PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Darian Cruz (ranked 2167 p4p, 2493 weight class) and Cicero Verus (ranked 289 p4p, 328 weight class). Cicero Verus 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!

Cruz
vs
Verus

173 cm
40
146
6 - 7 - 0

175 cm
40
156
22 - 19 - 0

BJJ Red Belt
Basic striking
Very quick

BJJ Red Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Fantasy Threads
Furnace Performance 🔥

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 7 - 0, fighting out of New York, Darian Cruz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 19 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Cicero Verus!
The judges for this bout are Percy O'Donnell, Jack Bonds and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cruz shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Verus but Verus pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Cruz shoots in for a takedown but Verus shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Verus tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.

Verus closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Cruz to the mat! Cruz manages to get full guard.
We've been hearing good reports from Cruz'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.
Cruz looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Verus stays in close to Cruz's body and controls the position.
Verus working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Cruz is trying to control the position from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Verus has a momentary lapse of concentration, allowing Cruz to throw up a leg and lock on what appears to be a pretty tight triangle! Verus is fighting it off but it's all too little too late - Cruz pulls down on the head and he's put Verus to sleep! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:59 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle). Darian Cruz!
During a confident post fight interview, Darian Cruz thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.