PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Marcus Royston (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Roland Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Royston
vs
Gracie

195 cm
18
260 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

173 cm
19
220 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Prefers ground

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Marcus Royston!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Roland Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Paulo Santos and Matheus Silva.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gracie uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Royston.
Royston looks to score with a jab to the body but Gracie is just out of range.

Gracie 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.
Royston trying to control the position.
Gracie 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.

Royston looking for a guillotine here but Gracie defends easily.

Royston looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Gracie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie wants to control from the top but Royston keeps moving.
We're hearing some news coming in from back stage. It's official - Gracie has eaten all the pies!

Royston pushes Gracie off and scrambles back to his feet.
Royston throws a solid leg kick but Gracie takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Royston.
Royston takes a swing at Gracie's ribcage but misses.

Royston closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

Royston decides to stand back up. Royston steps back and let's Gracie get back to his feet.
Royston throws a series of punches but Gracie avoids them all with ease.
Gracie slips under a jab.
Royston swinging wilding here.
Royston throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Gracie shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Royston pinned against the cage. Royston gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Gracie looks gassed!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Royston takes the fight into the clinch.
Royston misses with some punches.

Royston escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Royston slow jab from Gracie misses its intended target.
Royston throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Gracie sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Royston swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Marcus Royston seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Gracie uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Royston.
Royston pivots, looking for a leg kick but Gracie is out of range and Royston settles back down.
Royston is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Gracie.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Royston paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A punch combination from Royston misses.
Royston throws a body punch but Gracie moves out of range.
A choreographed right hand from Royston misses the target.

Royston bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Gracie wants to control but Royston postures up.

Royston has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.

Royston clinches with his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Royston wants to break the clinch but can't.

Royston breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Royston pushes Gracie up against the cage in a clinch.
Gracie has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Royston is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Royston wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Gracie has him pressed against the cage.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Royston takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Royston digs a right hand into Gracie's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Gracie's gas tank.
Gracie prevents a body shot from Royston.
Gracie prevents Royston from breaking the clinch.
Royston prevents a takedown attempt there.
Marcus Royston has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Roland Gracie.

Gracie ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Gracie no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Royston looking to pass the guard.
Gracie is trying to keep Royston in close.
Royston has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Gracie is proving hard to escape from.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie is trying to control the position but Royston postures up.
Gracie is wriggling around but Royston manages to pass to half guard.
Gracie trying to control from the bottom.
Royston is looking to stall here but Gracie recovers full guard.
Royston trying to stand up but can't free himself from Gracie's guard.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Royston misses with a body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Royston dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Royston has managed to clinch.

Royston gets a trip takedown into half guard.
Royston is stalling here. Gracie is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Royston seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Gracie has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Royston is trying to control Gracie's posture but Gracie avoids it.
Gracie prevents Royston from escaping the position.
Gracie is working Royston over with some ground and pound from side control.

Gracie stands up.
Gracie is breathing heavily.

Royston closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Gracie to the mat! Gracie manages to get full guard.
Royston will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Royston stands up from Gracie's guard - Royston perhaps looking for a knockout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Royston tries to avoid it but Gracie manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Royston to the ground. Royston escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Gracie avoids the body shot from Royston.
Gracie scores with a three punch combo!
Royston misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gracie.
Royston swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Royston is looking to wear down Gracie with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Royston blocks the body kick.
Marcus Royston is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Gracie has his takedown stuffed

and Royston counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

Royston is trying to work for a kimura but Gracie is defending well.
Gracie is looking to control Royston's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Gracie avoid being mounted?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie pushes Royston off looking to stand but Royston dives back in and keeps control.
Marcus Royston overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Royston is thwarting Gracie's attempts to control the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Royston is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Gracie doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Royston.

Royston is working for a submission of some sort.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Royston prevents Gracie from improving his position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Royston misses the jab.

Royston has taken the fight to the clinch.
Gracie tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Gracie has Royston pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Royston manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Marcus Royston has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Roland Gracie.
Royston wants to get back to striking at distance but Gracie won't allow it.
Royston tries to break the clinch but Gracie is controlling the position.
Royston wants to break the clinch but can't.
Royston tries to break the clinch but Gracie is controlling the position.
Gracie is working for takedown but Royston is calmly controlling the position for now.

Royston breaks from the clinch.
Royston misses with a looping right.

Royston rushes Gracie and presses him up against the cage.
Royston wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

Royston breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Gracie wants to break free but Royston has control.
Gracie tries to score a body lock takedown but Royston shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Royston breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Gracie misses with a takedown

and Royston holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Gracie scores with a knee to the head.

Royston breaks from the clinch.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Royston.
Royston looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Royston moves into the clinch.
Gracie fails to pull guard.
Gracie can't get the takedown.
Royston wants to break the clinch but can't.
Gracie tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Royston smiles and moves away.
Royston misses with a leg kick.
Royston looks to land a left hand but Gracie moved out of range nicely.
Royston misses with an uppercut. Gracie saw that one coming.
Royston slow jab from Gracie misses its intended target.
Royston fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Gracie tries to keep at a distance but Royston has taken the fight into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Royston dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! And we move into the final round!

Excellent takedown into side control there by Gracie.
Royston tries to escape but Gracie is in control.
Royston is trying to get back to half guard.
Royston gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Royston is trying to stand up here but Gracie is controlling him well.

Royston kicks off Gracie and gets to his feet.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Royston swings for the body but Gracie moves out of range.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Gracie.

Royston instigates a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Royston breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Royston throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gracie avoids a punch combination nicely.

Royston drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Royston is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Royston trying to stand up but can't free himself from Gracie's guard.
Gracie looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Royston stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Gracie tries to clinch there but Royston circles away.
Royston misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
No joy there for Gracie, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Royston clinches but Gracie breaks the clinch

and Gracie counters with a shoot takedown. Royston fights it but they end up in guard.
Royston utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Gracie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Gracie trying to control the position from guard on top but Royston is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Royston is looking for a triangle but Gracie pushes his legs off easily.
Royston looking for a sweep. Not yet Royston, not yet.
Gracie postures up.
Royston tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Royston swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Royston throws a lazy right hand but Gracie sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Royston dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Royston stuffs the takedown attempt from Gracie. Gracie gets slowly back to his feet.
Royston swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Gracie fails with the takedown.
Royston lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Gracie fails with the takedown.
Marcus Royston has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Roland Gracie.
Royston throws a leg kick

and Gracie counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Gracie stops Royston from getting back to his feet.
The fighters are battling for position here. Royston manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Gracie wants to control from the top but Royston keeps moving.
Royston manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Royston sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Roland Gracie has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gracie is working to get back to half guard.
Gracie swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Royston is standing up, even though he is in mount.
Royston throws out a leg kick but Gracie moves out of range and Royston only half commits.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Roland Gracie.
Well Royston 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 29:28
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marcus Royston!