this bout are Santiago Holmes, Winston Alpacca and David Hoff.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gallo changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Shimazu moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.

It looks like Mario Gallo has been cut.
Mario Gallo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gallo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Shimazu was well out of range. Poor timing from Gallo.
Shimazu throws a front kick that sends Gallo stumbling back into the cage.
Gallo throws a body shot but no joy.
Gallo looks to score with a jab to the body but Shimazu is just out of range.
Shimazu works the jab nicely.
Shimazu checks a leg kick nicely.
Gallo takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Nice jab there from Shimazu.
Gallo swings away with a leg kick that misses.
A big right from Gallo misses.
Gallo has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shimazu checks a leg kick.
Gallo pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Shimazu uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gallo.
Shimazu defending well as Gallo loads up on a big left hand.
Shimazu with a hook.
Gallo scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
The fighters circling - Gallo throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Gallo uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Shimazu.
Gallo walks into a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shimazu checks the leg kick.
Good work by Shimazu as he checks the leg kick.
Gallo thuds a left hand into Shimazu's body.

Shimazu sends Gallo crashing to the mat with a devastating uppercut! Shimazu is motioning to the referee to let Gallo up. He wants to try and finish this one on the feet!

Gallo is rocked!
A shot to the liver by Shimazu. Beautiful body shot.
Gallo is still on wobbly legs! Can Shimazu finish him?
Gallo looks winded!
Gallo walks into a straight right, dropping him to the canvas! Shimazu swarms him and finishes the fight with a hail of punches! What a brutal finish!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:19 of round 1, we have a winner by way of KO (Punches). Saza Shimazu!
A relieved looking Saza Shimazu thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
92%

Undercard bout

Co-main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Marcus Yonic (ranked 2844 p4p, 377 weight class) and Luiz Escobar (ranked 4690 p4p, 525 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Yonic
vs
Escobar

177 cm
26
185 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

185 cm
25
185 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Very strong

Good takedowns
Dangerous knees
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Marcus Yonic!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Luiz Escobar!
The judges for this bout are Santiago Holmes, David Hoff and Winston Alpacca.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yonic takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Escobar throws an off balance right hand

and Yonic counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Escobar not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Yonic scoring with punches to the head and body.
Yonic stands up over Escobar, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Yonic with a nice head shot there.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Escobar can do anything to dispel that myth.
Yonic prevents Escobar from getting back to his feet.
Escobar really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Yonic. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Yonic passes into half guard.
Escobar trying to control from the bottom.
Escobar is looking for a sweep. Yonic is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Yonic is taking a breather. Escobar says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Yonic lands with a punch from half guard.
Yonic scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
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!
Escobar wants to get back to full guard.

Yonic is working for a submission here. He's got hold of the far side arm and he's looking for a kimura. He's cranking on the arm and he's got it! Escobar is tapping out! Ouch, that looked like it hurt!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:55 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Marcus Yonic!
During a confident post fight interview, Marcus Yonic thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
68%

Main event

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Stig Jahr (ranked 2154 p4p, 303 weight class) and Rafik Arfah (ranked 3560 p4p, 448 weight class). Stig Jahr has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Jahr
vs
Arfah

178 cm
25
208 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

150 cm
18
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Very quick

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Tends to cut

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Stig Jahr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Rafik Arfah!
The judges for this bout are Dirk Anderson, Michael Johnstone and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jahr slips a jab from Arfah.

Jahr gets a takedown into half guard.
Arfah trying to control here.
Jahr wants to free his trapped foot but Arfah is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Jahr throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Jahr thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Arfah's head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Jahr sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Arfah defending well though.
We've been hearing good reports from Jahr's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
Jahr is controlling the pace.
Jahr drops an elbow to the side of Arfah's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jahr missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Jahr perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Jahr is nestled in close to Arfah, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

It looks like Rafik Arfah has been cut.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Arfah taking some punishment here, with Jahr in his half guard.

That has opened up Rafik Arfah's cut even more.
Arfah trying to control but Jahr postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Jahr scores with a couple of good hammerfists.

The cut above Rafik Arfah's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Jahr seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.

Arfah is rocked!

Rafik Arfah's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.

The referee calls the doctor in to look at Rafik Arfah's cut. Oh no, the doctor has called an end to the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:55 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Cut). Stig Jahr!
A less than humble Stig Jahr misjudged his post fight interview somewhat and came across a little too arrogant whilst trying to hype up his own abilities.