PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kron Gracie (ranked 3616 p4p, 2790 weight class) and Diego Rios (ranked 425 p4p, 339 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Gracie
vs
Rios

190 cm
27
190
6 - 6 - 0

184 cm
25
195
3 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

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 6 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Kron Gracie!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Diego Rios!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Frank Dennis and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rios keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Rios chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Rios throws a series of punches but Gracie avoids them all with ease.
Rios chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Rios misses with a double jab.
Rios closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Rios moves away from the strike by Gracie.
Sloppy strikes from Rios. Those never looked like landing.
A nice leg kick lands there from Rios.
Rios ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Rios tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Rios loads up on a big right hand but Gracie slips the punch.
We've been hearing reports that Gracie has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Rios swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Gracie counters with a nice body shot.
Gracie comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie throws a big shot that misses.
Gracie swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Diego Rios is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rios looks to land a combination. Gracie sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Gracie digs a good hook to Rios's body.
Rios ducks under a wild hook from Gracie.

Gracie shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Gracie was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Gracie throws an elbow but Rios slips to the side and avoids it well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rios managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Gracie.
Rios is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Gracie is controlling him well.
Gracie just content to control the position.
Gracie creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Rios sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rios managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Gracie.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Gracie throws a strike aimed at the side of Rios's head but Rios avoids it well.
Gracie has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Rios defending against the ground and pound.
Rios told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.
Rios is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Gracie is controlling him well.
Gracie trying to control the position but Rios is working away.
Gracie tries to advance to mount but Rios denies him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie taking a break here but Rios is having none of it and regains half guard.
Gracie not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rios is trying to stand.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Gracie misses the shot to the body.
Rios looks to land a combination. Gracie sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Rios fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Gracie getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Gracie checks a low kick from Rios.
Rios uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gracie.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rios throws a hook but Gracie avoids it easily.
Gracie tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Rios swivels and escapes.
Gracie fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kron Gracie. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rios misses with a jab to the body
and Gracie counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rios misses with a low kick.
Rios misses with a wild body shot.
Gracie lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rios misses with a low kick.
Rios avoids the body shot from Gracie.
A big left from Gracie misses.
Gracie fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Gracie moves out of range as Rios throws a body kick.
A jab lands there for Gracie.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Diego Rios will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A jab from Rios misses.
Rios takes a shot to the body in his stride.
A shot to the body from Gracie misses
and Rios counters with a two punch combo.
Rios defending well as Gracie loads up on a big left hand.
Rios swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Rios lands a nice leg kick that just misses Gracie's sensitive parts.
Gracie scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Rios doesn't seem bothered though.
Gracie misses with a lunging right hand
and Gracie takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Gracie throws a body punch but Rios moves out of range.
Gracie throws a jab when Rios was well out of range.
Gracie throws a body shot but no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rios looks to land a combination but Gracie avoids it well.
Rios throws a leg kick but Gracie checks it.
Rios takes one to the chin there.
Diego Rios seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Gracie misses with a jab to the body
and Rios counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Gracie swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice leg kick lands there from Rios.
A combination from Rios does no damage.
A shot to the body from Rios misses
and Gracie connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Rios takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.
Rios digs a good hook to Gracie's body.
Rios uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gracie.
Gracie thuds his right hand into Rios's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Gracie lands with a hook. Rios tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Gracie jabs Rios to the body, keeping him at a distance.
A left lands for Gracie.
Gracie misses with a looping left.
Gracie clobbers Rios with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Diego Rios is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Gracie misses with a straight right.
Rios let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Gracie throws a nice looking combination but Rios bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Gracie avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Gracie throws out a powerful jab.
Rios slips a straight right by Gracie.
Gracie misses with a lunging right hand
and Rios counters with a nice leg kick.
A head kick misses from Rios.
Rios misses with a series of wild punches.
A chopping leg kick lands by Rios.
Gracie throws a body shot but no joy.
Gracie swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rios with a nice calf kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
An inside leg kick from Rios misses.
Rios misses with a two punch combination.
Rios keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Gracie checks a leg kick.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Good standup being displayed there by Rios as he connects with a hook.
Gracie scores with a shot to the body.
Gracie with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Gracie clobbers Rios with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Gracie throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Rios.
Gracie is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Rios tries to move into range but Gracie moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Rios turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rios slips a straight right by Gracie.
Rios slips under a jab from Gracie.
Rios fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Gracie on the side of the head.
Gracie looks to throw the jab but Rios is out of range.
Rios jabbing away but nothing is landing.
It looked like Gracie wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Rios lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Gracie has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Gracie and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Rios throws a head kick that misses.
Gracie lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Rios circles away quickly and effectively.
Gracie slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
A big left from Gracie misses.
Gracie pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Gracie checks the leg kick nicely there.
Gracie swings away with a body shot that misses
and Rios cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Rios misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Kron Gracie will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Gracie fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Gracie thows a left - swing and a miss!
A looping hook to the body misses from Gracie. Rios does a little dance to reset his feet.
Rios throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rios jabs Gracie to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Gracie swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Gracie throws a shot from downtown. Rios moves away and avoids it.
Gracie lunges at Rios with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Rios's hand.
Rios throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Gracie stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Gracie throws a body shot but no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gracie swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Despite the aggression on Rios's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Gracie fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Rios on the side of the head.
Rios is looking to chop away at Gracie's legs.
A big left from Gracie misses.
Gracie throws a big shot that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rios throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Gracie throws a body punch but Rios moves out of range.
Rios is looking to chop away at Gracie's legs.
Rios throws an off balance right hand
and Gracie counters with a straight right hand.
Rios uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gracie.
Rios lands a glancing blow to the side of Gracie's head.
Gracie scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Rios chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Rios throws a jab when Gracie was well out of range.
Gracie misses with a wild body shot.
Gracie lands a nice hook to Rios's body. Rios takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Rios throws an overhand right that lands on Gracie's shoulder, as Gracie tries to avoid the shot.
Gracie ducks under a wild hook from Rios.
Gracie throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Rios now looks to counter with a shot at the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rios has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Rios there as he acknowledges the shot.
Rios uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gracie.
Rios fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Gracie misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Rios.
Gracie connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Rios misses with a wild combination.
Rios cracks a nice hook into Gracie's ribs.
Rios is looking to slow Gracie down with leg kicks.
Gracie scores with the left hand. Rios knows he should have avoided that one.
Rios throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Gracie swings for the body but Rios moves out of range.
Gracie takes a shot right to the bread basket.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rios takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Gracie just misses with a punch to the body.
Rios has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Gracie misses with a looping right.

Gracie closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Rios quickly recovers to half guard.
Gracie throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Gracie is trying to control the action in half guard but Rios is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Gracie scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Gracie wants to pass to mount but Rios is defending the position.
Rios wants to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well, if Gracie is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Gracie with the ground and pound but Rios uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Rios keeping moving, preventing Gracie from controlling successfully.
Gracie stands and throws Rios's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Gracie throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Rios tries to escape but Gracie is in control.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kron Gracie showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Gracie has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Dennis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kron Gracie!
Kron Gracie thanked the fans post fight for their support.