PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between nate diaz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marcus Grant (ranked 0 p4p, 0 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.

diaz
vs
Grant

182 cm
22
187 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

185 cm
28
193 lbs
11 - 7 - 0

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

Violent Snake
-OVERDOSE Factory-

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 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, nate diaz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Marcus Grant!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Robert Twigg and Daniel Franklin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
diaz fails to land the takedown.
A swing and a miss from Grant.
diaz steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Grant.
diaz closes the distance and clinches up with Grant, looking for a takedown. diaz pushes Grant against the cage but Grant circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
diaz has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Grant finds it's way round the side to connect with diaz's head.
The fighters circling - Grant throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Grant stuffs the takedown attempt from diaz. diaz gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for nate diaz. That's going to take a lot out of him.
diaz misses with a head kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
diaz ducks under a wild hook from Grant.
Grant moves out of range of the body kick from diaz.
Grant throws a body punch but diaz moves out of range.
Grant misses with a hook. diaz ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
diaz shoots in for a takedown but Grant shows good takedown defense.
A nice combination there by Grant.
Grant moves out of range of the strikes.
Grant misses with a looping right.
Grant uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before diaz has time to react.
The fighters circling - Grant throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
diaz ducks under a wild hook from Grant.
diaz takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Marcus Grant is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Grant avoids the head kick by diaz.
diaz slips under a jab from Grant.
Grant keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Grant might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Grant with a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Grant throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A punch combination from Grant misses.
Grant misses with a hook. diaz ducked under it nicely.
diaz shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Grant sprawls well. Grant wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. diaz gets slowly back to his feet.
Grant scores with a jab to the body.
diaz throws a series of punches but Grant moves out of range.
Grant swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
diaz throws a predictable looking body shot
enabling Grant to counter with a crisp jab.
Grant swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

so diaz counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
diaz looking to sit in guard and control but Grant gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Grant pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. diaz is keeping the position for now.
diaz trying to keep a closed guard but Grant is proving a slippery customer.

Grant got a little sloppy there for a moment and diaz has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Grant has managed to get both his arms back between diaz's legs - danger averted.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Grant sitting in guard here, content to control.

diaz had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Grant defends it easily.
Grant must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Grant wants to pass the guard but diaz is keeping the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Grant passes diaz's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Grant seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
diaz trying to control but Grant postures up.
Well, if Grant 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.
diaz trying to control but Grant postures up.
diaz is not content to let Grant control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

A jab from Grant misses.
Grant is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by diaz.
diaz misses with a takedown
and Grant counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Grant looks to land a right hand but diaz moved out of range.
Grant is looking to slow diaz down with leg kicks.
diaz misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Grant.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
diaz misses with a wild body shot.
Grant swinging wildly here.
Grant misses the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
diaz slips under a jab.
diaz ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
diaz defending well as Grant loads up on a big left hand.
diaz moves out of range as Grant strikes.
A big right from Grant misses.
Grant throws a series of punches but diaz avoids them all with ease.
diaz slips under a jab from Grant.
Grant lands a glancing blow to the side of diaz's head.
Grant throws an uppercut from half a mile away. diaz sees it coming and avoids it easily.
diaz bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Grant throws a series of punches but diaz moves out of range.
Grant throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Grant cracks diaz with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Grant comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Grant cracks diaz with an open hand slap.
diaz misses with a takedown
and Grant counters with a low kick, right behind diaz 's knee.
A big right from Grant misses.
diaz moves out of range of the strikes.
Grant pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Grant waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract diaz.
diaz takes a head kick and keeps coming.
A head kick by diaz misses
and Grant counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Grant swinging wildly here.
diaz looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Grant is fending him off so far but diaz persists. Nope, Grant circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for nate diaz. That's going to take a lot out of him.
diaz slips under a jab.
Grant throws out a loose jab but diaz uses good head movement to avoid it.
Grant lands a nice shot that snaps diaz's head back.
Grant lands with a kick to the ribs.
Grant lands a glancing blow to the side of diaz's head.
Grant throws out a loose jab but diaz uses good head movement to avoid it.
diaz shoots for a double leg takedown but Grant sprawls well. He's pushed diaz's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
diaz uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Grant.
diaz fails with the takedown
and Grant connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Grant keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Grant waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract diaz.
Grant missing with a left hand there. diaz was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Grant throws a shot from downtown. diaz moves away and avoids it.
diaz needs to keep his hands up - Grant had a free shot at his head there.
diaz keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Grant.
Grant is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by diaz.
Grant lands a lovely overhand right.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Grant scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
diaz defending well as Grant loads up on a big left hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Grant showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Grant misses with a combination

and diaz counters with a shoot takedown. Grant fights it but they end up in guard.

diaz drops back, looking for a kneebar! Grant looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Grant looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Grant!
diaz tries to get back to half guard but can't.
diaz holds on to Grant's head and controls the position momentarily.
diaz tries to get back to half guard but can't.
diaz struggling a bit here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Grant is looking to take a break and control but diaz is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
diaz is looking to reverse the position.
Grant is staying tight to diaz's torso, preventing him from escaping.
diaz is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Grant's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

diaz is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Grant pulls his head out easily.

diaz actively working from the bottom here.
diaz wants to get back to full guard.
nate diaz has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Grant in particular looking to stall.
Let's hope that Grant has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

diaz looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
diaz is trying to control but can't.
diaz gets full guard.
Grant sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Grant trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Grant avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Grant controlling from the top position.
Marcus Grant is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Grant stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. diaz swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Grant wants to control from the top but diaz keeps moving.

diaz looking for a guillotine here but Grant defends easily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Grant preventing the sweep.

And that's the end of the fight!
nate diaz showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Grant has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Wesley Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Robert Twigg scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 28:29

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